THE KAPANGA MINE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 189, 9 August 1895, Page 4

THE KAPANGA MINE.

EXCELLENT FUTURE PROSPECTS,

SATISFACTORY PRESENT

RETURNS,

(FROM ODB OWN CORKESPONDKNT.)

Some one has written that " Nothing succeeds like success." Judged from that standpoint Captain Argail must b» considered to have eucceeded wonderfully. When he left tho Huuraki mine turning out gold ttb ti marvellous rate, he devoted the whole of his attention to tho Kapanga, which was not in sunh v satisfactory condition. Success Boomed, however, to follow him, for now wo dud the Kapanea yielding rich returns. Of course it needs hardly to be stated that although luck has much to do with goldmining, still ability and practical experience enables a micer to materially assist) in tho discovery of sold bearing lodes. Ab the time of my visit to the Kapanga mine on Wednesday the day Bhiffc waa being relieved. 1 was fortunate in being there at such a time, for it was enough to make ono envious to soe tho underground boss bringing up picked atone from the 300 foeb level, and stone ho rich that moat poofjlo would denominate ib specimen?. This, ib was stated, is now of daily occurrence. What I saw was not, however, the richest obtained, for one Btono got laab week, weighiug 601b, yielded lOOoz of gold, and it is expected that the yield for bho present month will be equal to the lust. Over 60 men aro now employed in the mine, and it baa been decided to sink the shaft another 200 feat from tho 800 loot level, as fcho prospects from the boring; machine warrant this expenditure. For bodio time past, boring operations have bson proceeding under the direction of Captain Alkali, and a few weeks ago the drill wont through about 12 faeb of quartz, and all the cores brought/ up showed a little gold. In donsequence of this discovery Captain Argail has decided to open up this low level. Apart from this, the reault of the past month's operations in the rnino were very satisfactory, 4870z melted gold having been obtained from 50 tons of ore. The ore crushed for this satisfactory return was mainly obbained from the 300 feet level, where a large, new, and promising block is being opened on Scotty'a reef. The lode is well defined, and vanes in thickness from 6in to 2fb in width, j

It underlies to the wesb ab an angle of about 60 degrees. Good ore ,is also being obtained from the 420 foob level. This ia now in now ground. A rise has been started at the 800 foot; level on the junction of two reefs, at a point SSO feet north of the ehafb. Ib is a good body of stone, two feat wide, and the ore assays 4 to sdwts to the ton. The opening up of a new level aba depth of I,oooft is an important \vork and one calculated to bo of great benefit bo Coromandel. Of course it will mean considerable expense, but as the strata through which the drill passed was o£ a kindly nature, and gold was gob at tho greater depth, th 6 work is fully warranted, and from all appearances there should bo a great future yeb for the old Kapanga uiino,