Show of 01 wei IN IN iola lei lei IN lei lei lei I 1 IN IN IN im 14 1 N lei IN im IN IN IN lei lei too im IN IN noo IN Islia lla IN le iv i IN IN la iola IN i i THE H E SHERMAN SLIME SETTLING TANKS 2 1 record park city atah A record reporter made mace a visit to the le daly west mill this week for the purpose of more closely inspecting the sherman slime settling and classifying tanks in operation there of which mr F W sherman super in of the mill is the inventor his patent having been approved on the of last month it is a most interesting process the great value of which will be read ily seen and understood for this system of settling and classifying solves the problem of slime concentration and makes it possible to correct one of the greatest leakages in the concentration of ores mr sherman courteously showed us through the mill and explained the workings of the important part of the great reduction works in detail which enables the record to give the following accurate account of the system these tanks deal with that product that is fine enough to stay in suspension under a strong current of water all the waters that have become impregnated with slime values during the process of crushing and coarser concentration of the ore are conducted to these tanks for treatment the series of tanks are seven in number all twelve feet deep the first tank is 3 feet in diameter and every succeeding tank doubles in its gallon capacity the last one being twenty four feet in diameter each of these tanks contains an iron cylinder which is suspended in the tank this cylinder comes up about three inches above the top of the tank and extends down into the tank a distance of six feet these cylinders have a diameter in proportion to their respective spec tive tanks that is the number of square inches of surface on the inside of the cylinder and the inside of the tank at water level therefore when the tank and cylinder are filled with water the increasing current of slime water maintains the same velocity of current in its downward and upward course through the tank the cylinders receive the product of slime water to be treated and by reason of the same the water is given a down and up cast curr current the water being carried down the inside of the cylinder for a distance of six feet and the raising up between the outside of the cylinder and the inside of the tank and overflowing into a circular launder about the top of the tank by means of this launder the water is conducted to the next succeeding tank throughout the series As each succeeding tank of the series doubles in size of gallon capacity the velocity of the flow of slime water is reduced in succession just one half so by the time the last tank is reached the current is almost imperceptible thus the up cast current in each tank finds a certain class of material too heavy for it to raise what is raised passes on to the next tank where the reduced or weaker current is met for further classification of course the raised material is becoming lighter and lighter by reason of its current treatment in its passage through the series of tanks the particles heavy enough to resist the current dropping into a water chamber below the cylinder this chamber is virtually filled from all current it has an inverted cone shaped false bottom by means of which the heavier particles are conducted to a pipe outlet in the center of the tank thence by pipe they are carried to the wilfley tables for concentration with only such water as is necessary to give the best results in concentrating the product upon the table by this classification of the slime as high assaying of the values is effected as upon any of the coarser products in the mill at the daly west the values of the slimes treated average about 6 per cent lead the tailings rejected only carry two tenths of I 1 per cent lead and thus is being effected a saving of over 96 per cent of lead values in all the slimes it certainly is as nearly perfect in its saving qualities as could be desired the process is being installed by mr sherman in the new daly judge mill and there will be at least three other mills in the state employing this system of slime treatment this summer for that matter it is only a question of time sufficient for its merits to become known when every concentrator that treats slimes will be equipped with these settling and classifying tanks it is a valuable and important invention and mr sherman is to be congratulated upon the great success of his experiments in this line |