THE REEFS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 235, 26 October 1866, Page 3

THE REEFS.

A correspondent writing from Skippers, and also forwarding us a very good sample of stone from Soutliberg and party's claim, says: — " Having visited the claim of Mr Soutliberg, I am enabled through the courtesy of Mr Duncan, one of the Shareholders, to give you a few particulars. The reef where the party is now working is about four feet thick, and gold more or less, is to be seen all through fhc stone. The reef has been traced on the surface for about 75 feet, at the end of which distance it dips into the hill. The party is crushing day and night. It is their intention to erect twelve more head of stamps, as they are confident of being able to raise sufficient stone to keep" that additional number constantly going. This company are at present only putting through stone obtained last winter; but they will shortly commence ou better stone. The amalgam, however, looks well, and will be retorted about the end of the present month (October). About 20 men at the present time are working the claim. "Perry and Co. commenced crushing on the 26th ult., and, excepting one or two slighthitches, their machinery has worked admirably. This company deserves every success for the persevering energy they have displayed to overcome the many difficulties which presented themselves by the construction of expensive works over the precipitous piece of country. Like the first-named party, they are at present putting through stone obtained last winter and summer. The Scandinavian have got all their heavy timber in from the bush ; and all their machinery is on the ground and being expeditiously erected. " Sluicing claims at Skipper's are in full work, with fair results. The Mountain Race Company lately had a washing-up which proved them to be making good wages. They have ground to last for years, and always plenty of water to work it. "At Skippers Point, Moore and party arodoing well; as also are the companies in Pleasant and Siony Creeks. "Several new claims have been taken up at the Sandhills, and I am informed the majority of the parties are doing tolerably well. Some parties on the left and right hand branches of the Shotover are said to be doing first-rate. " The following is a list of prices at Skippers for staple articles of consumption:—Bread (41b loaf) 2s Od ; salt butter, 3s .'id per lb ; beef, lid; potatoes, LI 10s per cwt. —' Wakatip Mail A certain' merchant left in his last will and testament seventeen horses to be divided among his threo sons, according to the following proportions, viz. : —the first was to receive one-half, the second one-third, and the third a ninth-part of the whole. But when they came to arrange about the division, it was found to comply with the terms of the will, withoxit sacrificing one or more of the animals was impossible. Puzzled in the extreme, tlicy repaired to the Cadi, who, having read the will, observed that such a difficult question required time for deliberation, and recommended them to return in two days. When they again made their appearance the judge said, "I have considered carefully your case, and find that I can make such a division of the seventeen horses among you as will give each more than his strict share, and yet none of the animals shall be injured. Arc you content?" "We are, OCadi!" was the reply. " Bring forth the seventeen horses then, and let them be placed in the Court," said the Cadi. The animals were brought in and the Cadi ordered his groom to place his Own horse with them. He then bade the eldest brctlier count the horses. " There are eighteen in number, 0 Cadi! "he said. " I will now make the division," responded the Cadi. "You, the eldest, are entitled to half; then take nine of the horses. You, the second son, arc to receive ine third ; take therefore, six ; whilst to you, tao youngest, belongs the ninth-part, namely two. Thus the seventeen horses are divided among you. You have each more than your share, and I may now take my own steed back again." " 0 Cadi! your wisdom equals that," said the brothers, " of our Lord Solioman, lon Dhood.—'Notesfrom Nineveh.' The naval action of Lissa in its results was indecisive, but the retirement of the Ausirians jave an appearance of victory to the Italians. One result of the action, however, was to demonstrate the superiority of the French ircnplating over that of all other countries. The Italian squadron comprise several vessels built and olated in France, not one of which has suffered, lotwithstanding'theterriblefire of the Austrians. On the contrary, all the vessels constructed in Sngland are in a deplorable condition, and have cheir armour-plating pierced. The lied Italia, which sunk almost at a stroke, was a vessel of very large dimensions, quite new, and entirely xmitfucted in English yard*

WHEELER'S AMALGAMATING PANS.

