MINERAL EXHIBITS FOR THE MELBOURNE EXHIBITION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9153, 7 September 1888, Page 6

MINERAL EXHIBITS FOR THE MELBOURNE EXHIBITION.

By the s.s. Manapouri yesterday there were forwarded to Melbourne exhibits from 37 mines, and they are classified in the most careful manner. These exhibits hare been carefully collected by Mr. A. Porter, acting on behalf of a committee, assisted by Mr. G. Wilson (Mining Inspector of the Thames), and with each exhibit is forwarded the name of the mine and district from which it came, the value per ton of the ore, and description of the sample and mine. The reports on the exhibits and the mines are compiled with great care. We cannot in the present L<«ue publish the whole of them, but we give the following as a beginning, as the matter possesses quite a3 much interest for us in New Zealand as for those outside the colony. KARANGAHAKE. From this district there are four cases forwarded from the Kenilworth, two from the Ivanhoe, one from the Standard, and four from the Crown. The report deals with the district as a whole, and is as follows : —This auriferous and argentiferous region is located on the Coromandel Peninsula, about 27 miles south of the Thames arid about 70 milua from Auckland, in which provincial district it is situated. The Ohinemuri River flows through the centre of the district, and it is navigable for vessels drawing 7 feet of water right up to Paeroa, which is just five miles distant from the mines. The co c of transport by road and water from Auckland to the mines or vie* ver*a is 20s per ton, and the ThamesTe Aroha Railway, when completed, will pass within four miles of the mines. The following is a brief description of the different mines from which ore has been sent to Melbourne for exhibition purposes : — WOODSTOCK. This mine is located on a bold bluff, which rises up to a height of 600 feet above the ordinary level —thus affording splendid facilities for general mining purposes, and it embraces an area of 11 acres. At the northern boundary of the claim, the Waitawheta river flows almost at right angles to the course of the reef system, forming a natural crosscut which will yet be taken advantage of as a basis for permanent mining operations. There are several reefs running throughout the whole length of this claim, but as yet only two of these have had anything like an appreciable amount of work done upon them, and both have yeilded highly satisfactory results. The parcel of ore, comprising about scwt., forwarded to the Melbourne Exhibition, 1888, marked " Woodstock, Karangahake," is an average sample taken from a lot of 100 tons which was broken out from No. 1 reef by a party of tributers, who are now treating it at the Ivanhoe battery, where it is shaping for a return of sozs of gold per ton, and it is estimated that not more than 50 per cent, of the bullion value of the ore is being saved by that process. This reef averages 8 feet in thickness, and the rich ore body attached thereto varies from three to six feet in thickness, and carries gold and silver throughout. The "shot" of gold which is now being worked upon by the tributers has been followed with an underhand stope for a distance of 70 feet along the surface outcrop of the lode, in which it has also been intersected in the main adit level, at a depth of 90 feet beneath that point. During the past year 312 tons of ore from this lode were treated by the battery process of reduction, for a return of 532 ounces of melted gold, which realised 53s per ounce, and one parcel of 56 tons yielded 148 ounces, value 54b per ounce. The No. 2 reef is located east of, and runs almost parallel with, the one already described, and it averages three feet in thickness. Some time since, two levels, about 50 feet apart, were each driven 100 feet along the course of this lode, which carried a nigh per-centage of gold and silver (the latter prodominating) for the whole of that distance. Of these two levels, the lower one is located about 370 feet below the surface outcrop of the lode, and a winze sunk to a depth of 30 feet beneath this level has proved that the lode gets stronger and richer in the precious metals as depth is attained upon it. A parcel of ore, amounting to 2S tons, broken out from the lode in this level, when thoroughly mixed, sampled, and assayed, E roved to be worth £500 in bullion, of which y far the greater proportion was silver, which occurs in the ore as a sulphide. It was not considered necessary to send ore from this lode, because a parcel is being forwarded by the Kenilworth Company, who own fcbe adjoining mine. The Woodstock mine u» connected by a complete system of tramways with the Smelting Furnace, which has just been completed by that well-known inventor and metallurgist, Mr. Alexander Parkas, who will ooui'iiei-co , tiding ore earlv iin the month of Sef

