MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1918, 24 August 1888, Page 12

MISCELLANEOUS.

Good progress appears to have been made in the^application of electricity to miners' safety lamps, as shown by exhibits of them at a late, conversazione of the Royal Society, London. One of these-r'-a three-cell lamp — is capable of giving: one and a-half candle power for nine hours, at a cost of less than |d. It consumes §Ib of zinc in 48 hours. The whole lamp weighs 3£lb, while a-four-cell lamp, furnishing a light of nearly two' candle power, weighs 4|lb. The figures showing the expense may not be reliable, as inventors almost invariably overlook items of cost. The greatest expense of electric batteries lies in the labour of cleaning and charging thorn, and this is seldom taken into account at all. Expense, however, is a very slight drawback in such a matter, and perhaps a more formidable objection lies in the weight of the apparatus. Commenting on the annual report of the mining industry in Queensland, the Queenblander says: — "It was only natural tbat Mount Morgan should receive a special share of notice. The acting Under - secretary refers to the fulfilment of last year's predictions about this remarkable property. The mountain has now so far established its reputation that the public would scarcely display surprise whatever might be reported from that quarter. Owing to the richness of the company's propetry and the better work that is being done there, the gold returns from the Kockhampton goldfields, in one of which it is situated, showed an increase of 36,2190z in 1887 as Compared with 1886, the figures being respectively 85,3050z and 49,0860z. Since the close of 1887 the new work 6 at Mount Morgan have been completed, and after a delay of a few weeks, owing to the inability of the directors to obtain a supply of chloride of soda in the colony, the supply having run short, work has now been commenced, and it is expected that 1500 tons a week will be treated. The extent to which the production of gold is limited may be measured by the capacity of the plant to treat the immense masses of auriferous stone, which only wants quarrying and carting away to be treated. The works, we understand, are likely to be again largely augmented as soon as the present new works have been got fairly into operation. The rapidity with which Mount Morgan shares have risen is the best evidence of the faith the public have in that property. The Croy don field, of which little was known at tbe end of 1886, , has also contributed largely towards the increased yield of gold for 1887. -In the former year the quantity obtained was only 21440z ; last year it was 31,7880z, a very satisfactory increase indeed from a new field which ' produces only reef gold, and BUggestive of a much larger increase for 1888. Eidsvold, another newly-formed field, had not been very well tested before the close of 1887, but great expectations of its richness were entertained by the claimholders ; these have hot been quite fulfilled, but the gold contained in some of the reefs is in payable quantity, and some of the more recent discoveries are said to be much better than the earlier ones. The first crushing of 3149 tons of stuff from "Mount Shamrock, also in the Burnett district, caused a good deal of disappointment by the return of only 33460z gold. Amongst the old - established fields Charters > Towers and Gympie still retain their prominence. -From . the former an increase of 69980z was obtained. The increase of gold from the Gympie field was 13,5490z, notwithstanding a smaller amount of stone having been dealt with. The chlorination works at Norton have turned out 25530z gold, valued at £4 3s an ouD'ce,from lOCOtons of stuff, and gold mining is being actively prosecuted throughout the • district. The product of gold

in. Queensland up to tho closa of 1887 is estimated at 5,6Q7,1420z, valued at £10,62-1,997."

Some experiments made with the new explosive,- bellit, at the Thames last week amply bore out the remarks made- by Mr J. A. Miller in our last issue. The Auckland Weekly News says : — " The result in each case was most satisfactory, for while bringing down a considerable quantity of rock, it also completely shattered it, thus proving that it did its Tvork effectively. On coming up to tha surface Mr Macßrair illustrated the freedom with which it can be handled by proceeding to the blacksmith's forge and throwing a cartridge into the fire, where it simply fizzled away. He then placed one on the anvil, placed a red-hot drill upon it, and also hammered it with a heavy hammer, but with no effect whatever, whioh showed conclusively that the substance can be handled without any danger whatever, so long as separated from the detonator. The fumes, also, nre not so disagreeable as either powder or dynamite, and one can walk into them immediately after explosion without feeling any ill effect theref com."

The Waipapa Beach correspondent of the Mataura Ensign writes : — " I am glad to be able to report the return of MrCockerell, bringing with him an old digger well used to this kind of gold mining, viz., black eand working. Ho tells me that he has with him two more cylinders, together with blocks and wiro to make a suspension or aerial bridge to carry his buckets from where he is working to the sea, where he will have a new table — a patent for which, I understand, he is abonb to take out in conjunction with Mr Charles M'Guire. Mr Cdckerell seems very sanguine as to the success of the new goldsaving table. He informs me thab all he has to do is to send the sand along the aerial endless rope and tip the buckets over on to the table, and the sea washes the stuff as fast as he can deliver it. The table seems to be nearly all canvas, or some such material, covered with cocoanut matting laid upon the beach and stretched some 20ft square. Along the sides are chains. If successful the table will cost very little. Mr Cockerell claims that^it will effect a great saving in the labour of washing, but I shall be able to tell you more about it when I see it at work."

