The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-29
MINERS SHORT COURSE
IDAHO SCHOOL OF MINES
SPLENDID OPPORTUNITY FOR
MEN ENGAGED IN MINING
PRACTICALLY FREE.


pectors, the miners, the mill men ant
the smelter men of the state
Business men interested In various
phases of the mining industry also
frequently avail themselves of the OPP
portunity thus afforded to gain more
exact knowledge of ores, their occur
renee and treatment
The Miners Short Course" as 1t Is
termed, opens January and runs for
eight weeks
The entrance requirements are SIM
pie. Seriousness of purpose and abil-
ity to read and write intellgently and
to work ordinary problems In arithme-
tic are the necessary qualifications.
There is no age lmit-white -haired
old prospectors and recent high school
graduates have taken the course side
by side.
Facilities and Cost.
The equipment Of the university for
mining and metallurgical work Is ex-
cellent; the assay laboratory is the
most complete in the west, and the
milling and metallurgicaI laboratories
are unexcelled. The short course stu
dent not only has the advantage of
studying and using this equipment,
but has also the opportunity of OBJ
serving at close range the experiment
tai work being carried on by the local
staff of the United States bureau. of
mines on treatment methods for Idaho
ores.
The tuition and the use of the lab
oratories is free to all. A deposit
amounting to $25 is required to defray
the cost Of coal burned, fluxes and
chemicals used, and apparatus broken
The unexpended balance Is returned
at the end of the course. other than
this the only expense Is for room and
hoard
Practical Instruction.
The instruction is given by members
of the regular faculty of the school of
mines and is entirely practical in its
character large portion of the work
being done in the laboratory. For ex-
ample, In mineralogy the actual miner
ais are studied first in the type col
lection with labeled specimens until
the appearance of the mineral is well
known; and then the short course stu
dent tests his knowledge by Identify
ing unlabeled specimens. The same
procedure is followed in work with
blowpipe determination of minerals
not readily identified by appearance :.
In assayng, the short course stu
dent first learns the method of prepar-
ing the sample, of fluxing the ore, and
of firing the furnace Weighing oper-
ations are then studied and the entire
process is learned step by step until
the student can work by himself and
check results obtained by the smelter.
In ore treatment, the principles of
each process are explained and if feas-
ible each student tries each process
himself. If this can not be done, then
the class acts as squad or shift in
operating the particular machinery ne
in the stamp mill run, one man takes
care of the rock crusher another the |
sampling, a third the amalgamating
plate and stamps, fourth the concen-
traitor and so on
A certain amount of class or lecture
work is, of course, necessary as for
instance in the discussion of ore de-
posts, or in the explanation of mining
methods, or of principles of ore treat
ment but in all cases these discus
sions relate themselves closely to cur
rent practice and especially to condi-
tons in the western states. The
courses offered are as follows:
Subjects Taught.
Mineralogy and Geology-The work {
Is planned to give the prospector and S
mine owner a thorough knowledge of I
At least one hundred common and i'm
portant minerals, and the principal |
rocks. !
Blowpiping is taught as an aid to I
determining minerals hut sight recog- G
alton of minerals and rocks is con- 4
'idered as of great Importance and this v
'art of the work is strongly empha- p
sized. L
Assaying The determination of "
,old, silver and lead in ores by fire o
Methods and the determination of n
cad, copper iron, zinc, silica, lime and o
Their constituents by wet methods is r,
aught 81
This course is entirely of labora- t.
Dry character and each student is Of
iven individual instruction and does m
is work under the immediate super-> re
lsion of an experienced instructor
Ore Treatment--The underlying hi
rinciples involved in the treatment of re
'es are studied and explained. Special vi
nphasis is laid upon conception, in-
uding flotation ESQ important in Ida tn
,. Other methods. such as stamp M
Hing, amalgamation and cyandation, de
e also studied. Work is first done ex
small scale testing machines and an
Ter on the larger units. pr
Designs of some of the larger mills ins
II be studied, and such problems as
2 met within the state investigated. gre
Opportunity will be given for per- wo
rs enrolled in the course to test their a
n ores. tia