HAD ENOUGH OF IT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8090, 3 November 1887, Page 5

HAD ENOUGH OF IT.

MR. POND AND WAITOA. AN INVITATION FROM MR. SMITH. HE DECLINES IT. an UNANSWERED QUESTION. MORE PANNING EXPERIMENTS. NO COLOURS SEEN. [by TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.] Te Aroua, Wednesday. The following telegraphic correspondence has passed between Mr. J. B. Smith and Mr. J. A. Pond — COME. Waihon, October 2S. —To J. A. Pond : Request your presence to morrow at Waihou, my object being for you and others to witness the panning off of washdirt at the month of the various shafts. Guarantee your fee and expenses. Meat you with buggy at Waihou. Reply paid.—(Signed) John B. Smith. can't. Auckland, October 2S. To J. B. Smith, Esq., Waihou : Regret that business arrangements preclude my accepting your invitation. (Signed) J. A. Pond. DO. Waihou, October 2S. To J. A. Pond: Will wait until you can come. Name earliest date. Have seen gold you mounted for Mr. Rhynd, and am informed came out of wash dirt you procured from heaps on edge of shafts. I disbelieve that you got that gold out of the heaps returned in your report. If you did, come at once, and wash the unnatural gold out of the same stuff as you took. Heaps unmolested. Reply paid. (Signed) John B. Smith. shan't. Auckland, October 28. To J. B. Smith : Unnecessary for you to wait for me. Do not wish to make further experiments. Am quite satisfied with results obtained by our party. —(Signed) J. A. Pond. Waihou, October 29. Urgent. To J. A, Pond : Will you state positively that the unnatural gold mentioned in your report to Prospecting Association came out of heaps lying at edge of shafts. Reply urgent.— (Signed) J. B. Smith. Waihou, October 31, ISS7. To Mr. J. A. Pond: Waiting reply in answer to urgent telegram sent on Saturday afternoon.— (Signed) John B. Smith. at WAITOA. Receiving no reply from Mr. Pond Mr. Smith invited a number of Te Aroha residents, among whom were several of long experience in alluvial and quartz mining, to go over to Waitoa and judge for themselves whether there had or had not been any tampering with the stuff at ths shafts. The party, a dozen strong, proceeded thither yesterday afternoon. On arrival they went to the shaft numbered 4 by Mr. Pond. Examining the heap of dirt on the surface, they satisfied themselves that it had not been disturbed, but lay there just as thrown out of the hole. PANNING OFF. They then selected from their number two experienced hands to make the tests. Small portions of stuff were taken from different part of the heap, and were all thrown together, and thoroughly mixed. The persons selected then each took as much as could be conveniently washed in au ordinary prospecting dish, and panned it off with the utmost care in the presence of the rest of the party, and of other persons who had gathered around. NO GOLD SEEN. There remains in the bottom of each dish a small quantity of black sand which was closely scrutinised by a number present, but the most experienced eye, even when assisted by a magnifying glass of ordinary power, failed to discover gold either natural or unnatural, or any other metal of similar appearance. At the other three shafts from which samples were taken by Mr. Pond's party, the same method of testing the stuff was adopted, and with a result similar to that at the first. FOB FURTHER USE. When the stuff for panning was taken from the small piles of mixed sand, a portion was at the same time put into separate calico bags, each marked with the number of the shaft where it was got, and handed to a committee of trustworthy persons to hold in charge for trial at any time, should such be necessary. The residue of blaok sand left in the dishes after panning was also put into a jottle to be further tested, if required. The whole were afterwards sealed and are now in a place where they cannot be tampered with. EVERYONE SATISFIED. Everyone present was satisfied with the fairness of the trial, and after it was over it would have been a hard matter to convince any of them that the filings, of which so much has been heard, ever came from any of the heaps operated on. Mr. Smith was present to give any information required, but took no part in the work.