THE ONEHUNGA IRON SAND SMELTING WORKS. [BY TELEGRAPH.-OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1653, 8 February 1883, Page 2

THE ONEHUNGA IRON SAND SMELTING WORKS. [BY TELEGRAPH.-OWN CORRESPONDENT .]

1 ' Auckland, Last Night. ■ The smelting works at Onehuuga, tor treating the ijnmense iron sand deposits of tne Manukau Harbour, commenced work ' to-day, and several ingots of marketable iron of excellent quality were produced. There can be no doubt of the genuineness ofc the success. iTjhe works were erected under, the -supervision of. a Pjiiladelphian named, YV. H. Jones, who, while in America, was manager of aii> iron sand smelting work. The process' used is known as Wa-lsoh's Oxidising Furnace, iuid it lias been in use three years in America. Mr Jones 4 states ilvxt the blast furnaces were tried in America as in Taranaki, and estimates that the American iron.nasters lost i fully , ten million dollars experimenting w ith blast furnaces. He also states that •yvhile American sand contains eply 30 j>er cent of iron, the New Zealand sand colitains (50 per cent ; coal is cheaper here, and labour about the same. At present only one furnace is at work at Onehunga, but the proprietor is so satisfied that he will erect several others. The success of the smelting is of immense importance to the North Island,' as the deposits of iron sand extend along the West Coast from the Manukau to Taranaki.