MR. LAMONTR'S GOLD SAVING PROCESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7340, 29 May 1885, Page 6

MR. LAMONTR'S GOLD SAVING PROCESS.

IMPORTANT MEETING. Air important meeting of Auckland merchants and others interested ia the mining interests of this province was held yesterday at noon at the Chamber of Commeroe. There were present: Colonel Fraser (M. H. R.), J. Dickey, C. O. McMillan, 0. Alexander, A. Porter, EL Shepherd, R. McDonald Scott, W. S. Wilson, A.G. Hortoa, R. K. Davis, A. Saunders, J. M. Lennox, Hulll, J. Howard, L. D. Nathan, J. Reid, G. Aickin, J. F. Clarke, G. S. Kissling, J. Chambers, and J. P. Morpeth. There wan a delay in the meeting owing to the absence of Mr. LaMonte, and finally, on tho motion of Mr. J. M. Lennox, seconded by Mr. Morpeth, Mr. J. R«id, President of the Chamber of Commerce, wan called to the chair. The Chairman asked Mr. Saunders to explain the purpose for which they were called together. Mr. Baundkhs said the idea was to see if some arrangement could be made for the working of Mr. LaMonte's process, and an appointment wus made that he should be present at the meeting to-day at twelve o'clock. .■ ■ ■ Colonel Fraser said several of the Auckland members had, with him, met Mr. Larnach while he was in Auckland. Mr.

LaMonte, was present, and their purpose was to arrange regarding the workiDg of this plant. The Hon. Mr. Larnach agreed to give £1000 bonus, if after twelve months the results were- satisfactory to the depart* ment. He would put this sum on the estimates, and it would go either to Mr. LaMonte or the company who worked his process to the satisfaction of the department. .'.'■''■'' ■■'

:".: Mr. A. Porter thought Mr. Saunders might be able to give them some idea of the terms which they f could make with Mr. LaMonte. ' ':.;?,;/ '■ - Mr. SAT7NpK&e||«id he had received a rough sketch from Mr. LaMonte. Mr. Saunders ; and '" Mr. LaMonte returned together, and he read.tbe following draft .— 'Form a companr of 60.000 shares of £1 each. I will deed to eucn company my Nevada Water Jacket smelter (eDen jackets), and mr Nevada COKper Smelter (open Jacket). : The factfle Galena Shelter and the Paciao »ooper Smelter: *lao, my procesa for leparating the gold and silver from the base bullion, and all plans .and specification* (or the same. Same as is in use in New South: Wales. . I will furnish and deliver— at Auckland one 80 ton of smelting plant completeready to set ud, one- double refinery, also ready to eel up, in fact all of the machluery complete for the p ant, and will furnish skilled labour to erect and start the same, running it say 80 days successfully; then the skilled labourersto remain, if wanted, with the company to erect and start other work». Such patents «nd such-plant to be delivered to the company at Auckland, provided that a cash considetatloa of £10,000 is paid iii (hr4eiOßttblments of like amounts, extending over aperjod of six year* from signing the same—£looo cash dpwa. and 8000 shares of the company's st<fck fully paid up This would give us for the patents a net suin'cf about £6000 only, with incceii guaranteed Xif us. — Yours truly, John D. LaMonh.

