RANGITOTO SILVER MINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1341, 11 August 1877, Page 3

RANGITOTO SILVER MINE.

The following is the report of the Mining Manager of the Mount Rangitoto Silver Mine Company presented to the Directors at their last meeting : — Gentlemen, — I beg to furnish you with the following report of the Mount Rangitoto Silver Mine : —

The workings upon the main load comprise four tunnels or adits, and eight cross drives, as shown in plan herewith, measuring 640 ft, also the lower drive 400 ft in length, to cut the lode at a lower level, drain the upper workings, and facilitate the extraction of ore.

The lode varies in thickness from one inch to two feet, underlying to the North East 20 degrees, but rising at a much greater angle to the South South-West, the ore in that direction being more solid. The vein is composed of ferruginous quartz, auriferous pyrites or bisulpheret of iron, argentiferous galena and blende;' taking its course through gneiss, trap, and slate.

■ The surface work performed consists of, clearing timber, cutting rock from land slips, cutting ore paddocks, cutting foundation for houses and tents, erecting blacksmith's shop, charcoal house, powder magazine, assay house, store house,.; manager's house, cutting and forming pack tracts, &c. '

I have made several assays of the ore, and find the results to vary considerably, the yields being as follows ; — Samples of ore taken from the No. 7 drive, and separated from gangue yielded 167 oz 18dwt of silver and 20 per cent, of lead to the ton of ore.

Samples similarly treated and taken from Churches' drive, shaft, ar winze yielded 3400z Bdwts 9grs ; No. 2 drive yielded, 168 ounces ; No. 9 drive yielded 12 ounces 10 dwts ; No. 1 drive yielded 2 ounces 17dwts ; Prince of Wales yielded, 28 ounces ; and during the year I have ; obtained results varying from only a trace I of silver to as high as 600oz to the ton, but as the ore obtains a greater depth it improves in its argentiferous nature. At times the lode i 3 considerably narrowed by broken and unsettled country, but I have reason to believe that when the drives are extended into more settled country the ore will improve in quantity and no doubt in quality. As the new road now approaches completion, I await your instructions to prepare for stoping and dressing the ore ready for sending to Hokitika, and in order to expedite this work I_ recommend that tenders be called for supplying the necessary timber to be used in the stopes. I notice that the ferruginous quartz met with in very large quantities in the various drives contains gold, and I think it. desirable, when the ore is being sent away, that a few tons of the above be also forwarded for treatment, as I believe it to be of a payable nature. I have the honour to be, yours, &c. FbEDERICK J. M ANTON.