TARANAKI'S IRONSAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 December 1915, Page 7

TARANAKI'S IRONSAND.

TURNED INTO HIGH-CLASS PIG-IRON. SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS. DEMONSTRATION AT MOTUROA YESTERDAY. '

The word ironsand has become synonymous with Taranaki, for ever since the 'sixties experiments with the sand have from time to time been going on. Yesterday a most successful demonstration of a new process was given before a representative party of townspeople. It is known as the Heskett process, the discoverers being Messrs ,T. A. Heskett and W. P. Heskett, of Melbourne, and S. E. Fraser, consulting engineer, of Auckland. Mr. Fraser has been interested in the ironsand since as a lad he witnessed the experiments conducted many years ago by the late E. M. Smith in the northern city. When Mr. Heskett, junior, visited Waikino some three or four years hack, they collaborated, securing'a ton of sand and later a further five tons for experimental purposes. The results were so encouraging that they entered into arrangements with a syndicate (in which Mr. J. B. Laurenson, the well-known ironfounder of Christchureh, wan a leading spirit) in order to conduct further experiments. The syndicate secured a sub-lease of the Parapara Ore Company's works at Moturoa, and under Mr, Heskett, senr., a metallurgist of considerable standing, brought the works up-to-date, erecting three blast furnaces, coke ovens, installing a 10 h.p. electric motor, etc. The process was developed until, about' three months ago, it was conclusively shown that high-class pig-iron cou.ld profitably be produced. Several tons of Iron ore was run off, and afterwards tested at Auckland and Christchureh foundries, when it was found quite satisfactory. Since then a great deal of pigiron has been turned out. Yesterday the public had an opportunity of witnessing the manufacture of the iron, and very interesting it proved.

THE PROCESS Briefly described, tho crude ironsand is mixed with coal dust and put in coking ovens and retorts. It comes out like a cinder. It is then in the intermediary stage, between ironsand and pig-iron. The material is next placed in an ordinary blast furnace* with a suitable ilu.v, and, after -.the required temperature is reached and there is a sufficient deposit of the molten iron at the, bottom of the surface, the furnace is tapped, and out flows the iron into sand moulds, and the pig-iron is made.

The present experimental plant is capable of turning out between six and seven tons of iron from each furnace per day. But when the industry is established on a proper commercial footing, between 30 and 50 tons per day can be manufactured. The syndicate propose to take immediate steps to , develop the industry and supply New XeaUnd with pig-iron, roughly between 8000 and 10,000 tons a year. , It 'is estimated suitable works can be erected for £35,000, and that an article of superior quality can be produced at a price to successfully compete .with the imported pig-iron. Pigiron, which sells at between £0 and £7 10s per ton is the basis of the whole iron and steel industry. All the materials for its manufacture lie at. the door of New Plymouth. The sand itself is to be obtained in illimitable quantities, the coal can be secured from the south or Mokau, the limestone is to be found near Waitara, and the other fluxes within a stone's throw of the present works.

Samples of the cast iron in its rough and machined state were on view at the works, and they appeared to be quite equal in quality to the very best imported. Experts pronounce them as being of the higliest grade. In the past the titanium in the sand presented a great difficulty in reducing the sand to' pig-iron, but the present inventors have succeeded in eliminating it and preserving all the Vitality of the iron. Mr. Laurenson, who with other members of the syndicate was present yesterday, is very optimistic regarding the process, which, he says, is in every way successful. "We should," he said to a News representative, "be in a position to manufacture our own iron without having to depend upon outside for our supplies. We import iron and steel goods to the value of four million sterling a year. Had the industry been established a few years ago we would now be working night and day turning ont munitions. The Heskett process is a thorough success. You have seen for yourself the pig-iron run off, and I can assure you that you will not find a better article anywhere. ' The industry only wants to be taken up properly and success is assured."

The Hon. A. L. Herdman, AttorneyGeneral, was amongst those present, and evinced a keen interest in the operations. PAST EXPERIMENTS. Sixty-six years ago Mr. .Tolin Perry, a. carpenter and a pioneer of Taranaki, made an attempt to smelt thp sand by erecting n small furnace on the banks of a creek which ran into thp Huatoki River. Mr. Perry was encouraged in the work by the then Governor, Sir George Grey, who promised him a lease of ironsand beach area if his experiment was successful. Great difficulty was experienced by Mr. Perry in carrying out the work, owing to the fineness of the sand, which made its way to the bottom of the furnace before the fire could operate upon it with sufficient smelting power, hut small quantities of iron were produced and forged into various articles by Mr. Wood, a blacksmith. Such was the genesis of what there is reason to believe will one day be one ef New Zealand's biggest industries. After Perry*s first experiments in 1848, Mr. C. Sutton followed on somewhat, similar lines with a smelting works near Mount McCormick, but, as may be easily understood, he was not very successful, his plant being of the most crude description. In 1858 the Provincial Government of Taranaki granted an ironsand lease to Captain Morshead, a retired officer of the East India Company's service. This gentleman went to England in order to float a company to work the ore. He was unsuccessful in his mission, and in 1869 a firm from Wellington, under the name of Henoclisburg and Company, erected a furnace on the South Road, just outside the boundaries of New Plymouth, and attempted to work the sand. Partial success attended these operations, and the firm was expanded into a company known as the Pioneer Steel Company, but failing to make steel flow freely from the surface, the syndicate suspended operations. They then deputed Mr. Chilman, an enterprising New Plymouth resident, to proceed to England, represent to the ironmasters of Great Britain the value of the ore, obtain information as to the best manner of treating the suff, sell all works if possible, and raise a new aompauy, Mr.

