MR LA MONTE'S VISIT TO TE AROHA.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 104, 30 May 1885, Page 7

MR LA MONTE'S VISIT TO TE AROHA.

Mr J. D. La Mont, patentee of " The Water Jacket Air B lust Smelting Furnace," accompanied by Mr It. K. Dwis, arrived by conch on Saturday night last from Auckland, and on Sunday visited about half-a-dozen of the. mines at Waiorongomai, the new battery, and also Firth and Clarkes battery ; leaving again early on Monday morning for Karangnhake and the Thames. Mr La Monte was most favourably impressed with this di trict in general as a gold producer, bu; considered the clasd of quartz did not need his furnace mode of treatment, the stone being to a great extent devoid of base minerals, and of a fine milling character. He approved of the use of stampers for reducing the dirl, but was qnite convinced that owing to the fineness of the gold, satisfactory resuUs would never be obtained unless the gratings used were exceedingly fine, say 300 to the incb (those in use in Messrs Firth and Clarkes battery are under 200 per inch), and it was essential that the copper-plates should be kept constantly cleaned* Ho considered that after leaving the copper-plates the tailings should be run into a series of pans, to be ground ex ceedingly fine, and from thence pass into settlers, after whiJi they should puss over blanket tables 40ft long, these blankets to be kept constantly washed ; should thj wnnhingH prove to be heavy minerals theyj shoul-t then be roasted, but if found to con a n ftnt? free, gold, should be put Wi v into thj» P'tnH and rognumd. As a reeuM; of such treatment, he cotit iitarjd ful'y 0V per 'cent of the gold would be saved. M.<

U,< MMonsl s B|x>ke'iim'ii y«• Hi • q'l.inz produced from both tho Phuonix mid New Kind mines. H<\ carefully went ovor the whole ut ! tlie workings of tho New Find, in oompuny with tin- manager \lr M -Li\ r, md exprt'HSfd him^cli' us of opinion thai this mine was in px<> cdinu'ly valuubl? property, and buluvod the r.uiß of; i'oiriu worked ii|v»n won* pcrnian -nt, nnd would be found of ricliur clianwt'M' nt dwepur levvJ^. H« W'Mil'l imo-4 stmngly ml vise any body of. diruott»r« to «r«ct a hatttsty of their own upon hucli a vnln .ble mining property, and further remarked that were it in America thousands of pound* would bo expended in opening up tile Itlttie> and in providing tho oeceosal-y plant for treating the ove before uny re* turna would be even looked for, Kock borers, ho conoidofed indispeit^ible mining »idju(»ctti on a field like tin*, whore the quarto was of a hard nature, a«id they should be in tine in nil the min<<B. He belii'Veri that Te Arolia would yet hold a prominent poHition amongst goldtields, the gold being bo very Hue however, great care Would be required to save it.