HENUI IRONSAND WORKS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1663, 30 June 1887, Page 2

HENUI IRONSAND WORKS.

♦ As tbe present operations at tbe Henui li'onsand Works have arrived at a critical stage, and as just now public interest seems to be centred there, an account of ' a visit to tbe works on Tuesday afternoon may be interesting. Tbe manager of the present enterprise, Mr. J. Hipkins, being away, Mr. H. R. Richmond, who has taken a very great interest in ironsand smelting, kindly acted as cicerone and pointed out tbe process by which it it intended to manipulate the ironsand. Although the furnace baa been charged with fuel for some days past, and been thoroughly heated for tbe trial, yet as the blast i.s considered unreliable it hat been decided to obtain a further power by borrowing a second boiler which has been placed at the disposal of the Association by tbe Harbor Board. The coke and charcoal, &c, used for fuel bad been taken taken out and thrown outside the furnace, but as there was still a large quantity left, water was let in to cool the furnace, and eveu at the time of our visit there was a good glow close to tbe hearth. The furnace, it may here be mentioned, has undergone considerable alteration at Mr. Hipkins' bands, and is now eon* sidered to be in a much better stats for the trial than it has been for any pre* vious experiment. Indeed, it has been stated that when used by a former com* pany very great risk was incurred by using it, and instructions were giren to stop soieltiug, as a serious accident was predicted it' work continued, but all risk has been neutralised now by the strengthening of tbe archway of brick which separates the fuel and slag front the hearth. Mr. Hipkins has put in • caat iron rib through tbe brick work, and to keep it cool when the furnace is charged cold water is constantly running over tbe iron, so that there is now no fear of the charge in tbe furnace dropping suddenly. In fact, the success of the smelting may be said to depend upon tbe regularity with which the sand runs through the fuel. If it is allowed to drop down quickly then the one that collects on the hearth is of no marketable value, and in fact cannot be run into the smelting bouse. Acting according to tbe best regulated English and German furnaces, wood in proper proportions to coke and charcoal will be used as fntl. Mokau limestone will also be used to assist iv the separation of tbe slag from tbe ore, It is estimated that in tbe erent of the trial being a success tbe furnace as it is at present constructed will tarn out 100 tons weekly, which is considered sufficient ore to supply the whole of tbe colony. The importance of this work as an industry, not only to New Plymouth, but to tbe whole of New Zea* laud, is of vast moment. If tbe iron can be smelted at a remunerative cost it will be the u»eaa3 of employing a large amount of surplus labor and developing one of the latent resources which hither* to has not been treated so as to result profitably to those who have embarked in the enterprise. There is an almost inexhustible supply of eand on this coast, and it now remains for the Taranaki IroDsand Association to steer clear of tbe causes of tbe failures ot it predecessor* and make tbe present trial .the success that so many in this district desire,