Process of Treating Ores. Page: 5 of 6
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571,468
rinated ore and wash-water is conveyed di-
rectly to the metal-precipitating tank M, the
agitator of which is already in motion when
the chlorinated pulp is introduced, so as to
5 keep the pulp fluid and in good working con-
dition, whereby no time may be lost between
the chlorination and precipitation, so that the
conversion of the chlorid to metallic silver is
going on in the tank M during the discharge
io of the pulp from the chlorinating-tank, and
to secure this result advantage is taken of the
electrolytic action of zinc upon the salts of
silver and that action stimulated and intensi-
fied by an electric current.
15 The metal-precipitating tank i is an open
circular vessel of suitable size arranged ver-
tically and preferably made with oak sides
and an iron bottom, to which is secured a
closed steam-chamber N, in which is kept up
20o a circulation of steam in order to heat up the
tank to facilitate and expedite the precipita-
tion of the silver from its chlorid solution.
Suitably mounted inside of the metal-precipi-
tating tank M is a vertical agitator-shaft 0,
25 driven by suitable shaft connections and car-
rying inside of said tank a radial series of
horizontal agitator-arms P, disposed at right
angles to the shaft and carrying a vertical se-
ries of square or diamond shaped agitator-
30 bars Q, of solid zinc, and which bars extend
above the upper arm to the usual level of the
pulp and below the lower arm to within one-
quarter of an inch of the bottom. These zinc
agitator-bars are adapted not only to agitate
35 the fluid pulp within the metal-precipitating
tank, but also act in an auxiliary capacity
together with the circuit-plates R. The zinc
circuit-plates R are secured to the interior
wooden surface of the tank by suitable screws,
40 and are of a height equal to the average depth
of the pulpin the tank, but terminate short of
the metallic bottom of the tank. Twoadjacent
zinc plates,at one side of the tank, are provided
with the upper extensions S, reaching to the
45 top of the tank and carrying binding-screws T,
to which are connected the terminals of the
circuit-wires 3 4, which are adapted to be in-
cluded in a suitable generator-circuit and so
arranged that the direction of the electric cur-
50 rent entering the tank shall be the same as
the direction of the rotation of the agitator
therein.
As soon as the electric circuit is broken on
the wires 1 2 and the current is thereby cut
55 off from the chlorinating-tank the circuit is
closed over the wires 3 and 4 through the
tank M, so that the operation of precipitation
and agitation in the tank I may be com-
menced while the tank A is discharging. It
65 will be well understood by those skilled in
the art that the fluid pulp while it is agitated
in the tank M comes under the influence of
the zinc intensified by the currents of elec-
tricity playing in every direction throughout
6o the said tank, thereby providing means for
very quickly precipitating metallic silver
from its chlorid solution, and it has beenfound by practical tests that the period of
time required for this precipitation is very
little longer than the time required for the 70
discharge of the pulp from the tank A. After
the precipitation of the metallic silver from
the pulp solution in the tank i the electric
current is cut off and the pulp allowed to set-
tle to the bottom of the tank. The solution 75
is now drawn off into any suitable receptacle
or tank, providing convenient means whereby
the gold may be precipitated from the solu-
tion by ordinary methods, as will be herein-
after referred to, and after this solution is 8o
drawn off the tank M is filled with water to
a point corresponding to the height of the first
solution. Agitation is again commenced and
continued a suitable length of time, after
which the pulp is allowed to settle and the 85
clear solution drawn off into the vessel or tank
containing the gold solution. More water is
now added to the pulp to give to the same a
suitable consistency, and from two to five
pounds of salt and about two pounds of fine 90o
granulated zinc added. The pulp, together
with the added salt and zinc, is now taken
from the tank M and passed to an amalga-
mating-pan for treatment. This pan may be
of any improved modern type, but is prefer- 95
ably one of that character heated by steam.
Quicksilver is added in the usual way and in
a quantity to suit the requirements of the
process. Agitation is begun in the amalga-
mating-pan as soon as the pulp is transferred ioo
and is kept up until amalgamation is com-
plete. The pulp is then thinned and trans-
ferred to the settler, where, being properly
washed, the amalgam is collected and retorted
and the silver product run into bars. This io5
amalgamation step is well understood by
those skilled in the art and need not be fur-
ther described.
After the chlorination of the ores, if it is
desired to proceed by the method of lixivia- n'o
tion, the chlorinated pulp and solution from
the tank A, instead of in the first instance
being conveyed to the tank M, as in the amal-
gamation process, is conveyed directly to the
leaching- tank U, having a false perforated II5
bottom V and an ordinary revolving rake-
agitator W, which is of the ordinary con-
struction employed in processes of this char-
acter. Water is added to the pulp as it is
introduced into the leaching-tank and agi- 20o
tation set up so as to thoroughly mix the wa-
ter with the pulp. Now the solution which,
it must be remembered, carries all the gold
and silver chlorids is leached off and con-
veyed to the tank M, in which agitation has I25
already been started and the proper electric
connections made. Fresh water is added to
the pulp in the leaching-tank, thoroughly
agitated in the pulp, and then leached off to
be mixed with the first solution in the tank 130
M. Now simply the chlorids of gold and sil-
ver in solution, without the pulp, are in the
metal-precipitating tank I, and the method
of procedure is substantially the same as that
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Barbour, Thomas P. Process of Treating Ores., patent, November 17, 1896; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth174437/m1/5/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.