STARTING OF THE TE AROHA BATTERY.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3843, 23 April 1881, Page 2

STARTING OF THE TE AROHA BATTERY.

(Pee Pigeon Exfbe«s.)

(FBOM OTJB SEECIi-Ii COBBESPONDENT.)

TE AEOHA

JSToon.

The battery has just been declared open, and named the Te Aroha, by Mrs Gould. The customary bottle of champagne was suspended by a blue silk ribbon over the fly-wheel, and at a given signal the engine was set going by Mr A. Price, and the bottle smashed. Three cheers were given for the*success of the undertaking. There were fully two 'hundred people present, and several ladies. The visitors were shown over the works by the indefatigable secretary of the battery company, Mr H. Whitaker.

The first stone crushed was some from the Tui mine, but it is not. expected to yield much gold. There were a great many visitors from the Waikato, Paeroa, and the surrounding districts, and the Thames. Among those present, we noticed Major Murry, His Worship the Mayor, Messrs Porter, Lipsey, McCullough, Hennelly, Hay, Gould, Smith, Parr, and Symington. A luncheon was provided at the battery by Mr Quinlan, of the British Hotel; while Mr George O'Halloran has a splendid table laid at his Te Aroha hotel, to which all the visitors are invited. The battery consists of ten head, driven by a fifteen horse power engine, and has been erected by Messrs Price Bros. It is quite unnecessary to say that the work has been done in capital style, and in the construction of the tables and berdana the latest improvements have been introduced.

Great credit is due to the directros, and especially to the legal manager and secretary (Mr H. Whitaker). Crush-' ing will be started on Monday for the Prospectors, and the Smile of Fortune and Morning Star Companies have eight men engaged making a road to enable their stone to be taken to the battery. The shareholders of these mines feel very much the neglect of the Piako" County Council in not replying to their letter re the formation of the road. Many persons expressed their wishes that the future of the battery may recompense the directors and shareholders for their enterprise.

The passengers by the Patiki reached here at 11.30 a.m., while the gentlemen who left Grahamstown on horseback this morning at 6 o'clock were here half an hour afterwards.