WAIHI-SILVERTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10098, 6 April 1896, Page 5

WAIHI-SILVERTON.

STARTING OF THE BATTERY.

PUBLIC CEREMONY.

AN AUSPICIOUS EVENT.

[FROM OUR CWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waiiii, Saturday. Although a considerable amount of mining has been done at Waihi during the past couple of years, operations havo so far only resulted in one mine contributing to the wealth of the district by means of bullion returns; and that mine, as readers of the Herald are already aware, is tho veritable Waihi, which it can be said without contradiction has not a peer in the ranks of the bullion-producers of the colony. This does not imply, however, that there are nob other valuable mining properties at Waihi; for it has been proved beyond doubt that, in addition to the lodes existing in the WaihiGold Mining Company's ground, there are other ore bodies containing a very high percentage of the precious metal traversing portions of the Waihi district. That the Waihi-Silverton property has been favoured with some of these lode? is unquestioned, and the mine having been acquired by British capitalist.?, it is not to be wondered at that practical steps were taken tc prove tho reefs in question, namely, by battery and cyanide treatment. In order to give effect to this decision, however, the old Silverton mill had first to be removed, and at) the commencement of last winter the erection of the new mill on the old battery site was undertaken. The terrible state of the roads between l'aeroa and Waihi made the work of construction prolonged and arduous, inasmuch as the conveyance of the machinery to the destined site was considerably retarded by tho bad roads just referred to and a very web season. However, it seemed impossibly to exhaust tho patience of either the directors or the manager (Mr. H. H. Adams), and making the best of tho situation, they persistently kept matters progressing as rapidly as circumstances would permit, with the result that there stands at Waihi to-day one of the most etHcient plants of its kind in the southern hemisphere—an opinion held by numbers of our leading mining authorities.

The mill consists of 40 head of stampers, and is replete with all appurtenances connected with battery and cyanide treatment, and all- details associated with its construction having just been completed, a public opening took place to-day. Fully 300 people—including a fair sprinkling of the fair sex, who manifested th( keenest interest in the proceedings— assembled at the battery, among those present being Messrs. J. A. Pond, managing director of the Silverton Company; Captain Argall, supervising engineer; D. G. McDonnell, legal manager; Gray and A. Kidd, directors; G. Wilson, mining inspector; A. Rhodes, manager of the Bank ol New Zealand ; also the following managers of mining companies, H. P. Barry, general manager of the Waihi Gold Mining Company; J. Gilmour, manager of Waihi mine; J. McCombie, Woodstock ; Evans, Grand Junction ; Collins, Alpha; Morgan, Oivharoa; Scott, Heitman's Freehold; Newdick, Queen ol Waihi; Brokenshire, Inglewood; Quinn, Waihi Extended ; G. H. Piirehas, Waitekauri. There were also a large number of mining enthusiasts, including Mr. George Comer, of the Thames, who had visited Waihi specially for the opening ceremony. Precisely at half past ten a.m. -Mr. J. A. Pond set the machinery in motion, and having declared the Waihi-Silverton battery opened, three cheers were called for, and id is needless to say were lustily given, An inspection of the battery by the public was then commenced, and when all the various parts of the battery had been visited and the working of the machinery closely watched, the general consensus of opinion was that a more satisfactory state of affairs could not exist, all the parts having worked without a hitch. For this happy consummation, no doubt, the greatest praise is due to the manager, Mr. Adams, who, it may be stated, supervised all the works connected with the construction of the mill, besides attending to the opening up developments of the mine. Consequently ho fully deserved the eulogies passed upon him to-day for the skill, ere., displayed by him in giving effect to the desires of his directors, while it should also be mentioned that ono great object Mr, Adams sought to attain in the construction of the battery was the minimising of the dust evil, and an idea of his has been pub into practice which will act. as an experiment. This, I might state, is the erection of suction fans over the stamper boxes, but whether the experiment will be successful remains to bo proved. It is, however, the first step of its kind taken in connection with dry crushing plants, and is to be highly commended. Mr. Pond (chairman of directors) and Mr. Kidd (director) are also to be complimented for tlia watchful interest manifested by them during the erection of the mill, this being evidenced by the periodical visits to the workings made by them even during the worst parts of the winter season. Altogether one and all should feel pleased at) what has been accomplished as the result! of capital and labour, and if the quantity of ore that can be obtained without difficulty from the large reefs of the Silverton mine, combined with the assay value of the same, can be taken as a criterion, the future prosperity of the Silverton Cold Mining Company is assured, the ore insight being sufficient to keep the mill constantly employed for a very long period indeed. When the battery had been running for about an hour, the machinery was stopped again, and the company repaired to tho ground floor section of the building, where a long table laden with refreshments had been placed. Mr. J. A. Pond presided, and after having referred to the happy circumstances which had brought them all together, he said ha thought that it was worth while giving a few facts regarding the history of the mine. He then went 011 to state that in the year 18S6 the Silverton property was pegged oub by Mr. J. McCombie and himself, and it was named the Silverton consequent upon the Broken Hills, then called the Silverton, coming to the front as a great wealth producer, which he was sure their mine would also prove to be. The mine was then placed in the hands of the lute Mr. J. Moore, whose memory they all respected, and after operations had been conducted for a while rich ore was struck, as a result of which dividends were paid, the original shareholders being the happy recipients. The quartz, however, was treated by tho old battery process at tho Martha battery, with such poor success that the tailings, 300 tons of which were saved and stored in pits, varied in value from £10 to £20 per ton, showing that the percentage of gold extracted was very small. Successful efforts were then made to purchase the Martha battery, after which a new plant was erected, pan treatment being adopted which, though yielding higher results than the old method was far from the anticipated success. Difficulties in the mine had thon to be contended against, the water trouble being considerably annoying, which made it necessary to seek additional capital in order to successfully develop the property. An effort was then made to obtain English capital in order that the mine might be properly worked. The negotiations terminated successfully. and a company was formed in London with a working capital of £27,500. I This the chairman of directors designated a record flotation, inasmuch as the whole of the capital was subscribed six hours after the property had been placed on tho market. Ho (Mr. Pond) felt it was a record flotation, for the simple reason that the shares were taken up on the strength ol a statement made by the directors, in conjunction with a private letter from himself, which was accepted at home without any verification. The present local board was then appointed, he (the speaker) having the honour to be elected chairman. Of the many difficulties they had to surmount tin greatest they found was in the choice of manager, for with the long list of skilled and faithful men before them it was a matter of extreme pain to have to eliminate any, and ib was only after much thought and considerable anxiety that they arrived unanimously at the choice of the present manager (Mr. 11. H. Adams). The development of tho mine and the erection of the present crushing plant were matters , at once taken in hand, a standing memorial of which they could all see before and around them, tho whole of the machinery being driven by water power, Iu tho latter tho skill of the

