hea 
a ay See ee as oe 
= 
J. D. Whelpley on treatment of Gold and other metals. 401 
isolated. It will be thus seen, that this body differs widely in 
chemical as well as in physical properties from the sulphid of 
ylene. 
This research was made in the laboratory of Professor W urtz, 
to whom I owe my thanks for his kind assistance and valuable 
suggestions. 
Paris, August 11th, 1863. 
\ 
Arr, XXXVIII.— On the mechanical and chemical treatment of 
Gold and other metals; in a letter to Prof. B. SILLIMAN, Jr., 
from JAMES D. WHELPLEY. 
AGREEABLY to your request, I send you herewith a few mem- 
oranda in explanation of our new process for preparing quartz- 
ose ores of gold for amalgamation. 
This process, so far as I am aware, together with all the ma- 
chinery employed in it, was invented and constructed by Col. 
.J. Storer and myself. 
_ Our researches in this direction began in the Spring of 1860 
in Philadelphia. We experimented for several months upon a 
small scale, testing most of the then known processes for reduc- 
tion and desulphurization of ores. It then appeared to us that 
ses requiring long periods of time, such as are employed 
y skillful chemists in the laboratory, could not be applied to 
rge mining operations, where masses of several tons have to 
be treated at one operation. 
A few grains of sulphuret of iron or copper heated to white- 
Ress In a platinum capsule will be thoroughly desulphurized, 
but a mass of ore weighing several Soienade of pounds can not 
handled in this manner. The ore fuses in the furnace, taking 
the form of slag, and holds the sulphur confined in its substance. 
Ifon the other hand the finely pulverized ore be spread thinly 
Over a hearth 14 feet in length and 8 or 10 feet in diameter, with 
ee access of air, and the heat either radiated from the roof or 
i up through the hearth of the furnace, a very thorough 
P constant turning and ex- 
Posure of fresh surfaces, taking care that the temperature does 
A large access of atmospheric air is necessary for the manage- 
nent of this process, and it is aided by the addition of chlorid 
o sodium, and other reducents. Thoogh perfect in the end, it 
; I ; i cause of the care re- 
qUired in regulating temperature and handling of the material. 
ever, very valuable to us. We discovered that the first 
Jour. Sct._gecoxp Serres, Vor. XXXVII, No. 111.—May, 1864. 
52 : 
