Volume 29 (1874) (428 pages)

An {llustrated Journal of Mining, Popular Science and General News. BY DEWEY & CO., Prtent Solletiors, SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1874. VOLUME XXIX Number 12. Improved Condenser for Quicksilver Fumes, Quicksilver mining in Onllfornia hae within the past year assumed a position of great importance, The scarcity and high price of qnicksilver has stimulated prospectors to renewed exertions, and hundreds of new mines have teen found.” The great qnéetion with all these mines is, which are tho best of the mauy furnaces and condensers inthe market, as eo much depends on the appliances for working the ore. Several new forms of condenseis and furnaces have heen hronght forward hy inventors siuce the “quicksilver excitement” hegan, bnt none of these havo hrought about any radical change in the method of working ore. More,fault is found, probably, with the condensers in nee than with the fornaces, and any improvement which will meke these articles more effective iu their operation, is a heon to all miners, We illustrate thia week an improvement in this direction, recently patented throngh the Minino ann Scientiric Press Patent Agency, by James B. Randol, onperintendent of the New Almaden gnicksilver mines, and Ferdinand Ficdler, foretan at the aame mines. Both of theae gentlemen have had extensive experience in the reduction of clnnabar ore, and have experimented in every direction, with a view to improve aa fer as possible the appliances and methoda employed. They havo discovered that the condsneation of mercurial fumea is very mnch accelerated when they sve hrought in contact with the inside of a glass plate, when the outside of the plate is exposed to tbe ontaide atmosphere. Ths glass-is arranged ina wooden tank hereafter desorihed. The wooden tank will last longer than metal, as the fomes do not act npon and destroy it. The tank or veasel for condensing the fnmea can bs madein any deaired fori, that chown In the engraving being quite couvenient. It is made of wood and nnmerous openinge are loft in its sides and ends, which are covered with windowe or panea of glaea set ina frame The openings, B, all except thoee in immediato contact with the floor of the condenaer, are coostructed as shown in Fig. 2; a frame, L, is made large enongh to receive the window aash or platea of glaes. The four outaide edgee of the frame are grooved, as at O, to receive the planka which furm the aiding of the condeneer, thns airengthening the condeneer and preventing the planks from warping. C The upper rail of thia frame haa one or more openings, i, leading from the groove to the ineide of the condenser, thns providing a rondway for the quicksilver, which condenaes on the inner‘side of the tank, and which will nutnrally follow down the wal! and drop through eaid opening to the floor of the tank. The inner edges of this frame have on their npper and aide edgeaa flange, against which the window sash or pane of glasa rests, and into the upper edge of the lower eill of the frame a groove, S, is cut, in which the window eash sets. This groove has one or more openings, i, eimilar and for the eame purpoee ac the openinge, i, ‘above described’ A cross har, T, which ie eecnred on one eidge of the frame by an open mortise, and én the opposite side by a similac mortise, with the eide of tho frame hsveled to make snidfbar slide easily, faatena the wiodow cash in its plaoe; or any other snitable fastening can be ueed. , The framea which rest on the floor of the condenser are construoted in the eame minner as those already described, with the exéeption that the lower rall or sill of the frame‘is lett out und the wiudow sash reets directly on the floor of the condenser. The lower edge of the sash is perforated with two or more openings through which the quicksilver condeneed in the tank makes ita exit into a enitable gutter, which condncts it to the receiving tank. _ The floor of the'tank is built on an incliue, having its apex in the center of the same, und alopiug to hoth sides on an inclination which abould not be less than two inchee to the foot. The tank is provided with interior wooden partitions, which are eo arranged aeto provide alternate openings or passagea above and below, “in the ordinary mauner of arranging the partitions of a condenser, The ontside cdges of the partitions and end sidings of the tank are fitted into upright grooved timbers;and if tongued and grooved hoards are used for forming the partitiona-and ends of