THE GOLDFIELD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13226, 11 July 1906, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELD.

AUCKLAND DISTRICT GOLD - RETURNS.

. £101.721 FOR FOUR WEEKS. OUTPUT FOR , THE ; HALF-YEAR, £600,428. " The gold yield from the fields of the Auckland district for the past four -weeks totals £101,(21 16s 3d, the Ohinemuri mines contributing £80,106 9s Bd, thv- Thames £20,419 5s lOd, and Coromandel £1196 6s 9d. The returns complete the output for the first six months of the present year, and it is extremely gratifying to find that there is a substantial increase in value compared with the- corresponding period of 1905, and that the yield constitutes a record for the fields for six months. The value of the gold won is £600,428 16s 7d, as against) £427,422 18s 9d for the first half of last year, an increase of £173,005 17s lOd, while a comparison with the previous. highest yield for six months, that for the second half of 1903, when the amount won was £50J,110 ss, shows an increase for 1906 of £91,318 lis 7d. As the yields from the principal bullion producers of the district promise to be well maintained, and in some instances increased during the balance ->i the present year, everything ; points to a marked advance in the value of the.gold output for 1906, as compared with 1905, when the yield of £1.030,382 15s 8d ranked as the largest since the early days of the Thames field.

WAIOTAHI.

2cwt OF PICKED STONE. The secretary of the Waiotahi Gold Mining Company (Mr. G. S. Kissling) received the following telegram from the mine manager yesterday afternoon: —" Selected 2c\vt of picked stone from the third stope above No. 5 level." This makes scwt of stone so far during the present month. The dividend of 5s per share for June month, together with the bonus of Is for the year ended June 30, is payable to shareholders m the company to-day at the office, Wyndham-street. The dividend and bonus will absorb £18,000, and will raise the amount distributed among shareholders as dividends, etc., to £169,800. , KURANUI. The secretary of the Kuranui Gold Mining Company (Mr. J. W. Nichol) received the following telegram from the mine manager yesterday afternoon : — 51b of picked stono from leading stope oil shaft reof." The stope in question" has now been driven upwards of 30ft, and the reef varies in thickness front 6in to 2ft. When breaking down the quartz in 'the south end of'the stope on Friday last colours and dabs of gold were seen in the stone. WAITANGI. ' The following telegram was received by the secretary of tho Waitangi Gold Mining Company (Mr. H. J. Lee) from the mine manager yesterday —" Got 81b of picked stone from the drive at the north end of the winze-." In his last weekly ■ report (dated July 7) the mine manager stated that a- few colours of gold and minerals of a favourable kind . had been seen when breaking down a portion of the reef in the north end of the winze. There was then a few more feet of the lode to be broken down. [BY TELEGRAPH.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.] -'•' Thames, Tuesday. The drive hill ward on the reef in the Waitangi mine is still being continued through a, good class of country, ,and -there is a nice compact reef in the face about 3ft in thickness, containing favourable mineral indications. -The drive on the ..reef from the;bottom of the winze below the level is ! al«o being continued,/and* in breaking down the reef yesterday some nice colours of gold were seen through the quartz, while about 81b of picked stone were secured during last night KURANUI-CALEDONIAN [Br TELEGRAPH.-—own correspondent.] . , Thames, Tuesday. ~ Encouraging prospects are still being met with by the Kuranui-Caledonian Gold Mining. Company in the drive westward from the bottom of the winze sunk on the Cure lode below No. 4. level. This drive is_ now in a distance of 33ft from the, winze. The quartz in the face is somewhat small at present, being only 2in or Sin in thickness. It, however, shows good strong dabs of coarse gold, and yields a little rich picked stone, and some nice pieces of picked stone have been secured from stringers running along the footwall. The leading and second stopes are also being carried along over the drive, and the leader in the stopes is of a larger size than in the level, and also shows gold freely. A crushing is being broken out from this block, there being now about 10 loads of quartz on hand, with fully £cwt of picked stone. This leader is connected with the Cure reef now being worked with such encouraging results in the No. 6 level of the WaioUhi mine, the Caledonian working being 70ft deeper than the Waiotahi No. 6 level, and in a fairly direct line on the . underlie of the reef, below the Waiotahi workings 011 the Cure reef, so that the leader now being worked oil is either the Cure lode or a branch dropping into the hanging wall. In the winze on the Cambria* reef there is no material change. The drive from the bottom of the winze has been extended about 90ft in a northwesterly direction along the . hangingwall of the reef, about 4ft of which is being taken, in the drive, and although the quartz is of a. kindly nature, and carries nice mineral, no gold is seen as yet This drive is heading for where the main slide" should be met in the hope that the slide may have a beneficial effect on the reef when they intersect.

