MINING AT WANGAPEKA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 171, 17 July 1918, Page 2

MINING AT WANGAPEKA.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS. Recent work .cai'riedv; put:'£Rt Wangapefca has given- a. continuation of satisfactory developments. ~:■"' Payable- ore had already been met. with, ion the eastern side and the, top of the spar, and now payable ore has been located om the western side of the spur. The line of reefs runs diagonally across the spur, from Blue .Creek to <Niigg«tv Oreek. The nature of the ore met with at the top of the spur is a. simple white quartz carrying payable and visible gold .together with about as much silver as there is gold. On the east side the ore is of a complex icharacter, carrying! rich lead and zinc sulphides together with 10 *o 17 dwte of gold aiwl a high percentage of silver. .On' th<* west side of the spur a reef has now been driven on for 120 feet. For 100 feet it is proved to carry ore payable ip ~ zinc, lead, silver, copper, with a little gold. Estimating the values of the constituent metals of the ore at ruling values, this ore is worth £lO per long ton. The percentage of concentrates ill the ore is 24.3. This means* that ajrifle over four tons of the we •will render, one ton of concentrates valued at nearly £4O. Art. 100 feet- the reef showed a change in character, the stone becoming white, with a,n absence of lead, zinc, and copper sulphides, but payable in gold and silver. At 120 feet the level shows indications of a return ot trie sulphides to the ore. The widtb of _ this particular reef, as disclosed ir this level, average 3 feet. It has beer pronounced by experts to ■be a true fissure reef, and its walls are-slate of the oldest formation. The assays' and analyses of the ore have been made by the WaiH School, of Mines, where a!so practical tests" of treatment of th<» ore nave been made. These show that the fr.i~.p>. gold-bearing ore can easiiy be treated by amalgamation, and that the (.vi •■'■■: x ore can be cheaply concentrate! by the process of flotation, and • that r.ie gold in the stone accompanies { the sulphides into the concentrates, i The Colossus Company., which is developing the reefs, has applied to .the • Oovf;iurfit-nt to have the restrictions imposed by the War Regulations suspended as regards their Company, since ler.d and zinc are largely used in munition work, and, in view of the .great demand for zinc, lead, nad copper, plainly, it Js to ''the advantage' of the country that as. much of this-class of ore s-iould' be mined as possible, during uav-tirae. When permission is crantcd the Company proposes "to erect machinery ard commence crushing. 1 A piece of the silver-lead-zinc bearing ore from the yestern. side of the spur may bp seen in the window jof Messrs WJkin<s and Field. £&i_. ■■