THE TAPU MINES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 212, 8 September 1896, Page 2

THE TAPU MINES.

THE DISTRICT VISITED.

A PROSPBKOUS OUTLOOK,

(BY OUR OWN KEPOMER.)

Ik oar last issue we published the first portion of a description of bhe Tapn mines by our mining reporter. The visib was made aba very opportune time, as public Attention is at. present turned to the Sheridan and adjacent) mines in that district), the value of scrip in all of which on the local markeb has had a very smart rise within the last few days. After leaving bbc Little Jessie mine referred to in our lasb issue, I wont to look ab the properties held by THE MAORI SYNDICATE. Situated towards bhe top of the range and extending over the hills in the direction of the Mata Creek are Bennetb's and Campbell's .freeholds* each comprising an area of 150 acres.. These properties have been acquired by the Maori Syndicate, and are now being opened up under the direction of Mr Wauchope, the representative of the above syndicate. As I stood near the bop of the hill,. Mr P.lummer, the supervisor, pointed out to me in the distance a high peak called Mamapuke, which Is Bibuated ,on what appears to be the main range. Towards the fpob of this are bbc Royal, Tapu Fluke and Crown' Royal mines, which, however, I was unable to visit this trip. I was bold that this range is sbill practically virgin country, awaiting the advent of the energetic prospector to discover the hidden wealth which tnusb undoubtedly exisb there. This ie all bhe more to be wondered at as the macadamized road goes a long way up bhe valley towards bhe terra incognito. GOLDEN POINT. The nexb mine I visited was perhaps the most important one in the disbricb, namely, the Golden Point. Many mines have proved the existence of gold on bhe bills near the surface,.bub ib was lefb for the present Golden Point Company to definitely ascertain whether or nob the gold lived aba depth in Tapu.; In order to do this sinking had to be undertaken, and ib is pleasing to know that) so far bho result has quite warranted bbc expenditure. Ab the engine-house I mob the manager, Mr John Williams, wbo kindly provided me with a coab before I wenb down bho Bhafb. The pumping and winding plant ab the Golden Poinb mine is in keeping with the works going on under ground, everything pointing to permanent and systematic development. Mr Williams took me down the ahafb in the cage, and when we passed under a shower-bath remarked, "I'm putbing in a drive bhab should cob off tbab water." I mentally wished the work had been atarbed a month sooner. After descending 200 feet,. I stepped out into' the chamber, and bad another look ab fcba apparatus. Patent clips were pointed oub to me which make, an sccidenb impossible, •yen if the rope breakn. As a matter of fact Mr Williams does noli believe in risks, and for bhab reason work has been sus- , pended in two faces because really experienced miners cannot; bo gob and the manager, objects to employ any others. From the chamber drives have been pub in Tarioua wayb in order bo pick up a reef. These .drives are quite differenb toothers in the diebricb, being larger in size and bhe work all done on a style suitable to permanent development works later on, when this property has been acquired by an English company, which must surely be its ultimate desbiny. Ib was in a drive 20C feet below the creek level thab a reef was cub which carried coarse gold, and which definibelyiideQided tb.e imporfcan whether the precious metal lived at a depth in bhe Tapu district. Men wero engaged •toping when I was there, and yet anobher lode was shown bo me, bub bho icarcity of miners ia preventing the work being carried on as speedily as tho manager could wish. To my mind, there can be little doubb thab there isa great future before bhe Golden Point Company, and anyono viewing the machinery and the character of the work already done mnsb come to the conclusion thab there are instances where tha markeb price of shares is nob a truo indication of bhe value of a property. SHERIDAN. Mr Williams ia also supervising the worfc going on ia the Sheridan mine so he kindly agreed to show mo over that property. After once more coming up bhe Bhafb to daylight we crossed the river by a bandbridge and then climbed abonb 600 feet up bbc Sheridan Hill to the mouth of No. 5 level, where I found Mr J. Quinlan, the mine manager, engaged in the pleasing duty of removing specimen stone from the Btrong box and bagging ib preparatory to Banding ib down bo Tapu. There was no need to use a glass in order to see the gold for ib was there in dabs, and clusters could be' aeen In the crevices in bhe stone. Some of tha stone could with safety be termed specimens, and if gob from a L'oromandel mine would certainly cause a sharp advance in shares. From the mouth of bhe drive a carb track winds down the hill bo the battery, and ab present the ore is delivered at bhe mill for 3s 6d per load. The coati of transit will, however, be reduced to about 3d per load later on. Jusb opposite the battery there is a long tunnel which waa put in when subsidised by. the Government. By extending this about 600 feeb the face will be underneath the No. 3 working, and if thereof ia mob with there about ,600 feeb of backs will be available. The extension of the drive will also be of advantage because it will oroaacub bhe mine, and may perhaps intersect other lodes yet undiscovered. Ab present this drive is aba standstill for the want of men. Some difficulty existed with regard bo the ventilabion of this tunnel, but Mr Williams remedied thab by ingeniously conveying the stream of water from No. 3 level in pipes to the drive, and by tbia means created the neceasary current oi air. . This prospecting tunnel ia also available for tho development of the Golden Horn mine, which adjoins bhe Sheridan. After feasting my eyes on bba picked sbone ab' the mouth of No. 3 level,' I nexb eeb off with Mr Williams along the level in order to ■cc the reef from which the picked etonewas obtained. This level waa pub in some distance by the old company, and has more recently been extended with bhe resulb bhab a "four feeb reef was intersected which cairied gold. In order to best the value of the reef Mr Williams started under hand iboping. A winze was pub down 55 feet and then sloping commenced each way. I wenb down this winze and found bhe men fcpsily engaged breaking down bho reef. At the hillward end fcho reef ban opened <tonb to tully 12 feet in width while backwards ib haa been stoped oub for a distance of 40 feet and the reef in thab face is about •igbb feeb. across. While, I waa there a &w email pieces of stone were selected wihich Bhowed gold freely, bub whab was of still more importance was the fact bhab gold could ba seen in both faces where bhe men were working. An imporbanb feature is that the gold is nob confined to a few inches ab one edge of the reef, as ia sometimes the case with large lodes. In thiß ireef I saw colours of gold nob only ab each side, bub also in places towards the middle «f the lode, which in a 12ffc reef promises well for the payable nature of bhe crushing fehab is now proceeding. At tbe aame time, ib is jueb as well to emphasise the fact that the Sheridan reef is by no means what would be called a jeweller's shop from which sensational hauls may be expected. It looks like an honeet body of stone that will give a good average return by the ordinary babtery process, while bhe occasional hauls of picked fiteag will serve to swell up the total yield