MOANATAIARI EXTENDED. [BT TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Tuesday. The new reef cut during last week in the Moanataiari Extended mine in the main crosscut from the Point Russell level lias been cut through, and is now being driven on hillward. The reef is a well-defined one, about 3ft in thickness, running about east and west, and well mineralised. The country encasing it is a firm class of good sandstone. About 12ft have been now driven on it eastward, and it is intended to continue driving on the reel for some distance, as it appears to be worth further development. KAPANGA. [by telegraph.— own correspondent.] Coromaxdkl, Tuesday. It is reported that Mr. H H.Adams has been successful in raising capital for the development of the Kapanga. mine, in which rich gold was recently met with by Messrs. Hollis and Comes at the water level. GALLANT. [by telecraph.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Coromandel, Tuesday. It is stated that a company has practically been formed to carry out development works in the Gallant mine (adjoining the Kapanga), in which a small quantity of very rich ore was obtained by Mr Angus McNeil at the water level. BUNKER'S HILL. [BY TELEGRAPH. —own correspondent. ' Coromandel, Tuesday. Work is to be resumed in the Bunker's Hill mine to-morrow, under the management of Mr. S. Carlyon. It is intended to continue the level from the seaward side towards the shaft. The country to be penetrated is virgin ground, and is in the nature of prospecting work.

COROMANDEL WARDEN'S ■ COURT. [BY TEJCEORArH.— COKRESIt>.NB£J' T -]

Coromaxjjel, Tuesday. 'The monthly • meeting of the Warden's Count was held,hero to-day. before- Mr. R-' S Bush, Warden, when the 1 following ap-" plications were granted .- —R. S. Reynolds, Hauraki Gold Mining Company, «ix months' protection : W. C. Fraser, New* Waitaia. Kuaotonu, six months' "protection; A. J. Prescott, Tandem, Kennedy's Bay, six months' protection; J. A. Subritzky, Cousin Jack, Waikawau, six months' protection; New Four-in-Hand Gold Mining Company, permission to work with fiix men for six months; Montgomery Davis, North Kapanga special quartz claim, Driving Creek ; Joseph Thorn, 100 acres, prospecting license, Oadman's Creek : New Four-in-Hand. special site, two acres, Kennedy's Bay; Ralph Hollingshead, one acre residence site, Driving Creek: J. R Subritzkv, water-race, 164 chains, Waikawau ; T. M. Mills, Taramahi special quartz claim; George Loram, Castoff, 12 acre?, Driving Creek; W. T. McNeil, Advance special quartz claim, Huruhuru. Block ; R. Sadgrove, Kapai special quartz claim, Kuaotunu; Joseph Dyer, prospecting area, not to exceed 100 acres, Kuaotunu. Surrenders: J. Itnpen, Little Nell special 1 quartz claim, Kuaotunu; A. S. Hardy, two residence sites, Kuaotunu Uru'esaced and open shafts: As a sequel to the recent accident wherebv. a miner, Mr. Fitzgerald,.was killed through falling down a. disused shaft on the Hauraki No. 2 mine, Coromandel, an information was heard before the Warden to-day, brought by the mining inspector against the Hauraki No. 2 Gold Mining Company. The facts were given in evidence by the inspector (represented by Mr. Burgess), but as it appeared that the company had gone into liquidation prior to the information being laid, and it was doubtful who Was" liable under the Act, the inspector withdrew the information after bringing before the public and owners of mines their liability to heavy penalties for allowing disused shafts to remain unfenced or uncovered, and the determination of the Mines Department to see that the Act is' strictly complied with.

