The LaMonte Furnace.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5197, 12 September 1885, Page 2

The LaMonte Furnace.

The erection of (he SmeltiDg Company's works are now fast approaching completion, and it may be interesting to our readers to give them a general idea of the appliances and processes from observations taken at the works and information cleaned from Mr kane (MrJUaMfiatfi^a

&gent~au~a engineer), who is ever ready to enlighten upon the mode of operations, &c. The furnace, or rather crucible, is oval in shape, and is erected on a square base of solid masonry, in which is formed the lead well; on this base, and over the lead- well, stand the water jackets, six in number, sft. 6in. high, in each of which a tuyere hole, or opening to admit the blast of air from the blower erected near the engine on these jackets ; independent of them, and supported by four east-iron pillars, is tbe top, or shell, which goes out through the roof of the building, tapering almost to a point as it goes, but leafing an opening in the top, on which a door 2ft. square is fastened. In this shell are the feed doors, and just above the doors the condensing flue takes off to the condensing chambers, and thence to the stack. The ore is carted up a ramp on to a platform, and discharged alongside or close to the stone crusher, whiph is on the feed floor arotjnd the fqrnace. Here it is crushed, into piepes about the size of ordinary road metal, and this is sorted, sampled, and assayed j when its component parts are made known by the assayer, the necessary fluxes, which are an essential part of tbe LaMonte process, are added, each and every ounce of both stone and fluxes being weighed with the greatest accuracy; the charges are thus made up and fed into the furnace as required ; lead is used, and the gold and silver being the heaviest metals, the three in combination are carried down into the lead well, from \rhiph as, th,e volume increases it is ladled off from time to time itito moulds, these are assayed, and if sufficient gold apd silver is present the bullion is. sept forward to the refinery, whe^e it is cupelled. The slag, or refuse, is tapped at either end of the furnace, and being in a molten state, is run in pots which are bung in neat little two wheeled trucks, and is run out to the heap; an assay sample being taken from each pot of Blag to see if any gold or silver is coming with the slag ; if it is fpnnd tq contain ejtlie?, oy both, it is put back, and goes through the furnace again. The cupel furnaces —two in number—carry the cupels in the centre; they are made of bone ash, and are about 2ft. wide and 4ft. long, while the fvjrn,apea are ou either qids of them, "i'ho flame is drawn over to the centre, and thence along a flue into the main stack; one cupel will last ab,out 12 bours. The silver s*nd geld thus pro duced |s now put into melting pots, and run ill to ingots, being free from all base metals, and ready for market.