1884.] 
The Extraction of Gold. 
417 
important metallurgical process fully one-half of the sub- 
stance sought for is, in these days when Science and 
practice aie supposed to walk hand in hand, still allowed to 
go to waste. It vvill not lessen the surprise of our readers 
on learning that the material thus wasted is— gold ! 
to S *' a ^. emen ^ : that we think it necessary 
savers and th ® testimony of mining engineers, as- 
Prnf t a {J d „ oth 1 ers . of lon g and special experience. Thus 
of. Jack, Geologist to the Government of the Colony of 
Queensknd, says_:-“ I believe that from 50 to 9 o per cent 
lost g ° d COntained m some of our complex ores is being 
From California, and from the gold-mining districts of 
America, generally, comes substantially the same complaint. 
• 1 J J\ We ^ a £ be convinced on reading over the last Report 
issued by the Directors of the United States Mint, at Wash- 
ington. In this Report we find the testimony of Mr. B. 
Paul, one of the oldest and best mining authorities of Cali- 
fo ^ 1 ^, sa y s — ‘ As far as California is concerned I am 
satisfied that not more than 40 per cent of her gold is ex- 
tracted [i.e., 40 per cent of all contained in the stone that 
has been treated] Our present general system of 
mining is based upon the idea that gold is mainly coarse, 
while examination will show that the high percentage is in 
atoms finer than flour itself. In my experiments gold has 
been taken up so fine that it would not subside in distilled 
watei in less than from five to ten minutes.” He asks fur 
ther, “ Can you save gold of this kind by running water 
a own stieam ? Can you obtain gold of this kind without 
minute reduction ? Therein lies the secret of high assays 
before working and small returns after.” 
Prof. Eggleston, one of the most eminent metallurgical 
chemists of America, calculates the loss at “ between so 
and 60 per cent” of the total gold present in the ore ope- 
rated upon. F 
Mr. C. S. Dicken, F.R.G.S., in a paper read in March 
last before the Royal Colonial Institute, quoted the amount 
of gold aCfually contained in the “ Disraeli pyrites ” from 
the Charters Towers District, Queensland, as being on an 
average 4 ozs. 14 dwts. 13 grains per ton. But the quantity 
of gold actually obtained from this ore on the present sys- 
tem is only ij ozs., or a loss of 70 per cent. Another 
Queensland sample, Mr. Joske’s “ Ravenswood pyrites” 
gives on assaying 2 ozs. 18 dwts. 19 grs. of gold to the ton 
But on the ordinary system of working it cannot be treated 
at all at a profit, and is hence lying idle. 
