THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7621, 26 April 1886, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

4 MINING SUMMARY. [FROM ouk own CORKKSPONDEMr.] Thames, Saturday. The chief feature of interest during tbo past month has been the water-jacket furnace. Aftet a month's run, during which ISI tons of oro were smelted, the result is very disappointing. The furnace was expected to smelt twenty tons of ore a day, and the cost of treatment was not to exceed £2 per ton. Bat Mr. LaMontc'a figuros show that tho furnace's work only avoraged a-day, and that was done at an expense of £(5 15s per ton. Mr. LaMonte frankly admits that ho has failed so far. owing to the fractious character of the Thames ores, but is hopeful of yet being able to make the furnace a profitable and necessary concern. All persons having any protentions to a knowledge of minerals or geology who have visited this district pronounce its formation unique. Aβ its characteristics arc distinctly its own. it follows that a course of treatment peculiar to itsalf may be necessary. We owe Mr. LaMonte a debt of gratitude becauso but for tho furnace the vast mineral wealth revealed at Waihi, Karang-\hake, and I ui Creek would have remained unknown and unsuspected possibly for years to come. Of course there would have been pottering after gold in the old-fashioned spasmodic manner, but the enormous riches available for winning would have continued a sealed book. .No cue of mining experience can doubt that ore having a minimum of £4 or £5 per ton, and sometimes worth £100, will be made to pay handsomely. It is simply a question of patient scientific experiment to ascertain the method of treatment best adapted to the peculiarity of the place. The ores are very difficult to flux, and tho extraordinary large proportion ot fluxes required to be fed into the furnace with the ore renders tho output of treated oro but small. In other words, the furnace may be passing through twenty tons of utuff per diem, but two-thirds or more of that will bo flux. The following figures may prove interesting. Tho cost of treating 131 tons of oro was £1227, or £6 15s per ton. The bullion bought was : Gold, 5260z, 15dwfc, lOgr, value £2107 ; silver 28330z, £566 13e : total, £2673 13s. So much for the debit. Now for what the furnaca yielded : Gold banked 4470z lOdwr, value £1790; silver banked 18770z 15dwt, value £375 lls ; total, £2165 11s; deficiency, £50S 2*. But as it is estimated the cleaning up the furnace would yield £238108, the total loss in purchasing £2673 worth of bullion is £269 12s over and above the 10 per cent allowance on assay value. £13,000 has been spent in the enterprise, £6000 by Mr. LaMonte, and £7000 by the Smelting Company. Mr. LaMonte Bays that if he had the work to do over again he could accomplish it. He would suggest that the furnace be enlarged to the size of. the Melbourne one, viz., double its present capacity, as the labour account would be the same and the percentage of fuel smaller. Two meetings of the company have been held. At the last Mr. LaMonte submitted theee suggestions :—"ln case of re-formation of the company and a new directorate appointed, I would make the following suggestions :—First: That an experienced wauagei; be secured, an.a as I could recom-

