KARAKA GOLD-FIELD,. r"

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1398, 11 May 1868, Page 3

KARAKA GOLD-FIELD,. r"

(FROM OTTU SrECIAL CORitBsrONjDENT. )- iShortland, Jtfay 8, 1868. Having promised to pay a visit to 'Shalder'g machine in the Hupe Creek ao soon as I had heard that it waa in full working order, I paid that visit-yes-terday. A previous description which I gave of this machine will "probably hara led aome of your loaders to form a favourable estimate of the machine; and if any one should have formed Buch an estimate hb would not bo disappointed. But still I am not prepared for myeolf to endorse a very glowing account which I have since read in your columns by another hand. When I oxamined the machine at first it w*b not at work, indeed many parts of the machinery were only in coulee of erection, bo that anv description could only bo a qualified one ; now "yesterday the machine waß at work, and I may perhaps have to go over a little of the ground previously travelled over. The first impression whirh strikes you on entering the machine house was that there wii-i a great deal of dust about; this is the result of what is called " dry crushing." In the revolving stamper of the common buttery, a small stream of water constantly flows over the quartz as it is being pounded into powder; the revolving hammers which do the stamper part of work in Shalders' machine strike the quartz dry, and hence the dust. This is one of tho greatest faults of the machine, and is one that mi;st be remedied before the machine can come into general use. I have already explained that when the hammer has done its part of the work, the stuff not reduced toafine powder is again passed upto be re-treated, being carried by small scoops fixed like a Californian pump. Just at the moment of my entrance the hammers were thrown out of gear, as they had overrun the other part of the machinery— that is, they had done about four times as much work as tho other part of tho apparatus c>uld carry off; this is, however, a remediable fault. Turning to the amalgamating apparatus it struck mo as being about one-fourth the oize that it ought to be ; the stream of water passing into it, and, of course out of it, was much greater than I should have thought necessary, but that was in a great measure owing to the Bmall capacity of the cylinder. The machinery h»B not yet been sufficiently worked to determine its value as against other machineß on the ground, but I have no duubt that tho principle of crushing by revolving hammers is a much more speedy, and may be made quite as effectual as crushing by the common stamper. What appears to me to be wanting in the machine is a more efficient apparatus to treat the stuff when passed under the ■hammers. That more efficient apparatus may I think be found either in the Chilian mill or the crushing bar. I like the principle so well that I would advise other persons intending to put up machinery for quartz crushing to take a look at Mr. Shaldera* machinery, a>.d endeavor to adopt what, being speedy, ought to be cheap. What ia cheap is gometimes to be nasty ; but a cheaper mode of extracting gold from its matrix must always be a welcome one to the digger. As so many brilliant finds are reported, I may say that the Tweedside claim not far from the machine, and which waa carrying its stuff to the machineto be crushed whenl was last here, had but enough yield from the stuff to pay for the crushing. After leaving Shalders', I went on to Gibbon's machine, in the Karaka, and found on my way that a brick-works had been added to the native industries here ; the quality of the bricka I could not judge ; but aa cartage is so high here, that a load of 500 would cost from 7s 6d to 16a for a mile, I doubt whether the speculation will pay. Gibbon's maohine had just finished a crushing for the Duke of Edinburgh claim of 27 The yisld was not known, but it was expect dto be about ozs. to the ton. A good many improvements have been made of late in this machine, and it now works as well as almost any on the ground. A t Scanlan and Ellis's machine tho L'ni Mariri claim waa orushing 16 tons, for which about 6 ozs. to the ton was expected. The last crushing for thie claim gave 20 ozs. 8 dwts. to the ton, but the etuiT may have been picked. At Bull's onestamper machine, the Beppo claim, in the Kuranui, was putting through one ton of stuff. I believe I forgot to repoit that in my previous day's round I had found the Karanui battery busy with stuff out of the Company's claim, and the works for the new battery in rapid progress. Crossing the range I dropped upon Mitchell's claim, in the Waiotahi, now worked by Captain Williams and party under a new name that I have forgotton. Mitchell's party worked this claim for four months, at a coat of £80, and got nothiug. They sunk a 66 feet shaft, slabbed all the way, and 130 ;eot drive; the present holders have gone down 123 feet., also slabbed all the way, but got no show yet. This claim and the Parnell claim were originally held by Walter Williamson and 0. F. Mitchell as an amnlg'imated cloim, but they were both jumped out of the Famuli ground. The St. Lawrence, Parnell, and other claims had no one on the ground, as heavy rain had by this time set in, so after a look down the shaft of the Manukau, and quite a fond look down the shaft of Williamson's claim (»«hich is now down 100 feet to try for the Manukau loader) 1 turned home by camp. A piece of, appareatly, copper wire haa been shown to-day, got in the City of Cork claim in the Waiotahi Creek. It was found at a depth of 40 feet, and had it been in the Karaka I should hare Buppo.'ed it to be a firßt cousin or some near relative of the tin which was found in that creek some time ago. As it it I can only report the circumstance, and hope that some one who has access to the oopy of lire's Dictionary at the Mechanics' Institute will favor the publio with an extract or two from the article " Copper." His Honor the Superintendent, Mr. R. J. Creighton and Mr. P. Dignan arrived last evening. May 9.

I am ueked by the shareholders in the Royal Duke of Edinburgh clnira (Fleming and party) to say that' the engine thev have procured from Mr. Partington ie the one which that gentleman had in use previous to hie obtaining the government contract, and that it has never ho.-n in any fire. The engine and other portions of the machinery has arrived here, and will at once be placed on the claim. The following is a copy of a semi-official notice which I Jell across yesterday. The orthography is according to the original:—" Notice, —Iβ hereby given that know horses or carts shall pass up this road. Any pereon or persons found doing so will be prociculed according to the utmost rigger of the law." I should say that the schoolmaster was abroad there. Hia "Honor the Superintendent was entertained at dinner yesterday by Mr. Kobert Graham. The dinner took place at Mulligan's Sir George Bowen Hotel, Grahamstown.

The oafe of eraham and other* Hgainat Kidd and others, as to a claim at Tapu Creek, was heard by Mr. Mackay to-day. Almost the fame ground wa« gone over that was travelled in the case of McTeaacs agsinetpLon . and paity. The question at iaaue was wae there alluvial gold within the bounds of the quartz claim held by tho plaintiffs ? The Court guided by the sworn evidence of the expe'ts in a former case, ruled that th?re w OB hHutlli gold, and gave a verdict for the defendants, with all the costs of the action against the plaintiff. These costs most be pretty hwivy, as tho outisel on b th sides have been here sinco Tuo day : Messrs. Macdiinald. Uesk«th, nnd Dudd for the plaintiffs, and ifessrs. Joy and MacCormick for the defendants. .■•• ' .

.. i'here in a rep ;rfc here thut h prosp.-etor'a claim has been applied for 7 miles down the coar.t—that U. maily ;it tho Puru.