The Mining And Reduction Of Quicksilver Ore At The Oceanic Mine, Cambria, Cal. Cambria, Cal.

INTRODUCTION THE present war in Europe seems to have stimulated the demand for quicksilver. In July last, the price ranged around $35 per flask of 75 lb., while to-day it seems to fluctuate between $47.50 and $50. The use of quicksilver in the form of fulminate, containing 70 per cent., and as corrosive sublimate, containing 73.8 per cent., must be extensive and a further market advance may be expected. With such an advance, some revival in quicksilver mining maybe looked for, particularly in California, where many abandoned properties exist. What can be done with low-grade quicksilver ores under favorable conditions, particularly with low mining cost, may be seen from the following description of the Oceanic mine, near. San Luis Obispo, Cal. Its operations date back to 1876, when rich sand ores were discovered. In three years 7,400 flasks of quick-silver were produced, but since then the deposit has been only sporadically worked. Until two years ago various attempts had been made by the Oceanic Quicksilver Co. to mine the more refractory "mud rock," which was encountered lying beyond the "sand rock." Mud and sand rock in varying quantities were treated together with poor results, but operations were successful with sand rock of fair percentage. About two years ago,, when all the sand rock had been exhausted, Murray Innes purchased the Oceanic mine. He found large quantities of low-grade mud rock, varying from 6 to 8 lb. of quicksilver per ton, which at the prevailing low price of quick-silver demanded very cheap mining costs, in conjunction with high but cheap metallurgical extraction. At that time the extraction of quicksilver from mud rock ranged between 40 and 50 per cent., as far as I am able to, learn.