STARTING A MINING BOOM.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 208, 2 September 1926, Page 11

STARTING A MINING BOOM.

i '» JUST WHISPERING. "Yes, we are in for a mining boom," r remarked an old Thames resident to a ~ representative of the "Auckland Star." ''Evidently you do not wear a belt as B well as braces," was the reply of the 5 pressman. * . "No, I do not, but what has that got to do Vith my statement about a mining ' uoom!" i "Well, if a man wears both belt and braces it is a sign that he is a pessimist. You must certainly be an optimist, j if looking at the sharelist you really think a boom is near at hand." "That is all right, and I repeat there » are signs of a mining boom being near fc at hand. You can't expect to make new finds unless development work is j being done in a number of places. Now it is a long time since so many small t companies were carrying on vigorous , development work at Thames, several I are also operating at Coromandel, and others at Waitekauri. The point is that 3 several companies are now working in r what was the" richest part of Thames j goldflelds in the early days." Looked at dispassionately and not I from an optimist's point of view, it i must be admitted that there are several j signs that preceded previous revivals in , mining. For instance, the whisperers I are at work.- These are men, who Hke| t tipsters on the racecourse, always prJ j fess to have sure inside knowledge. They j kindly tender that knowledge to all and 8 sundry at the corner of the street. Thej- , have their facts well marshalled, and ; can use glibly the names of old-time miners who told them—always in confi- [ dence^ —where they left rich gold behind j in the early days. If the listener remarks that the old-timer was not the man to leave much gold behind him r they have always an answer ready, i. either a creep that drove the men out,, c or they were afraid of the famous bogy, j. the Moanataiari slide. t Thus it has ever been. Years ago t when the Saxon's shaft was being uns watered, there were men who could tell t all about the gold that was left in the f bottom when the water drove them out. j While the water was being lowered the c shares rose to 12/6 each, and fell to . zero when it was found there was only j mud at the bottom. Before the Thames, 9 Hauraki started to sink to 1000 feet, c there were old hands who told how they c were driven out by water of the deepest „ shaft in the early days of the field. One * man was so certain that rich gold was c left that he used to show a pendant of 8 quartz which he said was cut from the last piece of stone he broke out of the reef after the manager had ordered the men out. If jt was, then he got the l whole of the patch as a souvenier. An- - other old mine was abandoned by the . men because of the water, but they, t course, were on rich gold and had to 1 leave in such a hurry that even the i foarrow was left behind. Constant repet tition of this story, caused a company . to be formed, which drove a low level J to get under the patch. When the spot c was reached one part of the story - proved true, for an old barrow wheel T was found, but no pold-bearing stone. J Just now the whisperers are talking fc about an old miner who told the man- ■ affer of a company at Thames if he - would drive in a certain direction he 3 would Ret a patch estimated at some--1 thing about £100,000. They will be on it » in a fortnight, he affirmed. The expression on the faces of the listeners is best 1 d<v>cribed by the words of the old song i "Oh, Let it be Soon." j