NEW GOLD-SAVING PROCESS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3405, 15 June 1868, Page 3

NEW GOLD-SAVING PROCESS.

A Correspondent sends u« the following: — "Mr. H. Kelly, 34 Pine-street, New York, for three years manager of the Virginian Gold Belt Mine, situated on the Potomac, twelve miles above Fredericksburg, and who is now the agent of the company in New York, gives a most favourable account of the amalgamating process invented by Van Buren Ryerson, its actual value having already been proved by four weeks' constant use. The yield of this mine hai rarely exceeded eight dollars per ton, but under the new system the average has been 30 dollars, .which - is but 3 per cent, less than the assay. Twenty tons of ore from, a Carolina mine were shipped last week to the new mill at the Gold Belt -works, and the yield, which in Carolina had not exceeded 4 dollars, by the new; process was increased to 12 dollars. The' difficulty in treating the Virginia ore was the excess , of sulphur, which has generally- been the enemy of progress in mining regions, and is the source of 'both trouble and loss in our Madoc goldfields. Ryewoa's patent is for the use of superheated steam, which is steam heated up to a temperature of twelve hundred degrees, and to which the crushed ore is ■ exposed 15 minutes before the quicksilver is used, r Mr. Ryerson claimed that his process would overcome all previous difficulties, and enable the amalgamator to extract, the entire assay, and the result ■aeems to have justified his, expectations. He uses ashaking bath 30 feet in length, and with a very peculiar movement, but the one distinctive feature of this process is the superheated steam. The crusher used at the Gold Belt mill is Brown's Botton machine, which crushes 15 tons a day ; it doei not work with stamps, but by a centrifugal movement < makes rock crush rock. The cost of crusher was about 1,000 dollars, the price of Ryerson's machine - was 1,500 dollars, with a royalty of 5,000 dollars. , We understood Mr. Kelly to say distinctly that a five-horsa engine was all the power required, but possibly this was an error. , This invention or discovery, will, we imagine, prove of great importance to our Madoo gold companies, especially as the char§» of 5,000 dollars royalty will hardly be demanded ur< 115 . .Canada.'! .