VISIT OF INSPECTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 20, 25 January 1897, Page 3

VISIT OF INSPECTION.

A MOST PROMISING OUTLOOK.

(BY OUR OWN REPORTER.)

The practically unknown district of Wharekeranpunga was en fete on Wednesday and Thursday lasb, when the Royal Standard mine, recently floated in London by the Discoverers Finance Corporation (Limited), was formally taken over by Mr F. H. Mueller (of bhe firm of Messrs K. J. Clendon and Mueller, solicitors, of Paeroa and Thames), and operations commenced on behalf of the English Company. Mr Clendon is attorney for New Zealand for bhe Company, but owing to a sitting of tho Warden's Court "at the Thames he had to be represented by his partner. The event was made bhe occasion of a special visit bo the property, the party being headed by Mr J. G. Ralph, who pegged oil the property, and who has had a practical experience of over 25 years on the Hauraki Goldfields. He knows every inch of tho ground, and in response to the wishes of the Home proprietors the woik of development is to proceed under hia supervision. No bottor appointment could have boen made. Among others in the party wiio undertook the rough journey was Mr F. A. Cutten, representative of the firm of Me.ars J, I. Philips and Co., surveyors, Mr Mueller, Mr J. H. Steedman, mine manager, and a Star reporter.

Wharekoraupunga is situated some few miles in a straight line eastward of Waitekauri, bub owing bo tho difficulty of reaching the locality some fourteen miles required bo be covered. Access is gained over hills bo the remote spob by a narrow summer brack, leaving on either hand untouched the boauty and splendour of bhe New Zealand bush. The track crawls round the mountain side midway between the summit of the range and deep and dangerous gorges below. All of our best New Zealand trees are to be seen in tho bush, including tho familiar kauri of giant proportions, and tho drooping rimu, relief being afforded by the graceful fronds of bhe nikau, punga, and fern carpets. Our horses could only be walked from the time we left Waitekauri until our destination Was reached, and after a four hours' risky ride under bho grateful shade of the forest we arrived at Wharekoraupunga, where a white woman has never been. A shore " run " by two energetic young men in Messrs Fleming and Sheffield was the first thing to .catch our eye,, while not far distant could be seen located a Maori camp, we learning subsequently that tho natives had travelled from Waihi for tho purpose of gumdigging. So much by tho way.

During Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday mornings I spenb at intervals some ten hours looking over aud examining the Royal Standard property, and I may say at once thab I predicb for ib a brilliant future, for bhero is a quarry of good-looking quartz exposed in all directions. The area is 100 acres, and through it is running.the main Wharekoraupunga Creek, a branch of tho Parakawai Kiver. which empties close to the Whangamala Harbour. On each side of the creek are cliff-, tho one on the northern side from the creek to the crown of the hill measuring aboub 240 ft. Enormous lodos of quartz are outcropping into the creek and all over the property, while numbers of kauri trees line the banks of the creek. One. of these measures 28 feet in girth, ant; it is estimated bhat cub up and landed in Auckland it would be worbh £125. This tree ia among 100 which have been purchased on behalf of bhe Royal Standard Company. On Wednesday afternoon the p-irty proceeded bo the fork of the Wharokerau punga creak, where the Royal Standard reel's outcrop. I had frequently heard of tho reefs syetem on the property and the largo body of ore in sight, but 1 was simply astounded when I reached the bank of bhe creek to find that the cliffs on both sides were composed of quartz formation. The reefs stand up straight on both banks, showing a width of 30fb to 40fb. On the hangingwail side thare id 30fb' of soli:! quartz, while on feho footwal! tide there is a lob more quartz showing, bub interlaced with seams of nndesite. Throughout the whole of bhe hangingwail portion of bhe reef, sulphide?, seams, curls, and spots can be seen plainly. I took several prospeebs from this portion of tho roof and pounded them. Each showed a good tail of high coloured gold iv the dish. Ie is estimated bhat tbe worst bested ehould crush a couple of ounces to tho ton in the battery. The gold ia very fine, and the ore is just suit-able for the cyanide process. In tho foobwall porbion sulphides can be scon freely in the seams of quartz running through the andesite. In olden times two short prospecting drives were put in on this porbion of tho property. I went into both of these drives and took oub stone which I subsequently pounded, and found by peetle and mortar teat carried a highly favourable percentage of the precious metal. The formation of these drives seems to be all quartz, no country ehowitig whatever. Is is reckoned from this bhab the quartz and country mixed io bhe creek in the footwall portion will become as solid as the hangingwail portion when driven upon. I mighb mention thab in this locality bhero is ono seam ab tbe junction of two creeks, which appears to be the extreme haagiugwall porbion of bhe main reef. Hero some magnifieenb quarfcz may be seen. This rich portion is about two feeb wide, the whole of the quartz being. a mass of blue sulphides. I chipped some pieces off with a pick, and by grinding in the mortar a splendid prospecb was ob-

