WELCOME HERY CROSS MINING PETITION.

Grey River Argus, 20 January 1912, Page 7

WELCOME HERY CROSS MINING PETITION.

PROSPECTING DEEP LEVELS

(Contributed.) Correspondence has 'been received in town from Wellington advising- that Mr. James Colvin, M.P. and Sir Arthur Guinaiess, M.P. had interviewed the Right Hoii, the Prime Minister, and the Hon. the Minister of Mines, regarding the; application of a £ for^" subsidy for a main shaft for. developing the deep levels of the Welcome Fiery Cross group of claims. Mr. McKenzie placed the matter before the Cabinet, and the Government have decided that the application referred to the Board appointed for the purpose of examining and reporting as to whether the Government should grant the application and. what amount, should .be advanced.. The Board consists of Mr. Reid, (Inspecting Engineer Mines Department), Mr. Morgan (Government Geologist), the Warden of the district, and "he local Inspector of Mines. .'■■._.

Messrs Reid and Morgvin vtsited the property on Satduray. They will deal with the application next week, and forward their report to the Government. ■

The peti'tioneers in the application have placed the matter before the Gov 'eminent in a business like manner,, and strictly keepiaig 'to facts, quoting only the reports of Government officials who have reported on the present deepest workings in the said claim. Besides this, practical demoniirations are quoted of simitar mines' •in the same field. The Energetic Mine is -quoted as to 'whether the famous gneat quartz field of Boatman's is worthy of development. It is to 'be sincerely hoped that t : he Government will not confound quartz m'tning development in Reefton with alluvial mining, 'that they will iiqte the fundamental difference in. the two classes' of mining, and compare the yield of gold- from both sources. It was thrown up as Crowd lands and remained so for several years until the advent of Mr. David Ziman, Ayho at that time was unable to garni success to the old workings to obtain geological information. Its history proved ample for the plucky investor, and he now can be Vtghtlw termed, a bene factor of his. field. This mine has demonstrated beyond all do\ibt the words often quoted iby the Editor of the Grey River Argus, and -in anarticle on the. loth January, on Reefton mines, and the merits of the Boatmans' application, writes that itbough reefs may appear to run out' experience has over and ov&r proved that they do not really run out. Breaks, may occur, etc. etc. However, the Energetic Mine has now proved all this. The deeper it goes down the largier and richer the lode appears. Its deptihi now is 1.925 feet, and the company aae sinking- a further depth of 300 feet; thus it can be said that' Ml\ Ziman has proved more than any geologist has yet done for this field. He has confirmed beyond speculation that reefs in this ,field improve arid live to great depths) Only last week the 'Keep-It-Dark company, by a crosscut from the bottom of the .shaft, (which latter has been deepenied . 200 feet), located in the cross-cut a lode over 14' feet "wide with good values The iNe-w Big Rtver-, and Blackwater mines can also be mentioned.

The Welcome mine, down to its present depth of 450 feet, by shaft, obtained 27,092 tjons or quartz, yielding 67,464 ozs, to the value of ,£251, 10, paying ,£110,250 dividends. The 010, paying £110,250 dividends. * The last crushing from, the lowest level in the shaft yielded 3i ozs to the ton. The chute of gold ar length of iblock was up to 600 feet.

The Fiery Cross crushed 40,983 tons, yielding 51,7731 ozs, 'value £202,189, paying £72,693 dividends— 'all without modern methods of treatment. Men to-day who worked in the old mines of the Energetic, Fiery-" Cross and Welcome, have greater confidence, in the Boatmans field, wlvich left better indications; in the lowest levels and proving much higher grade quartz. The chute of stone or length ..of blocks were up to 400 feet, with an average width of 4 feet, wtth stone left under foot in the lowest levels of. the monkey shaft, the testimony proving, the Welcome^ Fiery Cross group of claims a" payable mmmg 1 , field. Thts is supported iby all the certificated leading mining managers (28 in number) of lon experience in this field. The future of Boatmans quartz field now hangs in the hand of a Board 'Qf your qualified men of modern engineering and geological •knowledge. The 'history of the Ener getic is within the knowledge of local residents who will remember the"mine in its eau'ly- history^ . Worked down to. a depth of some >600 feet, .the lode being worked' down to 'a boati shaped structure, and completely lost sight of. The owners;- losing all hope, abandoned the mine excepting tihe late" Mr. Gerald .Perotti, one of Reefton'.s staunchest iminihg men and who always maintained that the lode existed downward, and held out that it would go to a great depth as a payable mine. However, men then thought that' the mine was done.

k is Waited that two of the' Eketahuna factories have sold . their output of cheese at the record price of 6£d, f.0.b., Wellington. . ;•