LOW LEVELS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 205, 31 August 1933, Page 22

LOW LEVELS.

THAMES GOLDFIELDS. PRODUCING POSSIBILITIES. CHAPTER OP MINING HISTORY (By AURIFEROUS.) Within an area of less than 500 acres, bounded on the north by tlie Kuranui Creek, on the cast by the Moanataiari Slide, on the south by the Karaka Creek and' on the west by the foreshore, were nine or ten acres of the principal reef that produced four-fifths of the millions of pounds' worth of gold won from tho Thames goldfleld in the early days. The rich gold specimens and ore were principally obtained from a series of quartz veins and small leaders at the top of a waterfall which was formed through an intrusion of a buck reef crossing the line of a reef known afterwards as Stone's reef in the Kuranui G.M. Company. On that company's property the quartz was of high value until it was cut off by the Moanataiari fault. The Long Drive No. 1 reef, 300 ft south of the Shotover, is cut off by the same intrusive buck quartz that was responsible for Hunt's patch and has never been picked up on tho seaward, trend. On its eastern trend and a short distance from where it faulted, it produced from 50,000 to 60,000 ounces of gold in a space of 160 ft long and 90ft deep at Kuranui tunnel before that tunnel was constructed. A Big Yield. The course of this is in the form of a semi-circle. It crosses the Kuranui tunnel in two places. The first crossing is at a point 300 ft from the entrance and again at the Moanataiari shaft. It continues its course till it junctions with the Moanataiari No. 0 reef, at a point where the Bonanza was discovered in the year 1877. A total of 10,000oz of gold was taken out for the first week and 5000oz per week for several weeks afterwards. The shares increased in value from 14/ to £22 10/. The writer inspected tho find in the first week after discovery. The quartz reef showed a band of gold 4 inches wide in the face of the drive, and along a short stope for a distance of 12ft from face of drive. The Duke's reef, in the Long Drive Claim, is the continuation of the Moanataiari No. 9 on its western or seaward course. Rich ore was mined from this portion also. One large specimen stone, insured for £800, was forwarded to London for exhibition. The seaward trend of the reef was cut off at the point where it functioned with tho buck quartz intrusion that interfered with the No. 1 reef and Shotover patch. The famous Caledonia reef, which averaged about Bft wide, was first on the surface in the Manukau claim. The Bonanza gold did not come up to the surface by 20ft. The three lucky owners won about £12,000 each in a very short time. The gold chute entered and passed through the whole area of the Golden Crown mine. This mine paid about a quarter of a million to its shareholders in a space of two years. The Bonanza Chute then passed into the Caledonia G.M. Company's property. About seven tons of the precious metal was won from this mine in the space of three years. One pound shares advanced to £210. With the exception of passing through it at the 450 ft level in the old Big Pump shaft, and again at the 640 ft bottom level, it was driven on for a distance of 250 ft, where fair prospects were obtained. This historical gold-producing reef is still intact, going west from Tookey shaft, on its seaward trend.

i. "Mother Lode." I The Waiotahi-Cambria reef is the ! "mother lode" of the Thames goldfield. Its average width is from 12ft to 14ft wide. In the latter named mine it produced a "bonanza" patch of about 36,000 ounces of gold from a block 50ft long and 90ft deep. In the Waiotalii mine a bonanza patch was discovered in- the year 1906, over £600,000 worth of gold being won from a space of 45ft long and 120 ft deep. Before this discovery, this mine had paid to its lucky shareholders 15 per cent dividends every half-year for 25 years. This mother lode, with the exception of passing through it in the 640 ft level of the old Big Pump, is still unexploited on its seaward trend from a point 200 ft west from the Waiotalii shaft. Four hundred feet south of the Waiotahi and running parallel with it, is the well-known Mariner reef, which has an average width of 10ft. It was successfully worked in both the Prince Imperial and the Deep Level Cross Gold Mining Company from the seaward elide for a length of 600 ft. This reef produced a large amount of gold. At this point it was intercepted by a fault and not reI covered again. Its continuation may be discovered in an area of unexploited country lying to the south of the Waiotalii creek and Trenton shaft. The Prince Imperial No. 2 reef is a parallel lode .to the Mariner' on its south side. It has an average width of 2ft and produced over £200,000 worth of gold between the Nos. 3 and 6 levels about 550 ft from the surface. It was also mined successfully in the Deep Level Cross. On its western trend a small chute of gold was Avorked down to the 640 ft level of the old big pump in their southern crosscut. Both those two last named lodes are etill unexploited on their western trend. lam quite confident that in the future those, as well as other lodes, will be successfully mined, as according to the geological formation of this particular locality there is a promontory of auriferous country extending in a westerly direction at no great depth. Saxon Lodes.

