A NEW QUARTZ-CRUSHER.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 314, 5 March 1875, Page 3

A NEW QUARTZ-CRUSHER.

A correspondent, upon whom wo (' Cromwell Argus ') can place the utmost re- ■ lianc.<., sent us a communication last week (which we were then unable to find room for) refen ing to an invention by Mr. Rp.id of Carrick Range, of a machine for erushing quartz more perfectly and more economically, both us regards ■ lime and expense, than can be done by the present system of stamps alone. He says:—~ " Mr. Reid's plans are now completed, and I understand (though on this point I am not certain) "that one of the mining companies in this district is prepared to deal with Mr. Reid for the erection of his machine at its battery. T have seen and carefully considered the plans myself—though, of course, lam not at liberty to explain particularly or in detail the me'thod proposed by Mr. Reid, as I believe he intends to apply tor a patent for it; but I am convinced that it will'be an improvement on the method at present in use. One of its chief merits is its simplicity,! and another, that it can be introduced in j connection with any of the batteries at i present working, at a very moderate expense, and without causing any violent ' change in the present system, or increase in the staff of men at present required. I do not think I am far off the mark in saying that £IOO would erect one of Mr. Reid's machines at any battery in this district. In thinking out the matter, 1 believe. Mr. Reid's intention was to produce a machine, not so much for the purpose of putting a greatly increased quantity of some through the crushing mil! as to put the same quantity crushed at present through in a much more perfect manner: that is to reduce the stone to a complete pulp or'sludge, and thus enable all the free gold to.be extracted, a consummation which, it is most needless to say, is at present, in the opinion of many, only partially attained. In carrying out his first intenten, however, in my opinion Mr. Reid has secured the other desirable end : that is, besides being able to deliver the crushed stuff of a much better quality than at present, he has secured the power to deliver a much larger quantity than the unaided stampers can do, consistently with allowing the power of extracting the gold. In other words, I am of opinion that Mr. "Reid can not only undertake ta do it in a shorter time than could be dono with the present batteries. The importance of these two points will be appreciated as soon as stated, especially by those who have been personally connected with mining speculations. As I said before, I cannot go into details, but I will mention one thing which 'will point out one of the advantages which the proposed machine will furnish. The stampers at present in use work admirably and very rapidly till the stone gets in a condition to pass through a grating of 50 or (50 to the inch, but then their power fails, and it takes a terrible lot of pounding, increasing as the guage gets finer, to reduce the stuff to the TOO or 120 guage, and' everyone knows that the stuff must be reduced to that fineness. The effectiveness, in fact, of the stamp decreases as the stuff gets finer. Now this is just the point, as it appears to me, where Mr. Reid steps in and undertakes to make such, a machine as will crush stuff to go through a grating of 100, 120, or 130 gauge as r-jpidly as the stamps will reduce 2in. quartz to the' 50 or 60 guage. The advantages of such a machine are sufficiently obvious, I think, and sincerely hope fif Mr. Reid has not closed with the company already referred to) that some of our mining companies will be spirited enough to give the thing a fair trial. The matter of £IOO or £l5O is of comparatively little consequence to them, although it might be a sufficiently serious item to deter Mr. Reid from pursuing his design to completion. Mr. Reid has also a plan for an improved amalgamator, but he does not intend to push it in any way till he has had a trial of the new crushing machine. Before closing this necessarily very imperfect notice of .this invention, I may say that, while he is confident of its success if fairly tried,Mr. Reid is much more modest in his anticipations of the results which would follow its use: than I-would be inclined to say was just to his own invention.