The Miner.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 237, 25 March 1876, Page 6

The Miner.

The boring for coal is proceeding at Shakspere Bay, near Bicton. The Tress of IVlarch 11th says:—“ A short time will decide whether there is any likelihood of a coalfield being discovered in the vicinity of Bicton, and even should the present attempt fail, there is a probability that further search will bring to light a bed of the valuable mineral.” The romance has not altogether gone out of goldmining, as the following incident, related in the Dunstan Times (Otago), will serve to show :—“ A case which has been in different ways brought before the Court some eight or nine times (Kernagan Bros. v. McDowell) culminated in the Warden declaring the alleged surplus ground open for selection. No fairy ever danced more sprightly ! No lover ever troubled with more anxious thoughts ! No warrior more eager for the fray ! No ped more gamely ran than did these two suitors to their respective stables. The air was rent with cries ‘ A horse ! A horse !’ and never did the illustrious G. V. Brooke or Barry Sullivan reiterate ‘ A horse ! a horse ! my kingdom for a horse !’ more tellingly than did William Kernagan and William McDowell. The stake was great, the race long—only thirty-four miles —to the "Upper Nevis. Mac was the first to mount, and amid the cheers of the onlookers he clapped his heels to the sides of his steed and sped on his course. Ten minutes after his antagonist was in hot pursuit, mounted on a spirited bay. Bets were freely offered and taken, as it was generally thought, the bay being a livery nag and stable fed, and the other but just off the grass, that the race would be one-sided ; not so, however; thought old Mac, as passing the dam at the junction of the Bannockburn-road he was heard to exclaim, ‘ Old Scotland for ever.’ On came the bay, ridden by a son of old Ireland ; and on still flew the representative of the heather. The pace was terrific for a short time, but at Richards’ the old man was ten minutes in advance. He neither turned to the right nor to the left, but kept straight on. Not so the other, but with noted perversity he swerved. to the right, and took the Carrick-road. Arriving at the top of the hill, he changed his jaded steed. But where was old Mac all this time ? Bushing on to reach the desired goal, and crossing the Nevis stream, he obtained another horse, and arrived at the claim fiftyseven minutes before the irate and disappointed wooer of the majesty of the law. They who take the sword shall perish by the sword, and there is but one universal feeling prevalent, and it is that of satisfaction at the result.” MOUNT RANGITOTO SILVER MINE: RICH DISCOVERY. (Erom the West Coast Times.) Eor some months past there have been considerable talk and speculation in Hokitika as to the value of some galena ore known to have been discovered in large abundance on Mount Rangitoto; and now that the prospectors have secured the ground, the full particulars respecting the ore and the mine have been made public. Most people are generally dubious as to the value of any discovery on the mere, presentation of a few specimens, however richly impregnated these may be with the most valuable metals. Notwithstanding this antipathy to be led away by any unusual curiosity on the inspection of mineral specimens, yet from the time the working men on this claim brought down their bags full of what was supposed to be by the uninitiated in mineralogy, a poor galena ore, with a mixture of silver and lead, there was, as we have said, a great deal of speculation in the minds of those who had an opportunity of seeing it before shipment, as to the real value of the discovery. The question has now been set at rest by the receipt of an analysis received from. Mr. John Drummond Kirkland, M. 8., Lecturer on Chemistry and Metallurgy, Melbourne, to the following effect :—“ Medical School Laboratory, the University, Melbourne, Eebruary 7th, 1875. Memorandum of assay of lead and silver ore.—No. I. contains lead 21 (twenty-one) per cent. ; of silver 735 (seven hundred and thirty-five) ounces troy per ton. No. 11. contains of lead 31 (thirty-one) per cent.; of silver 392 (three hundred and ninetytwo) ounces troy per ton. No. 111. contains of lead ten decimal (10’5) five per cent. —John Drummond Kirkland, M. 8., Lecturer on Chemistry and Metallurgy.” We may explain that the samples as enumerated by 1., 11-, and 111. were not merely a few specimens chosen from the heap for the purpose of obtaining a high assay, but were out of large boxes filled with the mineral, which we had an opportunity of examining before shipment. There were at least five or six hundredweight of specimens sent away, and any one who may desire to inspect as much more can avail themselves of the opportunity by stepping in to Messrs. Bollock and Bevan’s office, in Wharf-street, where they will find a table covered with it, or if they prefer jour--7,j f~i fr up the left-hand branch of the