NEW GOLD-SITING MACHINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 12

NEW GOLD-SITING MACHINE.

A test of a new gold-saving appliance in connection with Brown and Stansfield's concentrators has recently been completed at the Long Tunnel mine, Walhalla (Victoria). The first improvement consists in lining the bottom of the pan with electro-plated or silver-coated copper plates, the surfaces of which are either ribbed, barbed, or with similarly coated upstanding copper studs upon the copper plates. The ..second relates to the means of imparting the oscillating motion to the pan by arranging the ball crank pin at the end of the driving shaft to work in a sliding block bearing, which works between guide bars or brackets, secured or formed upon the pan itself ; and the third improvement is an alternative means of supporting the pan from an overhead frame by means of a series of hanging rods, which radiate from one common centre on the frame to the several positions at the side of the pan. The studs of the first improvement prevent the electro-plated or silver coated copper plates from being scoured by the agitation of pan and friction of saud or tailings, and likewise form stops to which the amalgam adheres. By treating finely crushed quartz on fine tailings in these pans a very large percentage of the fine gold and floared silver is caught, and prevented from being led to the waste heap. The machine operated on the sand from five heads of stampers after it had been treated by all the present appliances at the mine, and has run for 12 months with the following results : — RETURN FROM jt'N EtLt'S LATENT CONCENTRATING PAft. From July 1887 to June 1888.

The value of pyrites sand 2oz l»d\vt per ton, say £s'ißl7s 6d; gold. 40fioz lfidwt 6gr, £3 5s per ton, £1382 I6s ; total value, £1891 13s fidi The paten teo is Mr M'Nc-ill, the company's engineer.