The Great Sandstone Company's Mine, Llanelly. The contractor, Mr Jorgensen, is making good progress with his contract for erecting the engine to work the Cornish pumps which are being put in to replace the Otis pump.
There is no doubt that the Cornish pump should have been put in the first instance instead of spending a vast amount of money on pumps, which have proved complete failures and have had to be removed at great cost to the company.
Unfortunately, the trouble did not end here. The directors were persuaded by the Otis Co. to get one of their Ball Mill crushers. Subsequent results have proved this likewise to be a failure.
The management has crushed 5 tons of quartz and 15 tons of tailings from which good prospects were obtained, for a yield of 1 1/2 ounces of gold for the lot; and this under the superintendence of Mr. Brown, one of the experts in the employ of the Otis Company.
10 tons of tailings from the Hellas Reef were then crushed without the use of silver on the amalgamating tables. From this parcel they obtained about 1/2 dwt of gold altogether, though the prospects in the tailings showed 2 to 3 dwts of loose gold to the load.
5 tons of stone were then operated on from the Princess Royal shaft without the use of silver, and the result was about 1 dwt of gold from the lot ...
Since then the company has removed the concentrating tables and erected splendid tables and copper plates.
They then crushed 24 tons of quartz for the tributors, calcined, and obtained 10 oz 3 1/2 dwts of gold; and even this had to be sent to Mr. Spargo's works at Golden Square to be treated as it could not be amalgamated by the ordinary process.
56 tons of the same quality stone were then forwarded to Mr. Clark's battery at Eaglehawk. This returned 12 oz. 15 dwts. of smelted gold.
The Company are now on the right track. They are putting in a Cornish lift and have purchased a battery.