Waitaha river, a few miles south of Ross, they can see hundreds, aye, hundreds of thousands of tons already exposed. Such is the statement of the working prospectors, and there is not the slightest reason to doubt the truthfulness of their story. On the contrary, their statements are in keeping with their action in the matter, and both go to prove beyond all question that their belief is that a most important discovery has been made by them. As far back as three years ago James Bevan, James Balmer, and a third mate, whose name we have not been able to ascertain, but who has since left the district, were prospecting for gold in the locality mentioned. They were unsuccessful in their search for gold, but. they came across large patches of this particular mineral, and without the slightest.knowledge of its value, but simply out of curiosity, they put a few small pieces in their swags, and presented them to the manager of the Bank of

New Zealand on reaching town. They did not ask that any assay might be obtained, but contented themselves with the information that it was galena, and that it probably contained proportions of lead, copper, or silver. They did not return to the spot, neither did they pursue any further inquiries as to the value of the metal, but left the specimens with the manager as an addition to his own piivate repository of specimens, which were subsequently consumed in the ba k fire, or as a donation to the local museum, or for any other purpose to which he might think fit to apply them. Their desire was to discover gold, and the discovery of any inferior metal at the time was, to their minds, a matter of inferior importance. Many months after, however, the two mates, Bevan and Balmer, related their story to those possessed of more monetary means than themselves, stating that this mineral, whatever might be its value, lay in large patches in a locality which had been seldom, if ever, trodden by white men. They expressed themselves willing to return to the spot and bring down as much as they could carry on their.backs, whereby a thorough test could be obtained of the worth of the ore. This would necessitate some time and expense, as in the first place they had not properly defined the exact spot, and it might take weeks to find. Again, they were ignorant of the forms necessary to adopt should any discovery be proved. . There would be assays to be obtained, applications to be made, surveys to be carried out, and the ordinary routine in such cases to be gone through. These obstacles were, to a certain extent, to be foreseen, though they subsequently presented themselves in sterner reality than was ever contemplated. The two, however, in company with a third mate, named Edwin Kenway, agreed to give the new project a fair trial for a month or two, or until such time as they could prove whether the mineral was valuable or worthless. In this attempt they were guaranteed some little remuneration for their loss of time should the project prove a failure, and in the event of its proving a success, the necessary funds were promised to be forth c riming, they and their backers, Messrs. _ Bollock and Bevan, then sharing alike in the venture. Two or three dreary months were passed by them in the bush, but at the end of that time they were enabled to sufficiently define the mine as to satisfy themselves and their backers that it was worth while going to some trouble and expense, should the analysis of the ore denote that it would pay. As to quantity, a few more weeks’ work put an end to doubt on that point. A vein was opened showing a face of forty-five feet, and they have not yet cut acx-oss it. It is impossible to conjecture what the width may be, but the prospectors say that it shows, still every indication of widening. The vein is dipping at about an angle of sixty degrees, and apparently much richer specimens than those sent to Melbourne have within the past few weeks presented themselves abundantly. There is a large quantity of the richer portions recently raised, ready to be taken to town. It was only yesterday, after a great deal of trouble, expense, and circumambulation, that a lease was obtained. The Superintendent, believing that the discovery might prove of some importance to the district, before the assay was received rendered every assistance in his power for the prospectors, to attain their desired object. An application was made to the Lands Board for a lease for twenty-one years of 500 acres, which was granted on the following terms: —The rental for the first two years to be at the rate of sixpence per acre per annum, and for the balance of the term at the rate of one shilling per acre per annum, together with one-fiftieth of a royalty. Though the assay report has been in the possession of the prospectors for some time, they very wisely kept the information strictly secret until their title to the ground was made perfectly secure. It oozed out, however, on IMonday, that the result of the assay was far beyond the best