MINING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7929, 21 July 1887, Page 3

MINING.

WAKATIPU MINING NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Arrow, July 19.

Applications for licensed holdings and special claims still continue to bo mado. Hitherto these applications were confined to the Upper Shotover district, hut vow they extend to tho Kawarau, where Mr T. G. Pearce has applied for a special claim of two miles of tho river bed. This ground comprises the Island Block, near Victoria bridge, aud is without exception the most legitimate milling spec, in tbis district. It has agitated many a mining mind since tho early days of tho rush to these parts. A tunnel, 18ft by 18ft and 45 chains long, to drain about two miles of tho river bed is projected; tbe river to be diverted through the tunnel, and tho ground to be worked by sluicing. The works aro estimated to cost £35,000.

has had a few slight interruptions. Tho^water supply for tho electric apparatus falling short, the steam Engine had to be started, and latterly the weight of snow broko the conducting wiros, but additional wires being put up, the same mishap is uot likely to occur again. M'Grath, Saunders, and party, in their claim in the Shotover river, are progressing well with the erection of their water wheel, and expect to begin work in their claim in a month or so.

Mr Georgo Robertson has discovered a new quartz reef at Deep creek which is 3ft wide at the outcrop, and shows gold. Mr Sew Hoy, who has prominently identified himself with mining enterprise iv this district, applies for a special claim of I*lo acres- in extent at Big Beach, Arthur's Point, Shotover. This is tho ground to which attention was directed by your correspondent some time since as the most likely ground i'or payable reworking with the hydraulic jet elevator.. Messrs R. Neil, H. 0. Cameron, and A. M'Shain also apply for a special claim of two miles extent on the Shotover river under tho Btyle of tho " Atmospheric Dredging Company." The ground applied for extends from Deep creek to Maori Point.

The many fresh applications, together with keen competition in the Warden's Court I'or ground marked out by several applicants, ami numerous requests for cancellation of old holdings left unworked, indicates a healthy revival in mining in all the divisions in which it is practised here—viz., river and terrace workings, quartz reeling, tunnelling, sluicing, &c.

NOTES FROM REEFTON. (FnoM Ona Own Correspondent.)

Reeiton, July 20.

Big River Extended. —The return came to band this afternoon, being lOloz Bdwt of gold from 160 tons of stone. There is no concealing tho fact that the return is poor compared with the glowing anticipations indulged in, and it i-i hard to understand how such high expectations could have been formed.

Welcome.—Extraordinary meetings of tbis company, and also of tho Specimen Hill and Homeward Bound companies were held last night, when all three passed resolutions extending the timo for floating tho United Company on the London market.

