PUHIPUHI SILVER FIELD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 195, 19 August 1890, Page 5

PUHIPUHI SILVER FIELD.

(BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Puhietthi, Saturday. "0H ! this most wretched and confounded! weather," is heard on every side —only words a leetle stronger than wretched and confounded are used by the half-frozen and almost wholly - starved occupants of the bush. Fancy having to wallow for one, two, or sometimes three miles through the beautiful mud streaks yclept roads that abound tbrooghoub the length and breadth of Puhipubi to the solitary store (MrC. Cowan's) that graces the township, in eager yet hungry hope to get a " bit of chuck " for self and mates ; and on arrival find "the packhorses have not arrived," and there is no more tucker now in the store than there was for the previous week or ten days past. And then the weary plod back again to the camp, and its high class fare of tea and bread for breakfast, varied by a change of bread ami tea for dinner — nob ab all likely to cause dyspepsia from variety anyhow. The Prospectors No. 1 have cast their bread on the waters—to return to them twentyfold let us hope. Their venture in attempting to floab their scrip in the lace of the many Kuaotunu attractions, deserves praise for its pluck, and I hope will meet with the reward that it merits. Ah immense quantity (some 70 odd tons, I should say) of ore is out ab grass in this mine. Four men are busy ab two intermediate levels near the whare, and two more aie gebtingveryniceoreoubofaproepectingdrive that the manager, Mr James, has pub in on the Wilson reef, near the southern boundary of the claim. This fine lode and the rich JN"o. 3 have been traced for over thirty chains through the property. Mr James is actively pushing ahead works that will stand him in good need for the rapid transit of his ore from the mine to his when erected. Two of the directors are away doing the Thames peninsula, for the purpose of seeing which is the most suitable reduction plant to purchase. Prospectors No. 2 have begun active operations again. As this lease carries one of the beec defined lodes, the Brown reef, right through their property, and from which most excellent assays were obtained, I could never understand,, save for the bad roads, why it was shut down. A trial crushing of 3 tons is to be sent away ab once, I believe. The Alburnia, a 30-acre holding to the south-weeb of. No. 2, have done nothing as yet. It is a new lease, and is nob yeb surveyed. The Day Dawn, 10 men's ground to the north and west of the Alburnia, have cut a 30in leader, showing silver glance. The proprietary, a Kawakawa one, are driving on the leader, as they hope it will junction with a large reef, the outcrop of which can be seen further up the spur. The Albion (30 acres), to the sou-west of the Alburnia, under the management of Captain Christy, of Kawakawa, have cut nothing of moment yet. The Ophir have let a large ,jconfc£§iCfc of tunnelling to the Messrs Mcßeth. As this, holding carries some valuable reefs running out of Prospectors No. 1, and the proprietary have at last begun active, operations, shares (there are only 16) are sure to be actively inquired for. ' The Kamo have also resumed active operations, and under the management of Mr S. Moreland will, no doubt, give a good account. This Association have~ applied for another 15 acres so as to bring their property up to 30 acres. The Little Agnes, 30 acres, May and Co.'c holding, was until a few weeks back thought nothing of. The Kamo Association pegged it, fought for it, and losb it; the Union Jack also pegged the came ground, and were going to fight the " Little Agnes " people, but wiser counsels prevailed,, and now the last-named Association are declared the rightful owners. Active operations are to be commenced at once. The United are, I hear, developing thie highly-favoured mine—with one man. The Silver Fleece people have nob, I am sorry to say, found anything to their

