WAIORONGOMAI.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2549, 10 November 1888, Page 2

WAIORONGOMAI.

Mining.—A somewhat more satisfied feeling is shown here lately in mining matters. It is to be sincerely hoped that we have bottomed the bad times, and that the past severe lesson of struggle may, at this June ture, give renewed vigour to those miners who. either through stress of circumstances or a fixed faith in the place, have stood by it waiting fur better times. The fact that every day produces a visible addition to the oxleiisive works of the Te Aroha Silver and Goldmining Company, and that those resident ii.inerx, whose services were temporally dispensed with, have been able to scratch out a living through bush-falling, &c, combined with the rumour that a very considerable number of men will be required on the hill, probably within the ne:<t three weeks, may account to some extent for the better and iniii-e hopeful view of things taken by the people of Waiorongomfii, and indeed by the generality of the whole community of this mining district. Of course, it is understood that the success of this place is not exactly waiting on individual effort on the miners' part. The ground acquired by the To Aruha Silver and Gold Mining Company has already been found of great value. Miles of tramwiy, far into the hills, are already constructed to connect the workings with the works below, and, as these are neariug completion, it may interest some of your readers to know somewhat of the nature of them—extent and pnnii so. The new buildings, which are marly linished, aie the battery and the roasting and rererber itory furnace works, respectively, about, 'JO or 100 feet square. In the battery building there is a powerful twin pelton, made by Messrs Price Bros., of the Thames. This is driven by water, and is connected by belts with a 4ft. puliy, which drives the whole gear. It may ba mentioned that the Rearing of the battery lus been altogether altered trom what it was formerly. Tho driving shaft, instead of being in front of the stampers is now behind and lower down, and is driven now by belts instead of cogwheels, each ten bend of stampers being, as it were, separate. There are 40 stampers, which have been recently raised four feet from their original position, tho object being, to give agreiter fall towards the concentrators. There will be no tables as formerly, the stuff going direct from the copper plate to the concei* tratois. In appearance these concentrators remind one of a Wliarfdale printing machine, but of otiursn, are entirely different in construction. They are termed the True Varnier concentrators, and there will be eighteen of them in their places, all (I am told), to be in full swing within three weeks from now. The foundation on which thesn concentrators rest is of solid concrete, and when in working order, I hope to bo able to describe the peculiarities of their motion, etc., Kach one of these concentrators I understand, cost £100. Passing from the battery to the roasting works I observed a circular saw doing excellent work with timber sent down from the hills. The erection of this has proved of great value to the company inasmuch as it has cut almost every foot of timber in the buildings. About a dozen carpenters are busily employed just now in completing the erection of the furnace works' building. Th<s brick work of the furnace is finished, together with a stack l! 5 feet high, and containing about 100,000 bricks, mostly made at Te Aroha and Hamilton. The foundation of the loaster is of stone, got on the ground through blasting and clearing away. It is expected that this building will be completed in four weeks time. Eyerything is now ready for the roaster to be put in position. As soon as the castings arrive from Price's foundery work will be proceeded with. Attached to these buildings there is being erected a large strong sampling room, from the floor of which the stone can be shot down into a stone-breaker, and from there it is carried by elevators into the battery hopper."., where it may be treated as may be thought fit. I omitted to mention that there is a tramway connected from tho battery building to c mvey tailings to a building about ten chains distant, where there is a complete tailings' plant. Whilst at the works I noticed thatjarge quantities of timber had been seiit along the Company's tram line by the contractor, Mr Howland, who has upwards of twenty men employed, including three pairs of sawyers continually fletching. These fletchers are shot down tbn bill and carried over to tho Company's tramway by a wire tram 10 cluins in lengths. On the whole the works look exceedingly promising in many respects, and weather and other circumstances permitting, should be finished in a month's time. They will be, as far as I know, the most extensive and complete works of their class, when finished, in New Zealand, and the cost I am told, will tot up pretty well to £40,000. This large amount of money, or something near to it, will have probably passed through the hands of a gentleman who it is said has this week resigned his office as manager, to give place to Mr Howell, but whatever Mr H. Adams' faults may be, he must be credited with having proved himself to be a man of great energy, perseverance, aud undoubted ability. CIUCKRT. —A rather powerful Cricket Club is now in existence here, composed of old and cute veterans at the willow. They intend trying there strength against the Te Aroha Cricket Club »n Friday, and the secretary tells me but for their juvenility and consequent bashfullness (as a Club) they should very much have liked to have had a cut in for the Waikato cup.

The Park's Furnace. —With reference tn Mr Parke's smelting process, which has been experimented upon during the last three or four weeks at Karangahake. I have it on the best authority that the coal he has had to use lias proved unfit for the purporae. It is the Kamo coal, which Mr Parkes condemned at Paeroa when he saw it, but he was induced by interested friends to give it a trial, thereby jeopardising his good name. The coal complained of it appears runs into clinker, and takes over seven hours to get to anything like a sufficient heat, whilst the Grey or Newcastle coal will do the work clean, and in three hours. Refining commences on Wednesday, and the result is looked forward to wich groat interest. Mr Parkes has no intention of leaving the district until he has thoroughly tested the rich deposits of the Champion and Tui lodes at Te Aroha.