the tank, the nails which fasten them together are driven into the tongne of eaoh plank and covered hy the groove of the next plunk. The sides of the condensing tank are fastened to the onter edge of the grooved timbere, and the whole is hound together by etrong ecantlinge, W, placed vertically against the different divisions or partitions outside of the tank, and eeenred hv metallic rods or holts, e6,and nuts, f. The bolte or rods pase transversly acroes the tank from side to cide throngh each partition, aud are protected from the action of the fumes . FIG. 1. RANDOL & FIEDLER'S QUICKSILVE2 CONDENSER. , hy a grooved timber through which they pass, and which is covered again hy the plank of the partition. timbera pass along the outeide ends of the tank, The fumes enter the tank at the roar eud and pass ont’ through the opening, G, to anothor tank, or to other condeneing apparains. A wooden tank of this character will laet longer than a metal tank, aa the fumes-do not act npou or deetroy it. Theee condenaere can he made at very emall coat when compared with the metallic tanks now iu ues; and coudensalion is very vhoronghly accomplished in in it without the necessity of sny water ae a hath or cooling agent. Aa to the wel wooden condensers we extract the followiog from ‘Notes of a Metallurgioal Journey in En rope,"’ hy J. A. Church, M. E. Writing of the ocndensation chambers at Valalto, Italy, he says: “*Theee chambers, which are placed beyond the tnbes, are lined with wood. The wood not only forme a perfectly tight lining, hut it afforda cleaner mercury, and also more of it dur. ing the campaign, from the fact that less metal and woot cling to the emooth wooden snrface than toa cemented wa'l. After many experimenta with oements, hricke, eto., thia material hae heen found the hest.”’ Of the tubcaleading from the chamh>rs he says: ‘The tuhee are of wood. fron tnhes were formerly nsed, but they made a great deal of trouble, being rapidly eaten hy the en!phnrons acid vapore. They had to be turned every 12 or 18 monthe, and entirely renewed in 2 or 3 years ‘Though the wood tubes are kept constautly wet, their durability is mnch greater than that of iron, andI believe they hive heea renewed ouly once in twelve yeare. A main fault ot the iron tnbes is that the eoot ohtained from them is contaminated with iron dnst and irou oxides, which makes the eeparation of the) mercury from the ‘acot more difficnlt, and aleo introduces a certain amount of iron into the metal, All theese advantagee—cheapness, dnrahility and serviceahlenese—give to wood a greet superiority, when it oan he need.” At New Almadsn the condeneers of wood and glass, such as we have described, reqnire no water for cooling, as the glass performs that service in a more satiefactory manner. For some time they have had in nee the patented coudeneers of Messrs. Fiedler und Randol, and find them to he enperior to ell others in the efficiency of their working and the Teseened cost of construction. Fonr condensers lately erected there have each a condeneing space of 2,640 enbie feet, and 1,196 square feet of ont‘sido coudensing{surface,?a total of 10,560 eubic feat of condeneing epace, and 4,784 square fect of conlensing eurfacc, all*erected at a cost of The rods which secure the corner . only $1,500 for materiala and constrnectiou. ~ ‘ Hermann Scuossute, chiof eugineer of the Spcing Valley Water Works Co., accompauied by his wife and family, etartel for the East and Europe by the cverland traiu one day this weok. During his trip Mr. Schuesler will visit all the chief Easteru cities and thoso of England, frelund, Scotland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Turkey and Egypt, for the purpoee of inspecting ull the great enginesring avhievements in those countries. Particular attention will be paid to the deputrments of hydraulics and drainage. The tour will extend over a period of eix months, Mr. Schuesler is well known in the mining districte from bis connection with several ditch enterprises. He waa engineer of the Virginia and Gold Hill Water ‘Worke, an engineeriug enterprise of great difficulty. ‘a $e A MEETING of the Nevada Pioneera was held Tuosday evening at National "Gnard hall, Virginia city. A constitution and by laws were adopted, and the following permanent officere were elected: President, Jacoh Younr, Jr.; Vice Presidents, Thomas Careon, G. L. Huwkee and John Dohle, of Virginia City; J. A. Winterhaner and C. Cook, of Gold Hill; Secretary, E. W. Kuster; Treasurer, Geo, Mann; Marshal, Thos. Kelly; Board