Gilpin observer., 1911-08-03
EVERY NINE WITH ITS
OWN TREATMENT PLANT

The agitation in mining now Is in
the treatment of ores. The Observer
some time ago, suggested that a
mine should be equipped with a pro-
cess for the treatment Of its own
ores. This subject has since been
referred to elsewhere and the editor
has had several propositions offered
him for exploitation. The trouble with
most of these is that they claim to
be able to treat every and all kinds
of ores. Perhaps they will. But they
do not seem to have placed them
selves in the front rank by their
popularity and success.
An electrical process was thought
would fill all requirements. 1t is not
in evidence, not to any great ex-
tent. 1t ought to be able to smelt
the ore, at least melt it, but how
the different metals are to be saved
has not been made very clear. Now.
along comes the Rankin method. 1t
is chemical. That sounds proper. 1t
is the belief of many that the sue
cessful process for extracting met
ais from rock will be along chemical
lines. Cyanide came near doing 1t.
But that is not close enough. "A
chemical that will eliminate all the
rock, leaving the metals is OF the
future. That accomplished the chem
ist must deal with that which re-
t-I hn a.
tion. Gold, silver. copper. lead, zinc,
antimony, pyrites and iron. All these
may have been the content OF the
rock treated. No treatment will be
a success till it accomplishes the feat
of separating these one from the 9TH
er. 1t ought not to prove hard OF
accomplishment. Some claim to do
this. There is no better field for sue
cess than right here in Gilpin. They
ought to be able to secure all the ore
needed. Nearly every dump contains
a fortune.
The Rankin process has merit in
that 1t is chemical, and has been
tried on ores from number OF sec
tions of the country. 1t is singular
how it varies in the cost. Cripple
Creek eight-dollar ore was treated for
seventy cents; Montana forty-eight
dollar ore for one dollar and eighty
cents: Arizona eighteen-dollar ore for
two dolalrs and ten cents; Oregon
twelve-dollar ore for one dollar and
twenty cents, and SO on. This would
prove one thing. the ores were not
similar. In addition to this the as
sertion is made that sulphide ores
can be treated by the Rankin process
at from one-tenth to one-half the
smelter charge (and at the mine).
That last is as important as the
treatment. For every mine to be thus
equipped is to make mining sue
cess, provided all the metals in the
rock are saved. 1t Is not too much
to expect. That 1t Is not in evil
dence merely proves that metal min
ing has advanced beyond the process
of treatment Nothing new has been
devised for the handling Of complex
ores. The metals shift SO much. There
may be a slight chemical difference
in the rocks. One section has min
eral in one kind of formation, while
the same minerals may be in diff
ferent formation in another district
1t is that which causes much OF the
trouble in metal extraction. The
chemical formula may have beer
worked out for a certain mine. but
it's neighbor's ore will not yield to
the same process. The process that
will recognize no difference in ores
will be a success. But the further
fact should not be lost to sight, that
it must save and separate all the
metals, each from the other. Such
may look for a big return.