ChiLman succeeded in sfilling the lease of the sands and also the company's interest to Mr. Walduck, who failed to do anything of special note, but a company was formed chiefly by the exertions of Mr. E. M. Smith, later known as "Ironsand Smith," an active New Plymouth resident, who afterwards-represented the district in Parliament.

"IRONSAND SMITH." In the early 'seventies Mr. Smith had a small arsenal in Wellington, and here, from Taranaki ironsand, he used to manufacture breech blocks for the rifles then in use by the Colonial Government. Mr. Smith discovered a method of preventing the choking of the furnaces by the ironsand by forming it with clay into compound bricks before subjecting it to the fire. This company bore the name of the New Zealand Titania Steel and Ironworks Company, Limited. Its proposed capital was £50,000 in 5000 shares of £lO each, with powei to increase to £IOO,OOO. About £20,000 of this capital was called up. A works was erected at Henui, including a blast furnace on the best American plan and a powerful engine and apparatus for producing at hot blast. After the works had been completed and everything was in rendinesH for commencing the operations the company shut up the place and refused to take charge of the furnace. At the earnest solicitation of the shareholders residing in Taranaki, and on their guaranteeing to protect the company from loss or damage, permission was given for experimental operations to bo conducted. The first of these was an experimental reduction of ore, which was chiefly hematite, from the Parapara mine, at Golden Bay, Nelson. The next experiment was conducted under the supervision of Messrs E. M. Smith and D. Atkinson, by which ironsand alone was reduced. On Saturday, September 23, 1876, the furnace was tapped, and 3 tons loewt. of pig-iron was produced, which has since, been tested in England and reported to be of the best possible quality. For some reason, possibly want of capital, the furnace was blown out, and the works closed down. In 1884 a further agitation on the part of New Plymouth people led to Mr. Hughes, from New South Wales, putting down a plant, but his experiments were not of a successful nature, and the works again remained idle till 18S7. An enthusiast named Hipkins then experimented with some success, and a certain amount of failure, and then Mr, T. Oldfield purchased the works, and, in conjunction with Mr. E. M. Smith, he succeeded in making iron.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. The next development was the purchase of the plant at Henui by the Bank of New Zealand, and the removal of it to Auckland, where it was re-erected. Various attempts were made to smelt the iron, but without success. Meanwhile Mr. Smith had got into Parliament and persuaded the Bank of New Zealand directors to allow him tho chance of proving the soundness of his process of producing marketable iron. This was done in order to enable the bank to obtain the bonus offered at the time by the Government. Tho financial troubles which commenced in 1892 placed a damper on the whole business, although. Mr. Smith proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that iron and steel of the finest quality could be produced by his methods, which he declared were both simple and cheap. Nothing further was done till 189 C, when Mr. Smith went to England to raise a company. He was partly successful, but after .spending £BOOO and receiving applications for £178.000 of '•hares, the broker became involved in financial speculations, over which Mr. Smith had no control, and the New Zcalander returned to his home a much saddened man. He continued in his efforts to promote industry, became known as "Ironsand Smith"" far and wide, and preached his gospel at all times and at all hours. In 1901 he and the late Sir Alfred Cadman proceeded to England with the intention of introducing British capital into the venture. The loading scientists reported most favorably as to the quality of the iron and steel shown and manufactured, but vexatious delays in the financial world prevented anything tangible from being done. Then Mr. Smith later returned to England alone. Failing health rendered it impossible for him to carry out his project to a successful issue, and then Mr. J. H. Witheford, who is now in New Zealand, took up the burden. Mr. E. M. Smith died in 1907, without realising the supreme hope of his life, and all interest in the industry languished until his second son, Mr. J. C. Smith, followed in his father's footsteps, and in conjunction with Messrs Tweedale and BransgTove commenced experiments for the making of iron and extracting a new element of platiniferous nature. The experiments were supported financially by a local syndicate and arrangements were made with the Parapara Company for the use of the works at Moturoa which the present syndicate is using.

The experimenters had a small furnace* and plant at Air, Tweedale's, in Powderham Street, and, nothing daunted, another series of tests were made. The platiniferous element was extracted, «ind it was proved to do work equally as well .as platinum, which is three times as valuable as .sold. Wire was fashioned from it and used on wireless stations, as well as on motor cars for ignition purposes, with the most gratifying results. But the syndicate, realising that a great amount of capital was required, suspended operations.