MR LAMONTE'S GOLD SAVING PROCESS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XVI, Issue 5181, 30 May 1885, Page 3

MR LAMONTE'S GOLD SAVING PROCESS.

An important meeting was held at the Chamber of Commerce, in Auckland, on Thursday evening to take into considora? tion the best mean's of bringing to a practical issue the results of Mr LaMonte's enquiries, and of the proposals he was willing to submit to them for introducing his process into the goldfields of this and adjoining districts. There was a large attendance of those interested in mining present, and Mr J. Reid. President of the Chamber, took the chair. ! Mr Saunders read the following draft: Form a company of say 60,000 shares, of £1 each. I will deed to such company my Nevada Water Jacket Smelter:(open jackets), and my Nevada Copper Smelter (open jacket). Tho Pacific.: Galena Smelter and the Pacific Copper Smelter j also, my process for separating the gold and silver from the base bullion, and all plans and specifications for the same. Same as is in use in New South Walos. I will-furnish-and deliver—at Auckland'one 30 ton of smelting plant complete—re >dy to set up, one double refinery, also ready, to set up, in fact all of tho machinery complete for the plant, and will furnish skilled labour to erect and start the same, running it say 30 days successfully; then the skilled labourers to remain, if wanted, with tho company,to erect and start olhor works. Such patents and such plant to bo delivered to the company at Auckland; provided that a cash consideration of £10,000 is paid in three instalments of like amounts, extending over a period of six years from signing tho samo —£1000 cash down, and 8000 shares of the company's stock fully paid up. This would give us for the patents a net sum of about; £6000 only, with success guaranteed by uai-j Yours truly, John D. LaMonte." : ■;

Mr LaMonte was then questioned; ■ He said the exponso at Sunny Comermirie, New South Wales, was £1 9s per ton, but there the tailings were of a peculiar nature, very silicious, and required extra fluxing, l and to get through 40 tons ore they required to have 100, tons smelted; but where ores contained more''iron and lead they could get through doubla the quan-j lity. Then in working ore tailings, he found that at To Arolm and Thames they concentrated, nicely, and, instead of smelting 10 tons of tailings, this quantity could J)f> reduced; down to one ton of concentrated tailings.. The expense of concentrator would be about Is per. ton, and the cost of smelting would be less than the ore. They would not pay to treat as a whole.' In putting up a smelter at tlie Thames, lie' would suggest that they should .■ have only one for several • mills, The concentration would; be set at . the foot of the battery' plates, and these would take all the concentrations cheaply. The cancentrators- were- cheap, and easily constructed, and, could be .made any wherej The average of tailings.from two/wills would go 2ozs of gold per. ton, worth £4 an ounce.' He found that, these tailings fused. very ; easily. There was, antimony in -abundance, but that came.away with the lead. Arsenic was. ; ono.of .the.'prin-cipal-base metals they had : to : contend against, but ho did not object' to antimony. On the other side, they had considerable arsenic. 'The ores oould be molted as cheaply as at Sunny Corner; or rather less! The average of fuel was 20£ per cent, per •ton, and in running the concentrators the average would be l 5 per cent. The results of his tests were • very satisfactory! ? He found at Te Aroha aod the Thames higher assay avorage than the; battery produced, and lie would guarantee tins by any /test. He had /tested To Aroha,''KarangahakoJ and the Thames, and found there was more value in the; oro than had been extracted by the battery process; aud if .the reefs could now pay for mining and crushing the tost .of the gold extracted would go to dividends. He believed all the concentrations of 11 on of concentration to 10, tons o£ tailipgs would go 20ozs of gold and 2ozs of silver. The Cambria tailings assayed 2ozs Ogra ppr ton, and the concentrations assayed 220fi8 refined gold and 22ozs of silver.' Tho Ivanhoo ass&yod 2oJis 15dwts 12grs in the tailings. They would work closo to tho assay all tho time, but they always allowod 5 per cont. leeway, ! for in assaying always tho best samples' were taken ; but if samplos wero taken in tho proportion of ono shovelful to sixteon; ho would work to their assay, right along. They wero not at present saving half tho goM from tho, oro by tho batteries, It was impossible) by the prcsont battery process to sayo tho gold, which was.locked up, in minerals, Figuring the cost of concentration nt Is, and tho reduction at 3s, it would bring the: cost to 4s or 5s a tou for tho wholo operation. Ho did. not find so much silver in Te. Aroha as he expected, but thero woro somo silvor veins wliioh had not been opened up. There was room for'one plant there, but at Karangahake lie | would recommend a strong plant,.as it was a smelting ore, and ho should havo

it taken to the smelter rough, about the sizo of road metal. They could smelt there as cheap, or more"cheaply, than at Sunny Corner. He would not at present say that they would, get the same results as at Sunny Corner, but ho could guaran toe that the results would be payablo , Tl >o Ck™an said that having'now hoard Mr.LaMonte's lucid explanation, it remained forthe meeting to initiate something; either to appoint a committee to .enquire ipto.the matter of formjng a company, for which a capital of £10,000 was required, or to make such other suggestions as they might deem fit. ''' LaMonte said ; that, ; in the event of people here not taking a sufficient interest company, they would it themselves ;■ but 'they preferred being associated with those interested.' ; :i; . /■;'/ \ . . :o \'J# 0 " Alckin; seconded ,by Mr A. G. Horton,. it was agreed, That a Committee should be: appointed, and tho following gentlemen? selected j-Messrs C; Alexander. C. McMillan, G.Aickin, A. Porter, J. Reid, A. Saunders, W. S. Wilson, R. K. Davis and J. M. Lennox, '' v.