The Fort Phillip Mine, Victoria.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4425, 10 March 1883, Page 2

The Fort Phillip Mine, Victoria.

The following report, condensed from an article appearing in. a late number of th« Australasian, shonld be of interest to all mitiiag men:—

The reduction works are very extensive, and on going over the area on which they are erected, a visitor, not acquainted with the mysteries of gold-getting, might suppose he was in the midst of machinery employed for the purpese of treating some of the baser metals. The numerous tramways, the large chimney-stacks, the furnaces, and the vast extent of ground covered with weather-board buildings,, under which are placed the engines and stamps, are bewildering, and seem out of all proportion to the result arrived at —a cake of gold every few days, which a man can carry away in a small bag. There is, however, no single machine or implement that is not required. The number of stampheads is 80—six batteries of 12 heads and one of 8 heads, and each battery is divided r into coffers of four. The weight of the stamps varies from 6cwt. to Bcwfc.,. and the number of blows per minute is about 75t The 80 head of stamps, two stone-breaking machines, seven buddies, five iron amalgamating barrels, and two steam barrels, are"* - driven by one engine, expansiveand condensing, having a 25in. cylinder and 4ft. stroke, the nominal horsepower being 60, bnt work* ing to 130-horsepower, being supplied with' steam at 651b. pressure. The buddies are 24ft. in diameter, and each makes seven revolutions per minutes; the amalgamating barrels are 2ft. in diameter, and make 15 revolutions per minute; and the steam barrels, 2ft. lOin. in diameter, -and make nine revolutions per minute. Two Chilian mills, and the concentrators and cradels for treating pyrites, are drivenbyal2in. oylinder engine. Two lOin. double acting pumps for lifting . water from the creek to the stamps, the average quantity raised being 600 gallons per minute, are attached to a 10 h.p. engine. - ■_■• ■■■■ • - ; .'• ■■ ■••■■•■^

The quartz is in the first instance sent to the stonebreaking machines, and passes thence to the stampers. The coffers have a front and back delivery, and the thick, strong perforated copper plates—having only 84 holes to the square Inch—are placed at such a height as to serve the intended parpose better than thin plates with 120 or 250 holes to the square inch. Thin plates, finely perforated, soon wear out, and an immense amount of unnecessary work is done by. the stampers in all places where they are used. By raising or lowering the thick plates, the material oan be reduced to any degree of fineness. No mercury is put in the stamper boxes. The crushed quartz falls on mercury troughs, and thence passes' over blanket strakes from 6ft. to Bft. in length to the buddies, where the pyrites are saved. The waste from the buddies is conveyed over other blanket strakes, and a little gold, as well as a small quantity of pyrites, is caught by them. The pyrites are sent to the rever* beratory furnaces, and roasted with great care, the fires and the draught being so managed as to maintain only sufficient heat to volatilize the sulphur and arsenic. The pyrites when quite "sweet" are sent to the Chilian mills, and the waste from them runs into an oscillating cradle, which saves any small particles of free gold and amalgam and mercury. The material taken from the cradle is put into a revolving barrel, filled with hot water. The water is kept near tko boiling point by wast© steam from the engine, and after treatment for 40 or 48 hours the most of the floured mercury is recovered. It will be noted that Mr Eland's processes differ essentially from those which find favour at other mills:—l. Mercury is never put in the coffers. 2. Copper-plates are not used. 3, Eeliance is placed on buddies, with Man* day's patent scrapers, for saving the pyrites. 4. The utmost care is taken in roasting the pyrites. The results under such a system are altogether satisfactory. The percentage of gold got in the stamper beds is 59.20; in the boxes, 20-67; by the blankets, 10.35; and by the Chilian mills, 9.7B—equal to 100.

The total results of the mining operations of the Port Phillip and Colonial Gfoldmining [Company during the past 26 years are, perhaps, unequalled in the history of any similar adventure in the world, not so much for the immense quantity of gold obtained but for the extraordinary skill displayed in dealing with quartz by no means rich. The company have crushed since 1857 to the end of 1882,1,235,962 tons of stone, whichyielded 494,2300zs 2dwts 13grs of gold, the valae of the same being £1,979,992 18s 7d. The largest quantity of quarts crushed in one year was 69,319 tons, the highest yield for the year was lqz 9dwts; the lowest for the year 3dwts 23grs; and. the average of 20 years 7dwts 23grs. The total cost connected with mining and crushing the quarts for the same period of 20 years was on an average of £1 3s 3d per ton, and this includes the cost of the splendid maohinery now erected at the mine. At first the cost of labor, v carriage of maohinery,. tools, and all tha materials required for such works waslvezy - heavy. The crushing of the quarta alone when work was commenced was at the rate of 28s per ton: and being the only quartz crushing establishment on a large scale afc that time, the manager had difficulties to contend with which few will ever again experience in this colony. When the mine was in full work—from 1867 to 1874—the com- : pany crushed 5,000 tons of stone per month of four weeks, and the total cost of raising and crushing, including all expenses, was no more than 16s per ton.

The distribution of the large amount of money, gained mainly through.-.the. skill, patience, and assiduity of the general manager, can scarcely be regarded without satisfacw tion. i The figures are as follows:— ■

Eemitted to London by the

Port Phillip Co. ... £225,028 19 4t dunes Quartz Mining Co. ' (dividende) ... ... 118,415 2 U Eoyalty paid to the pro-

prietors of the land .... 138,731 11 4 Cost of raising and crushing ;.:;;;/:

quartz, erection of ma- '*. " chinery, &c, ... 1,497,817 5 0

£1,979,992 18 7 The men who paid at the rate of £1 per acre for a small area within which the reefs occur havo received nearly £139,000; and the 1 company that contributed something less than £10,000, after Mr Bland assumed the the management of the works, have had remitted them over £225,000. Asregardstho 1 sums paid to the proprietors of the soil, one may well feel astonished. . They expended - £160 in the purchase of a piece of land which would have supported a few sheep, and they have reaped profits sufficient.to. demoralise a hundred speculators. It is some satisfaction to believe that they would have bean happier and moro prosperous in their several spheres if they had selected?land in which no golden reefa were to b& found.

The Port Phillip mine should be visited' by mining managers who have the control of largo works either in Victoria or iv the neighboring colonies. They cannot fail to be impressed with the porfoction of the several appliances, and to carry away with' them new ideas as to the several methods of treating auriferous quartz and pyrites. It ia a mining school in practical operation. ' where everyone may study with advantage to himself, and it is greatly to be regretted that fortune has not beeu kiud iv exposing at the greater depths reefa of quartz which are worth breaking out and bringing to the surface. As already mentioned, the method of working, both ou the surface and below . is excellent. The ventilation especially isgood. Mr Bland was the first peraou iv the colony to introduce Roofs patent btow«V

and that means the preservation, of the health of the miners, and in not a few cases tho saving of lives. The first was placed at tho Port Phillip mine. It cost only £70, but tho value to the company and to the workmen was at once apparent. Men can do far more work, in a pleasant cool atmosphere than in a moist, foggy impure air. . Such an invention was of course derided by the ignorant,, bnt in a little time its usefulness be-, oame known and appreciated. When the same gentleman took the control of tho Winter's Freehold mine, he formd the air in the drives so impure, that only miners who could find employment nowhere else would consent to work in it; but after introducing the blower good miners unhesitatingly went below. So great was the improvement in the ventilation, that after leaving work in the.face, and when approaching the outlet pipes,, the men had to put on their coats, The air coming through the pipes was cold and pure, and it was soon discovered that here also there was a great saving.. In good air men can labour without fatigue.