NELSON IRON MINES.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1922, Page 4

NELSON IRON MINES.

;?TfB BLAST FURNACE ■ ; .Thp first'blow of. iron at he Onakaka works on Thursday last was referred to in u Press. Association message. The blast furnace was recently erected by the Ona^aka. Iron and Steel Coni pa uy, (Limited,. a . gompaiiy. .controlled and financed with New Zealand eaptital, and formed for, the purpose, of developing the . huge iron-ore deposits of Golden Bay.

Further particulars are now received from Onakaka (says -- the- Wellingon “Post”’) .-•I It appears that the first tap of pig-iron took place at 8 p.m. The furnace is now ruuiiing very smoothly, no difficulties being encountered, and is tapped at about every eight hours. As the furnace settles, down to work, aliout eight to ten tons of pig-iron per tap wilj ha produced. The export in charge is well satisfied, and says that the iron produced is all that could ho.desired, .and. is.,quite .tip,to the high quality anticipated. It is the expressed intention of the company to produce 10!) to 150 tons of iron, which will thoroughly try out all the limits connected with the plant. It will then close, down temporarily, pending the .completion ot ..the coking ovens and rq ihy, ;v of 11,.l 1 ,. niilcs.. to ; .thc wharf. With the coiniijetion of . these units in a few months time;thp Ijnking up of all the nececeary raw materials, ironore, 1 iui esfone,, water, and coal with the works ~-ind tiie market will he complete, the furnace will then ho. permanently put into commission, and will run continuously day and night from

yea r to year. The solid and permanent.. nature, of the work already done by the company in twelve months very greatly impressed the visitors. The object of ; the company is to supply New., Zealand’s requirements of foundry . iron only, to .start, with,, and from that gradually build up the other branches,,of, the iron, and .steel industry. The company .ow.ns all its. raw* material,, for which it pays a- nominal figure in royalties; the iron-ore Is per tr,n. coal Cd, and the limestone and water nothing. The iron-ore and lime-

stone are worked in an open cut quarry, and conveyed each by the same aerial ropeway to the furnace by gravitation only Li miles away, where it is automatically tipped into a crusher, through which it passes to the bins. Everything is done scientifically: the ore, limestone, and coke being first analysed l»,v the metallurgist, who .instructs the furnaccnien ns to the oxr ast proportions of the charge, which is taken up l>v hydraulic) lift to the top of ,tho furnace and fed in regularly! The water, which also comes from a higher level, and gives ,1101 b pressure to the *ijiiare inch, provides tin' power used in the lift, and is also ntili-ed for coaling the furiiaee olid pushing lip, slag away over a- handy clilf. This is a very big saving of fuel, time, and labour.

I he blast is supplied by huge blowers, the air being forced through a hot stove, heated by gas from the furnace, rml fed through six tnyers int i the furnace. The temperature of the furnace is registered by an electric pyrometer in the laliolaii ry, anil iL records over the- whole twenty-four hours. 'lhe .waste gas from the furnace i- utilised in the boilers, which run the hlavtcr and various oilier machines connected w ith the, plant. The company holds rights over lands

containing iron-ore, limestone, ami water in clbimdaiicc. it also has the rights over coal-bearing country .with thick seams of good coking coni, only a few miles away, and own fifty acres of flat, freehold, with live acres ot waterfront at the .wharf .and is thus well provided for future development. 'l’he cost of tin* raw .material for the manufacture of iron at Onakaka, as compared with other countries, is given a.s follows:—At Onakaka, per ton of iron at the furnace, royalty, labour, and freight costs: Iron-ore, 12s; limestone, 8s; coks, 4!!s £2 15s. Labour is not more than 15s. ]t is estimated that coal from the company's mine, when opened up. will not cost more than 15s, including royalties, at, ihe works, fn England, as on Ist February, the costs were; Trim-ore £2 (Is: coke, Cl (Is; limestone, Bs—Cl 5s Gd. being freight and cost of raw materials oidv.

lhe company is of opinion t that by eliminating the freighting cost of raw materials at Onnh.ika, ns well a.s freights from other countries to New*. Zealand, it can make iron and land it on the .market cheaper than any other country in the world, with the possible exception of India.