lEON OEE AND COAL DEPOSITS AT WALLEEAWANG, 83 



Certain portions of the vein are evidently richer than others. 



At present the average yield of metallic iron from the vein, as 

 a whole, is not rich for a magnetite, which, when perfectly pure, 

 contains 72'41 per cent, of iron, and under ordinary circumstances 

 about 70 per cent., whereas the Wallerawang vein yields only 

 40" 89 per cent. {See analysis appended.) Although this is a poor 

 magnetite, it must not be regarded as a poor ore of iron. 



This average was obtained by taking samples from different 

 parts, across the whole width of the trench cut across the vein, 

 and then crushing them all up together. As I have before 

 mentioned, picked portions yield a much larger percentage. 



On the whole, taking all the circumstances into consideration, 

 we may come to the conclusion that the true capabilities of the 

 deposit of magnetite have not yet been fully tested or proved. 



The vein stuff or gangue accompanying the magnetic iron ore 

 is silicious. In some parts of the lode this appears to be replaced 

 by the ferruginous garnet rock. 



On analysis this ore yielded the following results : — 



Silica and insoluble matter ... 18' 70 per cent. 



Metallic iron 40'89 



Phosphorus ... ... ... Traces. 



Sulphur ... ... ... Traces. 



Both the phosphorus and the sulphur are present in such 

 minute quantities that the ore may be regarded as virtually free 

 from them ; and these are the only really deleterious substances 

 present, for although there is too large a quantity of silica and 

 gangue present in this superficial portion of the vein to permit of 

 malleable iron being made from it by a direct process, it is 

 extremely well adapted for reduction in the blast furnace. 



2. Garnet. — The garnet occurs both crystallized, in the foi'm of 

 the rhombic dodecahedron, and in the massive state. The crystals 

 are, as is usually the case, very uniform in size ; they are nearly 

 all of them either about i or f of an inch in diameter. 



The faces of the crystals are smooth, free from pits and irregu- 

 larities, and bounded by sharp and well-defined edges. The colour 

 is bro^vn without any red shade. 



Portions of the massive garnet and aggregations of crystals 

 are hard and compact, whilst in other parts they are more or less 

 disintegrated and friable. 



The average percentage of metallic iron is 2105 — an amount 

 not much less than that contained by many commonly smelted 

 ores. 



3. Brown Hematite. — The general direction of the outcrops of 

 this deposit is not so regular as that of the magnetic lode, and 

 it will probably be found that other veins run into it, but for a 

 large portion of its course it runs approximately N.E. by S.W. 



