MINING REVIVAL.

Grey River Argus, 18 June 1927, Page 5

MINING REVIVAL.

IN KUMARA DISTRICT. Good Dredging Prospects. (Special to (t Argus.”) KUMARA, June 17. Kumara has been for a considerable time, and still is very qfeiet, but people. are hoping for brighter days ahead. Coincident with the proposed electrification of. the V aimea-Kumara water races, which has advanced sufficiently beyond the embyro stages, as to ensure it becoming an accomplished fact in the near future, it is pleasing to record indications of a mining revival in the vicinity of the once-famed gold producing localities of Greenstone "and Kumara. For four or five ■ Rimu Flat Gold dredging Company hab'eOii carrying out boring <>>.--rations in the bed of the Teremakau R the mouth of the Greei -b-i.c Creek, and although the writer ]m no inside information to go on. ruin .nr hath it that so far the results attained have been highly satisfactory. Rumour ;s proverbially a lying jade, but 'nr th * sake of this most enterprising com pany particularly, and the community generally, it is to be hoped that on this occasion the old Dame has some

authentic information up her sleeve. Then again, prospecting areas. amounting to 500 acres, in the Green stone district, has recently been granted a Kumara resident, and I am given to understand that a company has been formed to thoroughly test the ground, and that prospecting operations will commence at an earlv date.

The area in question should prove a highly payable proposition for dredging, as it is surrounded by the old historic workings of Maori Point, Revels Terrace, Argus Terrace, Dukes Terrace, Greenstone, Throe Mile, Westbrook, Dillmanstown and Kumara, and is practically in the centre line of what is known to the old miners as the Golden Belt, which runs through the country in a straight line from the Lyell in the north to Ross in the south, and which practically cuts all the old goldfields of note on the West Coast. Owing to lack of fall this ground could not be sluiced into theGreenstone or Three Mile Creeks, and as dredging virgin country such as this was never dreamt of until the Rimu Company started operations, a few years ago, the ground has remained practically untouched until the present day.

In his annual report for 1906 which was published in the Mines Annual of that year, the manager of the WaimeaKumara water races (Mr James Rockford-) brought this extensive unprospected area under the notice of the Mines Department, and in October of the same year, the Department granted a subsidy of 4/- per foot for shaft sinking. This subsidy was considered inadequate, and later on, the then proprietress of the Erin-go-Bragh water race (the late Mrs Dixon) granted an additional 2/- per foot, and sinking operations were started early in the year 1907.

Unfortunately, the ground proved to be extremely wet. and although the townspeople of Kumara employed additional men at their own expense, and kept three shifts going after the water was met with, it was found impossible to bottom any of the shafts of manual labour. The sinking of three shafts was attempted and the greatest depth reached was 40 feet, which was estimated to be about 30 feet above the level of the on which the rich gold-bearing wash was found on the edge of the Greenstone Creek. I understand that a little gold was found in all three of the shafts, particularly No. 3, which could only be sunk 38 feet, and showed gold practically from the surface all the way down.

A pleasing phrase of the position is that the present holder of the areas (Mr Hugh Steel) held the greater portion of the ground in question many rears ago, and had arrangements to prospect the ground well under way when the war broke out in August, 1914, when he was perforce compelled to relinquish the proposition. It is to Ibe hoped that he will have better luck lon this occasion, and get the ground thoroughly prospected, and if this is done there is every probability that he will meet with, well-merited success and be handsomely rewarded for his enterprise. ...