THE SILVER MINES OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 763, 15 October 1886, Page 8

THE SILVER MINES OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

THE BARRIER RANGES.

'EY THE SPECIAL REPORTER OF THE SYDNEY MAIL.)

In my previous reports an account of Avhat may be called the principal mines of the Barrier Ranges field has been given, that is to say, the principal mines now opened and being worked, for although those mentioned may at present appear, owing to the work being carried on and already done, to be the first mines in the field, yet there are at the present many insignificant claims Avhieh, ■when Avorked, Avill turn out equal iu value to, and in cases possibly better than, some oi those already reported on. To Avrite a separate or detailed description of every claim worked on this field would take a long time, and as my next will be the final report of this series, 1 intend to give a brief outline of several claims still unnoticed, Avith a few remarks as to the general working of the field. To begin with, we must again return to the south of Silverton. and not far from the Pinnacle Mine.. About 15 miles from the former, in the midst of the ranges, we come to the Thackariuga Hotel. This is about the centre of the Thackaringa mines, which at one time were in a flourishing condition. It is the portion of the field in which silver was first found, the date beiDg as far back as 1576, the prospector mentioned

in my last—Julius Nickel —being the discoverer. In addition to this, Nickel has from time to time opened out some of the best properties ou the Barriers, amongst them being the One Tree Hill, Round Hill, Cosmopolitan or Broken Hill North, Maybell, and North Maybell claims, and from the latter alone he is now drawing an income at the rate of £SOOO per anumn. At Thackaringa the ore found is principally galena, varying considerably in grade. The best known mine is the Gipsy Girl, conjointly owned by the Barrier Ranges Mining Association and Mr A. L. Garot of Wilcannia. It has lately been put into a company of 30,000 shares of £1 each. There are also the Bonanza, Six over-Six, King William, Dan. O’Connel, Homeward Bound, Hercules, Outward Bound, Comstock, Goat Hill, and several others of less note. None of these, Avith perhaps the exception of the first-named, have paid the cost of working. From it and the Six-over-Six claim adjoining, about (3000 tons of galena have been raised, the bulk of which Avas sent to England, realizing from £8 to £lO per ton, thus leaving but a small margin of profit for the owners. At present only the Gipsy Girl and Outward Bound are being worked. The output from both does not exceed 40 tons per week, and the number of miners employed is under 20. Most of the ore is treated at the Barrier Ranges Association's Smelting Works, near the Day Dream Mine, where it is useful as a flux to work drv ores. As far as proved, the lodes do not go" down ; and, moreover, are poorer as a greater depth is attained. Several shafts have been sunk to a depth of 150 feet, with but little reward, and the future of this portion of the district does not look promising. It may with truth be said that it ha 3 yet to be proved that the silver does not make again below, as no real test has been made, and some day, no doubt, a shaft 400 or 500 feet will settle the question. Wherever sunk on, the formation has been uniformly good. ‘57 About two miles north of Thackaringa a syndicate formed on the field is putting down a shaft on a good looking surface show of iron, gossan, &c., on ‘the Silver Fleece Claim,’ a name which, I think, although the show is fairly good, is worthy of a richer portion of the field. From here to the U tnberu m berk a country (13 miles), nothing has been found, and near the latter the only claim other thau previously mentioned in which much v.'orlc has been carried on is the Little Bos3, belonging to the Barrier Ranges S.M. Association. A shaft has been sunk here to a considerable depth, and a good deal of surface prospecting has been done with a view of meeting Avith the Umberumberka lode ; but, so far, without finding any traces of it. Travelling north from Silverton seven miles, we pass by Lake's Grave, the last resting-place of a selector of that name, and one of the prettiest spots on the Barrier. Near here is the Jane Annam claim, Avhieh has from the start of the working proved false to its owners. Two years ago wonderful specimens of horn silver were found here on the surface, and the owners, as in many other instances, were offered large sums for the property ; but wanted more. They hold it now, and although a large amount of Avork has been done, including the sinking of a shaft, not even a trace of a lode can be found. Still travelling north, the Terrible Dick, Norwood Lada, and other claims are passed, all of which are said to have turned out very payable ore to the date of leaving off Avorking, but none of the owners seem inclined to expend either time or money in raising more of this ore. Still further on is the Black Prince, owned in Sydney; it has good surface shoAvs, but they cannot be depended upon. There are also the Consolation and the White Princess lying close to the ground to which a rush for gold took place a year ago. The goldfind has since been forgotten, and silver in payable quantities only has been found. Turning sharp round to the east part of the Red Hill is the almost deserted toAvn of Purnamoota (previously knoAvn as The Soakage), which is second in size to Silverton. During the big rush to the field Purnamoota was by many thought to be the town which would eventually become the main centre of the field, and those -who had not an allotment there were held not to know very much. The town, like Silverton, has been well laid out on the banks of a small soakage. With two or three exceptions the houses are of iron, and these are built on a very small scale. The principal buildings are occupied respectively as a barracks, hotels (two), and a bank, which Avas opened last week, the remainder being, generally speaking, the £lO building necessary as improvements. Ou the whole the future prospects of Purnamoota cannot be regarded as good, and it seems probable that the township, instead of growing, Avill become smaller and beautifully less as time rolls on. This is owing to the mines iu the neighborhood mostly turning out to be mere surface shows. About 35 miles almost due north of Puma mooto going along what i 3 known as the Poolamacca-road, and along which the Poolamacca-road station is passed at 20 miles distance, are the tin mines, Avhieh should eventually turn out very valuable properties. These mines have been pegged out for a couple of years. The principal claims are Pearson's, the Cobar, and the Byjerlcerno. In Pearson’s the show has always been considered the best, in some places carrying G per cent, of tin. The ore is found intermixed Avith talc, Avhieh by a ver y simple process can be separated from it. A shaft has been sunk on this claim 40 feet deep, the lode pinching and making aoain in different places. At the bottom of the shaft no definite lode is visible, but ore is still showing, and the probability is that in deeper sinking a permanent lode will be met with. The Cobar property is looking well. The Byjerkerno is now being floated into a company, and is well worth a good test. A few properties have been worked for silver between there and Purnamoota, also Sturt’s MeadoAvs to the west, and the Corona lode to the east, at which a little money has been expended Avithout any result. These are all the mining properties worthy of note to the north of Purnamoota. A few miles south of Purnamoota are the One-tree Hill, Lubra, Christmas, Imperial, Mascotte, The Treasure (late Morris’s Blow, Eucalyptus, Pluck Up, and many claims leas notable. The first of these, the One Tree, originally developed horn silver, found on

