SILVER ORE SMELTTNG.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2349, 21 June 1876, Page 3

SILVER ORE SMELTTNG.

The smelting of the first ton of silver oro in New Zealand took place yesterday afternoon at the Pyrites deduction Works, under the superintendence of Mr John Master?, general manager of the Biohmond Hill Mining Company, Coliingwood, Nelson, and in the presence of a large number of citizens and ladies. This,, we believe, is the fi'.st silver ore smelted iu any of the Australian colonies. The ore, as our readers may.recollect, was sent to the Thames in order to enable Mr Masters to experiment and ascertain the best method of reducing it to a compact marketable article. Having the command of so many appliances on the Thames which could not be procured in Kelson without a great deal of loss of lime and money, Mr Masters determined to bring the ore to the Pyrites Works, where he could carry out his experiments at little cost. Mr Masters has had a blast furnace erected, and in this the first smelting took place yesterday. The flux used was oyster shells, and we are glad to say that the trial smelting was a perfect success, and we congratulate that company on the silvery bright prospects before them. A successful photo of the proceedings was taken as the silver stream came running out of the tap-hole, which was opened by the magic wand or iron bar held'by one of the employees, and driven with sledge hammer blows delivered with right good will by Mr Masters. The mineral or metal, or whatever the name of the "pigs" maybe, was assayed subsequently, and proved to be: worth rather more than 700ozs to the ton, besides containing a large percentage of copper. These have to be melted again, and the further process will reduce the debris and make the "pig" worth l,oooozs of silver to the ton. .During the night several other "pigs" were poured, and the process on each occasion was watched by large numbers.