A Look Through the Mining Fields.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4211, 4 June 1935, Page 5

A Look Through the Mining Fields.

(By a Visitor.) Quite a lot has been heard of the great possibilities of and expected •gold returns from the several Wakalipn mining claims during the past season. These opinions, .from A Visitor’s point of view, were rather optimistic. It must be admitted that one pail of the Wakatipu field did uphold its name, and that is the Arrow field. Some good returns have been won from this field, and free present appearances the yields arc likely to continue ’for some time to come. The water supply in this field, with (he exception of that of the fpper Arrow Co., is all that could be desired from a mining point of view. The Macotown Development Co. are reported to have got very satisfactory prospects in their several prospecting' tunnels. The future of this quartz field is of a promising nature, and is well worth the attention of mining investors. All

through the Shotover goldfield, with the exception of about three claims, the season gives the impression of hopes umealised. At the Polnoonburn, Upper Shutover Co. it was noticed that mining had been slopped for some time, and the Burn is once again turned and running in her old course. An aspect of Hie situation which strikes one from an engineering? point of v.iowy is (he way tin -which the diverted tunnel has been brought out to catch the stream. The intake of the tunnel would have given a much heller draw had it been .given more of an angle with the . stfream instead of meeting the stream almost straight on. Possibly the engineer who planned the work has some reason of his own for the extraordi-

nary way in. which the tunnel meet® the stream. There is also another Burn in the Branches locality, according to the geo,logical map of the Skippers Survey District. This is the Flood-bum on. the western side of the river, and which, seems: to be fed from near the back of Mt. Annum, 4315 ft in height. Act another- Burn, the Schielbum—adjacent to andi on the same side oil the river as- the Poltroon,burn. Undoubtedly a land of Burns! Let’s hope the name

“pocket-burn” will not come to be found in. this, far back part of the golden .stvetch of the Shoitoversitreani! On the S'hielburn, nothinig appertaininig to mining appears to exist. Just hi Is gorges, scrub, he at,her, an a lew I goatteiKXl sheep and cattle. On tiro I Floodburn side and deep down in a < narrow gorge, two men were putting in a wall of woof and stone—evidently ’frying to combat the force? of nature by holding the Burn to one side to allow some golden pocket to be cleaned out. From the look of the precipitous walls of the gorge 'the men whoever they might be, arc deserving of all the gold any pocket .„ay contain. On the Terrace above the ifura two miners, appear to be fossicking for a back run of gold!* but with the small amount of_ water at their command, combined with the primitive method o', fossicking, or pi os,pecting the ground, little can be expected. Probably the future may see more updo-date developmental work carried out. Immediately below the “Burns” is to bo. seen the site of what was once the proponed dam site tor looking back the waters of the Shofcover. the situation suggestlsi that. Nature. must have anticipated such a proposal as a dam site at this particular part of the river. Rumours, are still afloat as to the building of the dam; but. xvhen the, Dame does rot fay. There arc some, alluvial terraces about the Branches locality ,which, from theii appearance, should be goldlrearing. However they appear to be untouched aw yet. Some few miles lower down too river the .Sandhills Co. are trying to force the river through a cut, which appears, to be somewhat higher than the river bed. The river is running through the cut, but what bap pens when a Hood takes, place? That would be interesting' to see. One point that is very .striking about the diversion of the river through the new cut is the effect the. debris from the washing of the river is going to have in the filling up of the river bed lower down. Time, of course, hviW give the answer. ' Nothing more is met with until Skippers creek, is reached. There some sluicing is being carried on on a beach above the creek. The ground is very rough, and stones. o. considerable size have to be handled to act at. live bottom where the gold is. The gold, ais might be expected, is pf a very heavy quality, being mostly of the nuggety class of metal, and a fair amount is being got at times, but it .takes a long time to get even ai small paddock washed in. The next, sluicing to meet the eye is what, is, or ha,si been, taking place un the claim known as the Mountain Terrace. This claim, it is understood, has only been opened' up during the latter part ol the. season, and' np to the present has proved more than satisfactory. Owing to the high altitude of "the. claim, work has been closed down until the. spring him a Considerable, effort has been put into the bringing _in of the water race, and the. piping of the watei over dangerous country. There, is a fair area, of ground in the claim, and many years will be required to work it out. (To he continued) SKIPPERS, LTD. INCREASED OF CAPITAL SOUGHT. Shareholders, in Skippers Ltd., have been advsied that an extra,ordinary general meeting of the. company “will be he’ll in Christchurch on June 25 to consider, and, if thought fit. to pasts the following resolution:— “That the capital of fche company be increased from £75,000 to £85,000 by the creation of 200,000 additional shares of one shilling each, numbered 1.500,001 to 1,700 000, such shares to be issued as preference shares conferring on the holders thereof the right to a fixed cumulative preferential dividend at the rata of _ 7- 2 - per centum per annum on the capital for the time being paid uy on such ‘shares, and ranking both as to capital and dividend! in priority to the shares in the existing capital, and further conferring on the holders thereof the right of conversion of the preference shares into an equal number of ordinary shares within a period of three years from this date.