THE NEW GOLDFIELD AT TIKI, COROMANDEL DISTRICT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6003, 12 February 1881, Page 5

THE NEW GOLDFIELD AT TIKI, COROMANDEL DISTRICT.

[from odk special reporter.] For some time past there have been rumours, and indeed substantial indications, that payable and rich quartz had been found in a portion of the Tiki district, about nine miles from the township of Coromandel and close to the main dividing range, but for many reasons the new finds have not attracted so much atteution as they deserved. Severalreasonsmightbealleged to account for this seeming neglect, and probably they all operated. In the first place, the Te Aroha had just been opened as a goldfield, and not a few were under the impression that this rival goldfield was got up for the occasion by parties interested in the northern portion of the peninsula to prevent an exodus of the population. Another reason which operated was the inaccessible state of the country, but this difiieulty is being rapidly removed ; for the County Council have now almost completed a good horse track from the flat to the most central claims, and now, in good weather, a visit to all the principal claims is possible to those who may feel sufficiently interested to face the fatigues of the journey. But of all the reasons which have operated most against the development of the new field is the fact that it is on private property, and prospectors could not, therefore, go to work with the same certainty of securing the reward of their labours as they would if the field were the property of the public. Then, in regard to the portion which is at present most developed—that on Mrs. Mcintosh's property —the title which can be offered, is, owing to the conditions of a will, somewhat involved, so that only ashort term of lease, about 15 months I believe, can be granted pending Mrs. Mcintosh's sou coming of age. It is not necessary that I should enter into any details on this subject, but the fact that such is the state of affairs has, I am certain, operated materially against the progress of what at present gives promise of proving a rich mining district and a source of wealth to many. I confess that before my visit I was not at all favourably impressed with the Tiki. I could not understand how it was that mine-owners could be working on rich reefs, turning out quartz worth from an ounce upwards the pound, and yet that there should be so little work going on and still further that there should be no gold returns. Well, notwithstanding the reasons already given, 1 am of opinion that more work ought to have been done to establish the bon<z Jt'dcs of the discoveries, and to show that the prospectors had confidence in the wealth of the place. Still, I think that for the amount of work done there is as good an auriferous manifestation as I have seen anywhere. There are good lodes, but they are for the most part only scratched on the surface, and there is in most instances a total jibsence of practical, systematic working with a view to testing the reefs beneath the surface. Of course it would give speculators and investors more confidence if it was proved that these lodes carried payable gold to a reasonable depth, but no such effort has yet been made. Of course it can be urged that men, without roads, without capital, and until quite recently without title to their discoveries, could not be expected to go into extensive operations, and especially as there is no battery power in the place to crush such quartz as they may get, but in spite of all these pleas, and they have all been urged to me, I think that for the time work lias been going on a greater development should have taken place. At present the prospects are rich enough to encourage the investment of capital and labour. The fact of its close proximity to the dividing range of the peninsula is an important one, and would give it an impress of stability, more especially as gold has been found at both sides of the range in the Whangapoua district, as well as on the western side of the range. The principal discoveries so far have been on the western side and on Mrs. Mcintosh's property, but I have no doubt that in a short time, with the liberal terms oflered by the New Zealand Timber Company to prospectors on the Whangapona property, there will soon be something done towards following up the indications already traced from the recent rich discoveries to the boundary of their property. In fact, one of the best developed claims in the whole district is that on the saddle, a section of IS acres, taken up by Mr. C. A. Harris and party, half of which is on the Whangapoua Company's property, and the other on Mrs. Mcintosh's, but the workings are principally confined to the i latter portion. I do not think it is necessary to say more by way of introduction, so I shall refer to the principal claims in a more detailed manner, giving your readers the result of my own observations and such reliable information as I was able to collect during my trip to Whangapoua and the Tiki. It is needless to say that I found the owners highly elated by the rich prospects of the place, and