THE SADDLE HILL REEFS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23687, 20 December 1938, Page 8

THE SADDLE HILL REEFS

TO THE EDITOR Sir, — 1 have noticed recently a few etters in your columns about the Saddle Hill reefs. When they were opened out in the early days, two vertical shafts were put down, which struck the reef on the underlay. One was about 50 feet, the other about 150 feet in depth. An inclined shaft in the line of dip of the reef ran from the

surface to the bottom of the first shaft. From between this shaft and the deep shaft a considerable portion of the reef was taken out —somewhere about 2000 tons. The reefs consisted of alternate blocks of good and hungry-looking quartz and mullock, dipping westward in stripe at a rather flat angle. At the eastern face the good-looking quartz was only from five to 12 inches in thickness, the remainder being hungry-looking, but in parts rich in pyrites. In its directions westward from the workings the reefs disappeared under the alluvial of the flat, and was not traceable up to a point about half a mile distant, where a small outcrop again indicated its presence. It extended, therefore, over a large area. There may be some payable leads in that area, which may be orofitably worked. I believe that a certain amount of gold was lost on account of the large quantity of pyrites contained in the quartz. What would be unprofitable to work in those days would be profitable at the present time, when the price of gold is almost double what it was then, and when better appliances are available. If it should be tried, and turns out a success, there are a great many other likely looking places, both alluvial and quartz, that would be well worth a trial. It may take some hard work, but anyone who has been at the game knows that you cannot get something for nothing in gold-mining.—l am, etc. December 29. Miner.