Transactions . d for ballast bymeans of a crane and grab bucket operated from the wall of the break-water. Thousands of tons of sand have been removed from this spotyet each succeeding storm renews the supply. The sand dune shownin Fig. 1 has been tested to a depth of 50 ft. (15 m.) without losing its * Assistant Blast-furnace Superintendent, Clairton Works, Carnegie Steel Co. V. W. AUBEL 267 high quality. The beach itself is of high iron content at a depth of30 feet. The origin of this ore is generally accepted as being subterranean andvolcanic. Whether the volcanic action is still proceeding
Transactions . d for ballast bymeans of a crane and grab bucket operated from the wall of the break-water. Thousands of tons of sand have been removed from this spotyet each succeeding storm renews the supply. The sand dune shownin Fig. 1 has been tested to a depth of 50 ft. (15 m.) without losing its * Assistant Blast-furnace Superintendent, Clairton Works, Carnegie Steel Co. V. W. AUBEL 267 high quality. The beach itself is of high iron content at a depth of30 feet. The origin of this ore is generally accepted as being subterranean andvolcanic. Whether the volcanic action is still proceeding or whetherthis sand is the accumulation of an extinct volcano is in dispute. TheNew Plymouth district is, however, the western extremity of a volcanicbelt, that extends across the North Island, the eastern end is the well-known active thermal region of Rotorua, see Fig. 2. New Plymouth iswell connected by rail with both Wellington and Auckland and its depositof sand is easily accessible by both rail and Fig. 1.—Sand dune averaging 55 per cent, metallic iron. New Zealand is comparatively only a young country, settlementhaving commenced about 1840. A great many of the first settlers, beingfrom the iron-producing centers of Great Britain, were at once attractedby the nature of the sand on the beaches When it was discovered thatthis sand contained a high percentage of iron, considerably higher eventhan the ores obtainable in the famous Cleveland district of England,companies were formed to work this material. Early attempts weremade with the Catalan forge, using charcoal as fuel; small quantities ofwrought iron were made in this way and some of the specimens are atpresent in the Auckland Museum. The first attempt to smelt the sandin a blast furnace is recorded as having been made in 1865 in details are available except an analysis of the sand used, and also ofthe product made. This iron is reported to have been puddled, and from 268 TITANIFEROUS IRON SANDS OF
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectmineralindustries
