The North Eastern Ensign at KellyGang 8/4/1873
THE BENALLA LIME WORKS
This branch of our local industry has now ,been established some time, and although of immense importance to the whole of this district, it' is nevertheless strange that it seems to have been little heard of beyond our own locality. However, it cannot now be allowed to remain longer in the dark, as the superior quality of the lime produced is fully established, and is gradually winning its way into high favor. These facts induced us to have the works inspected with the view of bringing .this is well as other products of the district more prominently before the public. We may say in passing. that the proprietors are men of energy and intelligence, and many improvements have recently been made in order to produce the best article at a rate which must eventually secure them excellent returns.
The works are situated at Major Plains, about 20 miles from Benalla township, 22 from Violet Town, 30 from the Murray River, and 38.from Wangaratta; in the centre of a large agricultural district, whose residents have already availed themselves to some extent of the liberal inducements of the, proprietors to apply the lime as a fertiliser.
The quarry from which the limestone is procured is on the top of a gentle hill rising about 200 feet above the flat, and the ground around it is well adapted for the purpose to which it has been. utilised. The stone is procured by cutting into the side of the hill and removed by means of a tramway to the kiln ; the face of the stone is about 2? feet high by some 50 feet wide, and is beautifully blight and sparkling in appearance. A shaft is also now being sunk with a view to test the depth of the stone, which improves in quality as it gets deeper; it is the opinion of' an expert engaged on the works that the reef is it permanent one and will go a great depth, the walls being well defined and the stone gaining in solidity and thickness, in fact it will soon be obtainable in almost any size, and of a quality fit for statuary purposes. A block from this quarry has been forwarded by Mr Allemade, the original discoverer of the reef, to Messrs Huxley and Parker, monumental masons, of Melbourne, who we are informed' are prepared to enter into arrangements for a supply, it being found by working, to be nearly equal to much of the stone obtained from Italy and other foreign parts. An analysis of the stone has also been made by Mr Hood, of the chemical laboratory, Melbourne, by which it is shown that when burnt it contains no less than 91.37 of pure lime 1.35 of carbonate of iron and alumina - an all important ingredient for hydraulic purposes-and only 4.20 of silica and waste.
The stone, sample of which can be seen at the company's office in Benalla, is a pure while and highly crystalline, but when burnt the lime has a blueish color, due to the presence of carbonate of iron, which proves a superior in strength to the white limes; it is also, in technical parlance, very fat, and will stand much more sand than the limes in general use, experiments made by practical men, showing it to be capable of incorporating five measures of sand to one of lime, and will set as hard as a stone.
The kiln for burning has been sunk in the solid granite rock to a depth of 35 feet by 8 feet in diameter, and is substantially built up with stone obtained on the ground which has thus proved it to be well adapted for the purpose of withstanding the immense heat necessary for burning lime. The bottom or clearing part of the kiln is reached by a tunnel also driven through granite rock 120 feet in length; this rock was so hard as to preclude the use of drills, and had to be bruised out with steel sledge hammers. Throughout the whole construction of the works, which are laid out by Mr Altemade, the economy of labor has been kept in view. no lifting: being required in the various operations, levels having been made from the mine to the kiln and thence to the loading place. A provision is now being made for the construction of another kiln which will shortly be in operation, the demand for into becoming more extensive every week.
We are glad to hear from pretty good authority that a aeries of trials are now being conducted to test the efficiency of the lime produced from these works, by some of the railway engineers, who it is stated have generally expressed favorable opinions regarding it, and we congratulate the proprietors upon the fact that its introduction to public works is now only a matter of a little time, and that a favorable report from these great guns of its efficiency will ensure them a large demand for Benalla lime,
| ! | The text has been retyped from a microfiche copy of the original. We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged. |