According to the Cromwell Argus the Cromwell Mining Company's claim was visited last week by Mr C. S. Reeves, legal manager of the company, and Mr G. F. Wallace, a London shareholder, and son of the chairman of the company. Mr Wallace, who has recently visited all the large mining centres in the various colonies, seemed well satisfied with the auriferous prospects of the claim. At the time of his visit, Mr Hilton, the manager of the mine, was engaged in the erection of the pumping machinery, and both Mr Wallace and Mr Reeves expressed satisfaction at the substantial nature of the machinery, both above and below ground. It may be here mentioned that the machinery was purchased by Mr Hilton personally in Victoria, and is now being erected under his superintendence. Everything is of the latest type and best quality. The air compressing drill plant, the windiog gear and pumping machinery are all so placed as to be worked at a minimum of cost ; the whole will be worked by one man. The surface pumping machinery consists of massive longitudinal framing well braced and fixed on transverse logs, whioh are bedded and bolted down on a solid rock foundation. The actual pumping machinery consists of a Oin shaft, on which is keyed an Bft spur wheel — the latter weighing three tons. Also fixed upon this shaft is a large pump crank, so arranged that the length of stroke of pump may be varied from 18ia to 6f b. Connected with this is a sweep rod attached to a balance bob. This is a well-con-structed work, and capable of sinking to a depth of 900 ft. The underground pumping gear consists of two plungers, with clack pieces and other connections. These are worked by a pain rod. Attached to the latter will be the sinking drawlift. The motive power for driving the pumps is an intermediate spur gearing, driven by a 11 Pelton " wheel of 70-horse power. The work of erecting the machinery is rapidly progressing, and will probably be completed in three or four weeks' time, when the sinking of the new main shaft (which is at present sunk to 440 ft) will be resumed.

Quite -a crowd of people (says Saturday's Tuapeka Times) gathered in from all parts on Wednesday to the sale of the mining lease and appurtenances of tho Wetherstones mine, from which such great things were expected at the outset. The history of this mine is full of interest — we might say, painful interest, to the unlucky shareholders at any rate. The mine opened out with splendid prospects, paying well for a time ; and it is stated that while it was in operation as much as £30,000 worth of gold was taken out of ifc. It was considered to have opened up a new prospect for Wetherstonef, giving employment to many hands at good wages; and the outlook was fio encouraging us to induce the investment of a con&ickrablo amount of outside capital, a few Dunedin capitalists taking a good proportion of tho share*. Latterly, however, the returns gradually fell away; and all that Mr J.C Brown's great energy and "enterprise could do in improving the management, reducing expenses, and in turning everything to the best account, was unable to keep tho mine from falling behind. The returns imperceptibly fell away,, until the unpleasant fact that the mine was no longer paying- had- -at- last to be recognised, and operations brought to a standstill. Even when worked on tribute by the men the mine refused to yield ordinary remuneration for their labourF. We are at a loss to know exactly to what to attribute the failure, for the most experienced miners pronounce the cement goldbearing. All are satisfied tbat the management was not at fault, and as the cement contains gold in payable quantities, it can only be surmised that tbe process of working was at fault. Too little stuff was put through for the working expenses entailed ; or, in other words, had double the-quautity of stuff been put through at tho same outlay the Wetherstones mine would still have been in operation. This is the conclusion which men qualified to speak on the subject have come to ; and there is therefore hope that before loner, when some improved process of working has been discovered, this property will once more employ labour and yield dividends to capital. In making this passing reference to the Wetberstones mine we are fully expressing the feelings of many when we regret that the self-sacrificing efforts of Mr JC. Brown, the largest shareholder and the principal loser, have not been attended with better fortune ; but sympathy will not replenish empty pockets. It often, falls out in mining that some rx en spend fortunes merely to p» v !j the way for- others to reap the harvest ; *£" the day may come when, Wetherstones may be quoted as a case in point. Though the attendance at" the sale on Wednesday was as good as MrArbuckle could have wished for, the bidding was 'scarcely up to the mark, and some v»l"* able prope»ty went at a mere fraction^ of »» cost. The lease of the mine, comprising *» acres, went at £75, or about £4 an acre. A n | 10-stamper battery, a really valuable piece oi machinery, went a bargain at £25. Mr &■•»■ Barns, of Dunedin, wajs the purchaser of bota these properties; and' we may confidently expect that in the hands of one so enterprising they will not be allowed to remain idle. Mr *; M'Kinlay bought the turbans at £8 ; and Messrs Herbert and Co. the iron rails at £10 «*•

Messrs Edie and Eirkpatrick had 1400 ft of iron piping knocked down to them at Is 9d a foot and all the other items went proportionally cheap. The whole concern realised but little over £30P.

