The Shotover District and its Mines.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1525, 2 April 1886, Page 5

The Shotover District and its Mines.

(ST OCR SPECIAL RETOSTZR.) Jfo. IV. THE PHtENIX MINE. ( Continued.) The machinery and plant connected with this mine is, perhaps without exception, the most extensive and varied in existence at any mine, in so far that nearly all the known forms in which motive power is applied to machinery are here represented. Steam, water and electricity are laid under contribution, am! to these two compressed air engines are about to he added. The crushing' rtachincry comprises 20 heads of revolving stamps in work, and two additional batteries, of five heads each, are in coarse of erection. The stampers, which weigh Scwt. each, are driven by a 14-horsc-powcr steam engine, when water is net available during the dry and the frosty season. At other times a Leffell turbine wheel of 30 horse-power, which is sunk 20ft. below the floor of the machine house, in order to obtain a sufficient fail of water, supplies the motive power. It was in this department (i.e., the machinery department) that the greatest difficulty, on account of the imperfect means of transport, had to be overcome. From the description already furnished of the manner in which the heavy pieces of machinery were conveyed to Skippers, it will be readily surmised that fiy-whcels, to regulate and ensure the smooth working of ponderous machinery, were nut of the question at Skippers. To 6ave, therefore, the jerking and jarring of the gear as much as possible, belts had lo be employed instead of connecting rods, and it is now an accomplished fact at the Phrcnix mine that Scwt. stamps are driven with entire satisfaction by vulcanised india-rubber belting. With this double set of motive powers, viz., the turbine wheel and the steam engine, the crushing plant is almost made independent of any serious hindc-rance, and may be kept going incessantly, even should any signal defect disable either one or the other. However, the greatest care has been bestowed upon the erection of all the machinery, and it is constantly receiving close and skilled attention The consequence is that, from the length of time the machinery has been in use, no brei»k of any importance has occurred ; and it is in a good state of preservation.

The jold-siving apparatus is the simplest imaginable. After long experience and many careful 1 trials, Mr Evans has found out that the saving of cold by reason only of its great specific gravity answcis all purposes, and he consequently docs away with quicksilver entirely, except, of cou-se, for the purpose of amalgamating the " blanketings'* I when cleaning up. Much controversy has taken place, and is constantly going op, amongst miners and others interested on the question of gold-saving, without, however, shitting the ground or gaining or improving upon the primary ami simple forms of the first principle, viz., saving gold by its native Gravity only. The wet tailings test applied by Dr »Uck, of the Ot.igo University, to the refuse from the Phenix tables, has proved that the amount of gold lost is so small that it would act pay to save it by any means known to science. However, Mr Kvans' active brain is still busy with project*, having for 'heir aim the arrest of the last particle. The gold discharged from the stamper Ihi\; winch are provided witii gratings hiving 4"0 holes to the inch, is arrested by "blanket b'rakes," the I4anktts l»ing cleaned —i.1., washed—every half-hour, and the blankedncs amalgamated every twenty-four hours. There Ijeing some difficulty in obtaining the kind of fabric for the purpose of saving the C"!d, a material is especially manufactured for the lMirenix mine hy one of tlie local woollen factories. A disquisition on the relative value of the various g.dd-«aving uppiinnces would be out of place in the present article, wl;i.h aims no bicher thin being a report—a description of existing tiling, hut I have let hesitation in spying that, everything considered, the plan of doing away entirely with quicksilver in til" boxes wells and on the tables is the best for th;s district, taking everything into consideration. The I'luunix »t<mj>er boxes are provided with *el:-feed'hg appliances, which lure aioWer exceedui"lv well. *o that one man and one boy to each sinit of ei.ht hours i* all the attendance the machine | requires, even when the sterun engine which, of course, requires more attention than tiie turbiue— j supj.lus the motive power.

