TARANAKI IRON SAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4865, 25 October 1876, Page 3

TARANAKI IRON SAND.

We are indebted to the editor of the Taranaki Herald for the folio wing lotter : TO THE EDITOR OP THE TARANAKI HEHALD. Sir, —As a New Plymouth correspondent of. a Wellington paper says that the cost of smelting the iron sand given by me is absurd, and “Tally-ho,” in the Budget, says that I have surely made a, blunder, and that - not ah ounce of the metal will ever leave the furnace at the Henui at a less cost than £8 per ton, I shall be obliged if you will, afford me space to answer these parties. ■My estimates of £6 per ton as the price at which the iron could be delivered in London was based upon the careful calculations of practical men in England conversant with the working of charcoal blast furnaces ; and from information recently obtained from Tasmania,; and from Mr. Blanchard, the intelligent fur-, nace keeper at the Henui. As I have no ob-, ject in deceiving, the public, and have no wish to delude myself, I will give the different items,! so that any mistake I have fallen into may; be pointed out. To prevent any misunderstanding; I would remark that my estimate is of the probable cost when the furnace is in; regular working order, uuder efficient management—the .proceedings at the late trial cannot: be taken- as giving the slightest approximation, to-this. The. trial was a very hurried one! ; —the furnace was . being! blown in, always an expensive operation—the mem were.;newu-to; the work —and as the main object was to test: whether the sand could be smelted in l an ordi-: nary furnace, more. men! were employed ‘ than | were.needed; so as to have belp at hand ini case of difficulties occurring in the .'first trial of smelting an entirely new ore. ; My estimate. is based upon the furnace at; the Henui turning out ,100 tons of metal per week, . which I am told is under, its capacity when in regular working order. Delivering Iron sand and- clay.-aay 2 tons £‘S..7 d. . V sand and.i ton ,of clay for 1 ton metal produced, ;; .. . .. ... .. .. 0 2 6 2 furnace-keepers at 12s. each, 21,-?.; 2 assistants at Bs. each, ; l6s.-: 2-feeders at 8s each, 10a.; 2 spare hands -at Bs. each, • 16s, engineer,; 125,; assistant, 10s. Total, 945. . r Say £5 per-day on'output of 100 tons per ", week; "• .. ..- - .. 0,7,0. Making sand into compound fuel for engine 0’ 6 0 100 bushels charcoal at 4d. per bushel ; -..- 2J3 "4 13 cwt. limestone at 20s. per ton .. .. 015 ,0 Royalty 0 10 Freightto Wellington and England ‘ .. 110 0 , , _ £5 18 10 ■ The number df meh required to work tbe furnace wm givet to. me ; .by Mr, Blanchard, who said the furnace-keeyer would require one assistant, and. that! one-man would, feed the furnace. Besides this I have, estimated for an additional .man for any other work.that may be required. 1 Seven shillings per ton is above American calculations, with ordinary laborers’ wages at §IJ per day, and is about the same as the cost at the British'and Tasmanian Charcoal Iron Works,.at West Tamar. ,'Charcoal I have put at 4d. pCr bushel,'made inkilns; In America the price is - per bushel,’.and in Tasmania, at the above-mentioned company’s works, 3d. per bushel, the wood being brought from various distances within a radius of ten miles from the works! In.estimating the cost of' limestone and the freight to England, I calculate upon the company haying a*small vessel of their!own, to'go to,Massacre Bay or elsewhere for limestone,'arid to,convey the iron to Wellington for„shipment,.. Mr. Temple, the managing partner of Shaw,!' Savill,, and Co.i told me that the freight of the iron to England would be merely nominal, 'as the wool ships would be glad to take it as ballast, for which they now have to pay, . ' , ' ’ , The estimated cost of producing iron at the Tasmanian Company’s ’ works, with coke as fuel, is £3 per ton, the coal being brought from, Newcastle' and doked on! the ground, l The company apparently 'mean to make coke iron (which I judged would be the case , from the capacity of the furnace, from 300 to 400. tons per week), and the cost of making* it in England may be gathered ! ( 'frbm the fact that pig iron from the Cleveland districts and in Scotland is how selling at from 555. to 60s. per ton, which would bring the cost of making under 40s. per tori. 1

As to the value of the’ metal, we are completely in the dark,'and shallbe .until'it'hah been tested in, England.'* ' Competent authorities in gave it as their‘ opinion that' it would be superior ;to Swedish charcoal pig, the average selling price, of which'ib England before the; late! high , prices ruled therehad not . fallen below ‘£d 10s. to £lO per'ton, .When I'was there in 1872 it and French charcoal pig £ll 16s.' peri .ton. The best brands of Swedish, charcoal pig are never allowed to come into” the j- English market, but are in Sweden converted .into bars. Hy the last mail I received a,letter from Auckland, the writer, of which’has been practically ehgaged in tlie manufacture of iron during twenty years of his life. speaks thus of,two samples of the iron I ', sent to Auckland:—“l was very much surprised to find one Sample so grey, and I must tell you candidly that I could not avoid a suspicion that it hadbeen 'doctored.’ All new furnaces, owing to the care taken in 'blowing them in’ with light charges and selected ores, will produce very grey iron; but I'certainly did not

expect iron with so much free carlmnjiould he made‘ from iron sand - alomn -’ -It is a splendid" sample of soft.; greyl iron;:! ?IThe white iron is ■the -iron T' should look;for,“and* the'saipple shows that it .would inakb sjplendid steel ;|:it is. in fact cast-steel. 1 J V.' .‘ 1 , He then quotes Mr. Stenson’s opinion (Mr. Stenson is a high authority in England on the subject), with whom-ho is in 1 , intimate correspondence, that it should be converted into steel before sending it to the English market, and that steel of the - finest and best quality could be produced by a process similar to the Bessemer process. - Probably this; will• even-, tually be found the most profitable form-in Which to export the metal, and to - give an idea of the value of steel in England even in the present depressed state j Of' r the trade, I quote the latest prices from the Engineer ■ Sheffield from .. 1 .. £l7 to £2O per ton .. Fair average steel; : .. : £24:to £32 Second-class tool :: 1 .; - £28t0,£45,, ~ ; Best special steel ... £6O to £7O ; The cost of converting the iron into steel by the Bessemer process would be under £4 a ton. > With respect to my correspondent’s suspicion of the metal being “ doctored,” fortunately, every precaution was .taken ~to satisfy the public. I had special’ instructions from the company on this point, and appointed t>vp very trustworthy persons, who were quite independent of the manager, and were accountable to myself only, to take an account of everything that went into the .furnace, and tb prevent any person going to the throat of the furnace, ‘ excepting the men engaged 'in’ feeding, who loaded the barrows under their inspection. Whatever the value of the metal may pr ove to be, it is certain that the, product is from Iron sand alone.—l am, &c., Richard, Chilman,