Joseph Taylor, owner of one of the beach claims at Greymouth, is sending about a ton of black sand to the Melbourne Exhibition as a sample. It was taken out of a newly-3unk paddock in presence of about a dozen gentlemen. Very rich gold was seen on every pebble. A load and a-half taken up is estimated to yield 3oz. Owing to the Grey rivprg being unusually low, men and boys are doingjwell fossicking among the crevices and rocks in the vicinity of Brunuerton. A payable lead of gold has been struck on Fairhall's dairy farm, within a short distance of town. The claims are working on terms, a stipulation being alO per cent, royalty on the gold ; but the owner will not allow any more claims to be worked, though it is thought there is ground enough for hundreds of men. There is much .grumbling in consequence. The Midland railway works are being pushed on to Nelson creek as fast as possible. The want of some better appliance than the cradle and sluice box for saving alluvial gold while treating large quantities of sand or wash is, we hope, about to be supplied by a resident of Melbourne, Mr Geo. B. B. Elliotts. It is claimed for his appliance that it is the very thing wanted in treating the wash raised from the beds of rivers by the Welraan dredger, or for treating"the gold-bearing sand on the sea beach. The machine can be worked by band or machinery, and is said to be capable of puttiug through 50 tons per day. The patentee, Mr Elliott, purposes placing one of his machines on Welman's dredger at Alexandra, with the view of showing its capabilities. The action of the machine is to suspend the sand by the rising and falling of water through a finely perforated copper plate about 120 times per minute. The quantity of water, lOgal per minute is sufficient to cause the separation of the gold by its specific gravity from the. sand. Over the plate are a series of paddles or rakes fastened to endless belts travelling over rollers. The wash in the box over the plate being kept about 4in deep, and the paddles caused bo sink as they rotate in the upper portion, carry forward the upper Strata over the tail end of the machine. All other machines of s this kind are very slow, as the water has to do all the work in forcing away the sand. Mr Elliott's jigger has been very successfully used in Tasmania iv saving fine-grained tin.

"Justice" writes as follows in the Daily Times : — At tho Warden's Court, held at Ophir on the Bth inst., there was an application by a miner from Tinkers to occupy 50 acres of run No. 223 a under the 60th clause of " The Mines Act 1886," and regulation 76 made under said aefc. The warden, Mr Nugent Wood, made short work of it by stating the application was refused, as it was never intended that such applications should be granted out of runs. Counsel for the applicant pointed out that it was done, so to speak, every day, and that he (the warden) had done it himself quite recently on the same run, and that the clause of the act and regulations made under the act, also the interpretation clause, supported his view of the case. The ■warden told him that if he was not satisfied he could go to the Supreme Court with it. Now, I protest against such arbitrary conduct on the part of the warden. It may be very true that the Supreme Court is open to anyone who feels aggrieved with any decision of the warden, but it is not everyone who is in a position of going into such a costly courb to get; redress. There is one thing certain that the warden must be wrong in one or more instances, seeing that he has granted several applications of a similar nature on the same run quite recently. And I protest against wardens using the discretionary power placed in their hands in such au arbitrary manner.

For the last; fortnight Messrs Gillon and Johnston have had the fole control of the Canada Reef claim, with the result that the yield wa3 equal to the previous five weeks and a-half under the former management. — Bruce Herald.

The correspondent of the Post telegraphs that there are now 750 men on the Mahakapawagoldfield in Maryborough. The Marlborough Times says : — " Mr Aldridge, who is working in a claim up the right-hand branch, brought down to Picton 4oz of nuggety gold, which, from its appearance, d*d not seem to have travelled far. Mr A. Beauchamp, who is working in Pope's claim in the main creek, has also brought down 6oz, one nugget weighing 31dwt."

The previously heard case of Bridges v, Wanless, in which the defendant was charged with knowingly and designedly executing a certain instrument of transfer of shares, to wit, an instrument of transfer of 200 shares in a certain company called the Big River Extended Gold Mining Company (Limited), in which said transfer the ])«rac of the purchaser of the said shares was not written in ink at the time of or before the execution of such transfer by the said J. R. Wanless, was decided on the 15th iust. After Counsel's argument had been heard, the bench retired for a quarter of an hour, and ou returning to court Mr Simpson said: The bench have asked me to give judgment. Having the opinion of Mr Justice Williams so strongly in h"s judgment that execution is the signing by any one or more of the parties to an instrument, wo have no doubt.that Dr Wanless' signature was an execution within the meaning of clause 133, as it is held by Mr Justke "Williams to have been within the meaning of section 132. We are further of opinion (lint the date in the information is sufficiently .approximated to that established by the tvidenoe as to sustain the information. We therefore convict, tho defendant of the offence charged, aud we fine him in ftho amount of £20, with costs lls. Mr Chapman : Will .your Worships sfate a case? Mr Simpson: Oh, certainly. Mr Ashcroft : Yes ; the case should be taken to the highest c <uri.

The Dunstan Times states that the Welmtn. d-eilger sank at her moorings in the Manuherikia river, which rose loft on the night of the 10th insfe There should be no great dtlay in getting her afloat again. All tho boxes an I gold-saving apparatus have been swept ole in off her, but the hull and machinery appear to be uninjured.