WORKING GOLD ORES DRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 14

WORKING GOLD ORES DRY.

In lat r years there has been more or less interest manifested in the idea of working gold ores dry, and this is now beginning to have a good many advocates. There are two facts which give plausibility to the idea that better results can be obtained by dry than wet work ing ; one, that the larger value of all gold quartz is in fine gold, and very fine at that ; the other is, that water, moving down an inclined table, has an irresistible power over this fine gold, and it is quite reasonable to suppose more or less is carried off. Mr A, B. Paul, who is a close investigator and has spent many years in practically testing this point, asserte that the loss will average over 50 per cent, of the free gold product. We are not prepared to 'dispute or affirm this declaration ; we can only Bay that Mr Paul has had a great many years experience in gold mining. There is another faot which presents itself to our mind, and this is, there ia a general acknowledgment by our gold miners — even those working improved mills — that they do not get the returns they should from the oreß. The same complaint comes fiom Australia and every other country where gold is mined. Dry working is considered by all odds to be bettor for the majority of silver oreß, and very many mills are in operation reducing their ore dry. So if there are any better results, and enough extra to make dry working more profitable, why, greater profit will likely lead the work into that channel. Mr Paul branches off and makes a very radical change by not only reducing the ore dry, but he amalgamates it dry, using mercury instead of water. As to his full system, we are not familiar ; we only know it is a dry way. In working gold ores dry, the question comes, Is not dry more expensive than wet working ? Then how much more, and will the extra yield of gold give a profit over tho extra expense? Then again comes the question of quantity that can be worked, cost of machinery, &q. There are a good many questions to bo considered as between wet and dry workiDg. As far as machinery goeaforaccouipl'shing a given quantity of work, if we have it not already, the mechanical skill of the time is equal to it. The question all rests on tho difference in returns of the precious metals. The subject is an interesting one to our gold miners, and we will be pleased to have their views pro and com.— American paper.