expectations, and that the party were becoming exceedingly anxious to have their title to the ground completed. At the sitting of the Waste Lands Board on Tuesday, as already reported, several applications were made for ground adjoining that of the prospectors. Mr. Todd applied for 400 acres, and Dr. Dermott for 500 acres on lease, which were immediately granted. Mr. Learmonth likewise applied for a lease of 600 acres, which was adjourned, as Mr. John Allen, who had a party of men prospecting in the locality, had applied for a portion of the same ground. We learn since that both pai ties have come to terms about the application, Mr. Learmonth having agreed to stand in with Allen’s party as a fifth shareholder. With regard to the three separate boxes which were shipped to Melbourne, and which are reported upon by Mr. Kirkland, as above quoted, we may mention that No. 1 sample was taken from about five feet in from the outcrop and on the dip. No. 2 sample was taken from the immediate outcrop of the reef ; and No. 3 was taken from the ridge and not on the dip. The locality is about fourteen miles up the left hand branch of the river Waitaha, a distance of about thirty to thirty-five miles from Hokitika. A foot track has been cut by the prospectors, but the surveyors who surveyed the ground allege that a much shorter journey could be made of it. A branch road could.be formed of about three and a-half miles, which would join the main Ross and Bowen-road. These are all the available particulars so far respecting the discovery, which we look upon as one of most unusual and paramount importance, first to this immediate locality, and likewise to the colony. THE COMSTOCK LODE. (From the Virginia Enterprise .) As much has been said about, the Comstock lode, those most intimate with it do not comprehend it, while people abroad have no conception of it. Its daily yield is two thousand tons That is, from this ore channel there is every day extracted ore enough to load ten trains of twenty cars each, and those car-

loads would average 700dols. in value each. This is dug out of a space of ground less than three miles in length and less than four hundred feet in width. Indeed, when we confine the estimate to the part of the ledge which at this time is yielding ore, we find that a half mile in length will cover the whole ground. When we compare that stream of gold and silver to anything ever heard of or read of before in history or romance, we discover that everything else ever talked about begins to seem small and mean. Dumas pictured a man who was able through his wealth to almost subvert empires and to make Bate his servant. And yet in the next eighteen months the Comstock will supply money enough to balance the tremendous account which Dumas placed to the credit of the imprisoned sailor. We see the figures piled up in the newspapers which in dollars represent the national debt. That debt is so tremendous that though the fortunes of forty millions of people, an empire of three millions of square miles, with its cities, townships, mines, fertile soil are all mortgaged for its faithful payment, still the promise of the Government (which is the people) to pay is at a discount of 15 per cent. And yet as the Comstock is yielding this year, and as it promises to yield for man’ 3 ' years to come, it will take it but thirty-five years to add to the treasure of the earth as much as that debt to-day amounts to. For more than a quarter of a century San Francisco has been the shipping port of the Bacific. In the country back of it thousands of men have been toiling in the richest land in the world, and San Francisco has gathered almost all the net profits of their work. Lured by the marvellous opportunities offered there, rich men have gathered there and built up a city, until to-day it is ample in size to accommodate its two hundred thousand inhabitants. And yet the accumulated wealth of all those thousands is but equal to five years’ product of the Comstock. Indeed, a single quarter of a mile in length of the mighty vein holds in sight today treasure enough to almost buy that city. The Ottoman Empire, peopled by more than thirty-five millions of people, and covering the seat of the earliest civilisation and the loveliest land on earth, is about to be declared a bankrupt because she owes about as much money as the Comstock will probably yield in the next twenty years. But it is idle to extend these comparisons. It is simply marvelous, and the indications now are that the coming sixteen years will add to the wonder which the last sixteen years has created. We heard a shrewd man say a few days since : “ The wonder of the second Centennial of American Independence is to be the destroying of the value of gold and silver. It is going to be cheap as iron before another century comes around.” We do not think the remark was quite justified by present appearances, but there is no telling what will happen when another thousand feet in depth is reached on the mother vein.