Approximately 800 feet south from Prince Imperial reef is the Saxon Nos. 3, 2 and 1 lodes. The latter lode is a compact body of quartz, varying from 7ft to Oft wide, and £88,000 worth of gold was won from a block from No. 3 to No. 6 levels, 600 feet east of the j shaft. The Tipper levels were mined successfully in the early days of the goldfield. On its western course the reef was cut off by the seaward slide at the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 levels. The fault has a dip of 45 degrees to the west. When intersected at No. 4 level the latter had to be extended another 33ft beyond the alignment of that dip from surface before No. 3 level was met with. This reef is intact from the No. 4 level Saxon shaft on its downward trend and from a point 300 ft east of the shaft to the seaward fault. The Saxon No. 3 lead proved payable wherever worked on. The lowest workings on this lead were from No. 6 Saxon shaft. ,A drive was extended on line of reef on its western course for a distance of 120 ft beyond the point where it should have intercepted the seaward slide, as indicated in the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 levels, No. 1 Saxon reef. Payable values were met with. At this point work had to cease on account of gas the reef interfering with

miners in the Saxon mine, the face of the drive being at that time in the Victoria G.M. Co.'s holding. The fact that quartz exists at this level far beyond where the elide should have been met with, according to its dip at the upper levels, leads one to form an opinion that the congenial andesite country that is known to exist in this locality extends for a considerable distance in a westerly direction. Ore of High Value. The next reef of note is the May Queen, Queen of Beauty and Bright Smile. This consistent gold-bearing lode had a width varying from Oft to 16ft, though 110 bonanza patches were met with. Ores of high values were constantly met with iu each of the aforenamed companies' properties, paying handsome dividends for a number of years. The first three shareholders of the Queen of Beauty claim won _ £12,000 each within two years after discovery. The Thames Hauraki big pump shaft was sunk to a depth of 1000 ft on the lastnamed claim. We now come to the last and farthest south known lode, west of the Moanataiari fault of the Thames goldfield, known as the Vanguard. _ This reef was first discovered in a whim shaft sunk on a bank at the foot of the Bird «n Hand Hill. Although gold was* seen in the quartz, it was not of sufficient value to continue further operations iu the mid 'seventies. Captain Richards, who was at that time manager of the Bright Smile Gold Mining Co., projected a drive from the shaft at No. 4 level and intersected a huge body of quartz showing gold of sufficient value to warrant the company erecting a 40stamp battery on its property. Opening up the reef and exploiting it was being carried out during the erection of the mill. About 500 tons of quartz was treated, but it did not prove payable, although gold was to be seen frequently in heavjly mineralised ore. The principal portion of this mineral was magenetite, it being a great deterrent to the affinity of gold with quicksilver, the latter being the principal saver of gold in those days. At that, the Bright Smile shaft caved in, and there has been no work done on it at this point since.

Later, in Mr. T. A. Dunlop's time, a drive was projected from No. 7 level, Hauraki Big Pump shaft, the reef intersected, and a trial crushing gave 4oz sdwts from five tons of mineralised quartz. Ninety per cent was won from blankets and tailings. This latter test proved that the quartz contained a higher value than that treated by Captain Richards. The cyanide process was not in use at that time. Under able mine management and a scientific and efficient treatment of refractory ore, this massive body of quartz is one of the best propositions for the winning of the precious metal 011 the Thames goldfield. The Curtain. Rung Down. The Hauraki Big Pump drainage shaft was sunk to a depth of 1000 ft for the purpose of exploiting some of the aforestated Bonanza Lodes 011 tlieir westerly course, with the possibility of meeting a recurrence of the high values in this direction and depth, it being 360 ft below any other mining works 011 the goldfield. Several of the mine managers of the Thames were appointed by the Deep Levels Board of Directors to submit a scheme most suitable for carrying out the proposition. It was as follows: To sink the Saxon, Prince Imperial, and old Big Pump shafts to the 1000-foot level, as those shafts had their winding machinery already installed. Work could have been commenced forthwith. When each of the shafts had attained the required depth of 1000 ft, drives from each shaft in both directions could be advanced simultaneously. This method would be of a great advantage in getting rid of the mullock, and on connecting with drives from each shaft respectively would be the means of inducing a strong flow of natural air necessary for the welfare of the miners at work. The exploiting of the several reefs in their respective companies' property could be carried out on their western course through that flow of auriferous andesite that was responsible for most of the Bonanza patches that were obtained in the upper levels. A body of commercial experts formu- ' lated a scheme to project a drive from the bottom of the Big Pump shaft in a northerly direction through what the mine managers predicted was duffer country and too near, the Moanataiari fault. After driving about 2000 ft and intersecting the fault at a great cost, the powerful pumping machinery broke down, andwork ceased. This act was the ringing down of the curtain for gold mining at the deep levels of the Thames.