THE SCHOOL OF MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5030, 25 February 1885, Page 3

THE SCHOOL OF MINES.

(To the Editor of the Evening Star.) Sib,—The deputation to Sir J*lius Voeel re a School of Minei hare evidently made a muddle of their job. This has come about solely because they did not know exactly what was wanted. Having hid some experience in the matter, I will try to point out what is required, and •how how it would benefit capitalists and workmen alike. t To be of real utility, the instruction given would need to be both practical and theoretical; and for the prelent the School could be carried on at* an evening chute, in connection with the Thanei High School, at a very small expense in comparison with the good it would do. In the first place, it would be nteMitry to secure the services of two good men: one to teach by means of lectures, diagrams, &c, with occasional riliti to working mines, the practical part of mining, with all that relates to mining Y—lurreying, and the machinery and tools tp> njed in the business; and the other to teaoh mathematics, hydraulics, dynamics, geology, metallurgy, chemistry, and Miaying. The expense, to commence with, need not be very great—say £100 —at the High School people have chemical apparatus, and most of the other thing! necemry could be made when 4 they were required. There must, of count, be books for reference, and furnaces, with their fittings, which could be of the class called " Fletcher's.' of Warrington,l burning mixed gas and air, and ai the school grew older, these things would be gradually improved and a muienm formed. I will now endeavor to giro an outline of the work which could he carried on say five evenings per week. We will suppose the School started with, ■ay, 20 to 50 pupils, each paying a fee of 10s per quarter, strictly in advance—all in attendance at 7 o'clock on Monday evening. The Professora having met and arraoged a curriculum, we will say that on Monday Mr J— —, the practical man, commenced by telling the pupils exactly what they have to learn, and r in short, giving a lecture illustrated in a proper manner until say 9 p.m.—the pupils taking 1 notes, on ,which the Professor would examine them, first thing, on the next, •vening he addressed them. On Tuesday jj r A—rp, the theoretical man, would meet the same class and tell them exactly what he intended to teach, giving, say, a lesson in mathematics, and so on through' i out the whole term, each lecturer taking i the class on alternate evenings, except Satnrdays, and continuously carrying forward the work b*gun until the end of the course. The effect of these instructions would be to teach our men—and in fact any man who attended—how to win payable ore at the least expense and with the greatest safety, and having got; it out of the ground to fully discover its contents and obtain those of them which were valuable, with the least loss and at the cheapest rate. Very soon anyone having, say, 10 or 100 tons of tailings, would forward a fair sample 1 of say 5000 grains with a small fee of, say, 5s to the School of Mines. The bag containing them would be numbered and the number - and owner's name entered in a book ruled in certain columns for No., date, owner s name, weight, assayed by, products.. The Professor would give out to two of the pupils each say lOOOgrs of these tailings, telling them how to find out their contents—and so fascinating is this kind of etudy, that I know they would frequently " want to stay a few minutes longer, Sir,' just to finish this "—and if on oomparing i the results, he found them very nearly alike; he would enter the pupils names j and the products in the proper columns j of the book before described; but if, there was any great discrepancy, he: would weigh out another 1,000 grains. and superintend its assay himself, showing and explaining the reasons of previous failure. When the owner came, a copy of the register would be given him, and iff the event of any dispute there would still be the other 2,000 grains for proof. The same way with bullion, but of eonrse only say 25 grains would be required. We should then soon.cease to hear of such a large percentage of the I gold being lost, and there would—with a removal of the stupid restrictions as to mining for other things than gold—be a great revival of prosperity at the Thames, and a corresponding increase in the welfare of the whole country. I may remark that there are gentlemen living here, whom I know to be capable of taking the position of professors in' a School of Mines, such as I have sketched out, and M I know they love teaching, I do not i think it would be difficult to gain their services, or very expensive to retain them —only we must remember, that a School of Mines takes time to perfect. But to go to the Government asking for a large «urn of money, only to create fat-billets, is just the way to choke the whole thing. I shall be glad to give any further in for- . mation necessary, and to assist in every possible way.in making it a success.— —I am, &c, /: _ Gho. Den*t, Chemist.

Pollen street, Thames, 2»th Feb., 1805.