OUR GOLDFIELDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 157, 10 June 1895, Page 2

OUR GOLDFIELDS.

THE KUAOTUNU DISTRICT. THE WHOLE COUNTRY PEGGED OUT. HANDSOME RETURN FROM _R_ INVICTA, 398 OUNCES FROM SIX TONS QUARTZ. (From Oub Own Correspondent,) A great impulse has been given to the mining industry in tbis district, in cones, quence of the remarkable finds of gold made in some claims which from tim» to time had been pronounced wdrbhleu. Prospectors have again tried bheir hand wibh renewed vigour, and wibh such success thab bhe whole counbry has been pegged oub in large and email areas. Ths large ones are eaid to belong to English 7 capitalists. If proper reduction works (auch as those at Waihi) are constructed, there should be a grand return for tbe-,* money invested, judging by tbe prospects obtained. 7 We know whab has been done by tb_ cyanide procens in the Try Fluke, KapaiVermont) and Great Mercury claims already. The energetic Captain Richards has'also erected a similar plant with equally good . results. The tributers in tbe Oariri claim recently sold come 40 tons tailings (which formerly would have been run into the creek) tor the sum of £50. This libble nut made them look anybhing bub solemn. Ib has transpired bhab tbe assay value was' on an average £3 2s 6d per ton, I may say thab in every case in which tributers or > holders of claims havo gob crushing done ab Mr Richards'babbery since the cyanide plant has been erected, similar results have followed; indeed, tbis is the only plant in Kuaobunu open to the public. The Oariri claim is said to be in the hands of Sydney capitalists. The Waiobahi is again under way, Mr Bennebb, as manager, with some men under • him besides the tributers, being ab work on, it. The tributers are now grassing some splendid looking stone. Tbis company ba* taken up a much larger area of country than ib formerly held. The Proßpecbors' Associabion ground has turned oub a second Waihi if reports of prospectors and visitors are to be believed, The Bonanza and Keystone are also show-' ing up well. The former of these is said to be in the hands of Mr Workman, of the Thames. All the claims mentioned are on 7 the same line of country on the eastern - side. Turning now to the western portion of the field I need nob trouble you with, particulars of how the Try Fluke, KapaiVermont and Croat Mercury mines are doing, as bhey aro so well known already. . The Try Fluke has amalgamabed wibb or ( purchased bhe Venus, formerly Red Mercury, mine. The Otama is to the fronb once more, bhe tributers having; obtained 640z of retorbed gold from 401b ofsbone. Mr Woodcock appears to have" struck ib rich in the old Lady Carringboo, he having driven in a low level On the eastern side. The Irene claim is also paying its way, which is all the proprietors ab presenb admit. In consequence of the late find in the Otama, a claim has been pegged oub on che northern end, on what is called the Rose leader, from which Prescotb and p*srty formerly obtained such Bplendid stone, opposite the Otama, but on bhe same line of country as bhe reefs pointis the Invicba. Thia is really a marvellous claim. Ib was said by many bhab ib was worthless, butylpSp Peebles and parby have shown bhis bo have " been a misbake, they having been rewarded" - for their labour by what may be called a perfect plethora of gold. First, 83oz from 3 tons dirt and 40lb picked stone ; BeconV 119oz gold from 2 tons dirt and 51b pick«.(f r stone ; third, no less than 3980z gold as tha resulb of nine days' work by two rneii;-^.;;-There are now on tbe face proapocts of a still ■•>'- greaber reburn. . 7".,7Y?!" A Syndicate has taken up the ground on the south side of the Invicba, and have \ also included in their area the old Maty Ann holding, thus giving them come thirty acres of counbry to work on. The fact bhat this ground is peg and peg with tbe now famous Invicta. being only .200 feet from bhe face, the present enormous quantities of gold being taken Bhould make this property one of the mosb valuable on the field. Ibis reported bhab on the southern end on the Mary Ann claim come very rich stone has already been picked up. Taken as a* whole, our prospects look as bright as the . best field in the province. _ Kuaotunu has taken a new lease of life, going forwardby leaps and bounds istheonly and besb way to describe ib. The explanation of this greab change is thab the men ' now ab work understand bheir business and attend to ib. x

I have jußb been informed that the Little Nell, Victoria, Lucky Hib, Maori, Pah and Black Jack claims have buen taken up by a powerful syndicate. The Maori Dream and Sea View have also been takstt possession of. Lasb week Mr A. H. Richards banked 630z of gold as the resulb of the treatment of 100 tons of tailings ab the cyanide works in connection with his battery. C; Johns and parby, tributers ihV,the Otama mine, have had also 601bs of specimen stone treated abßichard'B battery for a yield of 83oz of gold. THE MANAIA CLAIMS. We have been shown a plan of tbe Manaia mines, the first of which to coma into prominence was the Golden Hill. Adjoining this is the Golden Hill Extended, just floated, and bhe Big Ben, proposed to be floated into 'a cotnpany. The Golden Hill. we are informed, has a well • defined reef running bhe whole length of tbflproperty. Ib has been tested in several . places for a distance of eighb chains and: ' has given proof of its gold bearing quaUty-'". Judging from the run of this reef in ■tne Golden Hill, there is every reason to>«7 lieve ib runs bhrough bhe Golden Hill Bt- ( tended, and Mr Barron, who pegged out the adjoining property, is sure that » also runs through the Big Ben, fromwhich, he says, splendid prospects have been obtained. Another claim in tbu districb held by Blackmore and RufftißH said bo have a rich leader, and have, obbained good crushing from ib. Tb£ Golden Hill has been doing some dead wort for bhe paab week, bub have now resnWW sboping and breaking down, and some gw? reßulbs are shorbly anticipated. TRY FLUKE. 7. A meebing of direcbors in this m} atVjl being held when we wenb to press in praar to confer with Mr Byles, the reprew«»: tive of bhe London syndicabe tbatM-'! B contemplation the purchase of this P"*" perty. It is generally understood that W sale is likely to be effected. _ ./. The manager reports concerning rW*J r mine thab work ab bhe No. 4 levebW* , been continued and the drive extended ob , the reef, which is now fully 6fb 6in «"«• ■ j . and the ore of average quality. Nos. }>. ...:\ J and 3 stopes are being carried on as S8!?^ ; There i. no change of importance. *» reef in No. 2 stope is fully sfb thick-T^J j No 2. reef we are sboping above and &M°* the inbermediabe level. The lode^lM | from 18in to 4fb in bhickness, the qw"J being aboub bhe same as lasb reported. * the Mariposa secbion a drive has D»JW;." ' sbarbed on bhe main reef towards » John Bull. The reef is showing fM. of improvement, bub was yety 7 splib and broken when the Jg\ sbarted. Ib is now much bettera«W»». , and abonb bhree feeb bhick, withfwlSg peebs from the hanglngwall portion, mi underhand stopes are producing bjewg^ quantity of ore. There are on hJg|Jpr ft of amalgam from the plates. I