Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-11
(FroIn Wall Street Digest. ,

~ ASAA wall GILSeL IL
Inc assumption Of a financial writ
er Is that his readers are more or less
wen posted on the particular subjects
which engage their scrutiny. AS
matter Of fact few have more than q
superficial knowledge OF what is back
OF the securities that they own. 4
great many investors put their money
into securities without even knowing
what the companies are engaged in
manufacturing or supplying. This is
particularly true Of m.iIing securities.
Few indeed are the stockholders who
could give details as TO the general
character Of the ores and In many
instances they do not know whether
the mines produce gold, silver, lead,
zinc or copper, unless the name Of
the company suggests II, and this can
not always be relied upon as accu-
rate.
For example: Butte & Superior
Copper il also q silver producing
mine, as are Anaconda, Calumet &
Arizona, Greene-Cananea and North
Butte, each having silver production
Of no mean proportions, the aggregate
amounting TO 10000, 900 ounces. Most
of the zinc and lead mines carry silver
values to some extent and gold is not
entirely absent
There has recently been a good
deal written about the wonderful re.
suits attained by the introduction of
the new "flotation system" in the
treatment OF ore, but writer's on the
subject have Appeared 10 ignore the
fact that the invention is pure Greek"
TO most readers. =. p.
In approaching discussion OF the
subject We do so fully aware that q
technical description Wouli be beyond
our own comprehension as ell as the
comprehension of the majority Of our
readers
The newly discovered phenomenon
which appears TO be unexplainable IL
based upon metal 10 contained in
ore being separated by means of oil
in agitation, the latter having a nat.
ural affinity for metal.
The affinity is said to be greatest
and metal recovery highest when the
proportion Of oil to ore 10 relatively
least. There are several processes Of
such similarity that litigation is in
progress as to their respective rights.
The process in embryo is as cid as the
hills, but as perfected 10 meet com
mercial condition Ii comparatively
modern and resulted from experiment
tations with q mechanical device in
one instance and by simplifying the
earlier processes in the others.
The claims of the discoyerer OF one
of the processes serves TO disclose
the process itself, which lie as follows:
The process OF concentrating ores.
in question, consists Of mixing pow.
dered ore with water. adding a small
proportion Of oily liquid having a
preferential affinity. Cor aEHeroas
matter amounting to fraction of
per cent on the orel. then fagitating
the mixture until tie 0il-coated min
eral matter forms froth which goes
to the surface tcalled flotaticn.)
This froth or foam, which 10 the re-
suit Of from two and one-half to 10
minutes effort, produces 0il-coated
air bubbles carrying oil-ceated par
ticles to the extent OF about 30 per
cent of the metal content, the foam
being sufficiently stable to permit re-
coveries Of practically all the metal
value.
Another process has the object OF
accomplishing similar results by grav.
fly. This ID called the Notwithstanding