The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-11-03
Continued from page One

Passing from the hopper INTO lne
retort the shale is spread upon the
floor of the first chamber, where the
heat is kept at about 250 degrees.
Thence IL is moved by sets OF auto
matte rakes, If the term is applicable
10 q most ingenious contrivance that
acts with almost human intelligence,
10 the next tower compartment,
where heat is maintained at about
$50 degrees Finally. actuated by the
same power, IL is carried to the third
and lozer chamber, where the heat
reaches $50 degrees From each Of
these chambers the vapors driven out
of the shale by the heat are drawn
off by high speed vacuum pump to
condensers and the spent shale drops
by gravity to ain outside bin
The condensers are mere wooden
tanks, at the bottom of which is a
quantity of water. As the gases pass
through this water they are partially
condensed into oil and as this oil ac-
cumulates the vspors are absorbed in
greater quantities in manner anala-
gous to the production of casinghead
gasoline by absorption through min
ersl oil This use of oil as the ab-
sorbent or nenstruum is novel, SO far
as can be learned and is much more
efficient than any system in which
compression is utilized Vzpors that
fail TO condense in the first condens-
er unit are passed into another in
which a similar process is used and
it is to the credit of the inventor
that the amount of fixed gases or
vapors which cannot be condensed, is
a very low minimum
Tests with various grades of shale
have brought varying results One
vein of highly saturated rock yielded
so TO 5s gallons of oil per ton while
the average gives upwards of II gall
Ions to the ton The OIL likewise, is
of varying gravity and differs in gas
oline and kerosene content, although
it uniformly carries a large amount
of lubricating oils. The average yield
of ammonium sulphate is about 50 TO
the ton. this yielding a fertilizing
agent of great value by treating it
with sulphuric acid
To recover the precious metals
from the spent shale, the refuse rock,
which looks and feels like coarse
gray ashes, is pulverized and then
subjected to the ordinary cyandiza-
tion process familiar TO mining prac-
tice. The gold which exists in minute
particles. oftentimes microscopic, is
rapidly digested by the cyanide and
is precipitated as in the mills in the
Cripple Creek district The plat
inum. after the usual treatment with
aqua Regis, is likewise converted into
a salt, as is the silver content. The
basis principle of the discovery and
possible recovery of these metals.
however, is in the subsection of their
carrier. the shale. to high and con-
slant heat, which drives off the car
bon which in nature is the cement
that holds the metals in their matrix.
1t has been found that the spent
shale when placed in the cyanide So
luton rapidly settles into a compact,
almost cement-like form in the bot
tom of the tank so that the cyanide
fails to reach particles For that
reason the inventor is forced to in
stall agitators of peculiar form which
will keep the spent shale in solution
until each minute piece can be at
tackled by the cyanide. When that is
accomplished, Mr.. Beam believes he
will have solved the problem and
will be ready to give a practical
demonstration.
The Colorado Shale & Metals COM
pany. of which DIR. Sanford Bell is
the head, has financed the efforts Of
Mr. Beam and has expended a large
amount Of money In developing his