Cyclone Roller Crashers.

Otago Witness, Issue 1932, 30 November 1888, Page 12

Cyclone Roller Crashers.

The following correspondence has appeared in the Daily Times : —

Sir,— l note in your issues of 6th and 21st inst. that the directors of the Green's Reef Company at Ophir have condemned the Cyclone Crusher recently imported, and pronounced it a miserable failure.

Being much interested in the future of the gold mining industry in this country, I recently asked a friend of mine in Melbourne to report to me on the rolls at the exhibition, which I understand are the same as those at Ophir — viz., Wall's Improved Crushing Rolls. The report came to hand yesteraay, and the substance of it is as follows : —

The two sets of rolls my friend examined are known as 16in by 14in and 16in by 16in. The first one, he says, puts through three tons per hour through a mesh of 240 holes to the square inch, the second one putting through four tona with the same mesh. He states, among other things, that the process seems very complete, and the stone is crushed so fine that but little gold can escape the saving apparatus. He concludes by saying that many of the reefing companies there are replaoing their old 3tamps with the new roller process.

It would appear from this that the company at Ophir have overlooked some apparently slight instruction either in putting the machine together, the size of the quartz fed to the rollers, or the rate at which it is fed. The quartz, I understand, should first be reduced by a rock breaker to a given size before it reaches the rolls, and your correspondent's report leads me to believe that for the size of their itiaohine the quartz was not first reduced small enough. Whatever may be the cause of the failure, it cannot but be regretted that the first rolls imported into this country should be condemned in toto, and it would be wise on the part of the patentees or their agent to have a working plant erected in Dunedin without delay. — I am, &c, Milton, November 21.

T. M. Baldwin.

Sir,— l think any unprejudiced person on reading the letter of Mr T. M. Baldwin, in this day's Times, must come to the conclusion that the direotors and manager of Green's Reef Company, Ophir, have blundered. When mines of such magnitude and importance as the Mount Morgan, said to be richest gold mine in the world, see fit to adopt these rollers, and repeat their orders after fully testing their capabilities, verb. sap. By kind permission of Mr M. Mendershausen, I have left at his place of business copies of testimonials from managers of repute (after putting through 40,000 tons to 50,000 tons of extremely hard and difficult ores with these rolls). The cyclone machines were never intended to deal with pug and clay, which I understand the Green's seam or lode is largely composed of. Hoping those interested will call and see the testimonials, — I am, &c, Robert Neill, Agent for Parke and Lacy. Burkes, November 22.