The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-03-07
MINING INDUSTRY Of IDAHO
(By r. N. BELL State Mine Inspector)
MULLAN MINES.

Morning Mine

At Mullan the Morning mine has enjoyed wear of active
deVeopment that has put in sight than any year
operation OF It's previous history Unfortunately however
from standpoint Of profit the ore bodies encountered at the
deeper levels below the No. twome tunnel have proven to
De OF complicated character and while richer lead than
higher levels OF the mne the lead minerals are very difficult
to separate in the milling process owing the association
other Objectionable minerals including iron and zine suhe
principally together with of carbonate
whole tightly welded together with hard sous marx and
the separation further embarrassed by the fine of
the mineral crystals in the combination which results in very
heavy loss in the milling operations amounting nearly so
per cent OF the gross lead silver contents of the This
pery is equipped with concentrating plant Of 1900 tons
daily capacity and with characteristic energy and thorough
ness the metaurgica problem involved by the change in the
character Of has been assuouy studied by the
ment and expensive experiments have prosecuted with
vw OF increasing and saving fact the is being submit
ted to practical tests by the abe authorities in the world
the subject and considerable has been made this
respect
One Of the recent appliances that has been adopted
in this big plant the Hardnge Conca ball and pebble mills
which have proven wonderful economy in fine grinding
the high speed and multiple wearing surfaces of the Hunting
ton mill formerly used in this plant Another remarkably in
terestng appliance which has been installed this property
with profitable results has been the Macqusen Tube oator
process One large size unit of this simple device has beef
successfully operated for several months past handling about
onefourth of the slime products of the mill that have former
y gone waste in the creek and resisted all efforts of the tail
ng for its successful treatment illustrated by
idle plants of this kind along the creek between Muan
Wallace The Macquisten Tube, is based the prncip
that bright metallic objects will float water demonstra
ed by needle floating glass of water The tube ma
chine consists of of horizontal cast iron tubes with in
side corrugations that revoye slowly and the fine shines
fed in with additional clear water and flow through the
volvng tube which has the effect of lifting the fine metallic
suphides principally zinc to the surface Of the water
which floats the bright metallic particles of supide mnera
that pervou water and the water absorbent
particles sink back into the current to be discharged at the
of the tube ia small Vshaped trap while the floating part
ces of mineral carried off in the surface of 1
stream into second trap thus reversing the order of wet
centration i
This interesting device has produced so per cent zinc
centrates quite free from lead and pyre that marketed
an excellent profit The single unit of the plant in operao
indicates that if the mill is fully equipped with sufcen
number Of these machines that profits of $4,000 pc
month be made from former waste product that non
would touch and the strong market price OF zinc
maintained this feature of the Morning should material
offset the serious loss Of lead involved in it's change of cha
acter.
The great underground hoist and ramway stations of th
Morning mine probably the limit Of their kind in complete