The attention'of the miuingconiniunity. particularly that part interested in quartz has been, for .some time past, directed U . improvements'in the extraction of golc md silver by more efficient methods thai those in general use, and various plam have been placed, more or less pro mineutly, before the public by theii respective inventors. It is widely and earnestly acknowledged that in Effectually i educing quartz ores and amalgamating tht the precious metals, we are far behind oui contemporary miners of the auriferous states of the American Union, where foi years scientific research, Combined with practical mechanical skill, has been successfully applied to the invention and carrying into effect of some of the most approved means of treating gold and silver so that the utmost possible yield should be obtained by the easiest and cheapest process. We in this colony, beginning to feel our deficency, and recognising the great importance of the subject, have lately been desirous of applying the results ol Oaliforniau experience adapted to our ov 7 n peculiar conditions. Of the many and varied inventions that claim the notice and support of the mining interest, perhaps Wheeler's patent pans deserve more than a passing notice. 'Jhese machines were introduced in the course of the last year in New South Wales, where many of them are now in successful operation. Early in the present year, the agents for the patent entered on a series of trials in Victoria, and now, at I.angland's foundry, in Melbourne, may be seen daily in operation, several sets of the machines engaged in testing ores and tailings from different parts ofourgoldfields. Inmany instancesresults of a encouraging character have been brought out, even from the refuse tailings from the quartz workings of by-gone years. Specially selected lots of those abounding in pyrites and mundic, which by the ordinary process can be only very imperfectly treated, when manipulated by the Wheeler's patent pans have yielded as much as 3ozs per ton while the ordinary tailings, rigidly and impartially sampled irom many different heaps, have averaged from 2 to 3dwts per ton. It is almost needless to say how profitable, under proper conditions the working of these tailings, or of quartz claims that have been abandoned as unprofitable formerly, could be made by this process. The machines are particularly adapted for thoroughly grinding and amalgamating quartz, previously reduced by the stamps to a certain fineness. They consist, taking one set as an instance, of two lrrge pan."., called ' amalgamators,' of iron, with a ' muller,' or grindstone of iron revolving within. By an ingenious arrangement, the stuff emptied into the pan is sucked into the centre and drawn beneath the upper and lower mullers, where it is subjected to the action of the grinding surfaces, revolving sixty times in one minute; and by a similar application, is thrown outward to the circumference of the pan, e'evated to the top of the upper muller, and again drawn beneath the grinders; so that a continual circulation of the pulp is kept up, until the batch of half a ton to each pan has been sufficiently pulverised. Water and steam are both admitted to iho pan—the former to make the stuff'into pulp, the latter to raise heat to about boiling point, which much facilitates amalgamation. Quicksilver is added about half an hour before completing the pi'oe'ess in these first pans, the whole time occupied being from two to three hours. The use of sodium amalgam is found very beneficial in preventing the quicksilver ' sickening.' and in re-uniting the granulated globules of the mercury. When amalgamation has been completed, the contents of the first pan are emptied into the second pan, called a ' concentrator,' where the quicksilver is mechanically separated from the pulp. A constant stream of water being kept flowing into the pan, gradually carries oft' the refuse, and the quicksilver is mostly collected by a central pocket and syphon. Lastly, the. contents of the ' concentrator' are discharged into the third pan, or ' save all.' where all stray particles of amalgam are collected and saved. After panning off the residuary matter in the bottom of the pans, the quicksilver amalgam is subjected to .the usual retorting and cupelling, and the result in gold is then obtained. When we add that six sets of these machines can put through the above process some 300 tons per week, with night and day shifts, it requires but little calculation to show the very satisfactory results that may reasonably be looked for. Apart from all extravagant ideas, it is evident that, by the aid of these machines, many comparatively poor quartz reefs may be worked to considerable profit; the otherwise useless heaps of tailings, lying all over the goldfields, may yield handsome returns, and good quartz claims may be made to give still larger prolits, for "Wheeler's patent pans have been found, by Californian experience—and theVe they are nearly in universal use—to bring out 95 per cent of the precious nietal found to exist by lire assay. It is also demonstrable that i.y the present process of stamping and amalgamating in the battery and ripples, which has loiig since been abandoned in the American states, about 25 per ceut of the gross amount of gold in the ore is lost; whilst in certain cases, where pyrites, mundic and other base metals prevail, more gold is lost than is'at present saved. —Communicated to the '.Age.' ~* Meat salted with acetate of soda is easily dried preserves an agreeable flavour, and is more easily on&altcd than, vfccu common s*l« it used for the fKupoee,