of Directors, C. J. Fogg, William McQuirok, A. J. Smith and Wm Coryell. Cinnabar diacoveriee continne to be made in Sonvma county with encouraging , frequency. A company is prospecting on Mulone’a ranch, Sonoma mountain, about ten miles from Petaluma. There are good indications, ™~o 11 proved value of Openings in Condenser, a Tre Liberty mine at Eureka, Nevada county, is about to be aold to San Francisco partiea. New hoisting works are soon to be érectéd’ eo that the mine may he thoroughly opened, Work at the Foundries. For the past three yeare the husiness depreesiou generally has heen severely felt at the foundries snd machine shops in this city, and business has been comparatively doll. Of course they have all been running, hut have seldom heen crowded with work Of late, however, they have hed their hands full, and are as hnsy as possihle. This eummer hae beenan exceptional one amongthem, and the nnivereal answer about work is, ‘very hney.”’ There has besn a large increase of late in euhbstantial hnildinge, which require iron in their construction, and thie item alone fnrniehes coneiderahlc work. Mining machinery, which forms the bulk of the orders at our large foundries, ie heing made in grester, quantities then ever hefore. Hoisting worke aud mills are of a much heavier churacter than heretofore, aud this has cansed a marked increase in the amonnt of fouudry work. <A few yeare ago a 20-stamp mill was considered a large one, while now they receive orders for complete milla of from 40 to 60 and even 80 stamps, with pans, esttlers, ete. Tho ho:sting aud pumping works are of a more substuntial character, couSeqnent npon the iucreased depth to which mines ave worked, ani minivg machinery of all sorts is of a much more expensivo kind than nsed to he ordered. While more oxtended mining operations are the cause of hoavier ordors, there are other citcumstancea which lond their aid to this inercase of husinees. More factories of different kinds are heing cstablished thronghont the coast from year to ycar, most of which require machinery of different kinds. Marine work, also, has increaeed of late and is becoming quite an importent hranch of the foundry husineas. The many eteamships and eteamers at this port require coutinual overhauling and renuire, while new tugs and coasters are heiug built every year. Few of the fonndries among ne are restricted to any épecial clase of work, unlees it is the small onee, which lack the neceseary facilities for all kinds of work; this heing the case work *1 ie pretty generally dietrihnted among the larger iron worke, which are all nenally husy at tho same time, It is a matter to be noted by thoes who are always crying out abont the asseasments levied hy the minit g companies of the coaat, that this money ia distributed in just the channele where it is needed. Theee asseasmonte draw money from the pocket of the oapitalist who invests in suoh secorities as mining stocks, end is pnt within the reach of the minere who work -the minee and the mechanics who make the machinery. If these crsakere would take the trouble to call at aome of the foundries. and see from 100 to 300 men at work in each on mining machinery, they might be made to nnderetand that the trnsteee do not ateal all the money received from aseeseweuta, but that it is spent in snch a manner that hard working meu are henefitted, , We are glad to note this renewed py among our foundrymen, and hope that It will continue next year, as it promises to do. Senator Stewart and John P. Jonea heve made contracts in San Bernardino to traneport freight, Inmber and machinery from Spadra, the railroad terminns of, the Suuthern Pacific Railroad, to Surprise Valley and PsanaMint, and for return freights of ore, and a pony exprees is to be etarted at onoe hy the freight contractore. Jones has also contraoted tor 100 mulea with cquipmente, to pack ore, ete., through the cations of Panamint. Tar directors of the Nevada State Agricultural, Mining and Mechanical Sociely have determined to hold a State jair this full at Reno, on October 20h, 2ist and 22d. The ,Cehtral Pacific railroad company have agreed to tranaport free of charge ov-r their roud all articles and animals exhibited hy exhibitore in Nevada, Qoan, it is eid, hea heen found in ‘Senta Oruz connty, notwithetanding the report to the contrary of a San Francisco coal sharp. A Bias? of esven hundred kegs of powder was set off at the American diggings, at Sebaetopol, Nevada connty, a few daye ago.