tamed. Leaving No. 1 reef, bhe party proceeded up the spur to bhe north-east porbion of tho property, where No. 2 reef te exposed. It is difficult to give an accurate idea of bhe width of this reef, so little having been done oh ib. A largo trench has been sunk on bhe outcrop; The formation ab this poind seems bo be about 10 feeb to 12 feeb in width. Irs going down the trench and by exnmininf the walls can be seen tho well known sulphides in a curly quartz formation. There is every reason to predict bhab when the battery gets to work this reef will bo found to be very valuable, and it will probably rival the No. 1 reel. Tests baken by myself and pounded gave a tail of deep yellow gold, said to be worth over £3 per ounce. The white stone in this reef has a milky appearance, and ab first sight would bo taken bo be valueless ; in fact, some of the stone you can almost see through. A best, however, nroved ib to be very rich, and I secured a sample to bring to Auckland with me. As the whole formation of the spur in this section appears to be composed of the kind of quartz described, ib is hard to give an opinion a*, to the extent of payable ground in bhis particular locality. The nexb portion of the property wo started for was the point at the cr6ek whore ib is intended to put in b!ie lew level. On the way down to tho crock from bhe upper workings to the low level, I went into a crosscut, 50ffc in. This ia driven right across the reef, there being a --olid body of atone for the whole distance, blue sulphides showii.g through tho whole muss. If required, the whole of tho reef could be taken in a face from this point and pub through the babtery, and -oi,ere is every reason bo think with payable reunite too. The whole formation is a curiy stone, interlaced with blue sulphide veins, and I am informed that ib much resembled the stone taken from the big Crown mine at Karangahake. Wo thon walked down to tho creek, where the low level is bo be commenced. The outcrop of No, 2 reef is to be seen in bho creek. Mr Ralph informed me bhat it i was from hore that samples were taken in

August, 1594, and forwarded to the Thames School of Mines, bhe one bon treated showing assay value of £17 15s per ton. When the crosscut has been driven ib is prodicted thab several obher payable reels will be discovered before No. 2 or No. 1 is found. The crosscut) will be in a splendid position and can be connected by a few chains of tramway wibh the battery kilne. The fall of water from the dam bo the battery pelton wheel will be 270 leeb. This fall can be obtained in less than half a mile of fluming. lb was estimated on tho day of my visit, which of course was in tho middle of a very dry summer, that there were ten sluice heads of water in tho creek, ft is thu3 pretty certain Chan an ample supply of water can be obtained ac all seasons of the year. On the wesborn aide of the properby is what is known as Kane'e reef. A good deal of trenching has been done here, and there is exposed to view the walla ot a large reef composed of kindly quartz of a whitish nature, showing blue sulphide veins. Ib is thought thab this rebf is another parallel body of ore to tho main Royal Standard reef, and bhab ib junctions with the lioyal Standard reef ab the norbhern end of bhe property. Five acres of foreab growth is to be cleared fur the battery site ab the junction of bhe Pinnacle Creek and main Wharekeranpunga Creek, the sawyers making a start on bhis work on Friday. The babtery will have a frontage of eighb chains to bhe main creek, bhe country ab the back rising very steep. There are also splendid facili- ! ties, for kiln drying The tramway to connect the babtery site will be laid down to bhe Purakawai River landing. This will enable the Company to geb the machinery for the battery site and obher purposes from Whangama_a. The water race ia bo be taken from a point fifty yards above bhe junction on tbe main creek. The left hand branch will be diverted and broughb in, emptying into the main dam. Ab this point) the crook is precipitous, and some excavating will have bo be done.

The work of developing the property-is to ba vigorously prosecuted, under Mr Ralph's able direction, and no time is to be lost in getting up a 40 stamper battory, as<-:ay office, etc. Three levels have been startod bo open up the reef-1, six men being pub on each. A largo staff of workmen have also boen engaged for other purposes, while surveyors under Mr Cutbon's experienced eye commence work ab once. Taken altogether, tho Royal Standard property has every prospect of a splendid future before ib, with every facility for mining purposes on' the ground. No matter where one walks are bo ,be seen enormous quartz reefs, and to tho whole party it was quite a revelation. Ib is a property which justifies the investment of the moneys of bhe British public, and I fully expect bhat ib will make a lasting name for itself in the history of mining in the Hauraki district. No doubt fche merifcs of bhe Royal Standard wore undiscovered so long simply on accounb of Wharekoraupungadisbricb being unfrequented and bo difficult of access until lately. However, in tho near future all of the mines will be easily reached by means of tramway from' high water mark ab Wbangamata through the developuaenb of the Royal Sbandard property. In future articles I will deal with adjacenb claims, including bho Tavistock, Royal Standard No. 1, Royal Sbandard Extended, Fiery Gross, Sceptre, Royal Shield, Atlas, Prince of Wale?, Devon and obhers, besides properbiesin Waitekauri and other dietriebs.