Arizona republican., 1909-08-19
W[CKENBURG DEPARTMENT


of the improvements to be made se
 the power plant, as the plant is its
 only source of power. While the mine
 is shut down, its machinery will be
 overhauled and improvements made.
 The mill has a capacity of 200 tons
 per day of twenty-four hours. As
 soon as everything is in working or
 der, both at the power plant and at
 the mine, work on No. 3 shaft will be
 started. This shaft is now 1900 feet
 but will be sunk zoo feet more. Drifts
 in this shaft will be sunk to con-
 meet with No. shaft in the west The joker shaft which, is 1900 feet east
 of No. 3, shaft is $50 feet deep, but
 will be sunk to a level of 1900 feet, to connect with the 12O0-foot level of No. shaft. as the 1S0O-foot level of the joker shaft is approximately the
 120O-foOt level of No. 3 shaft.
 The ore indications in the above shafts are very satisfactory to the management. In the No. shaft vein from four to six feet deep con tains large quantities of ore, whioS runs about five to five and half dol lars in gold. No. shaft contains large bodies of ore which are already blocked out. The joker shaft carries the highest value of any ore yet found in the mine, some of the sam pies averaging as high as SAP to the ton.
 From present indications the Octave will be a greater producer of gold in the future than in the past, and it holds d record of producing about S1, 750,000 in gold under it's former Since the new com pany took hold of it, it is estimated that they spent for development work and Improvements so far, about a quarter of d million dollars, and at this time they are expending about S10,000 per month for new develop ment work. In short, the officials of the company are highly pleased with the outlook of the property Under the direction of it's present general Walter W. ,wishon, the work so far accomplished shows that the previous reports of the engineers are correct and that the anticipations of the board of directors are being full filled.
 F. c. O'Brien of Denver, Colo, is here trying to interest Arizona Mining men in a process of dry amalgama- tion. which he thinks will make gold in dry regions. now value less, good paying propositions. The is patented under No. 7O2990 and was invented by Mir O'Brien and his brother. The following is rather technical description of the workings of the machine. which will no doubt interest mining men.
 The process of dry amaIgamation of a series of cylindrical amaIgam plates revolving in baths of heated mercury. This mercury is heated by a circulation of hot water surrounding the troughs. The heating of the amalgam plates through the of the mercury renders any cleaning previous to their entrance to the conduit The pulp is drawn by suction through an enclosed serpentine conduit of which the revolving cylinders form alternate sides. These revolving cylinders furn- ish a renewal of uncontaminated amalgam surface, which is heated and therefore more readily picks up the gold from the pulp which is being agitated and brought in to contact with the plates. by the 5erpentine shape Of the conduit and the action of the air against the cov- cred surfaces of the opposite sides of the same.
 The eXhausts can be so regulated that a product of any desired mesh can be handled, making it unneces- sary for any previous screening. The power for operating the machine, Mir O'Brien says, outside the reduction of the ore which would have to be done by the ordinary process, practically lmOun& to nothing.
 This machine Is not intended for placer, but it is especially de- signed for working free milling quartz The machine is built in a series of units which makes it ap- pliable to any desirable tonnage. Each unit has a capacity of about eight tons per day of twenty-four hours. Mir. O'Brien says experiments are now being conducted with the machine in New Mexico on a successful scale.
 A. F. Simpson, the surveyor, has from the Buckhorn district. where he was surveying some mining claims owned by Detroit capitalists.
 D. N. Shelby of St. Louis is business visitor.