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The Orange Leader - 21st September 1898
The Galley Swamp Battery - Interview with Mr Gregory.
As previously stated, the new machinery here (writes our Galley Swamp correspondent) Is the most complete mining plan in Australia. I had the honour of an interview with Mr. Gregory the engineer who “laid down” the plant the other day) at his office, and was most courteously received.
Battery working all right? I inquired.
Oh, yes, everything is working smoothly. I intended that to be the result when I commenced to construct the mill last March!
What does the mill consist of?
Well, to go into detail will require an hour or two.
I don’t mind; it is interesting.
Well, when you get tired of hearing me, just say so, and I’ll stop.
Right oh!
There is a pair of compound automatic expansion engines that run 80 revolutions per minute, capable of driving 80 stamps with stone-breakers, etc. The driving of the mill shaft is done by a series of Manilla ropes separately. The weight of the engines, with fly wheels, is 25 tons. The steam is derived by a pair of large boilers, each of 60 horse power. The working pressure is 120lbs. to the square inch. These boilers are fitted with mud drums and one large steam drum connecting the two boilers, although one can be independently connected by means of a valve. The boiler feed pump is high-pressure Duplex, which controls the water supply to the boilers. The vanner engine is a high pressure horizontal steam engine of 50 horse power. This engine also drives the large pump at the dam. The electric engine is a small vertical engine, erected in the main engine room, and driving direct on to the on to the dynamo. The battery consists of 40 stamps, each stamp weighting 950lbs, and has a drop of 90 per minute. The framing of the battery is all Oregon, and is built with ore-bins the entire length. The framing is arranged for 10 stampers, although each five are independently driven by 12 inch belts from the main counter shaft, which revolves under the feeding floor. Upon the feeding floor is a carriage fitted with tension pulleys, where the slack of the it can be taken up.
At this junction Mr. Gregory repaired to an adjoining room, and brought forth a tray laden with refreshments of various kinds.
After all respect was paid to Mr. Gregory’s kindness, that gentleman continued: Upon this floor are eight automatic feeders of the Challenge type, which receive ore from ore-bins by means of shoots. The ore-bins have a capacity of 24 hours run. On the top of the ore-bins are fitted two rock-breakers, one for each 20 head of stamps, with jaws 9in. by 15in. The workmen have a rock-breaker’s floor, thus rendering labour easy. From this floor to the receiving floor are 4 “grizzlys,” 4ft by 11ft., upon which the ore is dumped from the trucks. The tables are 6ft wide and 11ft. long and silver-plated the whole length. On the end of these are two mercury traps and two connection pipes for conveying the pulp to the vanners, which are 6ft. 5in. vanners and 16 in number. These vanners are driven by two lines of shafting suspended from the roof. Each vanner has under itself one drain which connects the main drain outside the battery shed. The main drain is constructed of iron troughs in sections, and through these the tailings flow a distance of 20 chains on a series of trussel works. From the battery is a mill cable, driven from the vanner engine and suspended on five trussels, having carrier pulleys to the pump at the dam – 20 chains distant. This pump is a duplex pack plunger geared pump and is capable of throwing 320 gallons per minute at the battery reservoir, which has an elevation of 120 feet. The tramway consist of a double line of road, 24in. gauge, and extends a distance of 43 chains from the southern shaft to the battery. This is driven by a wire cable from the power station at the western mine, which is half-way. This power station consists of a small vertical engine with a wood ring pulleyon which the rope revolves and receives motion. At the southern shaft is a terminus station, and at the battery end is a terminus station with tention and pick-up carriages. This appliance will convey 200 tons of ore from the mines to the battery in eight hours. The trucks are half-ton and each truck is fitted with an ingenious self-gripper and self releasing. The truck may run at any regular or irregular intervals, and it leaves the cable itself, and through the line having a gradient construction runs direct to the feed door. The despatch is just as simple.
I witnessed one man receive and dispatch 80 trucks in two hours.
Receiving bins, continued Mr. Gregory, are in the course of erection at the mine shafts to supply the trucks with ore. That is pretty well all about the battery.
What about the place where you conserve water for sluicing purposes?
Oh, yes; the most important of all reservoirs, you mean. We have two in number, known as the battery and upper dams, each of which holds ten million gallons. The upper dam is constructed with earth embankment 2 ˝ chains wide in bottom and 19 feet high; along side is a concrete by-wash, ˝ chain wide. The battery dam is formed by a brick retaining wall built on a concrete foundation, 14 feet thick at bottom, 19 feet high, and 3 feet wide on top, or an average thickness of 9 ˝ feet of solid brick work.
Where did you get all the bricks from?
Oh, they were made here at Galley Swamp.
What are those large tanks doing up behind the battery?
They come in, I can tell you; both of them are 25 feet square by 5 feet deep. They receive their supply from the dam pump and are so elevated to permit a good force of water to the battery.
What is the size of your battery shed?
It is 150 feet long and 100 feet wide and is built for 20 more stamps and 8 more vanners.
Have you any idea how many tone of galvanized iron you have used in its construction?
I can tell you to the pound. Just 24 tons.
Why, that is more iron than they have seen in Lucknow altogether!
Can't help it; it is true. Just look at the size of our shed yourself
Oh, by the way, the electric light seems a success?
Yes all the company's buildings are lit up by this process. That is about all I have to say.
Thank you Mr Gregory. good night!
extract from The Orange Leader, Wednesday September 21, 1898
a cutting found in Robert G Gregory's papers after his death on 9th January 1986