tember, and who expects to be able to live over 90 per cent, of the bullion value of all ; the ore that will be sent to him for smelting i purposes. KENILWORTH. i This mine is situated south of and next j to the Woodstock mine, and it is upon the i same line of reef country. It contains an ! area of 14 acres, and at present it is being 1 worked by two parties of tributes, whose | labour has already been crowned by a con- • siderable amount of success. The parcel of j ore sent to the Melbourne Exhibition, 1.838, i marked " Kenilworth No. 1, Karangahuke," ; was obtained from a somewhat peculiar ! formation of "vein" matter, varying from 4 inches to 2 feet in thickness, and carrying both gold and silver in highly remunerative quantities. To the casual observer, this "vein" matter partakes of the character of the accompanying country, which is composed chiefly of soft tufaceous rock, but a close scrutiny will ! enable the "expert" to determine that i quartz, both solid and decomposed, form one of its constituents. A parcel of six tons broken out from the surface workings on this lode was treated some time since at the battery for a return of 7oz per ton, and the value of the bullion was 43s per ounce. The bulk assay value of this ore, before treatment, was £45 per ton, and it will therefore be seen that the loss by the battery process of reduction was a very heavy one, especially when it is taken into consideration that the ore is " free milling" pure and simple. As this lode appeared to improve in quality going downwards, the tributers decided to drive a low level, so as to intersect it at a depth of 50 feet beneath the surface workings. This work was accomplished a few weeks ago, since when about 25 tons of ore have been broken out from the lode, and average samples of this, when assayed, have yielded at the rate of £100 per ton. Profiting by their previous experience of treating their ore by the battery system of gold saving the tributers have determined upon sending 30 tons of their ore to Mr. Alexander Pat lies; and this will be about the first lot to be dealt with by that gentleman's smelting process. The parcels marked " Kenil worth, No. 2, Karangahake," are fair average samples of a 30 ton lot, belonging to a party of miners who are working a tribute section in this mine on the lode known as "No. 2," and the assay value placed upon it is £40 per ton. in the early part of the present year this party of tributers disposed of a 25-ton lot of ore, which realised £23 per ton, as well as a 5-ton lot, which fetched £16 per ton. The former was sent to Frieburg and the latter to London for disposal, and both lots sustained the values placed upon them by local assayers, but the cost of transport was so very highabout £10 per ton—as to be prohibitory. This lode is identical with the one known as No. 2" in the Woodstock mine, and the tributers are making use of that company's levels for the development of their section of the Kenilworth mine. IVANHOE AND TRCRO. These two mines belong to Mr. C. P. Cox, Christchurch, Canterbury, who purchased them in the Warden's Court, Thames, not long since. They are located north of and next to the Woodstock mine, and they have a reach of over half a mile in length on the same line of reefs. Within then respective boundaries an area of 42 acres is embraced, and the range upon which they are located rises abruptly to a height of 720 feet above the level of the Waitawheta river, which serves to mark the southern boundary of the property, and affords a never - failing supply of water for motive power. Although there is a perfect network of reefs running through both mines, work has been, as yet, almost entirely confined to one lode, from which about f>ooooz of bullion, value £2 15s per ounce, has already been extracted by the battery process, and then not more than 50 per cent, of the actual value of the ore was redeemed. The sample marked " Ivanhoe, Karangahake,"' and forwarded to the Melbourne Exhibition, lS<s«, was obtained from this lode at a depth of 200 feet beneath the old workings, and at a point where the lode averages four feet in thickness. The approximate assay value placed upon this ore is £20 per ton, and