Show OIL FLOTATION AT GOLDFIELD special correspondence goldfield nev nov 23 the presence of george wingfield president of the goldfield consolidated mines company and controlling a dozen personal mines and corporations in and around goldfield in camp is always a harbinger of good news his coming this week after an absence of three months brought confirmation of a decision that means more to southern nevada than almost any announcement that could be made this is an official endorsement of the value of the oil flotation process as applied to the local ores which are refractory to a degree that has baffled the keenest efforts of science the flotation process has been trie tried dout out in the consolidated in an experimental way mill with such satisfactory results that president wingfield authorizes the statement that the construction of a thirty ton plant will soon begin it is estimated that the consolidated has over tons of such rebellious quartz that atlanta lias ledges thirty to f fifty aty feet wide vide of roe rock k running high in ill copper and the jumbo extension according to the last annual report has tons including tons under ground and on the dump the florence also reports tons of low grade any process suitable to the extraction of these intractable values would mean the addition of more miners to the local pay roll or a month more for disbursement bur among local houses this would be the direct advantage but indirectly the benefit would be far reaching in the way of stimulating the development of mines whose low grade ores would defray the cost of exploration while the owners were prosecuting search for shipping grade the system as developed at the consolidated mill involves concentration and flotation resulting in cheapening first costs by eliminating the expensive item of transportation the consolidated in its mill has the advantage of a very complete and effective installation comprising tables and grinders which would not involve any outlay for machinery the consolidated group is credited with half a million tons of low grade which in numerous s places stands blocked out and tagged with assayers checks ready for removal this ore runs from 4 to 9 a ton and under extremely favorable conditions condit tons the local experimentation has shown a profit even on the lowest grade sponsors Spon sers of the treatment do not claim 4 ore can be made a commercial success but the subject has not been dropped with a market for these ores the path is cleared for more energetic exploiting of resources with the prospect of uncovering shipping ore which constantly recurs in this district owing to the formation and variable deposition of values As an illustration it may be recalled that a month ago the red top laguna vein yielded the consolidated nearly half a million dollars from a narrow seam the contents were sacked under the eyes of half a dozen vigilant guards and sent directly to the refinery of the big mill since utilization of these base reserves not only pays the cost of development but leaves a profit it obviously is the policy of good management to hurry the flotation process atlanta would show better results owing to the higher assay values which could be saved by a local plant cutting out the cost of 0 f transportation with an extraction of 90 per cent ores running as low as 7 per ton would leave a margin over the cost of mining and transportation which is estimated at 3 per ton |