mend capable ~of making the charges for furnace, and asaaying lota of ores and determining their commercial value, and that; he receive the full support of the board ; alao, that a full purchase list be adopted and pnblished, as also a copy of the Pryburg and Swansea smelting charges, and prices paid for gold and silver ; also, Melbourne quotations as comparative statements. I would suggest the following figuree as being very nearly correct for working purposes : —Price paid for silver, 33 9d ; gold, £3 17a 6d; smelting oharges, £1 per ton ; orea valued at end under £10, 75 per cent.; ores valued at and under SO per cent.; at and under £50, S2£ per cent.; at and under £100, 85 per cent. Ores containing over 20 per cent, of lead per ton to be paid for at the rate of £S per ton metallic. That the furnace be enlarged at once, and that the use of water power be considered." Finally a resolution to the following effect was carried :— "That the directors be authorised and have full power to diepose of the company's property to any person or persons for a sum not less than the present indebtedness of the company as per balance-sheet, and that an extraordinary meeting be held to confirm the same." It is gcucrally understood that a new syndicate will be formed to continue operatious. Mr. LaMonte seems to have met the situation frankly and bravely. His name will yet become a household word in tho district. As matters stand at present he will be tho heaviest loser, the community gainers. But he will yet be blessed as the pioneer of a new road to wealth. Jt may not be that his method of treatment will eventually bo the one adopted. On that point I oii'dr no opinion, but he certainly has indicated the direction in which an El Dorado lies, and that it will yet be worked to enormous advantage is a foregone conclusion. On the Thames proper there is very little freeh, although some of the mines are more promising. Cambria.—This has recently been the lion of tho diutrict. It is situated on tho Waiotahi creek, and embraces portions of tho old Nonpsrcii iuu VW.itcrnuta mines. Dividends amounting to £65,000 have been paid from it during the past year. Another level, 350 feet from the surface, is now being driven. This will aiford 100 feet of backs, so Hat ia the lodo. An intermediate level is being opened for convenience of working, and 2301bs specimens have been obtained already, besides which gold shows very freely in tho drive. Darwix.—This mine adjoins the Cambria, but is further down tho creek. Both mines are worked from one shaft. At the No. 2 , level, about 230 feet from the surface, the Cambria lode, which extends right through the Darwin mine, divides into two bodies, and each is being followed. In the haneingwall one 40lba of specimens came to hand last week, and gold is seen every breaking down. Both lodes are exceedingly promising. Tuamks Golden Crown. —Adjoining the Darwin is the once celebrated Golden Crown, which now includes the Cure and Mary Anne. A ahaft was sunk last year in the Mary Anne section and a reef followed 300 feet towards tho Darwin. A cross-lode then came in and being driven upon 100 feet, the face was within 35 feet of the Moanataiari boundary. Crushing is proceeding, and the returns are about payable. If anything the lodes improve upward. Tho Moanataiari has started from tho face already mentioned, and is driving a crosscut to intersect the Darwin reef, of whioh more when referring to the Moanataiari mine. Anything found in that crosscut would rise backward into the Golden Crown. As the drives in tho Darwin are also coming in this direction, any find there would likewise be favourable to the Crown. Moanataiari.—ln the No. 3 level of the Darwin the Cambria lode was driven on up to the Moanataiari boundary. Here the latter company has sunk a winze 85 feet. The lode looks well therein, and colours of gold have been seen occasionally. The crosscut from the Golden Crown is being driven to communicate with this winze. About "200 feet of driving should touch this reef, and 60 feet further hole through to the winze. As the sandstone is good, there is an excellent chance of this enterprise being richly rewarded. Prince Impebial.—The lower levels having been pretty well exhausted, the manager has turned his attention to the ground above No. 3 level, where there is still ample scope for valuable discoveries. Very rich gold was found in the Mariners' reef, at the snrface, in the early days of the field, and Mr Clark thinks there is an excellent chance of picking up that mine. Saxon.—This ia the old Crown Prince mine. Some fifty pounds of picked stone have been obtained from a strong dropper from No. 1 reef at iNo. 3 level, and as far ae known this leader is entirely intact. These droppers frequentlyare richer than the main lodes. The specimen leader in the Prince Imperial which paid—l write from memory— £50.000 in dividends, was strictly a dropper from the Mariners' reef. No. 2 leader is being followed hillward into virgin ground, and colours of gold are seen. Any discovery here would be practically a new mine. Caledonian.—This mine bids fair to come to the front again. A cruehinj of forty loads from No. 1 reef, 50 feet under where the celebrated patch was, yielded an ounce to the load. Other works likey to learl to profitable results are in progress. Deep Lkvkl Cross.—Stoping ia pneeeding on No. 'J (Imperial specimen leadei), and tho cross-lode (Mariner's reef) with payable results. Several claims np the Waiotahi creek, viz., Moanataiari Extended, which aas the aontinuation of Cambria reef, a finelooking body of quartz ; Blanche, which it getting picked stone from the Wade reef; New Shamrock, which is showing gold freely in the Shamrock reef; and the Fatne,formorly Dayapring, have all fair prospects. The Alburuia and Devon have not had much luck lately, but both have tieir crosscutting done, and are now workingpn likelylooking quartz. Up country the most remarka>le feature is that excellent goldbearing quatz is being found at Waihi. Hitherto t!e chief—it might bo said—only mine, t!e Martha, has crushed tens of thousands o' tons for an average of three or four dwts toiho ton, and naturally the district was judjed thereby. But other lodes are being opend with very different results. Thus 34 tna from the Union yielded 54ozs 3<lwtn gt.d, worth 50s 2d per ounce. Again, from tte Silverton a parcel of picked stone gave sS>zs gold worth 56a Gd jer ounce ; and ano'he lot of 4001bs, very roughly-selected. 370z 3dwts gold. Eiuht tons assayed at the fuiwce was worth £28 153 per ton. GOLD RETURtf.

oz dwl gr Ado'aide. 12 tons .. ... „, 11 16 0 )!rk'!it Smile .. .. . .. 55 7 0 Caledonian, 08 ton* .. . ' .. 43 11 0 Calodontun trlLmtors, IS tone lOct ■■ i< (i 0 Cambria, o«O tons .. .. ,{, .. 268 18 0 ■ Jitjr of Manchester. 20 tons . .. 2J> 0 0 Ducp LovrI Crass, 68 tone lOcwt. .. <>3 4 0 Kuiunui trlbuters. 144 tons 10c* .. 200 3 0 Moanataiari. 25 tone lOcwt . ., 58 15 0 MoAnataiari tribntor.), 05 tonsUWt .. 69 0 0 New Albumin, 57 tons .. .. .. 49 0 0 Now Alburma tributers, 25 tOD.. .. 24 16 0 New North Star, 14 tone.. .. .. 1112 0 ' ow Prince Imperial, 94 tons I. .. 70 10 0 New Prince Imperial tons .. 1C3 1(5 0 Uunbcn P<irr, 2 tons lOcwt .. .. 3 11 O Kooky Point tributes, 80 ton , .. 92 15 0 -axon, 45 tons .. _ , .. .. 31 8 0 Sundries .. .. ; .. .. 500 0 0 Thames Golden Crown, H7 Ms lOcwt .. 61 6 0 TlmmoH Golilcu Crown, Dowtei 10 tons .. 20 0 0 Wnlotahi, 180 tons .. j .. ... 162 0 0 Total. 1775 tons lOcwt J .. ... 1969 11 0 OinNEtJIU. Silvertnn, W'allii .. 1 .. .. 95 4 0 Rose, Kariinprahahe .. s .. .. 32 10 0 Waitenauri (llollls) .. * .. .. 6 10 0 Sir Walter Scott, Ksranga*l£e .. .. 11 3 0 Hidden Treasure, Owharo ... ... 5 6 0 Union, Wailii .. .. ... .. 54 3 0 Martha Extended, Waibi .. .. 120 13 0 Smelting iTurnuce return 181 tons .. 447 10 0 Total .. J .. „ 778 4 0 Silver from furnace .' .. .. 1S77 15 0 TGlKOHA. ! Now Find .„ ,' .. .. 438 13 0 Waiorouuomai .. .. .... 35 lf> o Ivonilworth „ « .. 17 0 0 Total .. ... .. - 491 8 0