El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-06
DRY CONCENTRATE
SOLVES PROBLEM
SAYS SEARLE
The Lack of Water at San
Ygnacio Overcome by
New Process.

THE problem Of prime Importance
in the lead. zinc and silver districts
of the southwest, where water is so
scarce I'M most places" says 7 w.
Searle, superintendent of the San Yg-
nacio Mining and Milling company's
mines and mills. is miles east Of Ahu-
mazda, state of Chihuahua. lis the con-
ceDfration and separation Of the
metallic and nonmetaIlie contents by
some dry process. rendering the former
a marketable product. I have been
carrying on careful experimental tests
on a commercial scale at our mine
which prove perfectly satisfactory. and
the methods and results may be Of in
terest to others owning similar prop
critics
''The San Ygnacio mine was several
years ago a large producer Of lead
silver ores. but at the depth Of 100
feet the percentage Of zinc contents
increased to ssuch an extent that it
made 1t Improbable to ship ore with
out milling, that is. without concen-
trating and separating the zine from
the lead. After making numerous ex-
perimenfal tests. It was decided to in
stal a dry concentrating plant, the
principal reason being the lack of suf-
ficient water in the vicinity OF the
mine.
The mill was started about the
middle OF January, this year, consist.
ing OF g 7x10 Dodge crusher, which
brushes to one and a half (dkO inch
mesh. from which the ore is delivered
to rolls of the Cananea type. 14x27,
crushed to three eighths mesh, and
passed from the rolls TO the stack
dryer thence by conveyor belt to
10 mesh impact screen; the oversize
-
size passing to the dust extractor,
thence to the tvibro motor sizer,' or
screen, where it is separated into six
different sizes. running from Is to
100 mesh, each size running into sep
arate bins; everything over 100 fine
being. treated by itself These several
ssizesf are then. treated separately on
the dry concentrating tables, Of which
there are two in the mill. The power
for the crushing and sizing of the
ore is furnished by a 50 horse power
gasoline engine and the power for the
eoncentrators is from 20 horse power
gasoline engine.
by a system. of exhauss fans the
dust is drawn off from the ore while
milled and carried away to a tank
filled with water, thus eliminating all
inconvenience and danger to- health
from inhaling the dust into the lungs,
a great objection heretofore in dry
milling.
Practical Results.
"On. 365 tons of ore. three separate
runs were made as follows:
First. on 15e tons, which gave a
saving of 70 $40 percent of the lead
and silver values.
second. on IS tons a saving ives
made Of 81 $40 percent OF the lead and
silver values
Third, on 81 tons there was saving
of 81 6-10 percent of the lead and sill
yer values.
THE average lead and silver and
zinc contents OF the ore treated were:
Fifteen percent lead. - percent zinc
and 16 ounces silver per ton The
So percent lead and 81 ounces silver,
carrying only 5 percent zinc
''The zinc concentrates which carry
a certain percentage of barytes are
stored away for future treatment
whenever the market shall justify it
The Cost
3The mill running II hour shifts
averaged Is tons of ore treated per
shift at a cost Of STAG per ton, and
the cost Of mining and delivering the
ore to the mill was s2.SS per ton, MAX
ing the total cost $4.34 per ton
Revolution Stops Operations.
tsThe mine and mill are temporarily
closed down owing TO the railroad be-
ing put out of commission by the revo-
luton, but the company expects to
start operations again Immediately
upon the reopening of the railroad,
everything being ready and the mine
placed on paving basis"