I Mr.- LaMomi* said, after visiting some of the districts, and ascertaining their conditions, he had modified the terms he had in his mind, and at Mr. Saunders' request he hastily wrote this proposal. Mr. McMillan asked whether Mr. LaMonte had any results from New South Wales. Mr. LaMontx replied that he had very good reports. He had the last report of the aanny Corner manager, but most of the correspondence had passed through Mr. Murdoch's hands, and he was now away. Just, however, as Mr. LaMonte was coming away from New South Wales, and knowing that he would have to meet people who had not seen the process, he aeked the Chairman, Mr. John Newton, for a letter of introduction, nnd he complied with great pleasure. [The letter waa read.] He approved of the honourable and straightforward conduct of Mr. LaMonte, and said that the introduction of his/machiuery bad done good work, and that the claims showed an improvement, and he hoped Mr. LaMonte would be soon baok amongst them. A postoript to the letter said it was needless for him to speak of the refining process, as it was a perfect success. Mr. R. K. Davis said that during his visit to Australia, when he inspeoted this process, Mr. hew ton had expressed the same opinions to him. Mr. LaMonte was then questioned. He said the expense at Sunny Corner mine, New South Wales, was £\ 9s per ton, but there the tailings were of a peculiar nature, very silioious, and required extra fluxing, and to get througa 40 tons ore they required to have 100 tons smelted ; bat where ores contained more iron and lead they could get through double the quantity. Then in working ore tailings, he found that at Te Aroha aud Thames they concentrated nicely, and, instead of smelting 10 tons of tailings, this quantity could be reduced down to one ton of concentrated tailings. The expense , of concentrator would be about Is per ton, and the cost of smelting waa'.d be less than the ore. They would net pay to treat as a whole. In putting up a smelter at the Thames, he would suggest that they should have one only for several mills. The concentration., would be set at the foot of the battery plates, and these would take all the concentrations cheaply. The concentrators were oheap, and easily constructed, and couLi be made anywhere. The average of tailings from two mills would go 2oza. of gold per ton, worth £4 an ounce. Hβ found that these tailiogs fused very easily. There was jantimony in abundance, but that came away with the lead. Arsenio was one of the principal base metals they had to contend against, but he did not object to antimony. On the other side they had considerable arsenic. The ores oould be smelted as cheaply as at Sunny Corner, or rather less. The average of fuel was 20J per cent, per ton, and in running the ooncentrators the average would be 15 per cent. The results of his tests were very satisfactory. He found at Te Aroha and the Thames higher assay average than the' battery produced, and he would guarantee this by any test. He had tested Te Aroha, Karangahake, and the Thames, and found that there was more value in the ore than had been extraofed by the battery process; and if the reefs oould now pay for mining and crushing the test of the gold extraoted would go to dividends. He believed all the concentrations of 1 ton of concentration to 10 tons of tailings would go 20ozs. of gold and 2ozs. of silver.' The Cambria tailings assayed 2ozs. 9gre. per ton, and the concentrations assayed 22ozs. refined gold and 22ozs. of silver. The Ivanhoe assayed 2ozs. 15dwts. 12grs. in the tailings. They would work close to the assay all the time, but they always allowed 5 per pent, leeway, for in assaying always the best samples were taken ; but if samples were taken in the proportion of one shovelful to sixteen, he would work to their assay right along. Mr. Saunders said Mr. Gordon, the Inspector of Mines, who had been to Australia, said that Mr. LaMonte's prooeea worked up to 95 per cent. 'ju

Iα reply to farther inquiries, Mr. LaMonte said that tho £10,000 would provide the plant and all skilled labour. In reply to Mr. Clarke, he said they were not at present saving half the gold from the ore by the batteries. It was impossible by the present battery process to save the gold, which was locked up in minerals. Figuring tho cost of concentration at Iβ, and tha redaction at 3s, it would bring the cost to 4s or 5s a ton for the whole operation. He did not find so much silver in Tβ Aroba as he expected, bat there were some silver veins which had not been opened up. There was room for one plant there, bat at Karangahake he would recommend a strong plant, as it was a smelting ore, and he should have it taken to the smelter rough, abont the size of road metal. The; could smelt there as cheap, or more cheaply, than at Sunny Corner. He would not at present say that they would get the same results as at Sonny Corner, but be oould guarantee that the resulta would be payable. The Chairman said that having now heard Mr. LaMonte's lucid explanation, it remained for the meeting to initiate something; either to appoint a committee to enquire into the matter of forming a company, for whioh a capital of £10,000 was required, or to make saoh other suggestions as they might deem fit In reply to Mr. Lennox, Mr. LaMonte said that, in the event of people here not taking a sufficient interest in it to form the company, they would undertake it themselves ; but they preferred being associated' with those interested. He had draft plans sod specifications, which .he would submit..'.- " '

On the motion of Mr. G. Aiokin, seconded by Mr. A. G. Horton, it was agreed, "That a committee should be appointed," and the following gentlemen were selected : —Meuars. C. Alexander, O. C. McMillan, O. Aiokin, A. Porter, J. Reid, A. Saundere, W. Si Wilson, R. K. Davis, ami J. M. Lennox. ">.

The committee ia to meet »ti eleven o'olook this forenoon.