complex ores, but unsuccessfully until this last time. A description of this smelting process, by Dr. G. W. Lehmann, of Baltimore, Md., is therefore deemed of interest and is given here in his words:
" The smelting plant situated at Thomasville, N. C, on the line of the Southern Railroad and within 13 miles of the mines of the Silver Valley Mining Company, was erected especially for the treatment of the refractory ores from this mine.
" The composition of the ore is zinc-blende, galena, iron sulphides, together with some little copper, silver and gold. An average analysis representing a large lot delivered at the smelter gave: Zn., 28 per cent.; Pb., 12 per cent; Cu., 0.5 per cent.; Ag., 21 ounces per ton; Au., 0.06 ounces per ton. Quite a number of patent processes have been in operation since the last 10 years at the works in order to profitably reduce the several metals, but none of these processes have gone beyond the experimental stage, since none of them proved a commercial success, until about two years ago. At that time Mr. Robert Nininger, of Newark, N. J., erected a plant which deals with the subject of treating refractory ores successfully. The plant consists essentially of:
" 1. Down-draft jacket furnace connected with two horizontal jackets, one on each side of the furnace; "2. Two condensers connecting with the horizontal jackets;
" 3. Vat house with a series of large vats to receive the flow of liquor from the condensers and to collect the lead and zinc residues;
"4. A separate plant for the treatment of the lead residues;
" 5. A separate plant for the treatment of the zinc residues.
" The down-draft furnace, as far as charging and general construction is concerned, is operated in a similar manner as any ordinary jacket-furnace, but the arrangement of the tuyeres is different and the current of air from the blowers necessary for the complete combustion of the refractory ore is carried down through the charge; thence through the horizontal jackets, the condensers, through two powerful suction blowers along a series of dust chambers, and out through the stack. A constant spray of water meeting the volatile metallic fumes of lead and zinc (together with what silver the zinc fumes carry along) in the two condensers, deposits all the metallic products and carries them with the liquor into a series of vats where the lead sulphite or sulphate is deposited on the bottom of the vats, carrying the silver with it. whilst the zinc remains in solution and is precipitated out of this solution as zinc oxide.
" During the operation the slag is drawn off from openings near the bottom of the horizontal jackets near the furnace proper, whilst the matte is collected in the well of the furnace and tapped. This matte carries the copper, gold, and most of the silver. It is necessary to prepare the charges to the furnace so as to have not less than 5 per cent, of copper in your charge; otherwise the resulting matte would be too low in copper and would have to be treated over and over again. Gold concentrates and even dry ores can be used with advantage as fluxes and will help to make the process more profitable."
The cause of closing down the furnace was the difficulty of obtaining sufficient copper ores for fluxing.
During the summer of 1896 some testing work was done on the placer deposits forming the bottom land along a small creek that traverses the property. The plant consisted of an iron washer operated by a hydraulic stream, riffled sluices, amalgamating tables and rockers.
