WORKING GOLD ORES.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 1008, 27 September 1872, Page 3

WORKING GOLD ORES.

[' Scientific American.']

A correspondent engaged in goldmining in North Carolina writes as follows on the subject of amalgamating gold ores: — A great majority of mines yielding free gold produce ores that will not work more than lOdol per ton ; and of course a large quantity must be worked to make it pay. Hence, any process that is not rapid and cheap will not answer. As to the working of sulphuretted or rebellious ore, of lie hundreds of patented and other hardly oue is worth a moment's consideration. It may be said, however, that many of the so-called improved and newly discovered methods work well enough in i the laboratory, but when put to a practical test are found to be worthless. After many experiments I have found the following piocess to be the best —I first roast the ore (though it is free gold ore) in large piles, rendering it very friable and thoroughly drjing all the dirt and clay. In every ton of ore there is about 3001b of fine rock and dirt, which then I screen out through wire sieves of about one quarter inch meshes, and this fine (tuft'l run through a common dragmill, and theu through a " Georgiarocker," thus saving nearly all the pld. In fact, by this simple process, 1 obtain nearly 50 dollars of gold per ton of dirt, whereas, when run through the stamp-mill and over copper-plate I obtain only about 10 dollars per ton. The rock I crush in one of the Wilson patent stamp-mills, using quicksilver in the battery, and then running the crushed matter over the ordinary (opper-plates. The rock is worth 10 dollars per ton, but I save only ibout half of this. But if this can;ot be done, then erect a common

iirnace, having the fire surfaces of sod soapstone ; Then to every 15016 fore put in one bushel of charcoal nd 10 per cent of salt. The ore will eadily melt to a slag, and will be irrtty well desulphurised. The slaj; in be drawn off, and when cold can e broken up and woiked like free plil ore. A small trial furnace an be built of good fire brick. swan ordinary blacksmith's bellows iilanswer to blow the fire, As the Hnf gold, by the present process of aalga unit ion is known to be very :'e.it, and in many cases disastrous to in mining, it seems to j that the different processes which few been found to work the best by :iereiit miners should be made known i'the public. Iu this way much good My be done, and a great industry ade more valuable than it is.