nicely. Ab the aame timo ib ia by no means improbable thab this lode will pinch in a bib, and aubsequenbly open oub again, and if ib does I fancy the result will be to cause speculators to give a little more attention to tho Tapu district. Ib should also bo remembered bhab this reef ab bhe No. 3 level ib nob bhe only one on bhe property, for a* the other side of tha bill there is whab is named the Bullion lode, which is sfcabed to be a payable I reef. Ab the time of my visit, however, no work waa being done on this lode, for bhe simple reagon thab pracbieal miners are scarce in Tapu. I may mention bhafc bhe Sheridan miners at presenb under offer to an English syndicate on very Babisfactory terms, and ib is safe to say thab for obco local shareholders would be very resigned ) if the flotation did nob. eventuate, as recenb developments have lessened the desire to dispose of fche property. Ab the, presenb time bwenby men are employed by the Sheridan Company. GOLDEN HORN. Thia Company's property is well situated alongside the Sheridan mine, and gets its name on account of a high peak rising* horn shape, heavenwards which ia on the mine. The Tapu people think highly of this property as to its position, which should have ft share of the reefs bhab exisb in the Sheridan, and with systematic development may prove a veritable horn of plenty to shareholders. Various reefs are known to exist on the property, and men are now engaged opening them up. One advantage possessed by bhe Golden Horn Company ia bho righb to, work from the prospecting tunnel put in wibh Government subsidy ab the road level. COMET. This is anobher well situated property, being on bhe opposite Bide of bbc creek to the Sheridan, and between the Little Jessie and Golden Poinb mines. Ab preaenb a prospecting drive is boing put in under bho direction of Mr Williams, the object being to cub aba depth bhe lodes known bo exist on the surface. As Mclsaac's rich patch was got higher up tho range behind the Comeb ground, and as gold has been also gob on the flab in the Golden Point mine an the other Bide, ib is safe to assume thab systematic development will result in important discoveries on this property. HAWKE'S FREEHOLD. Higher up tbe creek on the other side of the Golden Poinb ia a large area of hilly country known as Hawke's Freehold. Thia property ia now being floated on the Wellington market by Mr Burns, and I was informed thab bhe ahares were being readily taken up. So far little baa been done in tho way of developing this property, bub its position ia a very good one, and bhe ground can be economically worked by levels in the hllleida. From tho presenb strike of bhe Sheridan lodo, ib should be inbersected in Hawke'a Freehold, provided that) ib continues its presenb course and lives on the other side of bhe creek.

My time being now up, I returned to tho bobel, and enjoyed a comfortable rooal, after which I started on the roturu trip to the Thames, and arrived jusfc in time to catoh the Rotomahaoa betore she left for Auckland. Ia order nob to miss the boat, five of us book a cab from tbe Bbabla to bhe wharf. Evidently the Jehu mistook us for English capitalists, for attec a drive of precisely two minutes 1 duration ho smiled innocently and demanded eighteen pence per head, which bo say the leant was quite enough. Ab there was not time to argue the poinb, we paid tbe cash and rushed on board the steamer lest be mighb ask anobher five shillings for carrying parb of bhe luggage. The voyage up was a pleasant one, and I must admit that I returned to Auckland impressed with the idea tbat Tapu has a big future before it. Already 97 men are ab work there, and more would be employed if miners were available. In another year when the English companies are fairly at work two or three hundred men should be in the mines, and Tapu will have what ib never had before, namely, thoroughly systematic development, and I think there is no doubb tbab the results will be satisfactory to all concerned,