Keep-it-Dark.—At the extraordinary last night 85 shareholders were present personally j or by proxy, representing over 17,000 shares. With respect to the proposal for selling the f mine a long discussion ensued, ami it was eventually decided that as there was a dif- j ference in the terms as submitted to shareholders no motion could he entertained i'or T ■winding up the company. At tho "same time, however, the directors were empowered to offer *j the mine for sale to an English company, with a capital ot £125,000, £60X00 sterling to be B paid in net casb, also £30,000 iv paid-up shares, t and a reserved capital of £15,000. Theso terms t to be offered to the colonial agents of the syndicate, and to be open for a limited time J only. ri The share market has beon very Hat nil day, £ tho Big River Extended haviug acted as a wet blanket on everything. ( Rainy Creek Extended.—-An extraordinary meeting of shareholders in this company has r beeu convened to alter the rules of the com- c pany. f, THE BLUE SPUR CLAIMS. 0 Respecting the disposal of the Blue Spur *•1 claims to the London syndicate, it has transpired o (says the Tuapeka Times) that the calculations fi of the expect, Mr Longbottom, C.E., as to the n annual value of the property fall considerably short of what Mr J. O. Brown has represented it a to be—viz., £36,000; and Mr Longbottom has c reported accordingly. In other words, after c going carefully through the books of the dif- t ferent companies, and thoroughly examining the c ground, Mr Longbottom has reported that he cannot recommend the property as being all that I. Mr Brown claimed for it. The Spur, he thinks, o is a very good concern indeed ; but his duty only t: extends to verifying Mr Brown's valuation, and this, he says, ho is unable to do. On f, Monday morning, before starting up-country, Mr n Longbottom was waited upon by a deputation of the mine managers, who sought to know the " nature of his report. He readily told them that t] it was not favourable, and gave them to under- si stand that two important water races (the Tua- o peka and Waipori) were not included in the it schedule supplied to him. This rather surprised tl the deputation, who understood that tho water a races had been included in the offer, and so con- n eluded that their omision was a mistake or tbat n some misunderstanding had arisen. This is how a the matter stands at present, and the local I owners are anxiously awaiting Mr Brown's 'I arrival to throw some light on the subject. Sir g Browu is expected to arrive at Auckland by the ii 'Frisco mail on Friday next. b t MINING AT WESTPORT. a We learu from a correspondent that mining in J the Westport district has again taken a boom. ' The * FAHIDOWN SLUICING COMPANY'S WOMiS * are now completed, and the company is only * waiting for the copper plates, which have been E delayed, to commence operations. Great expectations are entertaiued with regard to the r {prospects from this claim. The washdirt pre- * •gents a most favourable appeqjance, and the * general opinion is that if the plan of operations ' works well, regular dividends may be expected. a The works are of a very substantial character, ? and the principle of operation is that known a3 * the new American hydraulic sluicing, adopted ' '•by Perry at Gabriel's Gully. The ground has J long been known to be richly auriferous, but the * ■wet character of it has hitherto prevented pro- J Stable work. In this process the water is more ' of an assistance than a hindrance, and Mr J Gordon, the Government inspector of goldmines j and machinery, who has been here during the J last few days, expresses himself well satisfied .* with the plant, and gives his opinion that the ' process will amply serve the desired end. The ' Fairdown Company has expended £2000 in j plant, and as they have a large area of ground j and a plentiful supply of water shareholders may • reasonably look for a satisfactory return for their outlay. J Immediately adjoining the Fairdown, a second ■ company, known as j the wakeatea company, _\ has taken up 40 acres and secured an efficient ' supply of water, with a pressure up to 600 ft if ' required, from a small lake immediately above 1 their ground. This company will commence j operations shortly, and as they have obtained a splendid prospect from shafts sunk on the - ground, and as the cost of works is not likely to ■ be greater than at Fairdown, this company has 1 apparently a good future before it. ' At Addison's Flat, between Westport and * Charleston, ground is being pegged out in all 1 directions on the celebrated Shamrock lead and 1 its continuations, and from the good returns ' now being obtained by small working parties • with the most primitive appliances, it is evident ' that investors at this point will have splendid 1 returns. . TTIE OHEAT EEPUW.IC property at Waimangaroa has increased in value ' in the estimation of speculators, as evidenced by j the large jump in the price of shares, and if it be true, as asserted, that the solid reef has been ; struck, there is good reason for the rise. ! COAL MINING continues steady. The Westport Coal Company maintains their large output, and from the high prices they are getting for their coals there should be better times in store for the shareholders. The Mokihinui Company's works are progressing towards completion and coal should be obtained from them before very long. It is rumoured that the syndicate, in whose hands was placed the floating of the South Pacific Goal Oompany, reports most favourably of its chances of being taken up in London. With regard to the recent find of auriferous deposit on the estate of Mr Smith at Waitoia, near Te Aroha, it appears from Professor Button's report that such formation of country has hitherto not been suspected to contain gold. He Dnds there is only one outcrop of solid rock, which is a rhyolite breccia containing fragments of pumice, but no quartz veins. Nevertheless four assays from it had shown that it contained gold and silver. Professor Hutton makes the following interesting remarks on the geological formation: —" The outcrop of solid rock is only eight yards by three yards in extent, and is surrounded by beds of fine sand and pumice clays, which have been derived from decomposition of rhyolite and been deposited in still water, probably on the shores of a lake, in lacustrine beds. Several shafts have been sunk to depths of 25ft or 30ft without reaching tho bottom. Gold has been obtained in the stuff from four of these shafts out of five which havo been tested. Of the stuff got from theso shafts 17 assays havo been made, and results averaging from £21 17s Od per ton to nothing, give an average value of £0 per ton." Professor Hutton further states in his report that " The area actually proved to be auriferous is 88 acres, but in all probability it extends over at least 350 acres at tho northern end of the property. The depth of the deposit is unknown, but it is probably very considerable. The gold has undoubtedly come from decomposition of rhyolite rock, and I believe these rocks have formed the margin of an ancient lake, along the shore lino of which gold has accumulated. How broad the auriferious deposit may be it is impossiblo to say at present, and as gold is not visible to the naked eye the lead can only be followed by assaying the sands. The lacustrine deposit will require no crushing, but simply working in some kind of amalgamating pan such as berdans." In his concluding remarks the professor states there are great facilities on the ground for washing out gold, and the process of saving the precious .metal will therefore not be expensive.

—The Queen's jubilee gifts would fill a storehouse as large as Windsor Castle. It is said that she has given many of them awny {or want of a proper place to put them.