In 1901 the Metallic Mill, before it was consolidated, handled 31,500 tons at a value of $1,037,500. Rest of the year the consolidated Metallic, National and Union Mills handled 80,000 tons at a value of $1,904,000.

Denver, July 27—The report circulated that the plant of the United States Reduction & Refining Co. at Florence would be closed down, as a consequence of the railroad merger in the Cripple Creek district is positively denied by the management.

THE BATTLE of the processes has been nowhere waged more vigorously than in Colorado, where chlorination and cyanidation have competed with varying success during two decades for preference in the treatment of the ores of Cripple Creek.
For a long time the big battalions of capital were on the side of chlorination, the principal plants using the process being consolidated in a corporation capitalized at £2,500,000 and known as the United States Reduction & Refining Co., which must not be confounded with the smelter trust, called the American Smelting & Refining Co. or its chief rival, the United States Smelting, Refining & Mining Co.
Cyanidation is the victor, for it has been apparent for several years that the application of tube-milling and cyanidation to the tailing from the chlorination plants had placed these in a humiliating position. The Standard mill at Colorado Springs, the last of the chlorination plants, has just been closed-down, leaving cyanidation in undisputed possession of the field.
The mill trust has now four chlorination mills on its hands, besides a plant for using zinc-fume in manufacturing paint, all of which are idle. These originally cost £300,000, or, if we include the Metallic Extraction plant, about £400,000, against which stocks and bonds were issued for £2,500,000.
No assets remain, save the residue discarded in the heyday of chlorination, now only a memory.

At a banquet to celebrate the completion of the second unit of cyanide plant for the treatment of low grade dump ore at Stratton's Independence, Cripple Creek, Philip Argall gave a speech containing interesting reminiscences.
Toward the end of 1894 he built the first large custom-plant for the direct cyanidation of telluride ore, and in the following year he introduced preliminary roasting. This plant was that of the Metallic Extraction Co. at Florence. At the close of his engagement in 1901, the capacity had been increased to 10,000 tons per month, and the cost of treatment had been reduced to one half.

The July output of gold ore, in spite of the fact that the month claimed a long holiday, the Metallic Extraction Mill treated 6,500 tons with average value of $22.50 to a total of $146,250.00. This is a decrease of 2,000 tons since June.

The Metallic Extraction cyanide mill in Florence treated during June fully 8,500 tons for a total of $161,500.

The April's output of gold from Cripple Creek has been computed and the figures at hand show increase rather than diminution of the steady stream of wealth flowing from the mines. During this month the Metallic Extraction Works outputted 9,000 tons.

During February the Bi-Metallic mill outputted 8,500 tons with average value of $20.00 for a total of $170,000.

The Metallic plant treated 9,000 tons of ore at value of $25 during November, for a total of $ 225,000.

United States Reduction and Refining Company.—The work of tearing away part of the building and machinery of the old cyanide mill at Cyanide, two miles north of Florence, by this company is still in progress.
Several carloads will be shipped to Utah and the balance sold.

During December 1899 the Metallic Mill in Florence output was 8,250 tons of average value $20 for a total of $165,000. While the value output for the Cripple Creek District was $2,968,250.

Metallic mill, Florence, output for September was 8,500 Tons of average valued ore of $20 to a total Value of $170,000.

United States Reduction and Refining Company.— This company, of Florence and Colorado Springs, is removing some of the machinery from the old Metallic cyanide plant, at Cyanide, to Canon City, for use in the construction of the new smelter. The Metallic property, at one time the best equipped and largest mill in the valley, may never be worked again.