When conducting my earlier briquetting operations I made the briquettes by simply pugging the finely divided material, following a practice similar to that adopted in producing “slop-made” bricks by hand. This method of making the briquettes was attended with a number of obvious disadvantages, and was abandoned as soon as the semi-dry brick-pressing plant became available. The extent to which this process, or modifications of it, may be applied is shown by the fact that, following upon information given by me, the Broken Hill Proprietary Company adopted a similar method of sintering and roasting slime, consisting of about 20 per cent. galena, 20 per cent. blende, and 60 per cent. silicious gangue. The procedure followed in this case consisted of simply pugging the slime, and running the pug upon a floor to dry; afterward cutting the dried material into lumps by means of suitable cutting tools, and then piling the lumps over firing foundations, following a practice similar to that pursued in conducting ordinary heap-roasting. This company is now treating from 500 to 1000 tons of slime weekly in this manner. It is, however, certain that better results would attend the treatment of this material by making this slime into briquettes and burning them in kilns. The cost of briquetting and burning material in the manner first described, with labor at 25c. per hour, and wood or coal at $4 per ton, amounts to from $1 to $1.50 per ton of material. THE BRIQUETTING OF MINERALS BY ROBERT SCHORR (November 22, 1902) The value of briquetting in connection with metallurgical processes and the manufacture of artificial stone is well understood and appreciated. In smelting plants there is always more or less flue dust, fine ores, and sometimes fine concentrates to be treated, but the charging of such fine material directly into a furnace would cause trouble and irregularities, and would lessen its capacity also. As mineral briquetting cannot be effected without considerable wear upon the machinery and without quite appreciable expense in binder, labor, and handling, many smelters try to avoid it. The financial question, however, is not as serious as it may at first appear, and taking the large output of modern briquetting machines in consideration, the cost for repairs amounts only to a few cents per ton of briquetted material. The total cost depends in the first place on the cost of labor, power and the binder, and in most American smelters it varies between $0.65 and $1.25 per ton of briquettes. Ordinary brick presses, with clay as a binder, were used in Europe as well as in this country, but they are too slow and expensive for large propositions and the presence of clay is usually undesirable.