An {llustrated Journal of Mining, Popular Science and General News. BY DEWEY & CO., Prtent Solletiors, SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1874. VOLUME XXIX Number 12. Improved Condenser for Quicksilver Fumes, Quicksilver mining in Onllfornia hae within the past year assumed a position of great importance, The scarcity and high price of qnicksilver has stimulated prospectors to renewed exertions, and hundreds of new mines have teen found.” The great qnéetion with all these mines is, which are tho best of the mauy furnaces and condensers inthe market, as eo much depends on the appliances for working the ore. Several new forms of condenseis and furnaces have heen hronght forward hy inventors siuce the “quicksilver excitement” hegan, bnt none of these havo hrought about any radical change in the method of working ore. More,fault is found, probably, with the condensers in nee than with the fornaces, and any improvement which will meke these articles more effective iu their operation, is a heon to all miners, We illustrate thia week an improvement in this direction, recently patented throngh the Minino ann Scientiric Press Patent Agency, by James B. Randol, onperintendent of the New Almaden gnicksilver mines, and Ferdinand Ficdler, foretan at the aame mines. Both of theae gentlemen have had extensive experience in the reduction of clnnabar ore, and have experimented in every direction, with a view to improve aa fer as possible the appliances and methoda employed. They havo discovered that the condsneation of mercurial fumea is very mnch accelerated when they sve hrought in contact with the inside of a glass plate, when the outside of the plate is exposed to tbe ontaide atmosphere. Ths glass-is arranged ina wooden tank hereafter desorihed. The wooden tank will last longer than metal, as the fomes do not act npon and destroy it. The tank or veasel for condensing the fnmea can bs madein any deaired fori, that chown In the engraving being quite couvenient. It is made of wood and nnmerous openinge are loft in its sides and ends, which are covered with windowe or panea of glaea set ina frame The openings, B, all except thoee in immediato contact with the floor of the condenaer, are coostructed as shown in Fig. 2; a frame, L, is made large enongh to receive the window aash or platea of glaes. The four outaide edgee of the frame are grooved, as at O, to receive the planka which furm the aiding of the condeneer, thns airengthening the condeneer and preventing the planks from warping. C The upper rail of thia frame haa one or more openings, i, leading from the groove to the ineide of the condenser, thns providing a rondway for the quicksilver, which condenaes on the inner‘side of the tank, and which will nutnrally follow down the wal! and drop through eaid opening to the floor of the tank. The inner edges of this frame have on their npper and aide edgeaa flange, against which the window sash or pane of glasa rests, and into the upper edge of the lower eill of the frame a groove, S, is cut, in which the window eash sets. This groove has one or more openings, i, eimilar and for the eame purpoee ac the openinge, i, ‘above described’ A cross har, T, which ie eecnred on one eidge of the frame by an open mortise, and én the opposite side by a similac mortise, with the eide of tho frame hsveled to make snidfbar slide easily, faatena the wiodow cash in its plaoe; or any other snitable fastening can be ueed. , The framea which rest on the floor of the condenser are construoted in the eame minner as those already described, with the exéeption that the lower rall or sill of the frame‘is lett out und the wiudow sash reets directly on the floor of the condenser. The lower edge of the sash is perforated with two or more openings through which the quicksilver condeneed in the tank makes ita exit into a enitable gutter, which condncts it to the receiving tank. _ The floor of the'tank is built on an incliue, having its apex in the center of the same, und alopiug to hoth sides on an inclination which abould not be less than two inchee to the foot. The tank is provided with interior wooden partitions, which are eo arranged aeto provide alternate openings or passagea above and below, “in the ordinary mauner of arranging the partitions of a condenser, The ontside cdges of the partitions and end sidings of the tank are fitted into upright grooved timbers;and if tongued and grooved hoards are used for forming the partitiona-and ends of the tank, the nails