THE CASSEL GOLD-EXTRACTING PROCESS. (Californian Mining Press )

Otago Witness, Issue 1891, 1 May 1890, Page 11

THE CASSEL GOLD-EXTRACTING PROCESS. (Californian Mining Press )

Mr H. A. .Tor es, {{"moral manager nnd sfcrptary of t^e Oassrl Gold Kx'raoting Co , has arrived in. Denver, 0010., to fnt-roducp th« process lh"r?. He saya : — "Our process, which has b"»u in practical use but iiih'c ove- ayo^r, is one which will reduce Ihe mo=t ipfraetory orei and .Ipetoaip the cos! from the present cos 1 of 15dol to 2010 l ppr ton to sdo! p^r ton. In our W"r'<s 'n G!a<-R(m-, where wo have usul ores fro'n New Zo-iland and other par f e ( f t.he world, the ab'oluie cost, of the nhetnic.lo required in extracting gold and silver from any kind of ores was ld'lperton. This wa< Uie eespnhKl roat. The rest of the expense will b nottocxcpel odolperton.p.pd we maVe the reduction in one operation, tak'nc fche raw ores from the minej without roasting or eoi;pp.ntraLion. No masting ia necessary, although conoentr'tion can be applied if necessary or thouaht practicable by mine owners or ore shippers " Tho process of which Mr Jor.es is fche'irmiiwr was invented and patented by John Stewnrt, M?icArtliur, of Pollokshields. and X .b^-fc •■•ml Will >-m Forreet, of Glas^ov, Scotland, May 14 1889 ThW have loiters patont in South Africa, Soi^h Aug. iraua, O.umd.i, Now Sonth Wales, II T e\" Zra!,*' k France Eel -iurn, Brazil, Portnf,al, Italy, Spr.-t, nnii the Unlled Sfcife?.

The first plant waa erectcl io 01,'a/oiv i-rcl h«i, July mule p. tun i.f 'J2 tons of Nw Z-.J'.iu 1 . o .•> The result was such a ruccss tli^t another plHiii. t.s ereat»<l Uiote -md on •in Sou' h _*.fri n 'tliu |<miMi (».ic i< l'!-i i' t.wi'Ni*- 111. Cr st-nj- miu, ,-i > <- < i.'.|.| ]„, L'onntv. in!.> . niiilurthrf v ; ,«i \i.;.,., or n r ,m". Wi--ner, who hv, I. Ben p\-. eiimuuuiif; with ti><. n./w i.m. cess on Colorado ores, besidea bavin;/ srntt>osiirapli-_

to Glasgow for treatment. The works 'in Saguache -will have a eapacrfcy of 16 ' tons per day, fen I will be in operation about March 1. " Ttoe process," said Mr TortCS, " will revolutionise the .present system of redrolng ores, aud is no longer an experiment. When "we can take raw ores from «he mines, containing all the metals, and obtain the ■gold and silver W a single operation ab a coßb of not to exceed .)doi per ton, j'ou can readily perceive the cesult." Th6r<> is no secret about the proceßS ; fn fact, Ib is <leserit>a<.i in fche letters patent, tt depends upon the great chemical affinity of oyanogen for gold and •silrai", r.nd the eaaa with which these metals form soluble double cyanides with the alkali metals. The ■process on a large scale is carried out, according to Mr William Jones in the Ueoember number of the Engineering and Mining Journal, as follows : — "The ores, without any previous roasting if sul phur should be present, ground to '(d mesh, are plnced in pans or wooden vatß provided with a atirrer, and to every ton of fchfc ore there is added -about lOOgal of water containing one quarter, onefealf, or three-quarbers ot 1 per cenb. of cyanide of potassium or sodiutt* or other percentage which experiment in tho laboratory shows to bs the besb approximate Bbrengbh bo use. The whole is then stirred <for four to 'igh'. Inurs, the length of time depending upon the nature of bhe ore. Tho liquor is then run off, carrying with ib on an average 80 per conb. of bhe gold eonbenta of the ore and 80 per cent, of tlua.iflvar. 4t is filtered and the gold and silver in It are precipitated by pissing slowly through Sine turnings, when complete prpcipitation of the gold and silver takes place. Thoy abfcaoh themselves as a loose powder to tho zinc, and ar* easily removed by shaking or stirring, the gold and silver precipitate on sluiiye falling to the bottom of the vessel, aud Is removed, dried, and melted in bhe usual way." !