TRIAL CRUSHING AT THE AURORA CO.’S BATTERY.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 22, 13 April 1870, Page 5

TRIAL CRUSHING AT THE AURORA CO.’S BATTERY.

At the meeting of shareholders hold at Logantown on Thursday last, the Aurora Company at once consented to the request of several owners of surrounding claims to be allowed a trial crushing before the winter’s frost curtails the water. The Company have plenty of stone of their own to put through the mill, and the £, 'nholders deserve much praise for deflating their own work to oblige the pubn?, and enable claimholders to test the quality of their stone. The majority of them (old miners) readily understand the case of the industrious, hard-working mm who has plenty of golden stone, yet, without any means of crushing, is unable to proceed with his business. So that without the red tape routine of Government, the different claims on the several lines of reef are, by the magnanimity of the Aurora Company, in a fair way of being tested immediately. The weather has also been propitious, rain having continued to fall from Friday night until the Monday morning following; and there is now sufficient water to drive the additional five stamp heads. The whole ten are now ready, and are expected to be in full play before the end of the week ; so that shareholders in straitened circumstances will not be compelled to abandon their claims, as was expected, and monied speculators are likely to be foiled in dropping quietly into rich claims : for without this timely aid, what was the poor man who had spent his time and labour to dol unless he sank to the position of a wages man ; and then he most likely would be compelled to surrender his claim. There is not the remotest chance of obtaining an ounce of gold from any of the reef claims on Bendigo, except through one or other of the two batteries now at work, viz., those of the Aurora and the Cromwell Company ; and had it not been for the timely and generous aid of the Aurora Company, business men as well as claim holders might have felt “ the pressure from without” before next spring, which is expected to bring flowers in abundance. There are also some claims lower down, having altogether not more than 80 to 100 tons to crush, and as it is very difficult to fetch .the stone up hill to the Aurora battery, it is to be hoped that Messrs Logan, Goodger, & Co. may defer a little to the public good and allow the stone to be crushed at their battery before winter. The prices charged by the Aurora Company are as follows : For crushing 10 tons or under at £2 0s per ton i, „ 10 to 20 tons ~£l 15s ~ >■ „ 20 to 50 tons ~£l 10s ~ ’ „ „ 50 to 100 tons „£1 5s ~ „ ~ 100 tons £1 Os ~

Now that each reef ia to have a trial crushing, road-making to the Aurora battery is the order of the day. Colclough and Company have already constructed a dray road from their claim, which is next to the battery. Kelly and Broadfoot have put on fresh hands to complete their dray road and to enable them quickly to grass the maximum quantity of stone (100 tons) to be put through for each claim. This being the last reef discovered, the shareholders may be considered very fortunate in having it tested so expeditiously.