Opening of the Jubilee Mill. WAITEKAURI. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1889.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 401, 11 September 1889, Page 2

Opening of the Jubilee Mill. WAITEKAURI. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1889.

Sooh after the opening of the Upper fhames gold field Waitek-tnri began to j attract considerable attention from prospectors and others, on account of the very rich quartz boulders found in the beds of three of its creek j, viz., the Diamond Gully, Scotia, and No. 1 for Battery) Creek. The first claims of importance were taken up al»ont the year 1873 being pegged off by Dan Leahy, T. Quinn, M, Merriman, J. Heitman, and others, on the line of reef running from Karangahake 20 degrees east of north, and these claims were subsequently formed into companies, known as the Welcome, Young New Zealand, and Waitekauri, On the strength of the very excellent surface prospects then obtained an arrangement was soon afterwards entered into between the mine owners, and Messrs Brown, Bleazard and Co., of Thames, for the erection of a 40-stamper mill, driven by an overshot water-wheel, capable of developing as high as 80-borse power if required. This battery commenced operations in ]875 ; and was worked continuously night and day for about, two years, putting through from 300 to 400 tons of quartz per week, and during that time £60,000 to £70,000 of gold was won; theprincip.il portion b«*ing obtained from quartz broken out from that part of the main Waitekauri reof known as No. 2 run of gold, situated in the Leahy portion of Ihe mine, immediately above the head of the gully, now proposed to ba worked by the Jubilee Company. (As lately as 1881 no less than L 22,000 worth of god wai won in about five months by H. Butler and party, from this same Waitekauri reef ; the quartz put through at the first crushing yielding an average of ll^oz per ton.) Mr E. K. Cooper's attention was first directed to the upper portion of tho Battery creek, now known ,as the Jubilee Gully, about two and a half ypars ago by miner's residing in the district, on account of the rich stone found therein. The source of this creek is immediately below the No. 2 run, or Leahy portion, of the main Waitekauri reef (already referred to as producing quartz of very rich quality). The generally accepted theory by the miners is that the upper portion of the reef was, by some great upheavel of the earth, thrown over into this gully, and, from time to time, by the action of flood wator, been >

arried down the creek, and there deposited fn jthe form of boulders. These quartz boulders are to be found' distributed along the creek bed for a distance of several miles. Boulders selected from these creeks from time to time, and crushed at the Waitekauri Battery, have yielded in some instances as high as 40 ounces of gold per ton. The portion ,pf tbe golly, or creek bed, which tfre Jubilee Company propose to work, is the upper portion for a distance of about twenty five chains, and varying in width from i, chain to 8 or 4 chains, .and in depth from 6ft to 30ft, It is proposed to clear the creek bed of all deposit, and to crush the whole, with, the exceptiqn of debris and blocks of poor quality quartz, as it is believed th.ar, apart from the payable quartz boulders, sufficient payable loose gold will be found in the deposit of •urface earth and wash dirt to pay for treatr ment. There is a sufficiency of crushing dirt, if tuken out on the foregoing basis to keep the newly erected plant irj constant work for a number of years. 'So satisfied was Mr Cooper or the valqeof thjs portion of the diatiict that he', some two years a^o, applied for and obtained a<,sp<>cial claim of about fifty acres., embracing that portion p,f the creok bud referred to, and also a considerable area on the Hue of reef. When Mr Cooper went on a visit to the Old Country about a y<»«r and a half aiyo, he took lioine with l^inj some ten tons of quartz boulders obtujned from tlit 1 aforesaid Jubiloe Gully, which' yielded very rich returns, and Mr Cooper was requested on the part oi several ijome capitalists to take immediate steps, for the further development of .so promising a district, T»nd as a result 4 *he construction of the Jubilee Mill was., determined on. The work of erecting ihe plant commenced •bout six tuontha ago, and many and great difficulties had to be overcome, owing to the ' inaccessibility of the site for the mill, bad raads t etc. Mr E. M. Corbett (of Waitekauri, who constructed the Waitekauri and other batteries, is a thorough practical engiqeer, and an acknowledged authority