Mohave County miner., 1913-08-23
Smelling by Electricity Tested
 in Globe.


 mace by the direct application of heat generated by powerful current of electricity passing through electrodes, was made in Globe last week.
 Electric furnaces of the Heroult type are extensively used in the steel mills at Pittsburg and at the iron mines in Sweden for the fusing of iron, but it remained for R. s. Vile, manager of the Pil>hurg Electric Furnace company, to perfect furnace which, apparently, solves the problem of reducing copper, gold, silver, lead, aluminium and vanadium ores by elec- tricity, without the use of other fuel.
 The test was made here at the in. stance of H. s. Paul, of Pittsburg, Pa, who purchased the furnace from the Pittsburg company, and had it shipped to Globe and set up on the ground of who supplied the current used in the trial run, MT. Paul defraylng the en- tire cost. Mir. Paul, who is president of the Verona Tool Works, of Pitts. burg, and vice, president of the Copper Reef mines and E. E. Meyers, Jr., treasurer of the latter company, came which was made with ore from the mines of the Copper Reef company, situated thirteen miles south of San Carlos, Arizona.
 Ralph A. Meyer, E. M represented Mir. Paul here in erecting the furnace and arranging the details, in conjunc- tion with Mr. Vile, who personally conducted the test.
 The furnace was heated up last Wednesday and on Thursday evening the first tap was made in the presence of several directors of the Copper Reef company and other interested parties, the molten slag and metal flowed freely, proving conclusively that cop per ores could be successfully smelted by electricity. Analysis of the slag showed it to be practically free from metallic substance, and the metallic copper obtained was of superior fne- ness to that obtained trom blast fur naces. The test was continued until Saturday evening, the product for the entire run being l56 pounds of copper.
 Two very important points, clearly demonstrated by the test, are that it is possible to obtain good extraction from a highly sllcious ore containing copper, namely: Si02-6S per cent GU. 0.544 per cent, thus overcoming the difficulties encountered by the smeltermen in relation to highly re- fractory ores. Furthermore, every particle in the charge is reduced and there is no loss in Aue dust. as is the case with the blast furnace This in itself is a great saving.
 The furnace is known as the electric resistence type, and the one used for the test has a capacity of l5 tons of ore in twenty-four hours. The furnace has steel shell and an lS-inch lining of Grecian magnesite brick. A station ary electrode passes through the base of the furnace, about half an inch above the bottom of the brick lining, and second electrode, four and one. half feet long and four inches in diam eter, is suspended in the furnace and is raised and lowered by means of wire cable attached to a small winch.
 At the commencement of operation an arc is formed by adjusting the up. per electrode, and after the charge is partially fused the arc is cut out but the current is kept on, and the heat generated by the resistence performs the complete reduction of the charge.
 It is believed that the electrical process. as improved by Mr. Vile, will to a considerable extent in time, take tho place of the blast furnace The main factor is the cost of power. and where power can be obtained at moderate cost. the mine owner of small means will be enabled to reduce his ores by the electric process and be independent of custom smelters.- Globe Record.