-the north side of a large hill running east and Avest, on the top of which 13 the solitary tree from which the hill derives its name. This mine ha 3 in its time been worth all sorts of prices, and although several good sums have been offered for it, which would have been accepted had the proprietors known as much about it as they do now, it still belongs to two or three of the original owners. A good deal of prospecting has been carried out, but nothing permanent yet been found. The Lubra mine, which is a short distance east of the One Tree, belongs to a company formed in Sydney. It carries good ore for a time, and then shows nothing. A good deal of work has been done, mostly from the one main shaft, which is down from 200 to 300 feet. Drives ha\'e been put in from the shaft aud stopes opened up. The Christmas lies to the S.W. of the One Tree, and it is also worked by a company. A shaft has been sunk on the underlay for about 60 feet, also several other smaller shafts, from Avhieh stopes, &c>, have been carried out. Fully twenty tons of ore have left the mine for treatment, and the last shipment of six tons is expected, from essay results taken at the colonial smelting works Melbourne, to realise £2OO per ton. The firsts average 45700 z., the seconds 7760 z., and the thirds GIGoz. to the toD. Stoping is still being carried on, and from three to four ton 3of similar ore are lying at grass. lire lode is running very flat, aud although indications are very good at the bottom of the shaft, but little ore is to be seen. At the Imperial, Mascotte, and Pluck Up, splendid surface shows were found, and a good quantity of rich ore sent away, but at present little or no work ia being done, as the good ore has run out. The Treasure or Morris’s Bloav is on the Day Dream and Purnamoota road, and derives the latter name from the man Avho found it, Jack Morris. At the time of discovery, during the rush in 1884, it caused a great sensation, as it was the largest horn-silver slug found. So many people visited it that the owner, to ensure that it should not be knocked about, pitched his tent oA'er it, and, it is said, guarded it with a revolver. Eventually this slug, which weighed between 1 and 2 cwt., was exhibited in Adelaide, Melbourne, and in one or two mining townships with other slugs of smaller size; but, financially speaking, the property was not a success. When things looked at their best £OOOO was offered for this claim, but the owners held for a bigger price. It has since been worked, and a good quantity of rich ore raised from it. The last of the above-men-tioned claims—viz., the Eucalyptus—is, like the Lubra, owned by a Sydney company. It also is on the Pnrnamoota Day Dream-road, and comprises three blocks, on which three shafts have been sunk in a galena and ironstone formation, with chlorides here and there through it. On the surface the show at the most northerly shaft was very good, but on sinking on the underlay the silver ■ was very patchy and found only in very small quantities. To test this properly a vertical shaft is necessary, although by surface indications it was thought the underlay shaft would be the quickest method of getting returns.

