The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-14

Actually. the assaying business has changed good deal in the 60 years of mining development cli- maXed in 1941 by Utah's emergence as the top non n-ferrous metal pro- ducer of the nation.
 But despite changes in technique and method, the assay office itself might have been lifted from the lot of any movie company. Nowadays, few assayers are concerned with sitting the finds of independent prospectors, and the "big strike" is rare indeed.
 But the same ancient rolltop desk, the same cluttered front room," with its pot-bellied stove and it's dusty and filtered shelves, characterizes even the busiest and most successful establishments. And every window has its inevitable dis play of varied ores.
 Assayer for 50 Years
 Salt Lake City has five large scale asaying companie, of which the firm of Alonzo F. Bardwell is typical. Like his name, Bardwell might have stepped out of Ral- Ston radio serial. He's been in the business 50 years-part of 1t in Col orado-and he now directs staff of several persons.
 The assayer's principal work in 194l is evaluating shipments of- fered to independent smelters. Usu- ally these shipments come from established mines, and the problem is not to determine whether the ore contians gold or silver, but how much.
 Occasionally, Bardwell says, a prospector will bring in a chunk of ore for analysis, but the disappoint- ments far outweigh the joys.
 To determine the gold content of a piece of ore, Bardwell pulverizes 1t in a special machine built for that purpose, and then places the powder in his furnace. At 1900 de- grees (Fahrenheit) the ore melts to a smooth liquid.
 Like Biscuit Tray
 This is poured off into cooling cups which look like biscuit trays and when the liquid has hardened, a little lead ball has been deposited on the bottom of the cup. Above is a colorful mass of waste material, which is thrown away.
 In the lead pellet is the ores total content of gold and silver. The lead is immersed in acids and then re- melted. The lead oxidizes, the silver vanishes and eventually tiny speck of gold remains. After one or two more steps, the assayer has pure gold, and is ready to weigh 1t on tiny scales which register milli- grams - one one-thousandth of a gram.
 The entire operation takes about a day - and may decide the pur- chase price of a trainload of ore, valued at many thousands of dol- lars.
 Other Metals Tested
 Bardwell himself handles most of the gold and silver tests-but his staff searches for manganese, wolf ramite, and the other metals which have become increasingly impor- tant to national defense. They are all investigated by chemical meth ods, rather than the dependable furnace technique.
 Bardwell has healthy respect for them, too. But gold and silver are his tradition, and he prefers the furnace to the test tube.
 In single day, his firm may handle a dozen or more assays, all on a 24-hour basis the defense program leaves little time for regu- lar hours.
 But despite the rush, the Bard- well office retains its flavor.
 Any time Gene Autry rides up on Champion with a saddlebag full of mortgage-lifting dirt, he'll find the set ready-made. The director need only remove the calendar to estab- fish the scene in the sos.