QUARTZ MINING

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 July 1933, Page 7

QUARTZ MINING

REVIVAL IN WAKATIPU DISTRICT

In the Wakatipu district considerable attention is being directed to quartz mining, and encouraging prospects are being obtained from some of the newly-prospected lodes in the Shotover Valley, and' in Skippers Creek (says the “Lake Wakatipu Mail”). At Sawyers Bay, near Skippers Point. Mr J. R. Tripp is winning some very fair gold returns from the old Crystal mine, which was tried by a company which drove a low level some 350 ft, to cut the lode. The adit, however, did not come up to expectations; in consequence, the mine remained idle until a local syndicate applied for tiie reef. Though they spent a considerable sum of money on prospecting work the syndicate did not meet with the success which the results of the first prospecting leu them to anticipate. They got somewhat disheartened, and the mine eventually tell into the hands of Mr Tripp and ethers, who, on further prospecting, found fairly ‘good stone. This with a small two-stamp battery is giving more than rayable returns. The first prospecting done 011 this reef -was carried out by the Crystal Company in 1896. Under practical management there aie doubtless many more lodes which, like the Crystal, would prove their richness, especially if the same amount of perseverance were put into them as has been put into the Crystal. In 1596 some' prospecting was done in what was known as Walde’s reef, in Pleasant Creek, but, as the results did not turn out satisfactorily, prospecting was abandoned. Recently a local man took up the reef, and he intends to give it a further trial by an adit level. His chances of meeting with payable ore are fairly bright, as some fair prospects have been taken from the outcrop some distance beyond where the last prospecting was done. At Macetown there will be quite a revival in quartz mining during the incoming spring, as several lodes have been taken up by a fairly strong financial company, with the intention of further prospecting several of the old mines which gave such huge returns when Macctown reel's were first opened up in or about 1877. From then enward fairly good returns were being won for many years, under different companies. In about the year 1891 several of the mines passed into the hands of Home companies—viz., the Glenrock Consolidated Ltd., and a third concern holding a large area of ever 1000 acres, and known as the Westralia and New Zealand Gold Explorers Ltd. The head offices of these companies being outside New Zealand, the overhead expenses were very high, as can always be expected when the controlling principals are outside the country where operations are being carried on.

In very few instances has this foreign management proved a success. In the year 1896 the Glenrock crushed ore to tho amount, of 1,038 tons for a return of some 4400 z of gold. Yet, on account of tho overhead heavy expenses the return failed to pay a dividend. A sample of 301 b of stone taken from the Sunrise Mine-, owned by the Glenrock, gave a yield of lloz per ton by amalgamation; but, owing to the altitude of the mine, nothing like a satisfactory test was given to this lode, and so it still remains.

The Tipperary Gold Mine Ltd. took cut a crushing of 101 tons in 1596 and wen over 60oz of gold. Considerable trouble was experienced in saving the gold from this mine, owing lo the pyritical sand being heavily charged with arsenic. To.overcome this disadvantage a reverberatory roasting furnace was erected, also a small cyanide plant, but it was some considerable time before any success was met with in the treatment of the arsenic-loaded pyrites. Eventually the method succeeded, and a 100 per cent, extraction was gained. When all this had been completed, the capital of the company was about exhausted. This trouble, together with the difficulty of mining the ore, was the means of the mine being closed down. It was the intention of this company to resume work as soon as sufficient capital could be secured, but the capital was not forthcoming, llio result was that a very promising body of stone known to exist underneath the low level was left unworked, and it still awaits the capital to develop it.

WELL-KNOWN REEFS. The mines above mentioned are not tho only ones that have been left unworked in the Macetown gold-bearing Land of country. The Golden Link claim, which was worked from Sawyers’ Creek level, gave a return of 2oz to the ton from a block of surface stone taken out. As the rich stone did net continue to live down a little prospecting wa.:l done, without success. So this mine was closed down. Not being satisfied with loz stone after treating 2ez stone, the owners became disheartened. This has been the cause of many a good claim being unworked to the present day. From the Lady Fayre, on the same line of lode as the Golden Link, tons of ore,were mined for a return of loz sdwt per ton. The depth worked was approximately 159 ft, at which depth tho reef floored. Very little prospecting wad done attciwards, although gold was still existing. 'flio Homeward Bound is also on the .‘■ame line. The ore taken from the upper levels of this mine yielded on an average loz per ton. The reel was very blocky and hard to trace which added considerably to the expense of working. A No. " level was driven for

a. distance of 700 ft from the entrance, bui. the stone was only valued at Odwt per ton. consequently the mine was closed down. All hough it was proved I hat Hie ore body was going under the floor level, no furl her prospecting was dene. The chances are that if a No. I level were pul. in to cut the reef at a. lower level a much richer value per ton would be obtained lower down. The Victor Emanuel reef is another lode, which gave a very rich return — about loz per ton. The reef was only about ,Ift in width, and some 600 tons Irom this reef were treated, lint the stone had to be carted to a batatery quite a long distance away from the mine. As the yield did not keep up to the loz value the working's wore closed down. The Garibaldi reef, on the same line as the Victor Emanuel, was mined fcr some lime, as high as 3oz to the lon being got from some of the stone. The average worked out al loz per ton. ’lhe 1.01a.l crushed from ill’s mine was •’lent, bill* tons, but the ore had to be eurted or Acighed to Bush Creek, a distance of. three ■ , inai tm.. of a. mils, after which it, had to be again conveyed in a. dray a distance of three miles from Bush Creek, to a mill. With this handling it was found that less than loz stone would not give profitable results. In this mine there is a, fine body of stone about 6ft in

width, but much poorer than the stone carted to tho mill 37 miles. T be All Nations Mine is a branch of the same line, but it junctions with the Garibaldi at the Maryborough bcunnaiy. The stone in this mine proved to be of lair quality, but the gold was very patchy and was found unprofitable to work under the then existing circumstances.

PROMISING FIELD AVAILABLE

The Maryborough mine takes in two lines of reefs which have been traced i.y the Garibaldi and All Nations Companies, and, like some of the others, it was very rich tor a time. The body of ore was from lit Gin to 2ft in width, and on one occasion 2,250 tons of stone gave l,loooz of gold. This was von from the surface workings. After getting this good return the company put in a low level and cut the reef formation, but they were not successful in striking anything as rich as what was ou the surface. After prospecting for, it few months the mine was shut down. From the facts given in these notes it will bo seen that the Macctown reefs effer a splendid field for investment of capital. If a deep level were driven on the creek level of the Homeward Bound—that is, on the east boundary oil the Homeward Bound —there is mere, than a. sporting chance of a mining pioposition being opened up which would probably give good dividends for many years to come.

From a mining point of view there is no gainsaying the fact that the Macetown reefs have only been surface scratched. The prospecting company that has taken the reefs up to piospcct has a. good, sound proposition ahead of it if the management of the prospecting is put in the hands of a practical reeling miner—one. for preference, who has had practical experience on the Macetown reefing field. To fully develop the several mines would entail a fairly large outlay. even after prospecting had been carried out, but in the opinion of the writer of these notes the goods are there to warrant the expenditure. Want of capital has always been the drawback on this field. When the preliminary work 'vas completed the capital was exhausted. Thus all the preparatory work, was wasted. Macetewn does not stand alone in this respect.