Part 3.] 
Kitiff: Progress of the Gold liuliistrtj in Wgndd. 
243 
of sloping buddies and riffled troughs intercept the suljohides, until tbe tailings 
finally fall into the catch-pit. Here, also, it was found necessary to construct 
a furnace for the roasting of the tailings, which were again passed througb tbo 
whole process, commencing with the stamping box; the results wore not satisfac¬ 
tory, though the tailings clearly showed an appreciable quantity of gold, much 
of which, however, could not be saved by the apparatus provided. As usual, 
hand-grinding and amalgamation gave the best returns; and thus it is evident 
that a rubbing machine^ is required, in addition to a pulveriser. Two assays 
of hand-groimd tailings from the reverberatory fuimace wore very satisfactory, 
giving averages of 11’66 dwts. and 6T2 dwts. to the ton. Such roasted tailings 
as I saw at these works were all so stony and slaggy, that they appeared to have 
been rather smelted than roasted, and were quite as hard as the original vein-stone. 
Authority on this point appears always to indicate a bright red heat as the limit 
of roasting, and that the roasted material can be broken up without such force 
being I’equired as that of the stamper; though of course it should be submitted 
to this, in order to reduce it sufficiently for the pulveriser. It is also advised ® 
that the tailings should be freely exposed to the action of the atmosphere for some 
months in thin layers, and not piled up in pits, as is the case in the Wynad works- 
The Prince of Wales’ Company, as already stated, made use of the Alpha 
mill; but fortunately the stone raised was rich enough to dispense with extra¬ 
ordinary care in the concentration and amalgamation, which hardly could have 
been arranged in the time allowed during the lease, or with the small capital 
at their disj)Osal. Under this administration it was found that the working- 
power of the driving engine was only sufficient for the crushing of seven tons 
per diem, or about half the rate originally calculated on. 
The following tables are from the published returns of the Companies, or 
from returns w'hich have been supplied to mo by the Managing Directors; and, 
from my personal knowledge of all the gentlemen concerned, I believe that they 
have furnished these returns with a firm determination to let the true tale of 
their efforts be known. Until lately, all these efforts haA^e been unattended with 
the success they deserved, and no gain has been made, except by the latest adven¬ 
ture, which has had the enormous advantage of working with machinery ready 
at hand. So far, the work of the latter Company has been crowned with what 
may be called a success; for, in November last, 50 tons gave an average of over 
11, while, in Decembei’, 50 tons gave an average of 17 pennyweights, thus showing 
a decided tendency in the quartz to come up to my avei’age, if not to exceed it. 
In the beginning of this papoi’, the average percentage of gold is given for 
all the quartz crushed, which is really the truest test of the capabilities of 
a gold-field; otherwise, between isolated and short operations of particular 
adventures, where can a lino be drawn from which an average should be reck¬ 
oned ? But this generalisation for a whole field is obviously unfair to an 
' Such a uiiicliino is clescrihcd iu the last edition of Kaymoud’s Milling Statistics Vi'est of the 
Rocky Mountains. 
^ Quartz Operator’s Hand-hook, Randall, New York, 1871. 
B 
