THE LAMOTE FURNACE. [THAMES STAR.]

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 120, 19 September 1885, Page 7

THE LAMOTE FURNACE. [THAMES STAR.]

The erection of the Smelting Oomi pany's works at Thames tre now fast approaching completion, and it may he interesting to our readers to give them a general idea of the appliances of the processes from observations taken at the works ami information gleaned from Ml' Lane (Mr LaMonte agent and engineer), who is ever ready to enlighten upon the ■node «>f operations, &o. The funmcti, or rather crucible, is 6"Yal in shape, and is erected on a square base of solid masonry, in which is formed the lead well ; on this base and over the lead well, stand the water jackets, six in number, sft 6in high, in each of which a tuyere hole, or opening to admit the | blast of air from the blower erected near the engine on these jackets ; indepen- ! dent of them, and supported by four cast-iron pillars, is the top, or shell, which goes out through the roof of the building,, tapeiiug almost to a point as it goes, but leaving an opening, in the top, on which a door 2ft square is fastened. In this shell are the feed doors, and just above the doors the condensing flue takes off to the condensing chambers, and thence to the stack. The 'ore *is carted ? up a ramp on to, a plafcforru, 'and discharged alongside or clo^e to the,, stone ■crusher? whjchas^on^.thfi ieed, *s<ipx f around tthe 4 r ui#aiee.r l , Here it; is crjaslie}] into pieces jil)ont^^fie : ;s,ize/of< jjmjmarjf and , assayed J ivhcnlftat coiiiponeiH iwW*

nttO(»s?a i J y -fl n xc,<* wh ioj k Ufoz aif^oW^n i 1 1\) I p.irtof the LaMontc process, are ailtlej , each anil evv(n\ onrteji of Ijpt'i stnn'o 'an ; fluxes le'ng weighed "with' the .greatest accuracy $ the chains are thus , made up and fed jnto^.the furnace ns inquired ; I'atl is use* 4 , and tlie gold and .*lh-oi being the heaviest nifttals, the three in co:nbinatioH are carried Uown into .the lead we)l,ironi,\vhieh as 1 the volume increasos it is ladled off from time to time into moulds, these are assayed, and it' sufficient gold and silver is present the bullion is sent forward to the refinery, whero ifc is cupelled. The sing, or refuse, is tapped at either end of the furnace, and beitiif in a tuolteu state, is run in pots which are hun<£ in neat little two wheeled trucks, and is run out to the heap ; an assay sample being taken from eao!i,pot of s!«g to see if any gold or silver is coming with, the sla# ; if it is fcuiul to contain either, or both, it is put back, and goes through the furnace again. ' The cupel furnaces — two in number — carry the cupels in the centre ; they aro made of bone ash, and are about 2ft wide and 4ft lonj£, while the furnaces are on either side of them. The tiame is drawn over to the centre, and thence along a flue into the main stack ; one cupel will last about 12 hours. The silver and gold thus produced is now put into melting pots, and run into ingots, being free from all base metals, and ready for market.