judging from appearances the owner has rather under than overestimated its intrinsic worth. Operations in those two mines are at present confined to driving two low levels with a view to intersecting two distinct gold and silver bearing lodes at a considerable depth beneath the surface. STANDARD. This mine, containing an area of 30acres, adjoins the Ivanhoe on the northern side, and is on the northern continuation of the same line of reefs. As yet the only work done has been that of prospecting the outi crops of three distinct gold and silver bearing lodes. The principal reef is 8 feet thick, and runs throughout the entire length of the ground. Gold has been traced along the outcrop of this lode for 400 fee and the previous metal is disseminated throughout the entire body of the stone for the whole of that distance. On the footwall side there is a belt of ore about 4 feet wide, which would give a battery return of 2 to 3oz per ton, and the gold is worth £3 per ounce. It was from this portion of the lode that the sample marked "Standard, Karangakhake," and sent to the Melbourne Exhibition, 1883, was obtained, and it is valued at £12 per ton. Judging from the rich stone littered about the surface on this j mine, there are other rich reefs which have still to be unearthed. CROWN mine. This mine contains 60 acres of land, and is situated about 40 chains to the southward of the Kenilworth mine, and rises abruptly from the Waitawheta River to a height of 700 feet. Many reefs run through the ground, three of which have been worked on and proved to bo rich in gold and silver. The property is owned by a Scotch company, with a capital of £65,000. A considerable quantity of the ore has been treated in Glasgow by a new process, which has | been found so satisfactory that the company j have decided to erect works of the same j description near the mine. The exhibit is i of similar quality to the ores sent to Glasgow, valued at £20 per ton. THE MOANATAIARI G.M. Co. This company forwards five cases of goldbearing quartz valued at £6 per ton. A special report is made with regard to this mine, ana as it has recently been prominently before the public and is of interest we publish it: —The company holds HO acres under license on the Thames goldfields. At the mouth of the main adit, or Moanataiari tunnel, there is erected a 40-stamp battery, which has a powerful condensing engine and three large Cornish boilers, wit.h sufficient berdans to treat the whole of the company's tailings, a water motor wheel (Climo's patent Pelton) is erected, which drives 20 head of stampers when engine not required. The total cost of battery is j £17,000. There is a winding engine about | tin- '■ •Hire of the mine in fair working • order, which winds the whole of the quartz j and mullock from the various drives and stopes below the tunnel level, which cost the Company £875. The mine is worked from the Moanataiari tunnel, about 30 feet above the level of the town, in which is laid two lines of iron rails, and a roadway carried into the hills 3000 feet; the cost of driving, timbering, and laying down permanent ways has been £2457 9s 1 Id. All the stuff coming out of the mine is brought down the tunnel with a horse, the mullock is run down to the beach, and the quartz into the battery, at a cost of lOd per ton extra ; trucking is done for other mines for Is 2d per ton. The main shaft in the mine is sunk 215 feet below the main tunnel and opened out at the 80 foot level as well as at. the 215 level ; at the 80 foot level we took out a rich patch of gold, and divided£7B,oooamongst theshareholders. No work has been done on the east of main slide below the tunnel level, therefore the major part of this company's ground is unexplored in that direction. The company have an air compressor, which can be attached to the engine and works an Ingersoll rock drill now on hand ; by using this drill the tunnel can be driven at a cost of 50s per foot through hard country. Although this company have such a large area—nearly 80 acres—it must be borne in mind that very little work has been done to the eastward of the main slide at the tunnel level, so there is an immense quantity of ground still left unexplored. The total yield of gold obtained from the mine has neon 141,5680z. 17dwt. 13gr. melted gold, valued at £389,193 2s 4d. Dividends paid to shareholders, £121,365. MANGANESE. Amongst the shipment was a case of lewt. of crystalline manganese, from the | Parua Bay Manganese Company, Limited. The analysis of this sample ia 87'70 black I oxide.