NEW STEAM ENGINE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 189, 17 May 1872, Page 3

NEW STEAM ENGINE.

The Australasian in its “ Mining Items” aa y S Rasche’s Patient Direct-acting Steam Battery” for the reduction of quartz, has been before the public for some time, and has already been mentioned in our columns. It has now been brought forward with modifications and. improvements, and in its new form it has met with the approval of scientific men and practical quartz-miners. A practicable model of the machine is on view at the Vulcan foundry, in A’Recket-street, and on Saturday last this was seen in motion by many gentlemen well qualified to pronounce an opinion as to its merits, and performed to their entire satisfaction. Rasche’s battery is a machine that works somewhat in the same manner ns a steamhammer. Besides a boiler, cylinder, and piston, and the necessary stampers, it has scarcely any ether gear. Steam.is admitted under the piston, which in rising carries up the stamp shafts(four in number) along with it. The necessary elevation havingbeen reached, the stamps are liberated by a simple'contrivance, and falling upon the quartz under treatment perform the required crushing process. The chief merits claimed for the machine are cheapness and portableness. A four stamp battery will cost £l5O, the stamps being of scwt., each, and the whole machine weighing about 3 tons, and the number of strokes varying from 60 to 120 a minute,

according to the area of the tables, and the velocity of the discharge of the tailin o-s No part of the machine, we are informed (except, of course, the boiler,) is beyond the power of a horse to carry on its back, and if it (the machine) proves as efficient in practice as it pronns-s to he, it will piove the means of introducing quartz crushing apparatus into regions quite inacessiiilo to a dry reducing machinery. Persons interested in quartz countrv difficult of access should see Rasclie’s machine, and form their own judgment as to its merits,

HIGHWAY BOARDS The following correspondence has been “handed to us for publication : “ Office Parawai District Board, “May 14, 1872. 11 Sir,—With reference to my letter No. 61 of yesterday’s date, I have the honor to enclose for your Honor’s information an extract from the- Thames Guardian newspaper of this day, being a report Qf a meeting of the Kaliaerattga District Board held yesterday evening, at which this Board’s letter of yesterday, upon the subject of the main road, was discussed. From (lie nature of the decision thereon this Board consider they have no alternative but to ask your Honor for an order for the formation of the said road under section 22 of the 1 Highway Boards Empowering Act, 1871 ;’ and I therefoie enclose a petition to that effect. “ I beg, however, to remark that the instrument under the hand of the Governor of the 14th February last does not appear to have been made public in any Gazette. “ I have, &c., “ Joseph Banks, “ Chairman P. D. B. “ ITis Honor the Superintendent, Auckland.”

“ To his Honor T. B. Gillies, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Auckland. “The petirion of the Parawai District Board respectfully sheweth : “ 1. That by an instrument under the hand of his Excellency the Governor, bearing date the 14th day of February last, it is declared that the road passing through the Waiotahi, Kauaeranga, and Parawai districts respectively,from Tararu to the Kaunernnga Creek, at the Thames, shall be a main road for the purposes of part V of the 1 Highway Boards Empowering Act, 1871.’ 2. That a portion of such main road lying between the Parawai boundary and the bridge at the Hape Creek (being entirely within the Kauaeranga Highway District) is not a sufficiently formed road within the meaning of the said Act, inasmuch as the said road is barely practicable at present for the increased traffic of the two districts, and will, in the opinion of this Board, as the winter progresses, become impassable. “ 3. That this Board is of opinion that some portion of the 1 Colonial Contribution Money’ allotted to the Kauaeranga District should at once be applied towards the formation of such road, but this Board is not willing that any portion of the 1 Colonial Contribution Money’ allotted to the Parawai Highway District should be so applied. 11 This Board therefore prays that your Honor will make an order under the 22nd section of the said Act for the formation of a sufficient road through that portion of the Kauaeranga Highway District herein referred to, and your petitioners will ever pray, &e. “Signed on behalf of the Par vvai District Board this 14th day of May, 1872. 11 Joseph Banks, 11 Chairman Parawai District Board.’’