THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9497, 16 October 1889, Page 5

THE GOLDFIELDS.

THE SMELTING OPERATIONS AT

WAIORONGOMAI.

[BY TKLEGRAPK. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Te Auoha, Tuesday. Thk water jacket smelting furnace at) Waiorongomai baa been started again, and is running splendidly, producing several tons of bullion per day. This afternoon, when I visited the works the slag was coming away freely, and the bullion was being moulded into bars ready for shipment. Nearly the whole of the calcining has been completed, and Mr. Howell estimates the present run of the furnace will last about 15 days, and that at least 150 tons of bullion will be produced, of a uniform value of about £80 per ton. The rich ores from Karangahake have boon mixed with obhern, so as to produce one uniform grade of bullion. It is found that when the bullion runs above £()0 in value, the cost of separating the gold and silver from the load is very greatly increased. Mr. Howell tells me that the furnace is saving nearly the whole of the gold, silver, and copper in the stone, as the assaye show that not one-half per cent, is lost in the slag ; that is to say, that 9S)$ per cent of all the mobals worth securing are saved out of the most refractory and rebellious ores in the district by this water-jacket furnace. It is estimated that the two runs of the smelter will yield from £10,000 to £12,000 worth of bullion.

Mr. Howell "will leave to - morrow for Rotorua, to .spend a short holiday with Mr. Patton, of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, and the furnace will be left hi charge of Mr. Pogu, the company's assayer, who is alyo a scientific expert of great experience from America. A huge pit of tailings, the accumulation of several years' work, will be put through the battery again, and then concentrated for smelting. The ore from the mine now being crushed is found to be payable.

[BY TKLEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Ti-tAMirs, Tuesday. Lone Hand.—This company has started crushing at Bull's battery. Tubntok.—The air compressor and receiver has been removed to tho company's own machine site, and bho manager is now erecting it, Cambria.—There will bo no further breaking of the quartz till Thursday from bhe mineralised vein in bhe hangingwall of the main reef in the eastorn drive from bhe rise above No. 3 level. The company's crushing will bo completed about Friday. Saxon.—No quartz waa broken in the eastern drive 'at No. 5 level to-day, but quart/, was broken from the foobwall portion of No. 1 reef in the western drive. This portion of the reef is now two feet in thickness, and carries an excellent class of mineral, but so far has shown no gold. A portion of No. 1 footwall leader in bhe cross-cut ab No. 4 level was also broken down bo-day, and gold was seen distributed through the quartz. The fortnightly retorting to-day produced 371 ok ot melted gold, for which 445 loads quartz and 401b picked stone wore treated.

MIME MANAGERS' REPORTS. Norfolk. — Works in progress are restricted to the intermediate level, where two levels are being driven on the reef. From the rise 30 feet have been driven in the eastern drive, and 1 am glad to report that there is a decided improvement; in the face. The reef has been large from the starting point, and it is still large, being about 5 feet wide in the face ; and 1 am of opinion that there is still more quartz in the hangingwall, and, if tins*, is the case, in all probability it will be the bout portion of the reef. The solid quartz in the face is about 1 foot 6 inches wide. This peculiar. kind of quartz that generally carries the gold has just made its appearance. The other part of tlve reef is mixed a little with sandstone. 1 intend to crosscut from the face into the kungingwall to see if there is not; still more quartz there. This drive is being driven for the purpose of opening up a block for atopinjj, and I am hopeful ot petting something good immediately. A little gold has been seen, and good dish prosj>ects can be obtained. The western drive iroin rise is also being pushed ahead, for the purpose of opening up a block for stoping. The reef in the back of drive is rather small on account of a splice in the reef, which often occurs, but in the bottom it is much larger, and shows more gold than at bop of drive. As there is every prospect of the gold going down, the drive at ho. '2 level should be started as soon as possible. I hope, in a few feet farther ahead, to you the reef much larger, which i am confilient will be the case. All other works that were in progress are completed, and quartz can now be sent to the buttery. The waterrace will, I think, be finished in about eight or nine days' time, so that a very short time should now elapse before the starting of the battery .to crush quartz. I hope the contractors will be ablo to start the driving of the crosscut at No. 2 level on Tuesday. This its a very important work, as it will intersect a reef from which thousands of ounces of gold have been obtained, and I am very sanguine that we shall obtain larjje supplies of good grade dirt as soon as this work is accomplished.

