THE OWEN SILVER REEFS.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7142, 1 September 1888, Page 6

THE OWEN SILVER REEFS.

In view of the interest which is taken in the Owen silver reefs here, a few particulars as to the locality, &c, gathered from an interview with a gentleman of great mining experience, who has just returned from a visit there, and who knows the country well, will no doubt be interesting. The country in which the Welcome and other claims taken up on the Owen silver reefs are situate is about seven miles from the main Buller road, which is nearly the line proposed to be taken by the Midland Railway. The first indications of the lode were found on the left hand branch of the Owen River, and are close to the main spur of Mount Owen. Two spure come down to the bank of the river, one being that on which the silver mining leases have been taken up, whilst the other is occupied by the Wakatu, Bulmer Creek, and other goldaiining leases. Since May last it has been impossible to carry on any work owing to the severity of the weather, the snow being very low down on the spurs. As the weather gets finer active work will be begun, and the Welcome Company have already started a tunnel with which it is intended to intersect the silver-bearing lode. The Silver King Company, whose lease adjoins that of the Welcome, intend also to commence tunnelling at once. The intention of the Welcome Company is to get out a quantity of ore, some ten tons or thereabouts, and ship it to Adelaide for the double purpose of having an assay made, and also ascertaining in what manner the ore should be treated. Ten claims have been taken up on the reefs, and two Companies have been formed, viz., the Welcome and Silver King, in both of which Christchurch people have an interest. It may here be noted that Mr Cosgrove, late manager of the Alpine Company at Lyell and the Wakatu Company at the Owen, will be in charge of the Silver King operations. The formation of the country where the presumed silver lode has been found is exceedingly promising, the hangingwall being of limestone, and the foot wall of slate, which is generally conceded to be the best formation for silver. Sir James Hector on his last visit to the Owen, on examining the geological formation of the country, and seeing granite on one side and limestone on the other, advised prospecting for silver. As already stated, the coach road from Kelson to Beefton passes within seven miles of the reefs, and they are easily accessible on horseback, or a dray road could be made, as only a low saddle intervenes between the road and the reefs. The extent of the reefs as at present ascertained is about one and a half miles, that is from the Welcome claim to the Pern, which is the furthest northward, but indications of silver have been found in stuff on Mount Owen itself, and on the other side at Wangapeka. The lode at the Welcome is found in a bluff, the underlie being to the west, at an inclination of 1 in 2, or, in other words, the lode intersects the bluff in a diagonal direction. There is plenty of coal, wood, and water adjacent to the reefs, so that smelting, if this course of reducing the ore be adopted, could be carried out at very little expense. A telegraph office has been opened at Fagan's, which is on the Buller road, about seven miles from the reefs, and the scenery and healthiness of the Buller Valley is highly spoken of.