o,n matters relating to goldmining, and goldsaviner appliances), was instructed by Mr E. K. Cooper to design and prepare plans for a plant such as he considered best adapted for treating the deposit referred to. The plans prepared bain* approved, Mr Corbett was entrusted with the erection of the plant ami has had the whqle supervision in connection therewith. The Mill was started at 2 p.m., three hearty cheers being given for (I) The Jubilee Mill ; (2) Mr E. K. Cooper ; (3) Mr E. M, Corbett ; and the whole plant was kept at work from that time till 4 p.m., the machinery working smoothly and satisfactorily. Soon after the starting of the plant, an adjournment was made to an adjacent house for the pumose of drinking success to the new venture, in the manner usual on such occasions. A substantial lunch had been provided for the event, including an ample supply of 'phiz/ and amongst the assembled company we observed Messrs E. M. Corbett, J. H. Moore, H, C. Wick, and W. Littlejohn, all of whom are intimately associated with mining in Ohinemuri. Mr Moore was voted to the chair, T'.te customary loyal and patriotic toasts were dispensed with, and the Chairman in a few well chosen words first proposeJ Success to the Jubilee Company, coupled with the name of Mr E, K. Cooper. Mr E. M. Corbett responded, on behalf of Mr E. K. Cooper (who he fully expected would have been present, but he probably been detained by important bu^ness at Thames), and in so doing briefly referred to the circumstances which led up to the erection of the Jubilee Mill. When first spoken of it was thought about LIQQO would suffice to erect a suitable plant, but the Mill alone had cost over L 2006, besides which there wore over heavy expenses. "With judicious management he belieyes the venture would prove a great success, and there was a great quantity of crushing dirt in the creek bed, but of course it was not accounted a second 'Caledonian.' Mr Edwards proposed the health of Mr E, K. Cooper, wishing that gentleman the large measure of success he so richly deserved for the en tet prise and pluck he had shown, and capita! he had been the means of introducing for the development of the goMfield. Several of those present also spoke of Mr Cooper as a gtntleman of indomintable pluck, and who had done much to forward the interests of goldmining srenarally throughout the Coromandel Peninsula. The health of MrE. M.-CJorbettwas proposed by Mr Littlejohn, who referred to Mr Cnrbett, and also to the. pUnt he had just erected in most complimentary terms. The Chairman speaking to the same toast said the present opening forcibly reminded him oF a somewhat similar gathering some 14 or 15 years ago, when the Waitekauri Battery (designed and erected under the immediate sqpervision of Mr Corbett) was first opened. The Jubilee plant was a most complete one of its kind, and he felt great pleasure in bearing testimony to the ability of Mr Corbett, and as being a most thorough practical engineer. Mr Corbett suitably responded. Success to the 'Fame and Fortune' (Mr Cooper's mining venture at Thames) proposed by Mr Corbett, was next drank ; after which the following toasts were given :— (1) Miss Corbett (who had christened the Jubilee Mill); j#) The Ladies ; (3) The Press fcquple'd with the names of Messrs Ilott, Tb Aroh^. and Ohjnehjuri News, and Edwards), both of whom responded ; (4) Mrs Corbetb (5) The Workmen (who had erected the plant), The party then dispqrs&'d ; th 1 opening ceremony having passed off mo8 fc k pleasantly. *',!'> • '

Pescription of the Plant, | The Mill is situated about 1^ miles from the old Waitekauri Battery, in a gullyabout a quarter of a mile to the northeast sida of the Waitekauri mine, and is in a direct line with the Marototo raiues, which are only some three to four miles distant as the crow flies. The Mill is some 500 ft above the level of the old Waitekauri Battery, and aboutthrae miles' from the main Paeroa-Tauranga road, the last 1^ mile being a new road roughly i formed through the bush to enable the I neoessary machinery, etc,, to be carted up. ( YVe may state that £500 has been granted by Government for th« purpose of improving this road } and will be expended as soon as fine weather sets in.) The Mill is erected on a steep sidling, the lpwest end being only some five feet above the level of the creek, and rising in benches up the hill side a distance of 42 feet to the ground tramway, which runs through the upper end of the building. The main building ia 84 feet long W25 feet wide ; with boiler house attached at the upper end ; the whole being built of heart of kauri framing, ka,uri and kilukatea