I 111—ili-SS 1 ' Manager brought to a state of great perfection, a power which wag running past their doors being utilised, and he might say thab it had been determined by the management that no water shall pass the battery without being harnessed in in doing its work in reducing tha Silverton ore. That brought him to the point regarding the size of tha battery with its 40 head of stampers. This, lie felt sure, was too limited for future working and in this opinion they had the concurrence of the Home board.

In support of this Mr. Pond read the following portion of a letter, dated 21st February, 189(5, which ho had received from the chairman of the Board at London: —" I quite agree with you that we should have to increase our stamping power, but I think we must have some few months' experience of our forty head before we decide to increase the number. It may be desirable to have heavier stamps, and as our water supply will, 1 presume, be inadequate, we shall havo to face a much larger cost in the necessary machinery to work them." Thus, he continued, one and all would see the determination exhibited by tlio English shareholders to leave no .'tone unturned to bring the plant to the hit'lieu state of efficiency. As they would all see, the mode adopted for the treatment of the Silverton ores was that; of cyanide, this method having been proved eminently successful in tho extraction of bullion from the ore. He could not, therefore, let the opportunity pass just then without referring to the present unsatisfactory condition in which the process in question stands, with its paying and non-paying royalties—the royalties varying in different mines— tho legal difficulties overshadowed the whole, making it, as ho said, very unsatisfactory. He trusted that at an early date some method would be adopted by the Government of our colony to arrange with the Cassel Company by which this mode of treatment would bo free to all, making its use greatly extended, while its adoption would permit vast quantities of low grade ore to be treated remuneratively. He would also add that it! hi? opinion, men never more thoroughly deserved compensation than the discoverers of the cyanide process, one beautifully complete within itself, and which he as a chemist could say was of great value in its present condition, but yet capable of great improvement. Regarding the Silverton plant alone it had been Ihe effort of the company in erecting the plant to make it as complete as the knowledge of to day would avail, and few plants, he contended, were as complete as the one in which they then were assembled. He would now say a few words with regard to the supply of ore. Those present who had been down and through the mine wero acquainted with the vast supplies of quartz available, but to those who had not, and from whom he had heard tho matter of 1 supply called into question, he would remark that it was almost presumptuous folly to venture an opinion without the 1 facts before them. From the two large lodes—each being more than 15 feet in width— to the extent they are, a supply can be drawn far beyond the ability of the Silverton Company to treat with the present crushing power, and he could not help referring to his letter of April, 1894, in the prospectus, when he said, " While the output of quartz need only bo controlled by our ability to crush," since which time the discorery of new lodes of still richer character was, he thought, sufficient to warrant the Silverton people in being assured that not only could the supply of ore be sufficient to keep the present battery supplied, but tho ore in eightrenderedit necessary to contemplate an early extension of the works. In the leltor just referred to the following note of his would doubtless bo of interest:—"l have now given you the data you require, and hope with your assistance we may be enabled to properly develop the mine, which in my opinion is one of the most valuable properties we have on tho Thames Peninsula. lam confident that it will be a credit to us, and a great financial success when opened up." In conclusion Mr. Pond said that the implicit confidence of the directors at Home was woll evidenced by the fact that over £18,000 had been entrusted to the colonial Board to bring the mine and battery into their present condition, while the cordial unanimity of the local directors, and the confidence reposed in them by the Home Board was a matter for congratula-) tion to themselves. The returns from the mine through the battery which had been started that morning would, he was assured, place the property in the forefront of bullion producers—a marked success of tho developments achieved by the utilisation of British capital in our New Zealand mines. (Loud applause.) Toasts were then drunk and responded to, " The Queen " being first on the list. Then came Success to the Battery," Mr. Pond pointing out that in the construction of the plant every effort had been made to protect the men from the danger if dust or chemicals. "The Legal Manager and Directors" was next proposed, and responded to by Mr. Gray, who spoke in felicitous terras of the happy associations he had with the legal manager, Mr. Pond, and other directors. Mr. Gray also spoke for Mr. MacBonnell, legal manager, who had to leave on account of indisposition.