To the south-east of this claim ia the Elsie May, in which a good lode carrying grey ore and galena was cut at about 60 feet. To the nort east of these, and four miles east of Purnamoota, are the claims belonging to the Mount Gipps Silver-mining Company, which has quite lately been placed iu Sydney. Since the formation of the company a parcel of ore has been treated in Melbourne with good results. The work done consists chiefly in the sinking of two shafts. The principal of these is down on the underlay about 120 feet. The lode, Avhieh shows a good formation, is about two feet wide, carrying galena and grey ore, the bulk assay of which is 80 ounces of silver, and 60 per cent, of lead. This is the best return from the property, and on this shaft the prosperity of the company must greatly depend. In the same neighbourhood as the foregoing claims are the Southern Cross, Parnell, and the Hidden Secret. In the former the lode shows for a good width on the surface. One shaft has been sunk to a depth of GO feet, aud ou the eastern part of the lode No. 2 is commenced, and i 3 now down about 14 feet in a good lode, carrying carbonates of lead and chlorides through it. In the Parnell block a good deal of prospecting work ha 3 been done on the surface, and two shafts sunk. As far as can be seen, there is a good show here. There are two lodes on the property, mostly composed of iron and gossan, with a good percentage of galena and silver through them. At the Hidden Secret, portions of the lode are well opened out, no less than three shafts being down. The lode runs right through the claim, and carries galena, grey ore, and chlorides. Most of the principal claims on this part of the field have now been referred to ; the next to attract attention are those in the Waukaro Paddock. This paddock is abont 8 miles east-south-east of Purnamoota, and amongst several other claims iu it are the Eva, the Gossan Hill, the Maria, and the Sturt Pea. In the Eva mine the lode is large, and is prospected. It shows good ore all through, and carries a good deal of galena and grey ore. The Gossan Hill, which derives it names from the appearance of gossan on the surface, has a very large lode showing through it, the general character of which is iron and gossan, intermixed Avith grey ore and galena. -The Maria claim is looked upon as one of the best mines in the paddock. There are three lodes running through it ; a shaft has been sunk 60 feet in the lode all the way. It will turn out a large quautity of grey ore and galena. The Sturt Pea mine has much of the same character of lode running through it as the former, and should prove equally valuable, although at present not so much grey ore is showing. Other thau these there are a lot of claims pegged out along the same course through AA'hich this lode runs strongly, and it seems probable that the claims here should turn out well, more especially when the railway reaches Silverton, and greater facilities are offered for treating galena and low class ores. South of th Waukaroa about 10 miles, is the Maybell line of country mentioned in my last. Within two miles of the latter is The Pink ’Un, owned by Brown and D Arcy, on which is a good show of lead. Out to the east of these are the Razorback, Britannia, Scotia, and other claims. The Razorback consists principally of iron-

stone and diorite, and stands out above the surface for about two miles. By some it is thought to be a continuation of the Broken Hill lode, owing to its having some of the same appearance and color of outcrop above the surface. The property is owned by a local syndicate of five. A shaft has been sunk to a depth of 120 feet, but nothing more than traces of silver as yet found. Should payable ore be got here, this must be a very valuable property, a 3 the lode is of a great size, but there is nothing yet to indicate that payable ore will be found. The Britannia and Scotia are owned principally by a Port Pirie (South Australia), company,, and to the present have proved to be of good value. Abont 12 miles S.E. of the Maybell is the Mount Gipps settlement, consisting of a hotel, post office, blacksmith’s shop, and many tents. This is on the direct mail linebetween Silverton, Wilcannia, and Menindie-. There are a number of claims about here, and a good deal of prospecting has been done. Amongst others is the Grace Darling, the Yellow Stone, and Piesse’s Nob. At the Grace Darling a good deal of work has been done, and some nice ore raised. The Yellowstone lies to the north-east of Mount Gipps, aud has, like the Razorback, a very wide lode on the surface. On this claim no Avork has been done since it was last pegged out, but many years ago one of our present members for the district thought there was a show here for copper, and sank a shaft, which appears to be from 50 to 60 feet deep. Pie3se’s Nob is considered the best property about Mount Gipps, although nothing pay able has been found on it. It has several lode 3 running through it, one on the west side of the hill capped by ironstone being particularly strong. As mentioned in my report of the Broken Hill claims, some think this is a continuation of the Broken Hill lode, and if such be the case, it must be very valuable. Travelling about five miles in a southwesterly direction from Piesse’s Nob, we passed almost wholly through country that is pegged out, and in some instance being worked. The claims in some places are valuable, and in others fairly so. At the end of the five miles is the Round Hill, and on the north side of this M’ln tyre’s two claims with good indications of lead on them, the lode being Avide and well-defined on the surface. I believe the property has lately changed hands at a good figure. The Round Hill itself is noted on the field from the fact that it has for some time been an open question as to who are the rightful owners. It was first taken up by some speculators as mineral conditional purchases, and after this, owing to it being an unsettled point of law as to whether mineral conditional purchases were legal on goldfields, it was jumped. There have already been two or three lawsuits about the property, and it still remains uncertain who is entitled lo it. The latest is that one of the sides is trying to make arrangements that the matter may be amicably settled. Owing to the litigation very little work has been done on the property, so beyond the surface indications it is almost unproved. The surface-indications are good, the hill seeming to be lodes from one side to the other. What appears to be the main lode outcrops for some height above the top of the hill, and runs high through the property into Mr M’lntyre s block above mentioned. This has every indication of being a continuation of the Broken Hill lode. Adjoining the disputed blocks on the west is what is known as the Copper Blow, deriving its name from a large blow appearing above surface, samples of which gave an assay return of 40 to 45' per cent, of copper. This lode has been sunk on, and in 10 feet no traces of copper were found ; but the ore was proved to carry silver, and at 20 feet it gave 15oz. to the ton. The shaft has been continued for some depth, the lode being very Avide, indication good, and the ore should carry a fair quantity of silver. No assays have been made here for some time. Adjoining the block on the north is another 40-acre block owned by a local syndicate, which also has splendid surface shows through it.