[D0124AAA], Letter from Frank Spencer Witherbee to Thomas Alva Edison, February 14th, 1901
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D0124AAA
Transcription
56 Pine St., New York City, N.Y. February 14th 1901 [TAE Marginalia] >I have sent to mine for a separator it may not be here before Tuesday or Wednesday but I have a small one here I can experiment on until it comes. I will let you know when to come over. E.< Mr. Thomas A. Edison Orange, N.J. Dear Sir: Referring to Mr. Footes and my interview with you yesterday, I would say, we have instructed our people at Port Henry to forward you by express to-day a keg of our "Old Bed" Iron Ore, and we herewith enclose you a representative analysis of the Ore. It may be that the Silica and Line may vary from this, but we look upon this as an average analysis as it was made from a sample of a good many thousand tons of Ore. As I told you yesterday, Williams & Clark Company inform us that they would want our tailings to run at least 18% Phosphoric Acid, which is the equivalent of about 50% Bone Phosphate (tri-basic calcic Phosphate). A recent test of our tailings over another magnetic separator showed that by eliminating Hornblende we were able to produce the following results: IRON---------0.70% PHOSPHOROUS---------14.999% PHOSPORIC ACID equivalent to---------53.31% BONE PHOSPHATE (tri-basic Calcic Phosphate)-------70.55% As we told you yesterday, we were anxious to keep the Ore as coarse as possible, and would prefer your test to be made on a 6 mesh basis for the Ore. Please advise me when you can make the test as I would like to run out and see it done. I have no engagements ahead, except for Monday next, when I must be out of town. What we would like you to do is tell us what your machine can do on 6 mesh in Metallic Iron and Phosphorous contents, and what the tailings will run in Phosphoric Acid. As I understand it, the Phosphate people would like the tailings as coarse as they can get them so that they can crush them down easier, or else want us to deliver them at about 75 to 100 mesh. In naming us the royalty on your machine I hope you will bear in mind that we have got to produce our Concentrates at a very low figure to obtain a market for them. If we could produce Bessemere Concentrates, of course command a better figure. Yours truly, F.S. Witherbee President [Marginalia] >Mr. Dridler is the man we have[illegible him in the Williams+Clark Co Analysis of "Old Bed 21" Port Henry Iron Ore By Alexander McCreath, Harrisburg, Pa July 14th-1898 Metallic Iron 61-650 Metallic Manganese -077 Sulphur -026 Phosphorous 1-409 Alumina -978 Lime 4-690 Magnesia -421 Silica 4-095