Feeling references were then made to the deaths of Messrs. Spratt, J. Moore, and A. Porter, all of whom had been connected with and were deeply interested in the Silverton property. The manager, " Mr. Adams," was the next toast, and was proposed by Mr. A. K'/id, who said that he had known Mr. Adams for twenty years and had always found him to be the right man in the right place. Mr. Adams, he need hardly say, enjoyed the entire confidence of the Board, and as a result of the latitude given him, they that day stood in a battery which was a memorial of his skill and unquestionably one of the finest batteries in the southern hemisphere. In conclusion he said that the success of the battery depended upon the success of the Silverton mine, and the success of the Silverton property meant additional success to the Waihi district. Mr. Adams replied thanking those present for the hearty manner in which tho toast had been drunk, and spoke of the assistance ho had received from the board of directors. He could say from his connection with tho same a better board he never had to deal with. The men, he thought, deserved as much praise as he did, for they all worked hard to promote the interests of the Silverton.

"Captain Argall, Mr. J. McConnoll, and the Visitors," coupled with the names of Messrs. J. McCombie, Rhodes, and G. Wilson (mining inspector), were next drunk with honours and duly responded to. Mr. Wilson, mining inspector, said that it gave him very great pleasure to be present at the opening of the plant, and he must say that in his official capacity he had thoroughly inspected the mill, and he had not the slightest hesitation in saying that he was sure it would realise expectations. One thing that pleased him was the care and interest for the safety of the men exercised in its construction. Mr. Adams had introduced an experiment to eliminate to a great extent the "dust trouble, and although the arrangements made to cope with this difficulty were not yet complete, he thought from the way in which the fans had worked that morning that they would be a success.

"Tho Success of the Silverfcon Company" pas then proposed by Mr. Adams, who combated the assertion of some that there would not be sufficient ore to keep the mill running for long. _ He Btaterl that lie had been mining since he was 17 years of age, and during his career one of his appointments was that of underground boss at the Bright Smile, which mine kopt 96 head of stampers running on ore won from lodes which were not nearly so largo or as permanent as the lodes traversing the Silverton property. He, therefore, bad not the slightest doubt with regard to maintaining a good supply of ore, and with the knowledge ho possessed of the bullion-producing capabilities of tho lodes, and the quantity of ore thoy could command, he had the greatest confidence in the success, not of the battery alone, but of the returns that would be forthcoming as a result of the treatment of Silverton quartz. He was not now speaking in a boasting manner, bub his practical knowledge gave him the power to assert that the bullion yields would be all that could be desired. The toast having been drunk three cheers were given for the success of the Silverton Hold Mining Company, aftor which the company dispersed, but nob before several photos were taken of the party by Mr. J. McConnell, the company's assayer. Tin: PUNT. Already a description of this fine plant has appeared ia the columns of the Herald,