which fasten them together are driven into the tongne of eaoh plank and covered hy the groove of the next plunk. The sides of the condensing tank are fastened to the onter edge of the grooved timbere, and the whole is hound together by etrong ecantlinge, W, placed vertically against the different divisions or partitions outside of the tank, and eeenred hv metallic rods or holts, e6,and nuts, f. The bolte or rods pase transversly acroes the tank from side to cide throngh each partition, aud are protected from the action of the fumes . FIG. 1. RANDOL & FIEDLER'S QUICKSILVE2 CONDENSER. , hy a grooved timber through which they pass, and which is covered again hy the plank of the partition. timbera pass along the outeide ends of the tank, The fumes enter the tank at the roar eud and pass ont’ through the opening, G, to anothor tank, or to other condeneing apparains. A wooden tank of this character will laet longer than a metal tank, aa the fumes-do not act npou or deetroy it. Theee condenaere can he made at very emall coat when compared with the metallic tanks now iu ues; and coudensalion is very vhoronghly accomplished in in it without the necessity of sny water ae a hath or cooling agent. Aa to the wel wooden condensers we extract the followiog from ‘Notes of a Metallurgioal Journey in En rope,"’ hy J. A. Church, M. E. Writing of the ocndensation chambers at Valalto, Italy, he says: “*Theee chambers, which are placed beyond the tnbes, are lined with wood. The wood not only forme a perfectly tight lining, hut it afforda cleaner mercury, and also more of it dur. ing the campaign, from the fact that less metal and woot cling to the emooth wooden snrface than toa cemented wa'l. After many experimenta with oements, hricke, eto., thia material hae heen found the hest.”’ Of the tubcaleading from the chamh>rs he says: ‘The tuhee are of wood. fron tnhes were formerly nsed, but they made a great deal of trouble, being rapidly eaten hy the en!phnrons acid vapore. They had to be turned every 12 or 18 monthe, and entirely renewed in 2 or 3 years ‘Though the wood tubes are kept constautly wet, their durability is mnch greater than that of iron, andI believe they hive heea renewed ouly once in twelve yeare. A main fault ot the iron tnbes is that the eoot ohtained from them is contaminated with iron dnst and

irou oxides, which makes the eeparation of the) mercury from the ‘acot more difficnlt, and aleo introduces a certain amount of iron into the metal, All theese advantagee—cheapness, dnrahility and serviceahlenese—give to wood a greet superiority, when it oan he need.” At New Almadsn the condeneers of wood and glass, such as we have described, reqnire no water for cooling, as the glass performs that service in a more satiefactory manner. For some time they have had in nee the patented coudeneers of Messrs. Fiedler und Randol, and find them to he enperior to ell others in the efficiency of their working and the Teseened cost of construction. Fonr condensers lately erected there have each a condeneing space of 2,640 enbie feet, and 1,196 square feet of ont‘sido coudensing{surface,?a total of 10,560 eubic feat of condeneing epace, and 4,784 square fect of conlensing eurfacc, all*erected at a cost of The rods which secure the corner . only $1,500 for materiala and constrnectiou. ~ ‘ Hermann Scuossute, chiof eugineer of the Spcing Valley Water Works Co., accompauied by his wife and family, etartel for the East and Europe by the cverland traiu one day this weok. During his trip Mr. Schuesler will visit all the chief Easteru cities and thoso of England, frelund, Scotland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Turkey and Egypt, for the purpoee of inspecting ull the great enginesring avhievements in those countries. Particular attention will be paid to the deputrments of hydraulics and drainage. The tour will extend over a period of eix months, Mr. Schuesler is well known in the mining districte from bis connection with several ditch enterprises. He waa engineer of the Virginia and Gold Hill Water ‘Worke, an engineeriug enterprise of great difficulty. ‘a $e A MEETING of the Nevada Pioneera was held Tuosday evening at National "Gnard hall, Virginia city. A constitution and by laws were adopted, and the following permanent officere were elected: President, Jacoh Younr, Jr.; Vice Presidents, Thomas Careon, G. L. Huwkee and John Dohle, of Virginia City; J. A. Winterhaner and C. Cook, of Gold Hill; Secretary, E. W. Kuster; Treasurer, Geo, Mann; Marshal, Thos. Kelly; Board