Terawhiti Goldfields.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 610, 13 October 1883, Page 22

Terawhiti Goldfields.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) October 9. Eureka. —ln several of my reports I have mentioned the very likely looking country through which this Company s tunnol was being driven. The formation is very compact, and the strata pretty regular ; much more so tnau is mot with in°many of the neighboring Companies’ tunnels. Previous to commencing the, tunnel, several leaders had been got on the surface, all of which are gold-bearing, and all striking about east and west. The tunnel is driven south, and has cut through these leaders, which show a regular and continuous run through the formation. Prospects of gold can be got, but not enough to pronounce the lodes ■ payable, as they are smaller—from six inches to a foot big. After the tunnel had passed through those leaders, the lay of the country changed. The strata was found to run in a more north-and-south course, and the Manager then in charge, Mr Ceafus, very properly, changed the course of the. driving in order to continue crossing the strata. Had the tunnel .been continued on under the same guiding ideas, there is every prospect that the lode lately got, on the surface would, have been intersected. The lode lately found is in the face of the hill,, sidelong to the creek. An open cutting was first put in, and then , a shaft sunk about ten feet,on the lode. The lode, as showing in the present opening from the top of the cutting to the bottom of the shaft, is about 20ft deep, striking north 25deg west, south 25deg east, underlying west. The formation of the lede is about 3ft wide, but the solid'and . likely-looking part is about 18in of firm, solid, clean quartz on the foot wall. By crushing this stone in a mortar very good prospects of fine gold can be got, which is far more likely-looking than getting the gold , loose in the casing. In the bottom of the shaft at the present time the. lode is rather bigger than in any other part of the working] 3 The newly-appointed Manager, Mr Christopher Mace, will no doubt shortly show, us something more about it. Lord Nelson. —Tunnel in about 30ft; ; easy driving. Country so far loose and broken.

Wealth op Nations. —A -good start has been made with the new tunnel. Bonanza. —Contractors in about. 200 ft in, in very wet, loose ground. ZeaLandia. —The tunuel is driven about east 25 south, piercing the range at this part at right, angles. For the first 200 ft the grourd is very loose and broken, from this in the strata i 3 less disturbed until the solid country is reached, and through which the tunnel has now been driven about 80ft. My visit to this tunnel gave me considerable satisfaction, as I here found convincing proof of the theory I have propounded—that nearly all the mining works here were in broken country, and that a more regular and firm formation would be found at a depth. This tunnel has passed through all the broken slipped ground, and is now in as solid and regular a rock formation as is to be met with in any mining district. When the lead is got here it : will be something to rely upon. , Kohinoor. —The contractors are in about 70 or 80ft. The driving in the face is very hard : rather too hard for the price. Duke op Wellington.— This Company has spared no expense in commencing to prospect their lease in a thoroughly efficient manner. The lease occupies a favorable position, including the ridge of the leading range east of the Wealth of Nations and the Golden Crown. The tunnel is in good formation, and ha 3 been driven about 90ft. Poneke. —Messrs Seymour and Mace have arrived to commence operations for this Company, and are at present engaged in erecting a shed and making other preparations. Albion. —Several of the hands have been discharged, pending the result of the cleaning up at the battery. Although all hope the result will be payable, there is reasonable ground for presuming that it is not. In fact, there are those most sanguine of the field ultimately proving payable that had strong doubts if the Albion lode was so far as opened up. It will have to be tested at a lower level. Try-Again. —The contractors have finished their undertaking, and there has been but very little change in the nature \of the country driven through from the commencement to the end a finelooking slate formation, but very loose and wet, evidently in broken ground. Golden Crown. —The prospects of this mine are improving considerably.

We learn that a good pack track has been cut to the Queen of Beauty claim at Makara, and two horses were engaged lest week in packing out quartz from the blue reef, to be sent to the Thames for a further trial. I he contractor, Mr C. Hicks, intends to put on thiee more horses, and it is expected that the ten tons which are to be sent away will be on the roadside ou Saturday or Monday. The stuff will, of course, be carted into Wellington. It is understood that two of the Directors of the Company will go to

the Thames to watch the crushing. The l Robinson’H Freehold Company commenced Work on Monday, and as their boundaiy is only about 80 yards from the spot where the | Queen of Beauty is now breaking out stone, they shonld have no difficulty, in striking the lode.

Very had news relative to the Albion crushing has arrived from Terawhit . It is freely reported that tbeie has been a cleaning, up at the battery, the return being only fourteen dunces of retorted gold out of some 300 tone of stone crushed. If this is the case, all we can sav is, that marvellous self-deception, or worse, has been practised to an unlimited extent of late. One penny-weight or less to the ton is really too ridiculous.