COROMANDEL GOLDFIELD.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 79, 3 April 1911, Page 7

COROMANDEL GOLDFIELD.

■ JHE GOOD TIME COMING.

THE KAPANGA,

... < ac fc that gold has been discovered . *r B g4of t level in the Kapanga mine Hirallv re-awakens interest jn the tfffid goldfields. Years ago the a lot of gold from the W r workings down to about 400 ft. 2? it was decided to sink to 1000 ft, J%om 400 to close on 900 ft it was i££ country. At the 040 ft level gold Si *ot, and it has been persistently loured ever since that gold was left r£S level. The late Captain Hodge k Sfrom the bottom of the shaft, and fm"a that gold existed at another ■mil Then came the time —a little r 12 years ago—when Captain Hodge ?V the water rise, and the machinery tli subsequently converted into scrap . "- It was left for a local company to once more secure the old mine, erect U pumping machinery, and after sey-™l-rears of labour to Tin water the shaft JTthe 950 ft level. The fact that a leader was (reported the £y nest day after the water had been «ot out P ve3 mlonT t0 the rumour thjt its existence was known over 12 ■reard a««. At the present time, interest I* Corofflandel centres in the Rapanga, ftat mmc occupies the key of the Ljtion at the foot of the gorges, runiL down from the saddle of the Tokarange some 1300 ft higher up. As tj wdl known, along that range is the nain Tokatea reef (better known as the jjjecji) which traverses the country from the Great Barrier Island, is supnoeed to hiuve sunk under the sea, comes rm again at Cape Colville, and is stated tdraa right through to Te Aroha. This Jode has an average width of 50ft, but jn 6ome places opens out to double that wdft. Standing on the top of Tokatea range and looking downwards to where the Kapanga shaft is situated, one feels the force of the late Captain Hodge's fecommendation that the Kapanga shaft should <be sunk another 500 ft, and then t tunnel put in hillwards to get underneath the Tokatea lode. At its present dip &at should only mean driving 700 to 800 ft, and at that depth there is every reason to expect that, although en the surface the lode is not payable, telow the water-line it would <be found to carry valuable mineralised ore. The fact that the famous Martha lode at HVaihi Was scarcely payable on the surface, |but (proved remunerative lower down, is a fair argument in favour of similar results following deeper workings on the Tokatea lode. As to the recent discovery in the Kapnga 409 ft level, it should be rememibered that a little time must elapse Wore work can he done on the leader. . lifter a level and a shaft huve been under water for 12 years there is naturally a good deal of cleaniiig-up work to he done. Meanwhile, the people of Coromandel are hopeful that important developments "will follow once the leader is opened up. I THE MT. WELCOME. A number of shareholders in the Jit. iWelcome mine went down by special steamer on Saturday to Coromandel. . lA.B there was a stiff nbr'-easter Iblowihg up and the ftotiti was the vessel engaged, the' visitors had ample leisure io survey the scenery en route, the time wwpied going being nearly seven hours. Coromandel was reached when the tide Was -well out, and the Kotiti went-in ap far as possible, and then the passengers eet out for the wharf in the ship's boat.' Even >Hiis' dfew too much " water, and it mas a case of "Brentnall to the rescue.". _ That . gentleman promptly jumped ijto a ditogliy, which, ibeing of light draft, enabled him to take some of the passengers off the ship's boat, end this enabled Iboth lots to reach the • wharf, where they were warmly welcomed 'by a number of Coramandel reeidents and driven in a brake up the Tokatea range as far as the vehicle could,go. A sharp climb, and the party TCachea the Mt. Welcome mine, where the manager (Mr. Joe Barker) acted M doerone. Asked if it wae wet in the drive, Mr. Barker told "the truth, but Hot-the whole "truth," if or he replied :ttat.•;"it dripped a little." As a matter ci fact, at one place there was a per--1 feet sta>wer Tjath from <the roof. This is •il the more singular, because a little further along the drive is perfectly dry. Mr. Barker explained that gold had now ten. carried along for 80ft. He showed two whizes in which gold had been followed down until further work *B*i : tendered impossible on ac- ' want of the influx of water. i Nearer the face a third winze has been pnt down for a distance of 16ft, and this . pelded the last Teturn of £460. Unformuatelv, this winze was full of water, so 'we visitors were precluded from inspectM the reef. Mr. Barker, however, wowed a dish of stone, the last taken ■cut before ceasing operations, and this *M really good stuff, showing broad lands of gold running right through it. He also said gold was showing in the rottom of the winze when work had to ** suspended. A timber was removed fcnn the roof of the drive near the face, *ad wme stone was' broken out, in which *ere colours of gold. It is Mr. Barker's intention to continue the drive ahead to «n the Blue Peter Teef, -which higher up produced r good yields of gold some years , *S°- As this is hugging the footwall of JM-main Tokatea lode, there is reason -» hope that when the Blue Peter is met tyth it will prove remunerative, as all 'M gold on the Tokatea Range has been Bpt en, that side of the big loda. but not dose up to it It is also Mr. Barker's Ifttetatioa to stope overhead, where the T m,™ snowin g in the roof. The most important proposal in connection -with the Mt. Welcome mine is putting in a low level from the gully !*wv which should cut the reef after Tα* 6 ? oft driving, drain the upper level, Mα enable the gold to be got out that has "J*® left in the three winzes. As this ijjgg will also be equally useful to the fnae of ToKatea mine, it is probable the ««i companies will join in putting it in. "?« that work is completed, the Mt. neiconie company will have about 150 ft ''backs to the level above, and from 120 ft the surface is about a u° tlier

