STARTING A NEW MACHINE AT HASTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1630, 11 February 1869, Page 4

STARTING A NEW MACHINE AT HASTINGS.

[feoji OUR OWN CO It RES PON DENT. J February 9. A large number of persons were assembled to-day at the machine erected by Mr. Sanderson at tha Golden Valley, to witness the trial of the machinery. For ft long time the tables and other appointments of this machine have been the theme of admiration of numbers of persons holding interests in this

locality, and the poriod of its completion has been anxiously looked forward to. Many desponding miners' hopes were raised on witnessing the admirable manner in which the machine performed its task. According to appearance, this tnahino promises to be one of, if not the most, effectual gold-paver on the Thames gold-field, and without a doubt it will be the niOExt economical in point of expense in management. No painß have been spared in obtaining the services of a thoroughly efficient amalgamator. The feature which first attracts notice is the construction of the tables, the ■workmanship of Mr. Haliday, of Auckland. The quicksilver ripples are placed below falls of about fire inches from the surface of the copper plates, each of which are so much lower than the one preceding ; the final one, just be'ore the blanket tables, is of extra depth and capacity. The object sought to be obtained is to precept the silver becoming coated with a sort of impervious scum from the sulphides, which appears to be the case with tho&o tables having an oven surface from one end to the other, the quicksilver ripples being only bo in name, as the surface of the current down the table is but slightly affected by them, and seldom are of any greater benefit 4, ian an equal amount of copper surface would be. The idea is that the gold, being of a greater specific gravity than the silver, will thereupon fall to the bottom of the ripple and become fixed in a state of amalgamation, which would be the case -wOce the gold of the nature and specific gravity of that obtained on tfce alluviil diggings in Victoria. But we find that the specific gravity of our gold here is only a little above that of quicksilver. It is also very flakey in general, which giveß it grsat floating power. The object of the foregoing observations is to show that f he surface of the quicksilver requires to be •agitated by a fall of water on to it, or by other means, so that the surface may be - kept clear at all times, so thivt it will be abje to seize upon any particles of gold which may be floating over it. lam of opinion that tliis point will be attained in thess tables. The blankets used appear to be rather too rough -to my fancy ; they appear to retain a surplus amount of grit upon them, which will prevent the gold from coming into contact with tha blankets. I think that a smoother surfaoe of bafra would answer the purpose much more effectually. A long trough is placed at the end of each table to retain. all the' heavier portion of the tailings, which sre to be removed as they become full, and they are ' taken out and passed through a flint milL This arrangement has been ordered for some time from the firm of Frazer and Tinne ; it ii now completed, and will be sent down by the Halcyon to-morrow. It will bo erected in the course of nest week. At threu p.m. the form of christening was gona through. Captain H. Wing performed the ceremony by bteakirg a botile of champagne on the wheel. Three cheers were given for the Halcyon Quartz Crushing Company, and the wheel went round, driving the stampers at a velocity of seventy-seven blows per minute each. The wheel is one of th# best in the province, and wbb constructed by Hr> Otty. It is a threa-fourth breast wheel, twenty feet in diameter, and six feet ia width, with

capacious ventilated buckets. Xhe fluming is also a capital piece of work, 1300 feet in length, three feet in width, and one foot in depth, tbe fall is five inches in 100 foet. The dam is also a auccoss, having stood without sustaining any damage tho whole of the heavy freshes we have had of late. The stampers are connected with the driving shaft

by means of bands ; four batteries of two btampers each are in position, but only two batteries are completed. I was BOrry to see that the old keyed cam head had been adopted; this is attended with many inconveniences, and has Ven superceded by that of the screw. By means of the latter, the drop of the stamper can be raised or lowered (according as the stuff to be crushed is hard or soft, and is a very necessary adjustment) in a few minutes, but is a difficult matter with the old arrangement. £ach of these batteries of two stampers has two ends and one face delivery, which is a great improvement on two-faee deliveries to a battery of four or five stampers, which iB the general arrangement. The gratings used contain eighty holes to the square inch. This method of describing the fineness of gr -.tings is very vague, as the holes are punched to as to ensure strength to the plate, as it has been found very injudicious to crowd too many holes to the square inch ; therefore the apertures of a plate containing eighty holes may be as fine as one containing two hundred formerly. The tailing?, however, are fine as any I have yet seen. The stuff from each battery is delivered on to a separate table, thrae feet two inches in width, containing four plant surfaces one foot in width, covered with copper, and has a corresponding number of drops into tn® mercurial troughs; sixteen feet of blanket BurfaM, and then the box for the reception of the tailing ß before mentioned. , Hhe weight of each stamper is 630 lbs., and tie height of life 10 wheel is supposed to be about 16 horse power. I have been thus part'cn. lar in ascribing this machine, in the hope that those who contemplate erecting machmory might bene"' by the new features which hare bren mtroducaa into this machine. It ia now before the public, ana during the coming months crushing th«y wiu bo able to give their verdict upon it. I consider tn« anything in connection with the perfecting ot our quartz orushing maohinery should receive our oaieful attention.