weather boarding, roofed with corrugated iron. The boiler is of that description known as Cornish, 18J feet long by 5 feet $ inches in diameter ; set in brick and stone work ; and is fired from underneath,, the furnace having a large capacity, and specially built for using wood as fuel ; with a return draught through the centre tube, thence by side flues to the chimney ; the flame by this arrangement traversing the whole length of the boiler three times. The pair of engines are of a horizontal type, capable of working up to about' 25 horse power. The plant is placed oh a series of benches, seven in number, with a drop of about 6 feoteach, commencing with the boiler and ending with the shaking tables and blanket tables, tn the following order. On the second bench are the stampers, ten in number, in two boxes. The stampers are of the ordinary type, weighing about 9001bs each, with a drop of 9 to 10 inches, working 60 to 70 st .kes a minute ; and will, it is expected, be capable of reducing about 20 tons of quartz per day. (The boilor, engine, and stampers, formerly comprised a portion of the first battery erected at Te Aroha, known as v Stacey's ; but have all been overhauled at Messrs Pi ice Bros, foundry, prior to being re-erected). Copper tables are connected with the stamper boxes, fitteu* with ' riffles ' and perforated troughs. On tho thiril bench are one concentrating trough and four settling tanks. Tho crushed ore passes direct from the stamper boxes over the copper 1 tables into the concentrating trough, where it is divi led by gravitation into two classes, viz., the henry deposit, and the lighter or sludgo portion ; the latter being conveyed direct by means of a shoot to tbe berdans, four in number, erected on tho sjxth bench. Th« heavy deposit is conveyed into the settling tanks, four in number, through an opening in the bottom of the concentrating trough, the flow being regulated as found desirable in actual working. On the fourth bench are two amalgamating pans, on the principle known as McKay's. The heavy deposit referred to above is conveyed direct 'from the settling tanks into these amalgamating p&ni (there to be further re-lucetl", and amalgamated ), in charges of about half a ton each. Each charge is hero ground for about two hours, a f tor which about '4o to 50'bs of mercury is added, aud the pulp further treated for about an hour and a half for amalgamation. Hie pans are charged alternately, a fresh charge being added every two hours. After amalgamation the pulp is run off into the settler situate on the fifth bench, and from thence conveyed into a large wooden tank termed the 'receiver' j where the deposit is kept constantly stirred by means of a revolving arrangement, very similar to the 'mutters' in the 'settler 1 . The object of having thig 'receiver' is in order that a regular flow may be maintained from the settler to the shaking tallies on th* bottom bench. The shaking tables, two in number, each Bft by Bft, by 18 inches, are suspended by iron rods from ■ framing. They are k^pt in constant motion by a crank nrrn,hgment, emaking 70 strokes a minute ; ami are constructed mucli on the Bam,e lines as those found to answer §t> well at" Brown's Thames Tailing Elan,* (Tararu). From the shaking table's the, tailings are conveyed to the outside of the Mill by means of a shoot, and over blanket tables 15 feet lonsr, the refuse being allowed to flow down the creek. The concentrates which accumulate on thetabje^ a-nd also the blanket washing, are treated in a berdan specially set apart for that purpose. The lighter (or sludge) portiqn, which, as already stated, passes direct from the concentrating trough to berdans [ on the sixth bench, is there ground in the I ordinary way, the berdans being set at a much less angle, however, than is usual, and also revolve at a much slower speed ! than is customary in ordinary grinding. As in the case of the heavier deposit' the discharge from the berdans likewise is conveyed over one of the shaking tables, and thence over , the blanket tables outside the battery, after which it is allowed to discharge into the creek. An improvement has been introduced in connection with the separating of the quicksilver from the amalgam afyer it has left the settlor. Instead of being squeezed in the old style by the hand through a cloth or chamois, the separation us much . > more quickly and' efificaciously effected, and with much less loss of quicksilver, by hydraulic,' pressure. The fuel used will be wood, of which there is practically an unlimited supply close at hand, and Contractors have;o£i:ered'to deliver same' at 2s 6d per ton. • ' (