THE WAIPA LIMEWORKS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2873, 11 December 1890, Page 3

THE WAIPA LIMEWORKS.

I.BY UUI WH.U'AV.TfATA COIUUCSrONUKNT.) Havinu a few hours to spare, I thought U could not bedeioted ton bettor purpi s-> than in paying !i vi.iit to Messrs Cuinel! and Co.'s newly established limcworks. for a long period lime in small quantities lias been turned out from Waipa limestone but this is tho fust time that preparations have been made for a largo and cheap output. C'fosaiup; our sub.-tantial Waipa bridge, which by tho way, lias shown the lirsfc premonitory symptoms etc., by recently requiring a new pile, takes me along the main county road lending to Raglan. Signs of improvement are to ba seen everywhere, Messis Higginson, Macdonald. ifcbeush, Swanson and Bruce are gradually getting their properties into frond order, and tho. heal hy 'o iking » ch.ird at Mr iUoLeisfis. shows that that geiKiotn ill is not overlooking what is, or should be, one of the most imp pi'tiint branches of farming. In Mr Bruce's tho remains of the burnt flax mill, in the shape of a few charred pn-Os and heaps of cornmated iron, are to he seen, but the engine, which has been painted and renovated, looks h. tho ordinary observer to be as good as ever. Just lievutid here, and where tbo Raglan road first touches the river, tho lime kiln is situated, but, wi-hing to begin at the beginning, I pushed on to tiie quarry, which. is upon tho top of the range, two and ahalf miles distant. Tlu ride up to the (piarry is a very pleasant one. Some capital hind alonr.' this road has recently been fenced in by .Mr Bruce, but L was sorry to notice that in some of the best portions of it tho übiquitous biiar had obtained a good footing. Tlii! bush scenery, which unfolds itself as tiie tr.i\ oiler passes along tho winding road leading w,\ the hills is very charming. There is illustrated a peculiarity oflcn met with in Xew Zealand, ia._' reige is hire of everything' r- scent fern, and the adjoining range, divided only by ;»liulii in .'intaiii stream, is densely wooded to the very bottom. About half way rp tl; i m.atnUin, .f came across one of tho hv.iui.eunnce eonHactor's men, busy impairing the damage done by a landslip, soiui-iliii-.g liie a slip. A great slice of tho land firm abovti had come down, carrying the formed r adway with it, and t.ho whole lot had s'id down into the creek 1..1' below : v.liei.' it lay in u heap, looking more like butter than anything else. .Some distance further on is tiie quarry. So far at> can bo judged, the whole, hill is composed uE limestone, not e.aetly solid, for it seemed to ba in i.ninen-e blocks, winch have to be blasted out, and then spanled (as thu men technically termed it) into convenient sized pieces for handling. Tiie KUpply is simply inexhaustible, aud at the spot chosen for tile quarry, the limestone towers high above tho ru.n). There was one curious feature about thu limestone, which neither the ijuarryuien, or your correspondent Hen;, so to speak, geological enough to explain. This was the midden change in the colour of the stone, after getting into it a low feet from creamy while to dark blue. I send you a small piece as a specimen, from the. quarry the slono is carted by Mr liruee, at the late of four loads a day with a single waggon, aud one and a quarter tons each time. The pulling ii all down hill, so that the work isnothoavy on the horses, but should the industry attain anything like large dimensions the llagliin C unity Council will have a bono to pick with Mr IJruce, unless he widens his wheel tires considerably. Retracing my way down to thu kiln, I could not help being impressed with the immense amount of valuable timber which is available iu these mountain valleys, of great variety aud tho best quality, it could ba delivered on the banks of the Waipa (judging by tho rate at which the linicstono is carted), for a mere trifle. Arrniiij* at the kiln, 1 found all hands hn»y hugging lime. Tho first shipment of iiOhags had gone away tho day provides, and another lot of 150 sucks were being got ready. The kiln is very conveniently situ -.tod, heing let in. as it wore, into the upper river terrace. Tho limestone and coal are fed in together at tho tup which is on a level with the main road, and the burnt lime drawn out ;it the bottom. A platform is being made so ;,s to run tiie bags of lime direct into tlu, steamer, while thero is a convenient -...adway for carts. No oxpensa) seems to have been spared in tho erection of the kiln, which Is built of bricks and faced inside with limestone, its present capacity heii.g about 2o tons of stone per woek yielding nomo 17 tons of lime. The lime 1 saw at the kilu was of excellent quality, and it is, I believe, tho intention of Messrs Cannell and Co., to sell at the lowest price, so as to establish a ponnanant sraifp. YVho'her the lime, for agricultural purposes, will have tho beneficial effect which is claimed for it, is u question, that vari.o and careful teste alone can determine, but Waikatofarmeu will be glad to welcome are' change from the present heavy annual outlay of thousands of pounds, for artificial manures, the good results of which are but fleeting, and in many cases more than doubtful.