MESSRS WILSON AND CO.’S QUARRY.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 5038, 25 June 1912, Page 2

MESSRS WILSON AND CO.’S QUARRY.

To many in the Waikato district, and more especially to the farming community, no subject of greater importance than that of roads. At this season of the year the need for well-metalled roads is especially felt in town and country alike. Recently the quarry buildings and machinery at Te Kuiti were destroyed by fire, and as the principal supplies for the district were drawn from this source much inconvenience has been caused, metalling contracts having to be suspended and horse teams, etc., applied to other work. Our special correspondent recently visited the works at Te Kuiti to see whs.t progress was being made with the re-erection of the plant, and a description of the whole outfit may be of interest to our readers: — The whole works are situated raidway between Te Kuiti and Te Kumi railway stations, immediately adjoining the Main Trunk line, and are owned and operated by the Wilson Cement Company, of Auckland. the local manager being Mr Jas. Walsh. To him our representative went for information, and was received most courteously. The property consists of some fifty acres of land, the greater portion of which contains stone fit for quarrying, and it presents some interesting geological features. During the past few years efforts have been directed towards getting a good “face” of stone parallel to the railway line, and the main quarry now extends for a distance of some twenty chains from the works and the “face” varies from a depth of ten feet be'>ow the level of the railway to a height of fifty feet above, enabling the formation to be easily seen,

The stone is principtlly a hard white limestone, with a percentage of bluestone, the difference in colour being apparently due to some chemical action of the water which has percolated through the crevices. These crevices, or cleavages, are moat interesting inasmucn as they occur apparently without rhyme or reason, at varying instances, of varying width, going almost vertically from the top of the quarry till the stone disappears from sight, and according to the manager it is probable that “ould Ireland” would be reached if they could be followed out. Horizontally the stone is in layers varying from six to nine inches thick, with perhaps a very thin layer of carbonate of lime between, and working “with the grain” it is comparatively easy to quarry, while “across the grain” it is as hard as the proverbial bellmetal. The crevices in the stone are filled with a species of tough clay and a similar material has to be removed from the top of the quarry and deposited below rail level in places where the stone has previously been excavated. To convey the stone from the quarry to the crushers, it is first blasted out of the face and broken to a convenient size, then deposited in trucks which are operated by an endless chain and so delivered with their loads at the mill. Coming to the works one is struck with the immense damage caused by the recent fire, burnt and broken machinery lying in every direction, and in such quantities as to make one believe that stone-crushing is not the simple little job it would appear to the layman. It is some satisfaction to the public, but poor consolation to the owners to know that a plant almost trebling the capacity of that destroyed is now being erected, which will tend to decrease the cost of production and ultimately lower the price to the consumer—u consummation devoutly to be wished. A new and up-to-date engine of 100 h.p. arrives on Thursday next, and rneantme a small army of men has been making necessary preparations by sinking down to solid rock, from which concrete foundations will support the enormously heavy machinery that will be in operation. The new engine will be connected to shafting with friction clutches specially designed to overcome the breakages that are apt to prove so annoying. From this shafting will be operated the hauling gear already referred to, and a special type of crusher, one of the largest in the Dominion, capable of dealing with stone of dimensions which take two men to handle, the crusher previously in use being kept as an auxiliary for use when required. After being crushed the stone is elevated forty feet above the level of the rails, gradually descending through the. screens into the bins and railway trucks and so to the consumer. The holding capacity of the bins has been increased until over two hundred tons can be conveniently kept in reserve. Immediately adjoining the crushing plant two huge lime kilns rise to a height of fifty-five feet above the rails. These are used for the preparation of lime for building and for agricultural purposes. The work of covering in the plant is being rapidly pushed on, Mr Alan Cave, of Hamilton, being tne contractor, and from the progress now being made it is evident that before many weeks are past the plant will once again be working, newer, better, and more fitted to cope with the cry which seems eternally to rise from our looal bodies for “more metal.”