The Just-in-Time have ehnb down for twa months. < The TOPOND have pub a long shob, 118 feet, in the shape of a prospecting drive to cub the Just-in-Time reef; but up to date of knocking up your " copy," had nob done so. The country ia very kicking and haa ! to be timbered, hence the delay. This ia the longesb tunnel in the bush, so I hear. I The Thy Fluke have cub another leader] 12 inches, which looks as well as the other; two for gold. A 2cwb parcel has been senui away for treatment, and if results are what is confidently anticipated, three tons of the same grade will be exported to the Thames. The Waimaria have three men ab work, 1 and are (under the supervision of Mr, Dawea) going a bit more systematically to work than heretofore. The Young Colonial have given up' fighting againsb a bib of the mosb dirty and treacherous ground I have yet seen in the bush. For eight days and parb of eight; nights Mr Whiting , and his mates fought, hard to conquer the slipping hill, bub to; no purpose ; in it would and did come. Ab' last 50 feet of the drive (sides and roof); came down, smashing the 12-inch timber , like matchwood, and very near, I hear,! catching one of the Whitings. After this they "gave ib up," and tried back on the: first lode cub, the 3 feet 6 inch one.' They; are driving on this now, and turning oue most excellent stone. Four or five tons' I will be senb to tbe Thames early. In the | I meantime, tenders are to be called for a; permanent low level to cub both Colonial; I No; 1 (the libtle lode) and Colonial No. 2 t . 70 feet below floor of present monkey drive.' The Alameda, Messrs C. Gallagher and, Cos. claim, takes in all the tableland lying'; to the east of the Young Colonial, including a big slice of the township. Mr Gal-' lagher has a theory " that the best of the, lodes in the Fubipuhi will be found in the; tableland," and he has backed up his theory , ; by taking up a 70-acre holding as above., May all success attend him and his theory, too. • i The Comstock Hotel is getting licked into shape a bib this last few days, bub the' lovely weather has interfered with the. sawyers and carpenters at the mines on the Waiariki. >*- No. 3 Prospectors have at last determined to open out. Jack Fraser and an assistant are to commence on this ab one* time highly bhought of mine, and, knowing what •' your own" does of the holding and , , its network of reefs, I can see no reason why, under judicious management, it shoulcf not realise the hopes anent ib in the early days of Puhipuhi. The Jubilee, No. 3'e neighbour, undet> the management of Mr John Fathers, are. sinking a winze on the Nil Desperandum' reef. The outcrop of this fine lode showed? gold in every bit crushed or taken from, either of the walls. Mr Fathers is down' about ten feet, and the reef is opening out? nearly four feet. There was at the time ot my visib aboub 10 tons of ore at grass out ' of bhis lode, and which Mr Fathers, an old/ Thames miner, felt confident from the dish . prospects he obtained would crush from IJto 2oz gold to the ton. I hope so. Anyhow another old Thames man, Mr E. Shaw, has taken up a 50-acre holding o»----the Nil Desperandum reef after ib leaves the Jubilee (but that in its place). This* highly-favoured mine, the Jubilee, has some, four or five excellent-looking reefs running, through it, principally out of No. 3. The Luminary, a 9-acre holding, owned by a Kawakawa proprietary, have cony menced work also, and on the Nil Desper-. andumtoo. Mr J. Collins, senr., another oldThames miner, has taken charge of operations in this mine. The Poroti, alluded to above as having' been taken up, is a 30-acre holding along-, side the Jubilee, on the run of the Nil) Desperandum reef. Mr Shaw will com-! mence work on this new holding ab once, as. he anticipates no opposition. I The Puhipuhi Goldmining Company's ground, 30 acres, adjoins the Poroti and!, Caledonian. Nothing has been done yet to [ open out this property. - ,' The Caledonian have got some excellenb; results from a small parcel (lcwt, I believe)" of ore sent> to the Onslow works, I hear. A 250 ieet low level is to open out at once., This level is to be pub in on bhe boundary of the Caledonian and Star of Waiariki, co ' as to prove both mines, which are held by, the same prospectors, and a movement is, on foot to form a company under/the no liability clauses of the Mining Companies: Act to take over both holdings. Thera should bo no difficulty, considering the excellent prospects of both holdings, to carry this raid into effect. The Golden Ce'owk (30 acres) adjoins tbe Caledonian and the south-east end of that) holding, and has succeeded in picking . up a very nice silver lode, I hear. The St. Andrews (30 acres) adjoins the;. J E.u by Silver and touches also the Caledonian on the west. Ib is in a most excellent ,' situation, but nothing as yot has been done on ib. ! The Ruby Silver (30 acres).—The pro* prietors are not doing what they ought to , ; J develop this fine property. ' I The Union Jack (10 men's ground) ad- . joins the Jubilee on its south-eastern line. Kerr and Co., the proprietors, have opened out a 3ft 6in lode that runs out of their big neighbour.- ' . The Jubilee.—l have-only seen some.?* stone from it, not having time to visib the claim. The stone looks as all Waiariki , stone does, very likely to carry gold. A' parcel of scwb. is to be sent away for test. ' ' The Silver Star, ten men's ground. ,, ' Gibson and Co., proprietors, adjoins tJu," Union Jack to the couth-cast. A 30-inch leader showing a litble silver glance ha* been cut in this mine, the owners of which inbend to drive on ib some fifty fae.b and , - send a ton for treatment. The Lone Hand, thirty acres, adjoina , the Silver Fleece and the Caberfeidh/ claim. Ib has only been recently pegged out by Mr J. Collins, junr., for some"'; Southern syndicate. There is likely to be ~ some trouble over the pegging of this hold- •', ing with the Silver Star prope/ , . The Caberfeidh and Comstock have cub their reef, which shows a little silver. The ;' lode as cub has not come up to the expecta- ' bion of the proprietors. They are going to ■' drive on their reef for some distance.