,MINE MANAGERS' REPORTS. \ ■ Waihi Extended (July 7): A brace and windlass ! hare been erected and the winze haw been sunk fit since the 4th inat.- Owing to no improvement in the drive through the substance in the hangnigwall of the reef driving has been discontinued. Vanguard (July 9): The drive in the low, level crosscut is now in 595 ft. The hard-country cut out on Saturday ynd gave place to a rich white sandstone, with some nice quartz running in with the drive. ' If the present, country continues until the lodes are met with the prospects of getting gold ought to be very good indeed. Waiotahi Extended (Julv 7): The low level crosscut is now in 74ft from the turn off. The country continues of a firm description and progress is slow. The upper level is being repaired and when this work is completed a chamber will be cut out and preparations made for sinking a. winze. Victoria (July 9): Rising operations from the No. 1 level crosscut to connect with the level above (Tookey's section) are going on, and when completed this will thoroughly ventilate the mine and give every facility for the development of any of the reefs intersected at this level. The country continues a good light firm class of sandstone, intermixed with quartz stringers. Operations on the Victoria reef underneath the No. 3 level are still iu progress, and the ore body, which is about 3ft in thickness, is a. little more compact than formerly, but the quartz coining to hand is not of a heavily-mineralised character. The small leader in the hangingwall of the reef is still in a good class of country, and a few colours of gold were aeen when the quartz was being broken ■ down early last week. Sloping operations on the Victoria reef at the intermediate level are in progress, and the leader, ; which is in good country, contains some good mineral. When breaking down the quartz nice colours and dabs of gold were seen. New Occidental (July 9): The new crosscut has? been extended 6ft for the week, making 196 ft driven from the main level and 16ft from the reef formation recently intersected. The belt of country has'.been, hard, but I expect to, setthrough it at any time now. . •,.,., Rising Sun (July 7): I am pushing on the drive on the hangingwall reef. The country encasing the reef is a firm sandstone, light in colour. I have broken down the reef stripped, which is 15iu wide and has a promising appearance. A few colours of gold are got by mortar and diShi tests. lam also pushing on the drive on ther reef at the south end, which is penetrating. an'excellent'channel of country for gold,, though a* little harder for progress. The reef is 20in wide and looks well, and a fair prospect of gold is obtained by pounding. Champion Mines (July 7): The country has been of a tight.;character. Hard rock came, fr.oiu.tha western wall and retarded progress, but'the face. at present seems to be coming in soft again.,..Waimangu (July 7): The low level on the,reef has been extended 16ft for the week, making the total driven on the lode 102 ft (north . and south of crosscut). In the north face the lode at present is small, being split up somewhat owing- to blue pug intervening. I am now cutting into the footwall side here to ascertain if any of the ore' has jumped in that direction, which I 'am inclined' to think is the case. South ■ face—The portion of the lode I am breaking down ,on the hangingwall side, which; is about ,3ft wide, looks very well. Every part, when washed by dish, gives a small prospect of free gold. lam saving all this ore for future treatment. There is another mineralised -eef in towards the footwall, which I will shortly break into. Sunbeam (July 7): I have three slopes manned on the eastern side of the airway, which are producing good ore. On the western side of the airway I have started to bring along the leading stope. The reef here looks first class, and is a. good size, being over 2ft wide. Wo are still breaking out the lode that was left in the wall coming outwards from the airway, and I am pleased to say it is looking a.? well as ever. We are now bsck 40ft from the airway, which gives us fully 170 ft of good ore on the line of reef, so far The battery has been working satisfactorily during the week.- . The average assay, as taken at, the lip of the box, was £2 9s. and after this the assays should be much better, because they have most of the first lot of stuff which was brought down from the mine through the mill, and there was fully 40 tons of poor ore in the lot.-