Tie amalgamating apparatus also is of the simplest ki mi. An amalgamating barrel of about "•KJ capacity, ami a shaking table v.ith overlapping slides instead of rij»j»l»-s, f..rms the whole apparatus and gives j>erfect satisfaction. A small ber>iau is ih course of erection, quite as much, however, ar, an experiment as f »r practical results. The whole of the above machinery :j roofed and housed ill a building 4<Jft. wide by S4ft. long, and in it there are also complete engineer's, carpenter's and blacksmith's shops, where all the appliances for the mir.u ai.d machinery are made and repaired. Iron ti ucks, pipes, picks, etc.—all and even tiling re'{uired except castings—are made and repaired upon the spot. There are lathes for turning iron, w<hml ar.d steel, carpenters' work benches provided with circular saws, and all the latest improvements, al! of which may be driven either by steam or water power or electricity. Tins department of the plant is under the charge of Mr K. Foord, who is a clever and an experienced mechanic and machinist. There is also a smelting furnace with all the liecissary appliances upon the ground, where all the obtained is smelted and run into bars by Mr Kv -n*, and so well is this operation attended to, that tho bar sold from this mine is in much favor with the banks, aud always commands the highest prices.

It is also a recognised thing that the mine is worked upon well considered plans, a copy of which i-. kept posted up to the most recent explorations. Visitors to ihe mine are rather given to speak of the diliMent l>ies worked and opened out as a net* woik of reefs, couveying the idea of a tangled confusion ct reds. Nothing of the kind is, however, the c:i«e. What confuse the visitor is the multiplicity <>f the lodes and the deviousness of their courses. A id.iiice at the map of the mine will at once show that the di J.-rent l<«les are continuous in a general direction though they may twist about occasionally. All these peculiarities of the loles are closelv watched and carefully mapped, so that very little or next to no dead work is done iu the mine.

Tne battery house ami the several workshops are lit by elcctiic lights, as arc also the library (of which more ar.on) and tlie offices and managers' private residences, comprising in all upwards of twenty lights of 16 candle-power each. The required electricity is generated by a Helton wheel of 2i hon»e power, which is sufficient ior more lights should they lie required. Mr Evans is now busy with the erection of two compressed rir engines at the mine, for the purpose of opening ami working tlie mine below level No. I, v Inch can be approached only bv a shaft that has already been sunk to a depth of 82ft. Tlie engines, which f»re cf "J'J horse-|K)»cr each, arc intended to work the pumping and winding (rear, to drive rockdrills and to ventilate the mine by the escape of air, which will be compressed by powerful steam engines, a« it is more reliable than water-power in tins region where firewood aliounds. The greater portion of the new machinery is now upon the ground, and it is expected that before winter sets in it will he iu working order. Messrs Kineaid, M'Queen and Co. are supplying the machinery, upon which they have made some important improvements, which they intend to patent. The electric machinery, that is, the dynamos or generators, are placed in the left-hand branch of .Skippers Creek, at a distance of about three miles from the battery as the crow flics. The dynamos, two in number, are each capable of generating a volume of electricity equal to 40 horse-power, making a total of S() horse-power. They are driven by two powerful Pclton wheels, acted ujwn by a head of ISSft. of vertical water pres3ure, and are of the lirush patent, generally known as the Brush dynamos. A peculiarity and something quite new is a patent kiud of belting employed, which possesses so niauy commendable qualities, that a description of it may be found of very general utility. It is, properly speaking, mosr.ic work, being compo-ted entirely of little bits of leather, 2Jin. long by gin. wide, each bit raemhlitg the-links in a chain. The width of

these leather links forms the thickness of the belt, j and they are closely strung together upon steel bars, running transversely across the l>elt through their alternate ends, so that each two bits of leather on the same bar point in the opposite direction along the belt, like the links in a chain. The belt is i I 15in. wide, and may be said, by comparison with j 1 any other kind of belting, to be indestructable. , j The powerful grip also which such an arrangement I of the leather links must have upon the smoothest i | pulley will be readily conceived by anyone who has the slightest idea of the peculiat contrivance. ■ The dynamos and Pelton wheels and the other ! machinery connected therewith are all covered by a j j machine house, 20ft. by* 50ft, built of iron, and [ i which is also lit by electricity. The motive power, equal, as previously mentioned, to 80 horse-power, | generated oy the two Brush dynamos, is conducted along a copper wire (corresponding in thickness to I No. 8 fencing wire) to the moter in the battery 1 house, distant some three miles. The moter is a j Victoria machine, made under the care and super- :

j vision of Professor Fleming-Jenkin, lately deceased. The object of the moter is to apply the power to ' the machinery to be set in motion, the j dynamos only generate the electricity. The escape I electricity after being used is conducted back by a I separate wire to its source. It will be readily understood that a constant escape about the machine house of a volume of electricity, equal to 80 horsepower, would make thing 3 exceedingly lively, and even dangerous, for both man and beast, and therefore, in order to avoid the consequences of any danger from this cause, the exhausted electricity is returned to the generators. Successful trials have been made with the electric machinery, and it has driven with case and entire satisfaction the twenty heads of stamps, of Scwt. each ; but as ten more heads are to be added, certain improvements are now in course of execution, which will bring the full ]>ower of the electric works to bear upon the I crushing machinery. Mr Fletcher, of Dunedin (Messrs R. E. Fletcher k Co., electrical engineers), whose firm have supplied the electric machinery, is supervising its erection, during the illness of Mr 1 Prince, his partner, who commenced the works at ! the mine.

