MINES STATEMENT

Grey River Argus, 2 August 1940, Page 10

MINES STATEMENT

WEST COAST GOLD INDUSTRY Quartz Production [per Press Association] WELLINGTON, July 31. The Alines Statement records that quartz mines on the West Coast in 1939 produced £265,351 worth of gold, compared with £188,941 in the previous year. The northern districtproduced £444,897 compared with £42b,obU for 1938. J r, The average value per ton of ore treated during 1939 amounted to f. Os 6d, as compared with £2 Ils jci d A?fhe 9 Martha Mine, Walhl 175.665 tons of quartz was mined and treat ed from which 49,981 °z. of gold, valued at £386,121, and 384,897 oz. of. silver, valued at «5,581 were recovered. The dividends paid durin*, the past year, £61,988 Is, were £l2 397 los 6d less than those paid in 1938.. The total dividends paid to date from the Martha Mine are £6,623,336 13s. In the Grand Junction section of the Martha Mine only maintenance work was done. At the Golden Dawn Mine a winze was sunk on the No. 5 reef and some driving was done from near the bottom of the winze, Jsut the results were disappointing. The winze is to be extended. Only 44 tons of ore from the Golden Dawn Mine was treated in 1939, yielding 8 oz. of gold. At the Talisman-Dubbo Mine, near Karangahake, from all workings 2,013 tons of ore were treated, yielding 291 oz. of gold, valued at £2,979, and 1,374 oz. of silver, valued at £136. From two other mines in the Karangahake district 708 tons of quartz was mined, yielding 752 oz. of gold, valued at £2,608, and 267 oz. of silver, valued at £27. In the Blackwater Mine development was continued in Nos. 11, 12, and 14 levels to the north and in a branch drive west of the north end of No. 13 level north, also in Nos. 13 and 14 levels to the south. No. 11 north was extended foi’ 209 ft. north of the Prohibition Shaft, the 20 in. reef continuing to average over 11 dwt. In the No. 13 level south the values were a little higher, and those in Nos. 13 north and 14 north averaged 13.92 and 15.52 dwt. respectively, while in the No. 14 south the 29 in. reef averaged 17.60 dwt. Near the old battery, and using the water which drove it an A.C. generator has been installed; and the 1,000 cubhj feet compressor, which ’ formerly was steam driven, is now electrically driven. During 1939, 49,482 tons of ore from the Blackwater Mine was crushed and treated, from which 25,416 oz. 4 dwt. of gold was recovered. From a clean-up of the old mill, 1,026 oz. 4 dwt. were obtained, making a total, from the clean-up and the mine ore, of 26,442 oz. 8 dwt.. valued at £230,559. Dividends amounting to £18,749 8s were paid during 1939. making the total dividends paid to date from the Blackwater Mine £399,986 6s. At the Alexander Mine the No. o intermediate and No. 6 levels were extended, but most of the ore was from the slopes above the No. 5 intermediate level. Much driving and crosscutting was done in the No. 6 level before the lode was located, and 1 it is evident the country thereabouts is very much faulted.

During 1939 the tonnage treated was 50 per cent, more than that of the previous year, being 3,259 tons, which yielded 2,192 oz. of gold, valued at £19,621. At the Big River Mine the shaft was sunk 74 ft. below the No. 6 level, and below the No. 5 level a winze was sunk 39 ft. on a narrow ore body ( which cut out at the bottom of the! winze. The No. 6 level was continued, but only a small lens of good ore was met. Some crosscutting off this level shows that the lode has been displaced between the No. 5 and the No. 6 levels. Below the No. 6 level a winze was sunk 74 ft. on rich stone which increased in width from 12 in. at the top of the winze to 60 in. at the bottom. Then it was decided to sink the shaft to the No. 7 level. Most of the 1,522 tons which was treated in 1939, and from which 1,449 oz. of gold was recovered, valued at £14,080, was from the stopes above No. 5 level. The Mines Department continued its prospecting operations in the Per- | severance and Golden Treasure Mines near Reefton. After the No. 1 crosscut in the Perseverance Mine had been restored, a winze was sunk some 74 ft. mostly in the reef. In the No. 2 level, over 700 ft. of driving and crosscutting has been done, but no reef was met. A rise was then put up to connect with the winze from No. 1 level. From

this rise an intermediate level was driven 205 ft. on the reef. The crosscut in the Perseverance Mine was extended another 1.800 ft. until it connected with the bottom of the old Golden Treasure shaft. The Golden Treasure No. 3 level was then retimbered and extended. About 400 ft. of driving and crosscutting was done in the north end of the mine, and by rising up from No. 3 level and sinking from an old intermediate level a connection was made and the old upper workings examined. If values warrant it, a fairly large tonnage can be worked above Nov 3 ■ level.