KUAOTUNU. [FROM OUK OWN CORUKSPONDKNT.J

This district in gradually developing, although rather slowly. Apparently there is boo much shepherding. Very little actual driving is done upon the field. They appear to think they have done enough when they find and cut into a reef and obtain a prospect moi-o or loss payable. They complain very loudly thab there is no sign at present of any battery, and it is useless bo get out stuff until Micro is; but that is just where they are nearly all making a very serious mistake. 1 was balking to a gentleman a few clays ago who is quite willing bo pub up a buttery as soon us ho is assured of plenty of crushing material, bub ho says there is hardly a reef on tho field which is driven on '20 feet, and although, as he say?, they have good prospects in many places, it may nob be all alike, and it would bo very poor satisfaction for him to put up a battery, and then find that only a small portion was payable. What he asks is perfectly fair. Let every claim owner drive 50 feofc on bis reef, and if that proves payable he will be satisfied. I think, under the circumstances, the bust thing they can do is to wire in, and if they do, I, for one, have very little fear of the result. In fact, I am happy to say some of the claims are already putting in low levels, and if, when the lode is cub they drive some distance on payable stono, it ought to satisfy.the moat fastidious. Black Jack.—This claim is putting in a lower level, which will give (30 or 70 feet backs below their upper workings. Ib is already :in over 70 feat, so the reef will be soon in hand. They have already sent 20 tone to the Thames, and talk of sending another lot shortly. The ground is easily worked, and a very fair show of gold can bo got by pounding. Sea Vikw. — This claim is situated on the Oboma side of the range, and they can get enormous backs with little driving. They have a very large reef in hand in two levels, some of ib highly mineralised. A good prospect, is said to be gob from it. Tho ground can easily bo worked, and is full of reefs of various sizes.

Maoki Drkam.—Two largo reefs run parallel in tins claim, from which excellent prospects can be got. They are putting in alow level, which will be a capital best of the value of the claim. Ib is in some 60 or 70 feet through first-class country, bub rather hard, which, however, I do nob bhink any detriment. Hawthorn's Claim is situated somewhat further inland, and on the fall into the Kuaotunu. He has a fine spur to work on, good country for driving, and has ab least tAvo fine reefs in sight. Good prospects can be got by pounding, but these roofs want driving on to prove their value. Hkrmit.—Tliis is the name of a claim some distance higher up the hill, and on the fall into the Waitahi Creek. Ib ia owned by Mr. Scott, a very old prospector in this neighbourhood. He has two reefs in hand which look remarkably well. One ia about eighteen inches thick, of fine dark stone, thickly covered with herantito, which ie a capital indication. The other is about four feet of yellowish-white quarbz, from which good prospects are said to be washed.

Fairfax.—Mr. Kelly, the owner, has a reef about two feet thick in a cutting, from which he has gofc good prospects. The stone is quartz. Hβ has another reof on the other side about four feet thick, which looks well and at the time of my visit was lining out the large reof got hi his neighbour's claim which is a very strong lode showing gold.

Woodcook and Wilson's.—This is the large reef referred to above. It liea northeast and south-west dipping west. It is a fine large reef of very hard blulsh-whifco quartz, and little dabs of gold can be seen here and there over the face where exposed to a slip. This party have also two or three other reefs of large size from which good prospects can be got, indeed one of them is said to be worth about 4oz per ton. The next, claim, which is held by Snoll and party, is pegged out to take the strike of all theae reefs, and he has also discovered an east and west reef about 18 inches thick, from which he has got Home very good stone, showing coarse gold. They are now putting in a level to test it a bit deeper. The country is rather hard, but good sandstone. Tky Fmjkk. —The manager lias started to drive on the reef in the low level, and has an excellent show of gold in the reef. At the time of my visit I saw several dishes washed from which good picked stone was obtained. The reef is about five feet thick, of fine-looking , stone, rather loose. Cakbink.—They are putting in a capital low level in this mine on the boundary of Try Fluke, which, of eouree, will prove both claims. Just-In-Time. —I visited this mine and saw a fine reef in an open cutting, but saw no gold, although the reef looks good enough for anything. The rest of the claims on the Bald Hill are just in the same position as formerly. On the Pah Hill, just overlooking Kuaotunu, there are three or four claims owned by Messrs. Lee and others which are likely to turn out pretty well. Some three ounces per ton have been obtained from test parcels. While I was there I found a Mr. Young was obtaining two cwt. lots from nearly all the mines, and intends to try them at his own expense, with a view to putting up a patent plant. I trust he will be successful.

THE DIAMOND DRILL. With regard to the working of the deep levels at the goldtields, Mr. W. Tatbloy, a gentleman who has had many years' experience in England and the colonies in mining, surveying, etc., is in Auckland. He has visited the Thames, and as a result concludes that the Diamond drill could be advantageously used to bore below the (500 feet level, say to a depth of 800 or 1000 feet. He suggests Chat a company should be formed for the purpose of testing the deeper levels, and that in order that such a company should have a share in the profits resulting from the scheme, an arrangement should be entered into by which the gold found below a certain level (to be arranged upon with the mining companies) should become the property of the prospecting company. Mr. Tattley has received offers of ready assistance in such a venture, one gentleman having expressed his willingness to take 50 shares. It may be remarked that the Diamond drill is being used with great success in Queensland.