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Show EXTRACTION OF'SILYEIt W1THOITTHEISEOF QVICKSILTER. v . - (CorTCE)ODiloaco of tho Hkb.vlp.) - Salt Lake, Sept. 24, 1S73. Wherever nntinionial silver ores are worked without previous roasting, the unavoidable loss of quicksilver 'is found to be large, from 3 to 7 pounds for every ton of such ore. -'-- When the price of quicksilver has gone up to $1.12 in gold, per pound, and is expected to rise still higher, it certainly seems advisable to look about for meaua to reach the desired extraction ex-traction of silver without employing quicksilver at all. -, The idea of extracting silver out of its ores without-the help of quicksilver, is not a new one. August in,- Ziervo-gel, Ziervo-gel, Patera, and others, introduced their respective processes into some works of Germany and Austria, many years ago, wherever suitable ores were treated. '.Ninety-five per cent, of nil the silver ores of those countries are, however, galenas, containing some silver, and are unfitted for any other process but smelting. ' " 1 1 In Northwestern Mexico, in the States of Sonora and Sinaloo, Mr; P. j.j.uiiimii iiiuueuieeu, aoouc tnree years ago, the Patera process, with some modifications. He has gained ground there steadily, on account of its economical eco-nomical advantage, and its efliciency to extract a high per centage of the silver. Besides this that process offers the facility of always producing bullion of a high degree of fineness, if a previous pre-vious extraction of base metals can tike place; i. e., wherever there is a good supply of water. Two conditions are essential to the application of this process: first, the ore must be roasted; and, secondly, there must be a good supply of water. No quicksilver is used. The precipitation precipita-tion ot the silver is effected through cheap chemicals, not costing, on an average, more than $2.00 per ton of ore worked. The furnace employed ought to be the old-fashioned roasting furnace, arranged in the wav Mr. Deetken does it at Grass Valley, Cah, for the desul-phurntiou desul-phurntiou of his gold ores. It is desirable de-sirable to secure longer exposure of every particle of ore to tha heat and gases, than the Stetefeldt. Aikin, and other kindred furnaces offer, in which all the work is done within two and three seconds of time. , " The cost of erection of such a furnace fur-nace and shed is, in California, for 40 feet or length, about S2,o00 in gold, and, aside from the cost of vats and daily expenses, it Ought not to exceed here $3,500 currency, roasting twelve tons in twenty-four hours, wherever a charge of one thousand pounds can be suniciently roasted in four hour?, as is the ease in all places in this Territory Terri-tory whose ores the writer of this his ' C V. Be-eii:, 1 M'.'.dhiri-f ar.-J Mining Kngineer. |