Metallurgical Practice In The Porcupine District

Discussion of the paper Of NOEL CUNNINGHAM, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 99, March, 1915, pp. 601 to 608. C. H. POIRIER, New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary*). -Mr. Cunningham's paper, written from the standpoint of a stamp advocate, while commenting more or less favorably upon the installation of ball mills in the Vipond plant, does not, in my opinion, give as much emphasis to the comparatively new departure as the installation of ball mills in the place of stamps justifies. This discussion is based upon my personal and intimate practical work for several years with stamp mills, and for the past three years with Hardinge ball and pebble mills. The fact that the Vipond mine contains about equal quantities of the A and B classes of ore mentioned by Air. Cunningham, and the further fact that I have had a most intimate knowledge of the working of both classes of ore in the Porcupine district in stamp mills and ball mills, justifies upholding my final decision to use ball mills in the place of stamps, and defends my present further action in now increasing the present Vipond capacity by the addition of another 6-ft. Hardinge ball mill, in which action the directors of my company concur. This is one of the strongest evidences I can possibly offer in substantiation of my opinion that the ball mill exceeds the efficiency of the stamp, both in metallurgical and mechanical economy. It is hardly fair to compare a 100-ton per clay plant with a mill handling several times this amount, yet it is my belief that the cost per ton. of grinding in the ball mill is far less than that of any stamp mill in the district, where capacities run up to 400 tons per clay.