THE ALFORD FOREST TIN MINES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1755, 1 February 1888, Page 3

THE ALFORD FOREST TIN MINES

Whatever that metal may prove to be, there is oeitalnly metal of B<;me kind contained m the stone obialned at /lford Forest, and whioh, until Professor Hattor's opinion wes made public was believed to be tin. In the face of so distinguished an authority, it would be the height of temerity for us to assert that there is tin to be found at Alfcrd Forest, science notwithstanding We ehall, therefore, make no such assertion, but we do affirm the presence of metal of someki' d. Mr E. F. Wright brought to our office yesterday a emali quantity of stone, wblob he informed us he had himself taken out of the reef, roasted, and poondtd, and among the fragments were numerous speckn of a white metal Iheee Mr Wrhht proposes to have tested, and we shall be ab!e to inform our readers m a day or two as to the result,

In reply t) Professor Button's opinion Mr J. S. At Jjcobsen Bays:— "l beg to inform the public thai about fiva yeera •inoe I was aware that Professor Button went to Mforu Forest and up Taylor's aream with a guide, about throe miles, Rnd as I understood for the purpose cf collecting sea shells and other ourlos, but the greatest distance ho travelled m bio carriage, accompanied by h!i guide, was as far as the boulders would allow his horse to go, and then he worked his wsy for the distance of about six ohains and mounted the hill for about thirty feet more, which is actually the on'y time he ever went near the hills m the direction where tin ore exists. With due reepeot to the Professor's opinion respecting tin ore, I beg to state positively that there exists only ore reef of the tin-bsaiing stone within thirty nailea of Alford Forest, when there is a regular leader cropping out now and again f>r a mils and a quarter, the average breadth of which la about 30ft* There ia also a hill of stream tin, about six chains m length, upheaved by volcanic formation. There exist also millions of tons of granlfco and slate formations. 1 have analyeed the tin ore various times, and find its contents as follows : —The rock oontalus 76 per cent of ore, 9 per cent alaonarde, 4 per cent potash, 4 per cant calcium, 4pir cant kalium, 3 per oent silicate, and a small per oentage of iron and sulphury copper. The ore (tin oxide) contains 72 pir cent of tin, 18 per cent of oalcfom a~d kalium, 4 per cent stlicatj, an i 6 per cent iron, su'pbury copper, and other matter ; after which I oonverted the oxides into m?tal, In the presence < f witnesses, from the ore. "Metallurgist" In the •' Times" after describing a visit to the ground ssya : — " 1 have made three assays of the material brought aw/jy and regret to say I am not able to Gnd the metal tin. The aasiyt were made by what Is known as the "Cyanide "of Potassium Process.' 1 It la perhaps 1 the best and quickest mode of aosaylbg \t'a ores, and wfca I bel(eve, Introduced hj my old teacher, John M tohell, F 0 S. f author of a well-known manual of " Praotioal Assayings. *' As far as X oan j'iclge there is no attempt at imposition on the part of any of tho persons I met at the Forest, The result ■hows clearly that the advfo* lately given la tte "Lyttletcn Times" wa"s needful, and if followed would prevent money being wasted. Tin might possibly be found on the ranges, but at the places I visited I saw no Indication of the metal Quar z and rotten elate are found thero, but no granite or mlcioeoua rock."