rather inclined to be extravagant in their estimates of the future wealth of the place, but used as I am to the vicissitudes of goldfields life, I was not surprised at this feeling, nor do I think I am in any way influenced by it. I may as well say here, as well as further on, that I was received with the utmost courtesy everywhere I went, and every facility was afforded me to make the most accurate observations possible under the circumstances. After passing by several prospecting parties working in the vicinity of the new road, we ascended a spur to a considerable height and reached Blackmore and Fitz's lease, an area of 5 acres, on Mrs. Mcintosh s property. This was one of the first, and, until recently, was considered the most important of the new discoveries. In November last the party first found gold in a well-formed reef, about 1G inches thick, which they opened on the side of the spur, striking north-east and south-west, and dipping at an angle of about 60 degrees to the eastward. A few feet above this reef, and overlying it, is a nice leader, from which I am told good specimens have been taken. Indeed, I was shown some good stone from this leader as well as from the larger reef, but as no work was going on at the time of my visit I did not see any actually broken down in my presence. St;ill higher up, near the ridge of the spur, a third leader has been opened, but not wcrked, and at the other side there is the face of a large reef, which, if I am not greatly mistaken, will prove to be the backbone from which the other leaders and lodes to which I' have referred spring. There arc excellent facilities for lowlevels, and the proprietors are now putting in a dri\ e -10 feet below the face in which the first reef referred to was opened. It is already in 'JO feet in easily-worked country, and they estimate that in 30 feet more driving they will have the lode in hand should it retain its present underlie. The claim is well located on an unbroken spur which strikes oiV the dividinir range at the Coromandel side of Castleroek, and runs down toward the head waters of the Matawai Creek. This party is also putting in a drive to cut the rich reef cut in the adjoining property, Slieehan and Jlcenan's, and they expect to get it next week, at a depth which will afford 50 feet of backs. My inspection of this claim aiforded me great satisfaction. The prospects are undoubtedly good, and a considerable portion of the stone shown to me carried good rich gold. I saw better specimens at other mines, but this mine impressed me very favourably. Slieehan anil Hcenan s party first struck gold in a large reef on the outcrop, but going a little further down they opened a fresh face on it, and got fair prospects ; but a richcr show was found in a leader 4 to S inches thick, within about G feet of the reef. The latter underlies at a considerable angle away from the leader, which is itself almost vertical. Very little has been done beyond stripping the face. One of the party sunk a little on the leader while I was present, and got out a nice parcel of small but very rich specimens. The same leader is cut in a drive about 10 feet lower. It shows a much larger body of stone than on the surface, but none of the quartz has been broken down, and I cannot spealc positively as to its prospect 3 further than tliatit looks well. This party has already deposited 771bs. weight of specimens variously estimated to be worth from loz. to 3ozs. to the lb., with the manager of the Bank of New Zealand, Coromandel, for safe keeping, and a small parcel of ]sozs. of the stone, which has been crushed yielded 14dwts. "old. There are seven partners in this party including several business men in Coromandel, and the area held by them is 3 acres in extent. Tiernan's lease, the next one I visited, had the richest show of gold I saw while in the Tiki district. The lease comprises f>.f acres, and as I cautiously lowered myself down by the aid of supplejacks and creepers along the precipitous watercourse in which the party made their discovery a curious scene presented itself to iny eyes. A party of the Naval Brigade which had been out on a cruise in their cutter, had found their way to the Tiki, and one of them was busily engaged making a sketch of the group ossein,

bled on the claim at the face where the reef has been opened, and on a ledge behind the , "workings were two ladies in riding habits, who had braved the difficulties of the journey and heat of the day, to visit the mine, or perhaps on matrimonial views intent, to make conquests among the lucky diggers. I have not yet seen the sketch, but if it is artistically taken, it will afford a pleasant reminiscence of an interesting scene. This party first struck gold in a. small leader in the faee of a waterfall. The stone was very rich, SJlbs. of it yielded as much as 7oz. lldwts. of gold, but their best and chief discovery was made 100 feet lower down in the same creek. Here they opened a good leader S inches thick, aud 011 this has been cut a food face. The leader at first lay pretty fiat, but it suddenly began to dip away into the spur, and at the dip the first rich gold was