THE TREATMENT OF TAILINGS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1630, 23 November 1885, Page 2

THE TREATMENT OF TAILINGS.

[THAMXt ADTIRTXBRX.}

Onr renders will recollect that a «li-.trt time Bine« the New Zealand Sm Mn% Company decided, on the

recommendation of Mi- Lane, to ' ( telegraph to America for one of" Fru»-'s i Ore Concentrators" to enttMe th<ni to render the Lattery taiMns»smaiesnita'>l» j for treat mo; it at their funmcf, which has b^en erected on tho io; (-shore. If the concentratov referred to can be made to operate as satisfactorily liere as it has evidently done in Cnlifar'iia, our circumstances will W? oinsiJora'ily improved, for we will lie eiiahled there by to not only utilise what is rnnuiii^ away to waste just now, Imt, will al«o be in a position to profi f i «ly treat the hamhvdg of thousands of ton* of valuable tailings that have aocuraalated on oar foreshore since the op ning of the field. In writing of this machine, Mi- O Tlmreau in his report «>f mining in C;i!iforui'i and Neva«la in lS79,says: — "The result of suiiples of raw sa i>!s w>s'ied in my pvpswiifle «n Sau Fra cl^co for o»>mj.'n tration were most satisfactory. Both tai'in<2B and Rick >aml, as Ujron- j up by the PaciSe 0-,-e m. w^rc testel with i-qnallv convincing results is to th<* capabilities of tlii)» concentr.itor. The Mack san.l which was mixed with , titnnifVrotis iron B<ind, and wag more > difficult to separate than tine «ofi and i pyrites from tailing. #aye, on system--1 atic tests l»y assay, an average vailn« ; of S dollars and 27 cents per ton of uncoticentrated sand as found in tit>s ► at the coast This sand, after treafctuetit in Fnie'aconcp.titi'atoi's, had been | enriched 'o 1035 dollars 43 cents per ! ton, with but a slight trace of gold m ) the tailings.** There can be no doubt } hut that the sul>j ?ct of concentration of tailing* ib a most important oie, and demand? greater attention at our hinds tlmn it has hitherto received.

The pro<loct of the concentrator will he Pali-able for thi» purpose of the La Monte furnace, or it can be shipped to Swansea, as is now heitijj done by the Bauk of New Ze'ilaml mv\ others, or to Germany, where the Swausea authorities forward it after they have

dealt with it, and for which tbi*y ob'a'n a go>d pric . Th* 1 following description of Fni"'e • Ore Concentrator is obtained from Mr Gor lon's report : — This macbing is simply an improvement in many I vesprets upon the well-known endless , l>)anket first brought under notice by ; | M»- Thomas Carpenter, ME. I's ■ I Culit'o-iiian prototype is ou the same j j prin -iple as a revolving and endless ! Manket, <-nly th-- mateii+ls used are ! of i» rater durability, and show s ; >rae j additional improvements in working, ' which luive «:dtd in the perfection «-f the machine. Two principal rollers at ( e.tih end of the ma«-hine carry the »>elt ■or endless bl.-tiikt r ; those rollers are ! made of galvanised sheet iron, rivetttd ! t.<- ther, 18 inch* 3 in diameter and 51 inches in length ; and a larger roller, 24 indies m diameter is placed midways and a ft-w inehfs Mow the line of the j lower periphery of the two end roller:-', so that the licit "bauds" one (he top , of tii«' end aid beneath th« inter* ■ i nivd'ate io' '"»•.- A fourth roller i? ai~o j provided, ir-iudo of lii^rd wood, which is . )>m^-u to a m»>v«b!e f.'!umfiier-i»lo»:k by ! a screw. This screw is also used to \ \ tak**np the sKitk on the b-)t canned by j the weight of th<- stuff aud \:aU'T, thus , pre\en»in^ the baiiuiig «>f t\\e bu'X | This »»e!t is 4ft. widn by 27ft. Bin. j louse, and it travels o<> a imml*r »f : intui mediate rollei-g. so ft* lo k»-^p an ; rvrn stirfai-f. It is made <>t vulcixjiiscd ! rubber and Al three p!y navy canvass I sine! it lias two rims at the sides, raised to 1J inches, thus forming an even, narro »' channel. The sand (crushed or otherwise) is run through a diftrif >uf ir tipju this revolving lielt in this way, that the '»e't tiaveis towards the feid and at the same time an additional supply of water, arranged in irregnlar drops or jets, is thrown in so as to prevent tli>- sand tVoiu forming ridges or grooves. When working not less than half an inch of sai.d should cover I the belt ; and in Oder to improve j the action of the 1« h «s a coneenj trator still further, three flat springs ! are provided, which are. worked by j eriU'k* of the roller. Thrse springs i ci>mmiii!icate a quick lateral motion. ' aliont 190p*r n«snute, to the l*lt, thus | inducing a kind of wavy notion, which results in bringing * lighter sand ou thw belt to the surface to be washed away. As the belt travels along i carrying the saud, the result is as ! follows : — •• The concentration takes ', place just beneath the fe«d where the metalliferous and concentrated parts of saniH are carried in the opposite . direction of the feed, whereas the waste remains on the belt until it fail* , into a launder at the opposite end. j The coneentiatrd pyriteg on the belt , are imineiSf d in the vessel provided , below in the order to be collected. These machines work very easily ; one , lad can attend to mow than half a j dozen of them, the Mily thing that „ wants reguliiiion being the ad«?itional j supply of pure water during the pro i oess. They may l»e placed immediately beneath the tailing sh<»ots, where they f can treat from s<x to ten tons per day. „ oOuiß kit.dred ronc?i.tiAtors require, an { i.o.diiittte amount of motive po we i, v •»i some cases up to thrmor more j ( hoi"s«- power each ; out in tiiis instance c from a quarter t«> half a horse-power is Rtuple for the purpose. This iiiA<-hiue is eiiii'iertly suited for re m working old iailing^ bi