GOLD-EXTRACTING MACHINE.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2020, 15 April 1875, Page 3

GOLD-EXTRACTING MACHINE.

On Wednesday afternoon a number of gentlemen interested in mining matters visited Canterbury, with a view of inspecting a machine lately patented in this and the adjoining colonies, by Messrs Latvson, Juffrey, and Co., for tiie extraction of gold and silver from quartz and mineral substauces. Among, those present were -Mr G. W. Allen, M.L.A..; the Hon. J. B. Wilson, Messrs Bensusun, H. Maclean, H. 0. Macafee, 0. %.. Moore,-Major-General Ord, ilfred Mitchell, J. B. Ward, — Sargeant (of Bird and Co.), Woolner, Moas, Cohen (Hoffnung and Co), J. Q. Cohen, Uaptain tihbobert, A. W. button, and others. The machine is erected on premises formerly used as a wool-washing establishment, on the other side of Cook's Biver, near the damat i 'nnterbury. It consists of two revolving drums driven by means of a pulley, and fitted on hollow axles. By means of a hopper the ore (after having been pre. viously operated on by stampers, or a Chilian mill) is discharged into the first of the two drums, where it is further ground by the action of a large ball, 18 c«t (the same diameter as half the circle of the drum), and four small ones of two cwt each; hot or cold water being introduced into the hopper and nxle by pipes, About 75 per cent, of the gold is retained in this drum, a r "d the refuse passes through a screen eighty to the inch, along the hollow axle to the next drum, which. is supplied with two large bails the diameter of the drum. This drum differs from the other in that it has an outer channel filled with mercury, which the balls do not interfere with. The balls crush the refuse passed from the firet drum, and the gold sinks into the mercury. The refuse after this crm'iiing then passes into the hollow axle through a very fine grating, 1025 to the square inch, into a corrugated silver ripple, and so on to the waste spout and the amalgam tub. In the seoond drum about 25 por cent, of the gold is retained by the quicksilver, and as the result of the trialof the machine for some months past not more than one grain to the ton has been found to pass through the discharging spout into - the amalgam tub beyond what is charged with mercury. The inventors claim that although the tailings from this machine have frequently been tested, no gold has ever been found in them. There are openings in the drums (each of which 13 7 feet in diameter) by which the gold and amalgam is removed with facility. The screons in the axles can be removed, and others finer or coarser readily substituted. On Wednesday afternoon the balance of a lot of quartz, from the Peep of Day claim, at Green Valley, Tambaroora, was put through the machine. It was first ground by means of a machine into a size suitable for crushing in a Chilian mill which then operated on the stone and reduced it still further. Then it was put into the hopper, through which it was discharged into the new machine; the whole of the machinery being driven by a powerful steam-engine. More then four tons of the lot of stone from the Peep of Day claim has yielded from 15 to 16 pennyweights to the ton crushed by this machine, although the quartz is said to be inferior to stone that only gave about 5 pennyweights to the ton by the appliances used at Tambaroora. In fact the stone was set aside as worthless, and would not have been operated on but for the purpose of testing this new machine. Having inspected the machine, the company discussed its merits over some bottles of wine and a little refection. The Hoik J. B. Wilson invited those present to drink to the success of the enterprise. He said that two years ago, when mining enterprise was at its height, and when it was known that the quartz of the colony contained plenty of gold, the great wast waa machinery to extract it. His friend Mr Lawson had devoted his talents and energies to devising something to overcome this difficulty. He firmly believed that if this machine which he had invented had been in the pessession of many of the gold mining companies now in the insolvent Court, they would be at work now. . He might be wrong, but ho believed that the great advantage this machine would have oTer the others would be that it would utilize five or six tons of tailings every day, and extract from ttam gold that would otherwise be lost. He believed he was safe in saying that this machine was a complete success, and that the enterprise of .Messrs Lawson, Jaffrey, and Co., was calculated to be of great benefit to the colony. Mr Lawson responded to the toast, and explained the working of the machine. Hβ stated that he at first crushed somelOlbs , of stuff by means of a ball in an iron basin, and extracted the gold from it. Hβ thought what be thus did by hand could be dono by steam in a Urger way. So he set his brains to work, and with the aid of his friend, Mr Jaffrey, the machine was made. At the present time they could do from two to three tons , of stone per day with the machine, if it was not charged with too much iron. He explained how the ore was roasted on the premises with the view to the removal of arsenic, and other substances. Iα reply to ques- * tions from Mr Bensusan and others, Mr Lawson said that if the screens in the hollow axles were larger more stone could be put through the machine. During the four or five months that it had been at work they had called upon persons whose quartz they had crushed to take the tailings away with the view of trying whether they contained gold. 1 his had been done, but no gold had ever been discovered, and he wag satisfied that it could not be found. The machine had saved the very finest gold. He thought that the cost of the machine, which could be readily fitted to stampers or a Ohillian mill, would be about £500, and that it would be a most valuable and economical gold-saving machine on the mines of the colony. The inventors claim as their invention—first, that it is a new and inexpensive method for the extraction gold and silver; second, superior grinding power and economy of motive, power; third, the method of feeding and discharging from hollow or tubular axles; fourth, revolving ripples; fifth, continuous feeding'and discharging of the drums. The health of Captain, Shoobert was proposed in a complimentary speech, and that gentleman responded in a few complimentary remarks. The company, after inspecting the roasting furnaces, where arsenic and other ingre* dients are removed from the mundio, then returned by the omnibus to the city.— Sydney Mail,