A VISIT TO THE BATTERY AT WAIORONGOMAI.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1694, 15 May 1883, Page 2

A VISIT TO THE BA TTER Y AT WAIORONGOMAI.

The large building in which the battery is erected is situated on the western side of the Waiorongotnai creek, near where the stream emerges from between high ranges, and from thence winds through the flat to the Waihou River. The building is 85ft. by 82ft., and the walls 18ft. high. The roof is covered with coriugated iron. Twenty-four sky-lights and 12 windows will give sufficient light during the day, and at night 12 large kerosene lamps are to used. The stamps are 40 in number, five stampers to one box, and are ge.ired in four diffeient batteries, ten stampers to each battery. Thu bed log on which the boxes are fixed is of solid kauri, three feet square, and 62 feet in length, laid on cross logs 12 inches square, and thu whole bolted down on a solid concrete foundation. JCach battery of stamps is supported by cast iron columns and brackets stayed with inch and eighth and inch and quarter round iron diagonal stays. The length of each stnmper and shank complete is 12ft,, and the weight 10 cwfc. ; the shanks are three inches in diameter, and fitted with screw disks and jam nuts. The stamps are to be wi ought, with a nine-inch drop which can be increased to 11 inches, but the latter is seldom used. The driving shaft, which is sin. and the cam shaft 4^iu. in diameter, are fixed in front of the columns. Each battory h.\s a separate cam shaft, geared from the driving shaft with a set of two-to-ono cog-wheel gearing, and provided with a disconnecting clutch attached to the dtiviug-shaft pinion. The stamps are driven by two Furneyron Turbines ot 60 horse-power each ; one fixed at cither end, and geared to the driving shaft. The belting from the 20m. wheel on the turbine shaft to a five-feet dm ing-wheel, is of the best ten-inch rubber. This fivefeet wheel is geared to the main driving shaft with a set of heavy 1 to o pinion wheels. The turbines are powerful enough singly to drive the whole of the stamps', but both will be used as there will be less strain on the diiving shaft. The tables, which are 6ft, 4in. in width, are provided with No 20 guage copper plates ; there are three drops to each, five inches between the plates, seven inches from lower plate into trough, and five inches from trough to the olanket streaks, which are 22 feet in length The berdans are 12 in number, arranged in one row in frames of Gin x Gin, heart of kauri timber, and are driven by a turbine of 20 horse-power, the driving shaft is 70 feet long, 2'i inch iron, and each berdan is provided with separate clutch gear. The berdans are 4 feet in diameter, and are so set that when water is up to tlie brim in front there will only be tliree-quarters of an inch on the bottom behind the boss. The berdans are situated to admit of trucks on a small tramway miming between the blanket troughs at the foot of the tables, and the feeding boxes at the back of each berdan. The hoppers into which the quartz is to be tipped from the tramway waggons are situated immediately behind the building, so th.it the self-feeding hoppers placed near the stamp boxes are filled by means of an iron shoot from each door. In order to insure that the qnaitz falling into the main hoppers shall not exceed a certain iize a large iron grating is placed over each where the waggons are to be emptied, the large rocks will roll down the grating to a platform, where they are to be broken by hand labour in the meantime, but eventually stone-breaking machines, driven by water- j owcr, are to be substituted. There is one self-feeding hopper to each stamper- box, and the quartz is discharged into the stamperbox in the following manner :— The bottom and lift of a self-feeding hopper is a cast iron circular plate or disc, 20 inches in diameter, provided with a circle of levelled teeth on the side, under this is set with a slight incline, the lower edge being about six inches above the opening to the stamper-box, a spindle from the under side of the plate resting in a socket supports it, and leaves it free to revolve. Alongside of the second stamp from the outside of each battery a bumping rod with rubber spring top is so arranged that when the stamp drops to 5f of an inch from the bottom, the bumping rod receives a blow from the ' disc on the stamper shank each time it descends. The bumping rod is attached to the end of a lever with a spring return, which works a ratchet • on the axle of which is a small bevel wheel with teeth fitting those on the under side of the plate, which forms the bottom of the hopper, When quartz gets low in the stamp-box, the disc strikes the bumpiugrod ; this, by the aid of the spring return, woiks the ratchet, and the plate in caused to revolve by the bevelled pinion, The quartz resting on the plate is thus carried to the edge ; immediately over the opening a guide plate is here fixed which sweeps it off into the stamp-box.' A gangway is built along the whole' length of the 40 stamps, on the top of the self feeding hoppers, and the levers attached to the doors of the main hoppers can be worked by any one walking on it. The person in charge of the feeding isthus enabled to attend to the whole of' fche stamps, and do all the work necessary, from this gangway. There are eight pots outside the building to, which the tailings are conveyed in a flume frotn the end of the blanket streaks. The level < floor near the berdans is laid with concrete, the remaining portions being laid where uecqssary with timber, A re-, torting liousb with two furnaces and concrete floor is erected in front of the main building near the tailing pits The whole of the building, the hoppers and tramway are erected in the most substantial manner, 'the battery being one of the most complete of its kind, and provision is made to adopt such suitable labour-saving appliances - as may enable the proprietors to crush qhartzat a much, less cost than is required in connection' with most batteries in this part of New Zealand. A great deal more might be said, in order to give a just description of the, ba^Jiery, Jbufc, future opportunities l will. OQCur"' after' s a' commencement has been made in reducing quartz, and. extracting gold, w v ben the manner in which the work is 'carried on ' may ' also be added.

What is the difference between a' trumpeter, and a hornet ?— Why, the trumpeter is^cor'net of horse, 'find the other is a hornet, of course. - A person who Had. .been listening to a very dull Address Jenifer ked J that everything > went , off weli '—? especially the