BOATMAN'S.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 9 July 1880, Page 2

BOATMAN'S.

'■ (FBOM OXTB MINING-EEPOETEB.) WELCOME. The late fine weather has been very • favorable lor the prosecution of the works in connection with the erection of the battery, and good headway has been innde. The battery will consist of ten i heads of 7cwfc stampers, and will be driven by a water-wheel of 25 t diameter and; oft breast. In order to pro* vide for the contingencies of the future, thp wheel has beep made capable of driv< ing 2& head, in addition to the necessury . berdans and other gold>saying appliances. The cost of the whole when erected will, I believe,.be considerably under £3,000, and everything should be out of.the con 'tractors' hands by the month of Septem* ber. Although some comment has taken place relative to the course pursued by .the directors in thus erecting an indepen-

dent battery, a moments r< fiction ought to convince any one of the undoubted wisdom of the step. The company has already expended about £4,500 upon crushing ajonp, and tie whole of that large expenditure has been pracljcally lost to the company. Hitherto- it has cost, I believe I am correct in saying. lGs per ton for crushing, while the estimated cost of reduction is believed to be not more than 5s per ton, and the large dif* ference between these, sums v '&« ll s P pr ton would represent the enving to the Welcome Company through having a battery of their own. In addition to ! this there ajie collateral advantages of I the very highest moment to tlie company. In the first plncp, the stone will henceforth be transferred direct from the mine to the battery, without the necessity of intermediate paddocks, ond with stone as rich $s the best c/ the- Welcome, this is an all-important consideration. In order to convey the stone from the same part of the mine to the presentbatterv, the stone w uld hare to be handled three times. The company will moreover be now en" abled, if found necessary, to erect additional appliances for the saving of gold, and will, if desired, be able to store the tailings. The whole of 1 hese works are being carried on simultaneously with the i opening up ol the roiae at a low level, and at the present rate of progress the whole of the works will be finished at about the. same time.. That time will fully and abundantly justify the step which has been taken, there is not a shadow ol d übt, and the shareholders may be safely ' congratulated upon possessing one of the finest mining propertit s in jSTew Zealand.