bub ib may not be out of place to briefly refer at this juncture to ib again. As already indicated, the mill stands on the old Silverton battery site, and is about a couplo of miles distant from the mine, communication with which has been effected by moans of a tramway, and over this line the oro is conveyed to tho battery in ono ton trucks drawn by a locomotive. Upon delivery at the Mill the ore is tipped on to a " grizzly," tho fine particles falling through into the main hopper, while the rough pauses into the hopper erected over two stone-breakers into which the oro is fed automatically, When the stone has been reduced to sufficient fineness, it is passed into tho hopper underneath, and from hore is drawn automatically a regular supply of ore, the solf-feedors being fixed behind tho stamps and continually moots tho demand made upon them. The stampers nro provided with 30 mesh screens, and tho crushed ore after passing through the screen falls into a largo receptacle whence it is elevated and delivered into another hopper erected in connection with tho treatment plant. Before passing from tho stampers entirely, however, it will bo gatherod from the remarks made by Mr. George Wilson, mining inspector, and others, at tho opening ceremony, and recorded above, that an arrangement) was introduced by Mr. Adams to minimise the dust evil. This arrangement is unquestionably a very simplo one, and should prove most effective in accomplishing tho desired end. it merely consists of largo hoods being placed over the stamp boxes, a continuous pipe being connected with a suction fan, which draws off tho dust as it escapes from the stampers, and precipitates it into a receivor, where it is collected. Then, when a sufficient) amount has accumulated no doubt it will bo troated with th* other oro. The idea, as already stated, omanated from Mr. Adams, and if it proves as succeisful as anticipated the men working in tho battery will undoubtedly owe a lot to tho originator in reducing to a minimum the danger caused by the floating of dust in the atmosphere, and which they must necessarily inhale. When tho oro has been elevated And delivered into the hopper connected with the treatmoub plant it is convoyed by means of trucks along the tops of the tanks or vats and emptied therein. These vats, it may bo mentioned, aro 12 in number, and are composed of iron, tho size of each being 1G feet in diameter by four feet; deep. The bottoms of the vats are concave, with a sluice pipe in the centre, while a wooden grating also covota the bottom, a canvas filter being laid over all. These tanks aro tho first of their kind used in the colony, though I understand they are extensively used in America. In conversation with Mr. McConnoll, assayer, as to the chemical effects of tho cyanide on the iron, he informed mo thai there can be no appreciable loss or decomposition of the cyanide, but in order to obviate any reaction that may take place, the inside of thoso tanks has

been coated with a mixture of tar and kauri gum. on which cyanide has no effect. -Mr. McConnell also stated that the principal objection to iron tanks was apparently that a certain amount of decomposition must take place in the cyanide used for treatment, but he said whon it is considered that in plants where wooden tanks are used, tho cyanide is convoyed from these vats through iron pipes, the effect is practically the sauio. Hence this objection must bo swept away. Another great and most important advantago that will be gained by the use of iron tanks is that when once made tight they are impervious fo; all time, and aro nob affected by any change of weather, consequently the leakage, which takes place in wooden tanks is avoided, and this undoubtedly is a great consideration. However, the Silverton Company has taken the initiative with regard to the introduction of iron tanks to the colony, and the result of the move will no doubt be watched with tho greatest interest by those interested in cyanide plants.

Returning to the mode of treatment, the ore is then charged into tlio tanks, to a depth of about 2J foot, after which tho cyanido solution in run in by means of a pipe, which enters the tank below the filter. The solution is allowed to rise up from the bottom slowly through the ore until it appears a few inches abovo the top, when it is then stopped. This method of running on tho solution is adopted so as to saturate the ore evenly, and prevent channels being formed through it, as would be the case if tho solution were run on to tho top of the ore. After tho oro has been saturated with tho solution for an hour or so, the solution is allowed to percolate through the oro, and dissolving the gold in its course through tho ore, it is carried from tho bottom of tho tank and passed through the precipitating boxes. The ore is then washed for the purpose of freeing from it tho gold solution. It may bo also mentioned here that in view of coarse pold existing in the oro, the latter, after being treated by the cyanide, is passed over four amalgamating tables, 24 feet by 12 feet, so as to ensure the redemption of any gold not soluble in cyanide. One-half of these tables is covered by muntz metal and the other half by copper, though, practically speaking, there is no difference in tho saving capabilities of either metals, but the reason tho Silverton Company adopted muntz for onehalf of tho tables is that if there are any minerals in tho ore it will not blackon like copper—or, in a nutshell, it is more easily kept clean. Of courto there ore numerous other details connected with the battery and its saving appliances which space would not permit me to enter into, but before concluding I must state that attached to tho plant is an excellently fitted up laboratory and assay furnace room, which have been placed under the control of Mr. J. Mc Conncll, who, I understand, supervised tho Cassell Company's works at Karangahake, and had the pleasure of managing there the first big plant of that company eroded in the world outside Glasgow. The company are therefore to be congratulated upon their choice in selecting Mr. MeConnell to superintend the working of the treatment plant, and with Mr. 11. H. Adams, the general manager, tho company's property, which is indeed a valuable one, is in good hands, and it is to be sincerely hoped that the anticipations of oven the most sanguine will be more than realised by tho develop,ment of the Silverton Gold Mining Company's property at Waihi.