THE MARBLE QUARRIES AT CASWELL SOUND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5537, 25 December 1878, Page 3

THE MARBLE QUARRIES AT CASWELL SOUND.

The following are the reports of Mr. Jack (who recently visited theao quarries) and Mr. George Munro, of Dunedin, to the chairman and members of the Caswell Sound Marble Quarry Company : MB. JACK’S REPORT. As Instructed by you I left Hokitika per s.s. Maori for Caswell Sound on the 23rd September, arriving there on the sth October. On land 1 found the men hard at work carrying out the instructions of the company. I immediately proceeded to (the White Marble Quarry, which is situated on the (south side of the Sound two and a half miles from its entrance. The width of the marble on the sur-. face at this quarry is two chains, running in a S.E. direction, with a dip of 45 degrees to the 8.W., traced to the height of 1600 ft. In my; opinion, as well as that of Mr.-Munro and the workmen, it crosses Mount Paulino, going inland about two miles above the head of Charles Sound, being overlaid on the E. by a. brown spotted marble, and on the W. by a vein of copper ore, samples of which I have brought with me. At about a chain from the side of the Sound there is a cave which runs in at right angles with and about ten feet above the water level to the length of two and a half chains, This cave shows unmistakeably the great extent of the marble, as there is nothing else to be seen, and at the farthest end it shows If anything more solid and pare white than at any other exposed part of the quarries; in fact there seems to be an unlimited quantity of the very beat quality. Heaving this -and crossing tho sound in a N.W. direction for a distance of li miles you arrive at tho Dove Marble Quarry. This quarry is situated on the north side, and about one and a half miles from its entrance, running frem S.E. to N.W., with a frontage of about three chains te the sound. The country here is not so steep as at the White Quarry, but the marble beds arc larger in extent, being traced for upwards of six hundred feet in height, coming to the surface all the way, but in my opinion it is very much higher and extends to a greater width than is seen at present. There is a large quantity of dove marble two miles farther up, on the same aide of the Sound, of a very good kind, but it has not got the beautiful figure of the stone as the lower quarry. On leaving the Sound I took with me several blocks of both kinds of marble, leaving one of each at Invercargill, and forwarding one of each to Melbourne, taking the balance to Mr. Munro and Messrs. Thompson and Co. of Dunedin. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that tho opinion of several architects I met, was, that it is of a very high quality. Mr. B. A. Lawson, architect, Dunedin, spoke very highly of the quality, and would like to get some in time to use for the front of the new Town Hall, Dunedin. The facilities for working the quarries are of the best, there is no need of tram or railway from the quarries to tho ship, thus saving the large expenditure requisite in almost all other marble quarries. The debris can be get rid of at little cost by putting it in the Sound, which is very deep near the shore, or burning it for lime purposes. The facilities for shipping stone from these quarries could not be surpassed, as any sized vessel can lie alongside the White Quarry in fifty fathoms of water. There would be required a jetty of about chains in length at the Dove Quarry, which would bring it into deep water. Caswell Sound at the entrance is about one and a quarter miles wide, with deep water. About a mile from the entrance it is completely land-locked, forming a beautiful and safe harbor. The land on both sides rises steep from the water’s edge and is covered with timber of not much value but for firewood. There is no camping ground except a flat beach on the north side (of about 50 or 60 acres), three and a half miles from the entrance, where the prospectors, Messrs. Turnley, Smith, and party, pitched their camp; this is the only place in the neighbornood of the quarrieajeui table, os the country Is too steep to admit of camping anywhere else. When in Dunedin I thought it expedient and to the interests of the company to get the opinion of Mr. Munro, as it was admitted by all I conversed with, that he was a man of great experience in quarrying, and being a largo importer and worker of marble (and not connected with the company) that he would give an unbiassed opinion, and as you are aware he accompanied mete the quarries and promised to report on same. MB. MDNBO’S EEPOBT, I have visited the quarries, and from what I saw there, together with the sample blocks which I have now cut and polished, I am now able to lay before you the following statement, which I shall divide into two classes, namely, A and B. Class Ais situated on the south side of the Sound, and is what I consider to be an unlimited supply of fine white marble, and what I consider to be a pure “sychrine," equal, if not superior, to the best statuary marble now in use. It is capable of taking a very high polish, and stands better relief in ornamental work than most statuary marbles. It is also gratifying to me to be able to say that I have also had the opinion of professional men and others, who bear me out in every instance, together with the evidence of those well able to judge, that it is marble which would command a high price in any market, even in England, Class Bis a dove-colored marble, situated bn the north side of the Sound, and tho supply is unlimited, and is also capable of taking a high polish, and might bo largely used in the manufacture of chimneypieces, &c. The facilities for the working of the quarries ate the best that could be wished for, namely, a perfectly land-locked harbor, secure from all winds, with fifty fathoms water close to the side of the rock, so that the largest vessel afloat could lie and lead with the greatest safety In all weathers. The benefits to he derived from such a property are, comparing the high class of marble which it is with those of the Sicilian or Carrara—Sicilian marble ranges In price In the London market from os. to 12s. per cubic foot; Carrara statuary marble ranges from 255. to 100 s. per cubic foot in London market. Now I consider the Caswell: Sound mavble superior to Sicilian and equal to the principal part of the statuary now in use. Therefore the profits which may bo looked for from such a source, in my opinion, are well worth looking after. The dove colored marble will fetch 15s. per foot in the London market, and which I consider is the best place tor large orders. The poorest class of Sicilian marble costs 15s. per foot in any of the colonies, and I estimate that the Caswell Sound marble can be landed In any of the colonies or even in London for ss. per foot, or less, which will depend upon the appliances used for quarrying, Ac.