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1884 |
Late April. Sir Walter Scott.—The shoot, tramway, &c, connecting this mine with the Hauraki Co.'s battery is rapidly approaching completion.[1] Before August. Ivanhoe G. M. C. construct a tramway at a cost of about £600, on true left bank of Ohinemuri River. [2] |
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1885 |
12 September. First (natural) dam on Ohinemuri for Woodstock/La Monte furnace, includes flume over Waitawheta.[3] The earliest images of Karangahake are published: Pictorial Christmas Supplement to the New Zealand Herald, December 1885.[4] |
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1889 |
13 February. Cox’s 4 stamp battery and pan plant started, erected and managed by John McCombie, Ivanhoe and Truro Co.'s claims.[5] Water power taken from Woodstock Furnace race on the Ohinemuri. |
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1892 |
March. Fire near McCombie’s battery. [6] May. Crown water race flume constructed. [7] |
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1893 |
June/July. Ivanhoe and Truro mines and plant is purchased by Woodstock Co. [8] |
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1894 |
August. Woodstock to erect 10 stamp mill. [9] November. Woodstock firewood wire tram, and kiln constructed. [10] |
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1895 |
February. Woodstock water balance and ore kiln installed. [11] 11 February. Woodstock ten stamp battery starts. [12] December. Preparations for 30 extra stampers for Woodstock. [13] |
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1896 |
February. Woodstock. Three kilns are in course of construction. These will each hold about 150 tons of ore, and they will all be placed on the hill-side above the mill, so that the ore will pass right down through the plant by gravitation. [14] March. Woodstock erecting suspension bridge over Ohinemuri for machinery for battery. New 40 stamp battery to be erected. [15] May. Woodstock connect No. 5 level [river level, becomes underground pumphouse area] tramway with Crown tramway, and also intend to run an aerial tramway from No. 1 level to a hopper above the level of the kiln site. [16] Woodstock to test wet crushing. [17] |
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1897 |
January. Woodstock battery install Samson-Leffel turbine water-wheel (ie they do away with the pelton wheels. [18] March. Woodstock Gold Mining Company's battery started crushing with the new 40-head. [19] |
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1898 |
May. Mr. J. McCombie, leaves Woodstock Co., Mr. Rich replaces[20] August. Woodstock to install six Union vanners. [21] Woodstock retire water-balance. [22] Battery converted to wet crushing. [23] |
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1899 |
17 March. The Woodstock Company are pushing ahead with the alterations to the battery, so that when the new five 6ft vanners arrive from America, everything will be ready for their installation. These additional vanners will materially assist in the treatment of a larger tonnage of ore. [24] 9 May. All the new vanners have now been installed, so that in future the return of bullion should show an increase.[25] |
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1900 |
March. Woodstock constructing new dam on Ohinemuri River. This will be a wooden structure, a little upstream from the later eastern rail tunnel portal. [26] July. Woodstock battery are to add an air compressor and steam plant. [27] August. Woodstock new dam, 3ft 9in pipeline and Warren Truss bridge across the Ohinemuri River completed. The Pelton wheel to be installed is 11 ft. 2 in. in diameter over all, and is to drive the air-compressors and battery during the greater part of the year. A new tail-race 69 ft. long under the mill, and below the old tail-race, has been driven and timbered so as to gain the utmost pressure-head. The old bridge across the Waitawheta Stream removed, a new and more substantial bridge built, going direct to the battery ore-hopper, 180ft long.[28] |
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1901 |
A new and more substantial bridge going direct to the battery ore-hopper has now been almost completed. This bridge is 180 ft. long over all. It is designed for the transmission of horse and train of trucks as they come from the mine, and will carry such a distributed load aggregating 10 tons. [29] Two compressors installed. one an Ingersoll-Sergeant compound, rope-driven, low-pressure cylinder 24 1/4 in. diameter, high-pressure cylinder 15 1/4 in. diameter, 18 in. stroke, ordinary capacity 1,170 cubic feet free air per minute; and the other a Schram single-compressor cylinder 14 in. diameter, 24 in. stroke. [30] Kauri tree beside battery dies |
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1902 |
A new steam plant has been installed as an auxiliary to the water-power during the dry season of the year. This plant consists of two 150-horse-power Elephant boilers and a 250--horse-power Corliss engine. These have been set up at the mill, and are so arranged that either the mill or compressors, or both, may be driven by either steam or water, or, if need be, both steam and water power can be coupled together. [31] |
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1904 |
June. Talisman buy Woodstock for £7000[32] |
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1906 |
Talisman: a new Ingersoll Sergeant compound air-compressor has been installed at the Woodstock Battery.[33] |
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1910 |
30 March. Flood! Biggest on record.[34] Water rushed through the railway tunnel.[35] Talisman water race pipe crumpled and twisted[36]. Old Woodstock battery damaged.[37] 15 September. Old Woodstock battery destroyed by fire. The plant destroyed included three air compressors and two steam engines.[38] |
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1911 |
2 February AT KARANGAHAKE. TALISMAN CONSOLIDATED. …The work of reinstating the plant lost in the Woodstock mill fire was completed some weeks ago. [39] September AWN image shows the main building housing the compressors has been rebuilt, but not the ancillary buildings. |
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1912 |
AWN image shows the ancillary buildings have been completed. |
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1915 |
27 January. TALISMAN CONSOLIDATED. Owing to shortage of water in the Ohinemuri River have had but little power from the Woodstock air compressor. This has stopped shaft sinking for the last fortnight.[40] |