A NEW PROPOSAL FOR QUARTZCRUSHING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9020, 5 April 1888, Page 3

A NEW PROPOSAL FOR QUARTZCRUSHING.

- TO THE EDITOB. Sir, — perceive by perusal of one of year late leading articles that you fully expect a. " boom".in mining matters. lam also quite of that opinion,and have been for some time. ■ A five-years' residence at the Thames and Te Arena opened my eyes to the great want of the goldfields of the •world, and that is a simple, effective means of saving gold; and as I could easily save it by pounding' the ' quartz in a common mortar and afterwards wash it out in a prospector's dish, without ' the use of any quicksilver, it must stand to reason that I can do so with my patent flour of quartz-mill, which I have invented and patented in expectation of reaping a large reward with very little expense of brain- ' power and no knowledge of chemistry. My ' theory will stand examination from all sides by all men who are not prejudiced by the 1 idea that " refractory" ores, as they are wrongly termed, can only be saved by means of quicksilver and chemicals, ft is simply this: I undertake to grind all quartz as fine as wheaten flour, and then the gold must fall from the quarts, and be saved in my " Long Tom" and * " receptacle" at bottom of "Xong Tom," 1 the flour of quartz flowing away as milk of ' quartz, until caught in settling pans for p other uses not now to be mentioned, but, I * may say, not for the purpose of extracting ' any more gold out of so-called " tailings; 3 for there will be no gold in the flour of 3 quartz after having passed through my 3 machinery. In order to meet any diffi- ? culty about the wear and tear of machinery, I purpose first pounding the quartz in a small stone-breaker, or by means of ordi- , nary stampers j but not to pound as quartz * is now pounded, but only broken so as to i ease my mills. Should any syndicate like to try my patent, I am prepared to meet them " on. very favourable terms; but only for my • first mill of say five sets of grinders and ' " long tomß." The receptacle aoove referred to is a box at the end of the " torn," covered ' by very fine wire gauze, so that any fine I gold passing over long torn., ripples i must be caught in the box, and the flour of quartz flow away from it. Should the Auckland public decline to treat with me because my patent is so simple, I. shall try it 1 myself very soon, but not in your district, or 3 in New Zealand, unless there bt» some new t field opened shortly, as I firmly believe 3 there will be, and that on the Ruahinb * Ranges in Hawke's Bay. Ido not write 5 this unadvisedly, but after due knowledge r of something good to come to us here. b Before closing my letter I would say that 3 all bullion will be saved by ray mills, aiad J only unmetalliferous minerals flow away as 1 powder, as the milk of quartz will flow 8 away. A little thought will prove this J without my having to show it In a letter to \ a public journal.—l am, &c, 7 '..-:, ■. ■■ Joshua Cut*'. f fastings, Hawke's Bay, March 31, 1?*88.