THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4545, 8 June 1876, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

Tairua, Monday. Mr. Campbell, the manager of the Golden Arrow Company, during the last few days, has had men busily engaged in trying to iind out the extent of goldbearing ground running through his claim. Mr. Hall, manager of the Tairua Company, has made a careful survey of the various works on the Tairua claim, as a guide to future workings, and to ascertain, if possible, the course the line of gold was taking through the company's ground. On connecting his works with the Golden Arrow, and following along the line, he discovered what appears to be an unbroken run of goldbearing stone from one claim to the other, running a course north-west and south-east. I have, therefore, no doubt but that both companies are on the same line of reef. On following up the same line, Mr. Campbell has succeeded in tracing it through his claim to Jackson's track, a distance of 400 feet. I walked over the ground on Saturday. There appears to be an immense body of stone throughout, quite as large as that at present worked on, which is over 40 feet wide. I saw several prospects tried, all of which produced a very fair shew of gold, wl ich, with a battery of their own, should pay well. The claim could not have better facilities for working. There is a steady fall of, I dare say, 200 feet from their present works to where it shews itself at Jackson's track, so that all that is required to comence operations is merely to open out a big face, and send everything to the mill,, which from this point will be about 900 feet. The whole of the strata in this district appears to be running about north and south, with an underlie to the west, the soft sandstone formation abutting on to a narrow belt of hard conglomerate. Present appearances go to indicate that this immense lode runs transversely through the belt of conglomerate at an angle of about 40 degrees; its present course, south-east, will carry it through the Sandhurst claim, and probably through the Couutess and Golden Gate claims. The north-west, end would bring it direct through the Gem on to the Ajax workings, and it is now the opinion of many (and I think not without some show of "reason) that on the lode getting into the sandstone formation it becomes properly defined, and that the -Ajax lode is a continuation of it. Should such be the case, this would apparently give us (from the ground already proved) an unbroken line of payable stone for over a mile in length, a very rare occurrence on goldfields. The Arrow shaft is now down nearly 40 feet. There is no change in the appearance of the stuff, and the dish prospects are quite as good as from the surface workings. At a meeting of directors, held this day, it has been decided to erect machinery at once. Some time since they purchased the Waitemata engine and boiler, which is capable of driving from 20 to 30 head of stamps. Steps will be taken to get it on the site, and to make the necessary preparations for a 20-stamper battery ; but in order to make the calls on tho shareholders as light as possible, they intend commencing with five head, which will dqubtless soon pave the way for another five head, and so increase until they get to 20 head, and when completed I have no doubt but this valuable mine will very soon give a good account of itself.—Correspondent of Thames Advertiser.