The foregoing is an attempt to describe the I'hienix mine, its mode of working and plans, and is a fair illustration of the vast amount of energy and skill brought to bear upon the undertaking by the management, and of the measure of pluck and perseverance displayed by the proprietor, who, single-handed, bore the brunt and expense for about 15 or 1G years of in unprofitable mining concern. The total quantity of gold produced, since tha present manager, Mr Evans, tojk charge in 1857, is 14.4340/. Bdwt«. 17gr., representing a mrmcy value of t"4,l 19 is. GJ. The Irst thirteen months, however— that is, frrim 15th January, 18So, to the end of February, ISB6—were the most productive the mine lias seen. JJuring the latter-named peiiod 30SO tons of quartz were crushed, yielding GiOOoz, of cold, thus giving an average of about loz. 15dwts. per ton. There are fully <>oo tons of stone at grass, which promise to yield equal, if not better returns than the last quoted average.

I It tikes no prophet to predict a grand future for the Phoenix mine. Anyone at all conversant with minim.', upon the most cumory visit to the underground works, cannot help being impressed with the inimen.se amount of wealth in sight. lies ides the ] lea jure it conveys of seeing great enterprises rewarded by an abundant harvvst of the precious metal, the success of this mine is lxmnd to have an important influence upon lode-mining i:i general, and upon the mines of ihis district in pa> ticuhr. In tliis res;>.-ct it is well to remember that the Phoenix had it* dark days of tribulation, the same as ;it the present time so many mines in this district are ailertid, l«ut whHi, with c.jual inanutment and pluck, would. 1 have no doubt, give if not an equally food at Icust a cheerful account of themselves. and become the scene of life and bustle, whereas now they are so many sloughs of despond. The value of such mines as the Photnix are to the colony may be seen by the fact that, la<t year alone, it contributed about £BOO to the county revenue. Tin- property is taxed at a value e.jual to £20,000. liesitles tile employment it gives to the 100 men or more in and about the mine, it helps to keep foundries going; it creates traffic; it stimulates mining f xpet im -nts, leading to valuable and pprinaii. Nt improvements in the principle and practice of ini:ii nt', etc. The intioduction of electrieity as a motive jowir in mining machinery, at this early sUi'.'<*. alone is ;• n item, the importance of which to a ui-.triet like the Wakatipu especially is likely to !>e incalculable. It has now become quite clear that if tiie present generation is to benefit by the vat mineral resources whHiare known to be looked up in th° more inaccessible portions of the back country of our district, electricity is the only means to verify the hopes of the residents. It would be nothing short of ungracious to close the present article without some reference to the manner in which Mr Inillen looks after the welfare of the men in his employ—physically, mentalfy and spiritually. Not only is there no stint whatever in the means whic h goes to ensure their bodily safety and comfort while actually employed ou his benalf in the mine or about the works; Mr Mullen has gone further and thought of the men's leisure hours, by providing for their mental cnjoynu i t, entirtly at his ov:n c:jst, a splendid building, to serve as a library, club-room, meeting house, etc. The library is to be supported by nub-criptions by the miners, and th<> amount so subscribed Mr liulleu is pre- 1 pared to subsidise at a £ for £ rate, (.'uiisidermg that the buiMir.g must have cost at least £l5O, and that the total subscription will probably amount to ! about £IOO p» r annum, it will be seen that Mr ' P.ullcn has acted in a most munificent manner to , his woikmen. Nor is this all. It has leaked out that Mr Dullen intends to station an ordained ' clergyman at the works for the sole betiuilt of the miner?, who have hitherto only larely an opportunity of attending divine worship. Such acts as theso speak volumes for the man as such, and as an ' employer, and I can do no better than conclude the article with a repetition of what is so frequently heard in this district, namely, the wish that there were a few more " Mr llullens." ( To br. COilliiliinl. )