found in it. It has now been stripped for ten or twelve feet, and in the presence of the visitors, including myself, the shareholders broke out about 121bs. weight of really rich specimens, the gold being coarsc and heavy, and quite as good was left standing in the face. Proceeding higher up the spur, I saw where another leader has been just opened, but no work has yet been done on it. One of the shareholders found a rich specimen in the vicinity, which, he supposed, was washed from this leader, and this induced him to open it, and no doubt it will be prospected shortly. A steep climb to the dividing ranges brought me to Harris' Castle Rock claim, on the dividing range. This lease, as already intimated, is partly on the Whangapoua property and partly on Mrs. Mcintosh's ground, but the whole of the work done has been done 011 the latter. Operations have ceased tit present-, pending the construction of a road ; but a large amount has been done in the way of trenching, prospecting, and "Irivin", and I was shown stone taken from the reefs opened, which, although not rich specimens, contained coarse gold in good 'juantities. One of these reefs was cut in a 3rive put in from the Whangapoua side, just it the boundary. Gold was seen in it here, but 110 specimens were found. The lode ivas driven on for a length of 70 feet, and sunk on 25 feet, fair prospects being met ivith all the way. It averaged about 2 feet i] thickness, and there is a considerable quantity of quartz on hand from it. The operations on the same mine but 011 Mrs. Mcintosh's property are also pretty extensive. In one of those drives a lode a foot thick has been followed a distance of 100 feet, and there are now 50 to = )f quartz in paddock from it. In a sti lower level the same or ano'lier reef, also showing gold, was cut, and followed a distance of 30 feet, but it became disturbed in :he face before operations ceased. The itones shown to me at the huts from these odes were what I should describe as good •ich picked stuff, and the class of quartz as ■eally excellent. The McDonald Brothers have the lease of acres adjoining Harris', 011 Mrs. Me"ntosh's property. This party lias been for ;he last S years prospecting in this range, j uid for two years on the property vhicli they now hold, and I was gratiled to find that they had now a ;how which promises to compensate ihem for the hardships they have mdergone. On Harris' side of the spur, vhicli they occupy, they put in a drive fifty eet, in which they cut a reef from fifteen nclies to two feet thick, and along which ,liey have driven thirty feet. Another level eventy feet deeper cut the same locle, and 11 both workings the stone carried strong ;old. On the opposite side of the spur they lave opened three leaders varying from two nches to a foot, and are putting in a lower Irive to cut them again. On another spur hey have a distinct reef, but it is not prosiccted. But the show they have already on land in the shape of specimens and dish irospccts, which I was shown at the camp, vas certainly most satisfactory. The camp, situated on the dividing range, insists of three well-finished huts, is occupied jointly by McDonald's and Tierman's wties, and these are surrounded with vegeiablc gardens containing cabbages, lettuces, iumpkins, tomatoes, and other vegetables, ind its appearance was sufficient to surprise 1 visitor ; for who would expect to find a ■•egetable garden on thesummitof thedividing •ange of Coromandel peninsula, and in the leart of a dense bush ? I did not visit the Maories claim, as time lid not allow, but I was informed they had 1 fair show. Barrett's claim is also said to je on gold, and several other parties have Guild encouraging prospects. To show the :xtensive nature of this new goldfields and ;he inducements for further prospecting, I nay mention that Mr. Vizard has taken up a ;laim two miles away from any of the others [ referred to. It is on Government laud, ;lose to Castlerock. Last week he packed two tons of quartz to one of the Coromandel latteries, where he had it crushed. It yielded 22ozs. 18dwts. of retorted gold, ivliich was subsequently reduced in melting ;o 22ozs. Gdwts., and the price obtained for t was £2 14s 4d per ounce. I was shown ;he battery and bank receipts in connection ivith this crushing. Again, in the opposite direction, Messrs. James and Andrew have taken up a claim of six men's ground, and resumed operations on what was the old Homeward Bound claim, ivhere, from a leader six inches thick, they ire getting a good show of gold, and have about 10 tons of quartz. This was the first prospector's claim in the old Tiki district, [t was taken up by Snowy and party years igo, but was afterwards abandoned. I think I have written enough to show that the district generally is well worthy sf development, and any person who i-isits the claims will become as convinced of that fact as I am. The opening of the district and its prospects have infused new life into Coromandel, but before any substantial results can be obtained crushing power will be required, and it is to be hoped 110 time will be lost in getting a battery erected in a central position.