The Detroit times., 1910-11-23


| fuel: that the rail- -.
ways meyer could 49,
have been built or operated because
of the lack Of coal and steel: that the
agricultural machinery of the coun-
try would have been impossible. be-
cause there would be no metal from
which to manufacture them. He
therefore, places himself at the head
OF the list OF American workmen.
Many OF the most important opera
tions in the mining OF gold are OF
American origin. One OF these Is the
hydraulic process, which originated III
California in 1852. BY this process
creeks, and even rivers. are diverted
| into huge reservoirs where their Wa
| ters are impounded. When sum-
| cint head Ia obtained, the water is
| conducted through large pipes 10
point where the mining operations are
| carried on, and Is there concentrated
on the soil to be broken up. lnou-
sands of acres OF soil are thus washed
out and the gold-bearing rock separ-
ated from II.
The tremendous force OF the stream
of water played upon the spot wnere
the operations are being carried on,
is illustrated by the fact that All
eipht-inch nozzle has been known 10
release a pressure Of water sufficlent
IN move a two-ton boulder at DIS
tance of 90 feet and to throw BOO
Mound rock as easily as a man might
cast a 20-pound weight. 1t Is said no
man ever lived who could strike
miners crow-bar through such a
stream. and that human being
| struck by Il would instantly be killed
and pounded into a shapeless mass.
HYDRAULIC mining works great dam
age to the agricultural sections In 'he
valleys below, and many states nave
prohibited it by law.
Another gold mining operation tnat
is the result OF the ingenuity OF the
American mining engineer, Is that ol
dredging. A dredge resembling the
old French ladder dredges used In the
work ON the Panama canal, is ntteu
with a centrifugal pump. III costs
about $4,000 an It's equipment slZ'-
zoo. The expense of operating one oi
these dredges Is about $l6,0oo yea :
during which time 1t will dredge ten
acres of water-covered ground 10
= danth of 30 feet. The huge stamping
. mill. which is used to break up goio-
hearing rock is also largely an Amer
r ;can invention. Some OF these mills
are SO strong that they are aDle ~
strike a blow OF 80 tons.
One of the most valuable lnven-
tions for the recovery or gold
known as the cyanide process uIo
!, erst natent for which was granted 10
w Simnson, of New Jersey. by
,b,s nrocess. gold may be secured
srom sources that could not be WORKED
nroetah,v in any other way nc
rock frat is mashed into pulp ~
bnya stamping machines. and inns
nuin is mixed with cyanide OF potash
chemical for which gold mas
: sttanpe affinity. The mixture is theh
noured into sheet iron boxes contain
ing zinc shavings. This causes the
aoId to break away from its hrst IL
enity and make friends with the zinc
~ "a then treated to a washing winch
recovers a goodly portion OF the solu'
"a then small quantities OF sulpnuric
ac,d are added to 1t and this produces
a,nc snlphate. This Is washed ou'
mitb hoiling water and the gold resi-
S,,o % then placed in furnace WIN
uSo uu horay and sand. When heated
s,oso ,orm a f,ux which allows the
pure gold to settle TO the po.'ohh ""
, the impurities to be enHiha,vu non,
II Is said by mining men that h." ~,
methods OF gathering goid mus III,
found or the value OF TINS nhe.ai W., ~
he so increased as 10 requiIe 'ns ~,
change OF all standards OF vaiue VI Hs
the world. Nearly all OF the pron.ao,e pn
gold fields are being worked tnorouen
iy, and unless the precious metai oa.'
be taken from sources not no" ,,I,
. ceptible to profitable opera'ion, WI, y
cost more in the future to produce Il
,,,d ~ gold than ever before. 1t
bos heen profitably mined from ma
tar,ols which yielded only three cents
worth IN the cubic yard of dirt. Ii is
"a there is one grain of gold in
oUarv ton of sea water, and inventors
are directing their energies to"aru
its profitable extraction.
Tho demands upon the coal mine
In the United States are so heavy that
averv sort of mechanical appliance
FOR the mining of coal is now In use
The rheumatic drill. driven by com,
nressed air. is able to do the work oi
l q dozen men. From the figures oil
, NuIhall as TO the working power oil
tho average human being, 1t appears
: that the coal which Is taken out OF the
American mine In a years time is
! even under present wasteful condi
A., tions. capable OF doing as much worR
I as could be accomplished by every
: man. woman and child on the whole
earth in five years. Many OF the III
yentions for the separation or Goa
from slate and other wastes have
: been brought out by Americans. one
, NJ these Is a coal-washer. Pulses ol
water are thrown up through sieve
containing the coal and the slate. The
coal being lighter than the slate, II
| forced out with the stream OF water
and is thus separated from the un
usable material II is the belief OF
, many mining experts that the day
will come when coal Will be trans
: formed into electricity at the mine
and carried to the user by giant trans
mission plants. A recently invented
appliance. soon to be adopted. is an
acetyline mining lamp, which Is said
: 10 be superior TO any other Kind o.
light for the miner.
In the minNg OF iron ore the
. American inventor has given TO the
world some OF its cheapest processes
, II Is said that nowhere else In the
world can a ton of ore be taken from
the ground and transformed into iron