SMELTING COMMENCED AT WAIORONGOMAI.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 404, 21 September 1889, Page 2

SMELTING COMMENCED AT WAIORONGOMAI.

At Ui*. TV Aroha S. and G. Mining C«> 'a Reduction Work*, smelting, by m«»an< of th»* w<>t jackot furnace, com— men«*ed on Thursday. ' Tlio furnace wag lit up at 11 a.m. on that day, and smeltin-f actually commenced at 1 p.m. At atartinir. Mr Howdl, the Co.'s Manner, Im 1 the difficulty to contend with of having no metallic lend available, consequently th<» well lud to be filled by lend incited from lond ore after operations had commenced ; and starting under pnch oircunMnncen is most unusual, as there is » groat danger at first of »he slag trotting down into the lead well and (a* it i« termed) •freezing; 1 there. Und»>r Mr Howpll's skilful superrision, hovrovor, everythintr workel moit smoothly from tho first, and has since £on« on without tl*o slijrhte?t hitch of any kind. Bnrinjr the first twenty-four hours (i.% up to 1 p.m. yesterday), 7. ton? of bullion had been run off into the moulds, with 4£ ton* in the load well. The moulds hold about 100 lb* of ore each. 10 tons of lead ore were first put through, the OUS from which showed by uKß:iv only Sdwiis, 6frr> silvor per ton, and 1 o .rol'd. Since then concentra'e* and silirions ore are bring: put through, the pln^' fiom which by nz«ay shows only ldwt 15srs silver, and 2.7sdwts lead per ton ; one ton of ilntr representing noarly two tons of ore ; which prores how thoroughly well the furnaco is doing its work the sla<? being left valueless. The bar bullion will be shipped direct to the refiners in England. Mr Howell it to be congratulated on the highly successful manner in which the furnace has workrd from the very start, and is now working. Smeltinp: will be in full swing all next wnek At the Battery 35 head of stampers aro reducing quartz from the nvnes.