• ttv • PB p yE OF TOKATEA. ff*?& this low leves reacl >es the Pride lift in , &r° und > [t should soon cut the reef in that company's pro- ' ter drivill g 350 to 400 ft on it in tti 1 « *** dir< *tion. it should intersect Z """Joeky reef which yielded well in ft-.* 111 View mine some years ago. ToW rea j 8 1 now inc 'uded in the Pride of U ta ' Mdmg. It is of interest to ' mv in both the Mt Welcome - iktf*t of Tokatea companies to know flai, . equivalent zone in the Royal 3l £T' the late Ca P tain took wail of the main Tokatea 16de. tilt >» Slto / S cex t ascended the hill to the™ Tokat «i mine, escorted by ■■ (Mr " Arthur Prea»tt),who ! ; 'fi&i l\<° show a dish of st °ne taken ! ■ tknevr a su ? ar -tagful. in which! J in seems the g°- ldthe W t I le feat «res of the Pride that owira stone ehgws U p well all tU (

gold in it. Three classes of gold were seen in'various stones. One was flakey and very showy to look at, but of more value are the other classes, where the gold is peppered in seams right through the stone. This was taken from what is known as Harvey's reef. The visitors then went in the drive, and were shown the reef, which is 18in wide, and a strong body both in the level and the slopes overhead. The country, like that in the Mt. Welcome, is all that could be desired for carrying gold-bearing lodes, and in the drive on Harvey's reef are striking looking patches of arsenic, w.hich are looked upon as an excellent indication for gold in this locality. DREDGING THE FORESHORE. Considering that for ages the washings from the Tokatea Range has been deposited in Coromandel Harbour, it is strange that only now, after so many years of mining, that an attempt is being made to recover the precious metal by means of dredging. If some arrangement could be made by which the material when raised, were used for reclamation purposes, it would be very beneficial to Coromandel township to have the water deepened up to the wharf. The Armstrong Dredging Company (in which English capital is invested) will shortly be ready to commence operations, and as shafts sunk in the foreshore have yielded satisfactory return in the past, good results are expected by the promoters. It will be seen from the above that ore mining is going on at Coromandel, with better prospects showing, than would be gathered from the price at which the stocks figure on the sharelist.