Dredge Mining The following is a statement showing the production of bucket gold

Of the eighteen dredges which were working in the West Coast district j during 1938, one, the Stafford, which/ sank in March, 1938, did not resume

operations, and the company went into voluntary liquidation. The former Maori Gully Gold Dredging Co., now called “Maori Gold, Ltd.,” purchased the Nevis Diesel dredge transported it from Central Otago to the West Coast, and reerected it on their new dredging-arc.! at Callaghans. , , The Arahura all-steel dredge, weighing 650 tons, was completed, and commenced dredging in August, 1939, while the all-steel Ngahere dredge, weighing 600 tons, was completed and given a trial run at the end of the year- , ■ 3 The Snowy River dredge is under construction and will be opfetating during the present year. Preparations are in hand for the construction of seven more dredges for the WestCoast district. Of the six dredges working m the Southern district in 1938, four, the Nevis Crossing, Molyneux, Clutha and Rainbow dredges, continued to operate during 1939. The Aitkens dredge was removed from the Maitland area and reconstructed in the Chatton district. The Goldfields (Big Beach) dredge was worked early in 1939, but later on closed down, and the company went into liquidation. The construction of the large allsteel dredge at Lowburn, Central Otago, was hampered by the outbreak of war, but this dredge should soon be operating.

Alluvial Mining

The following is a statement showing the production of alluvial goldmines during 1939:—■

In the West Coast and Southern Inspection Districts 1,190 men were employed at alluvial mining in 1939, as compared with 1,374 men in the previous year. T In the West Coast district a further decrease from 858 men to 649 men was shown, but in the Southern district there was an increase from 516 men to 541 men. The 193 men in the Grey district alluvial mines produced 2,968 oz. of gold in 1939; in the Murchison district 123 men produced 883 oz.; in the Buller district 55 men produced 1,185 oz.; and in the Westland district 135 men produced 1,141 oz. At Waikakaho the work was confined to the driving of a crosscut from the bottom of the shaft. The test of the drag-line plant atMaud Creek proved the cost of oper-l ating it was not economical through frequent removals and resetting. At Addison’s Flat 147,000 cubic yards were treated, yielding 703 oz. of gold, valued at £5,765, and at the Waitahu claim 251,500 cubic yards were elevated and sluiced;,. yielding 635 oz. of gold, valued at £5,271. At the Golden Sands sluicing claim 1,076 oz. of gold, worth £4,961 was removed from 154,000 cubic yards, and at the Moonlight Goldfield sluicing claim 24.3,730 cubic yards were treated, from which 1,076 oz. was recovered, valued at £10,388.

The two 12 in. x gravel-pumps at the Nokomai Gold-mining Co’s, claim continued to operate very satisfactorily in 1939, and 1,536 oz. of gold was recovered, valued at £12,127.

The two gravel-pumps owned by Macrae’s Gold-mining Co. elevated 121,200 cubic yards of wash during 1939 for a return of 872 oz. of gold, valued at £6,871. The Paddy’s Point Gold-mining Co. , recovered at Waitahuna 465 oz. of gold worth £3,721, and in a valley east'of Waitahuna Gully the Sailors Gully Sluicing Co. recovered 355 oz. of gold, valued at £2,991. The Round Hill Gold-mining Co. at their claim at Round Hill, in Southland, recovered 2,321 oz. of gold. valued at £19,671. An area has been taken up covering the main drives in the Bell-Kil-gour and Bell-Hooper Mines, and it| is intended to sluice off the deepl overburden before sluicing the pillars of the deep lead which were not extracted by underground operation. The Rimu Dredging Co. paid £37,501 in dividends for 1939, making a total of £194,552 since operations began. Other dividends paid for 1939 were Mossy Creek £1250, Grey River £7,125, Argo £lO,OOO, Blackball Creek £5,400, New River £4,228, Kanieri £15,000 and Five Mile Beach £3,500.

From the bullion recovered by five West Coast dredges 1,2900 z of silver was obtained valued at £123.

dredges during 1939: — £ Oz. Mataki 1,077 •9.111 Mataki Junction .. . 1,863 16,913 Worksop .< 1,180 11,186 Mossy Creek 1,335 12,150 Grey River . 13,219 125,223 Argo 2,264 21,076 Blackball Creek 2,209 22,213 New River 1,498 Nemona 1,199 11.009 Bundi . . 1,663 12,221 White’s Electric . 1,459 11,645 Barrytown 8,928 75,032 Arahura 5,554 49,124 Rimu 9,956 94,185 Kanieri 14/700 124,279 Five Mile Beach . . 1,244 10,093 Gillespie’s Beach .. 1,174 11,035

Oz. • £ Glenroy Gold,, Ltd 40 319 Addison’s Flat Gold-min-ing Co. Ltd 703 5.765 Totata Gold-mining Co., Ltd 209 1,685 Newton Flat Gold-sluic-ing Co.,. Ltd 9 76 Waitahu Gold - mining Co., Ltd 635 5,271 Auckland Alluvials, Ltd. 69 620 Golden Sands, Ltd. 527 4,961 Golden Valley Syndicate 33 250 Kumara Goldfields Syndicate 51 387 Moonlight Goldfields, Ltd 1,076 10,388 Stafford Sluicing, Ltd. 11 94 All other claims 4,312 32,507