TARANAKI IRONSAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1916, Page 3

TARANAKI IRONSAND.

CONVERSION INTO PIGIRON. NEW PROCESS TESTED. What is claimed to be a successful process for the conversion of Taranaki ironsand into pigiron lias been brought to a complete stage after many months' experimental work. Messrs .1. A. Hcskett and W. P. Heskott, of Melbourne, and Mr. S. E. Eraser, consulting engineer, of Auckland, arc the discoverers of the process. At Auckland, on Tuesday, a quantity of the pigiron in its raw state was submitted to a test at the works of Messrs George Eraser and Sons, engineers, in Stanley Street, and it is reported to have been most satisfactory. The test was witnessed !>v a number of engineers and others, including Messrs S. Dalrymple and 0. Bell, Government inspectors of machinery. D. Gillies, superintendent engineer for the Union Steamship Company in Auckland. J. C. Jones. R. X. Smith, and S. Nichols! The fluidity of the pigiron was most favorably commented upon, and the inventors were congratulated upon the success which attended the experiments. Fretwork plaques direct from the moulds were shown as examples of the quality of the metal.

In the new process the crude ironsand is mixed with eoal dust and put in coking ovens and retorts. ]t comes out like a cinder. It is then in the intermediary stage between ironsand and pigiron. The material is next placed in :fn ordinary blast furnace with a suitable (lux, and after the required temperature is reached and there is a sufficient depth ot the molten iron at the bottom of the furnace the furnace is tapped ami" the pig-iron flows out into moulds.

A syndicate lias been formed, and it is expected that th„ works, which it is proposed to erect at a cost of £3,3.000, will he able to turn out -200 tons of pio--irou weekly, and that the metal can be sold at a price which would compare favorably with the best quality of imported pigiron. The capital of the company, which it is proposed to form, will be .CCO.OOu in il shares.-Am-kland licrald.