of Directors, C. J. Fogg, William McQuirok, A. J. Smith and Wm Coryell. Cinnabar diacoveriee continne to be made in Sonvma county with encouraging , frequency. A company is prospecting on Mulone’a ranch, Sonoma mountain, about ten miles from Petaluma. There are good indications, ™~o 11 proved value of Openings in Condenser, a Tre Liberty mine at Eureka, Nevada county, is about to be aold to San Francisco partiea. New hoisting works are soon to be érectéd’ eo that the mine may he thoroughly opened, Work at the Foundries. For the past three yeare the husiness depreesiou generally has heen severely felt at the foundries snd machine shops in this city, and business has been comparatively doll. Of course they have all been running, hut have seldom heen crowded with work Of late, however, they have hed their hands full, and are as hnsy as possihle. This eummer hae beenan exceptional one amongthem, and the nnivereal answer about work is, ‘very hney.”’ There has besn a large increase of late in euhbstantial hnildinge, which require iron in their construction, and thie item alone fnrniehes coneiderahlc work. Mining machinery, which forms the bulk of the orders at our large foundries, ie heing made in grester, quantities then ever hefore. Hoisting worke aud mills are of a much heavier churacter than heretofore, aud this has cansed a marked increase in the amonnt of fouudry work. <A few yeare ago a 20-stamp mill was considered a large one, while now they receive orders for complete milla of from 40 to 60 and even 80 stamps, with pans, esttlers, ete. Tho ho:sting aud pumping works are of a more substuntial character, couSeqnent npon the iucreased depth to which mines ave worked, ani minivg machinery of all sorts is of a much more expensivo kind than nsed to he ordered. While more oxtended mining operations are the cause of hoavier ordors, there are other citcumstancea which lond their aid to this inercase of husinees. More factories of different kinds are heing cstablished thronghont the coast from year to ycar, most of which require machinery of different kinds. Marine work, also, has increaeed of late and is becoming quite an importent hranch of the foundry husineas. The many eteamships and eteamers at this port require coutinual overhauling and renuire, while new tugs and coasters are heiug built every year. Few of the fonndries among ne are restricted to any épecial clase of work, unlees it is the small onee, which lack the neceseary facilities for all kinds of work; this heing the case work *1 ie pretty generally dietrihnted among the larger iron worke, which are all nenally husy at tho same time, It is a matter to be noted by thoes who are always crying out abont the asseasments levied hy the minit g companies of the coaat, that this money ia distributed in just the channele where it is needed. Theee asseasmonte draw money from the pocket of the oapitalist who invests in suoh secorities as mining stocks, end is pnt within the reach of the minere who work -the minee and the mechanics who make the machinery. If these crsakere would take the trouble to call at aome of the foundries. and see from 100 to 300 men at work in each on mining machinery, they might be made to nnderetand that the trnsteee do not ateal all the money received from aseeseweuta, but that it is spent in snch a manner that hard working meu are henefitted, , We are glad to note this renewed py among our foundrymen, and hope that It will continue next year, as it promises to do. Senator Stewart and John P. Jonea heve made contracts in San Bernardino to traneport freight, Inmber and machinery from Spadra, the railroad terminns of, the Suuthern Pacific Railroad, to Surprise Valley and PsanaMint, and for return freights of ore, and a pony exprees is to be etarted at onoe hy the freight contractore. Jones has also contraoted tor 100 mulea with cquipmente, to pack ore, ete., through the cations of Panamint. Tar directors of the Nevada State Agricultural, Mining and Mechanical Sociely have determined to hold a State jair this full at Reno, on October 20h, 2ist and 22d. The ,Cehtral Pacific railroad company have agreed to tranaport free of charge ov-r their roud all articles and animals exhibited hy exhibitore in Nevada, Qoan, it is eid, hea heen found in ‘Senta Oruz connty, notwithetanding the report to the contrary of a San Francisco coal sharp. A Bias? of esven hundred kegs of powder was set off at the American diggings, at Sebaetopol, Nevada connty, a few daye ago.