Quartz-Mining in the Wakatipu District.

Otago Witness, Issue 1652, 21 July 1883, Page 12

Quartz-Mining in the Wakatipu District.

{FKOM OUR OWN CORRBSrONDENT )

1 hibernation is tho order of the day in all mining I - •'•"ea in this district at tho present time ; and en ei'pw • number of the mines which are allowed although the . "-^er iB small, the number of men jto lie idle altogew -My reduced from iho summer employed has been greu, . -»ews from the reefs for I average. For this reason . 'U be scarce, and in I the next two or three months wi». -«trospect and the absence of startling information si. to a general view of the field may prove of im,^ -o. shareholders, and to those concerned in mining pi>. gress in the Colony. Quartz mining in this district is greatly retarded by wo drawbacks— viz., the want of dray-roads to the reefs, and the winter season with its frost and snow. The former of these obstacles ia about being overcome, and gfo. d dray-roads will be made to Macetown by the end of the current year, to Skippers about the same time, and up the Reea Valley to the Invincible reef tho most difficult portions in the dray-road have been placed in a passable condition ; bo ti at the reefs may bo satd to bo approachable by wheeled t:affic in a short time. It is somewhat difficult to overcome the effects of the winter season, yet a great deal may be done even in this direction by suitvble legislation, taking into consideration the physical peculiarities of the localities in which the leefa occur. An it happens, ail New Zaland reeis, with the exception of those at the Thame-., .ire situated in hi ly country, and at high clcvafiom-, so that one set of legulaMcns witl meet alt tho requiremeiitH of mines in m untainom districts, and will equally well suil the Than 03 reefs. The direction which legislation should take in this matter has already 1 een pointed out in these column*, but aa PurUamuiit is now sUting the sulijeU should be kept before the Government and the vub'iiFor this reason a s-hort reference to it cannot be out of place. All the quartz-mines in this district are situated at high lev els, and therefore the arguments advanced for the desired alteration aro the strongest which the case calls tor. The legulations under which quartz clalma are marked out at present are absurd. Anyoue who has visited Macetown will be able to form a, pretty correct idea of the benefit 300 ft on each »ide of a reef is to

the lucky possessor ; and until tho boundaries limiting the width of quartz claims hj.ve been done away with, rcuflog: will not, and cannot, grow into tho important industry it h dcsriutd to become. It, Nan established f act that ne irly six inontlw <>ut of every 12 ate lost ou account of frost and snow iv the working of the quartz-mines in this district That s'sch tiwas'c of turns has not crushed the life out of the-e mini-iir cn'n.rprises can only be explained by 'he test the ininus h<ivu lurni-hed nf their value. Tbis leads, Li tho lnjriciM dedu- biou that the succew would bo a greater oho it some meann were introduced by which rpera<i'~»i-' could be carried on all the year round in cvc;y mine. This nu\ ha attained by doing twav with th« bo ir.d^ried defining th-- width of oluims, so that low-levei adir,* may tie driven into the reef at, any ureier.i point of vintage, enabling cotn- \ amu to carry on work all tho year rouud. Of cjurie this arranjfnii'nt would be of the greatest importance in tho iiilvant'ineoua working of minca and would greail> increase their value -iufactplacequattz-reeflng upon a far more satisfactory basii than has hitherto been the ease The many facilities offered by the proposed innovation are so self-evident that it is useless to dilate upon them. To mi, c the indicated improvement ot the greatest benerit; to quartz-mining, a syste>u of amalgamation thouht also be introduced, so that any number of claims may join together in driving long and expensive adits, by which to reach the reef intended to be worked at the lowest possible level. Amongst the quartz-mining operations in this district those carried on at THB MACETOWN RBFFS are at the present time the mo-,fc prominent, and theref >re claim tho first position in th •> report. i The pt t season has been a more than ordinarily j productive one, not only in tho numb r of cakes, but jlso in i heir ag^ri gate value, the total amount of gold obtained btiiii,' a^out 4200 z Although rather more than one-half of this total was obtained tr^m one mine Tipperan), the remiinOer ot the yield was contributed by quite a number of new companies that * ere gutting into world « order at the cloae of the season, or fn,m tual crushing on a scale to >:ive a fair index of the va ue of the reef i te3ted Amo gsi thebe the Prei. ier C mipany tikes a first \j mi ion. More thin the first part or the season was ociupud in p acii g tht mine in thorough working Older, and crushing, therefore, could not bn commenced until the end of the summer, when 4QJoz ot gold were obtained trom 230 tons ot quartz ; next dimes the Ke-«p-it-Dark with a return of •!£ oz from ISi> tons cif 8t me ; tn n the Tieiaure Company with a yield ot 60oz from 36 tons ; the Mountain Maid with «Jisos6 obtained from 10 tons of s'.one; the Garibaldi, which crushed 620z from 26 tons of stone ; the Golden bhoe, which tesUd 4 topa, yielding 7oz of gold, and the United Company with 6oz 15dwt from 4 tons. These companies are now ones, and the results mentioned we; c obtained during the past season, showing that the prospect of the Macetown reefs is a bright one. To • his must be addod tho fact that the Tipperary Company aro proving that the Macetown reefs are going down to a considerable depth, with improving prospects, so that the promise of permanence is added to the present hopeful state of affairs. The above facs and figures speak for themsjlvcs, and it is superfluous to draw from them the deductions, which are obvious. But a few words may be said on the prospects of the mines situate at Advance Peak. • Taking tho two discoveries imde last season on the east and west slopes nf the mountain— viz. the Sons of Freedom and the Golden Shoe, and taking into consider tion the prospects obtained by the Mountain Maid and Keep-it-Dark, it is not too much to point to i his portion o; the Held as that on which ita future depends. That the claims at Advance Peik have not made more progress than they have done is owing to climatic drawbacks, and no improvement can be ex- \ ccted until tuoro liberal and suir.ablo legislation .«1miti of a different mode of working than has hitnerto ob«ai cd. The following concise notices of tho principal works on the field will further show the importance tho Macetown reefs have alieady attained and the benefit they are destined to become to the Colony. The Tipperary Company, which when in full we rking order emplo\ b on its works about 30 men, hasirushe I duriivi l.»st summer 1600 tons of stone, yielding ne*rly 26000z ot go.d. Tile manauer, Mr L. tiesta, is now busy sinking the shaf , and has got, down 111 1 a depth of 150 ft. The reef continues of a uniform width, and bea«s gold throughout, ita breadth, and there can bo no doubt than tho shoot which yielded the splendid returns of last season continues, to that next year a similar, if nut an improved, yield may be expiced Tho Guraiuine Company joins the Tipperary on tho north, and has been taken iv hand in a systematic manner. Four men are engaged to put in a low-level tunnel, and it is calculated than the reef will hi reached in two or three months' time. Tho Unite 1 C mpa-iy, whiuh bus for a long time been known as Finn's lease, ib ab ut to bo lettered m a liuii'ed company. This claim ia fa ourably situated lor being easily and cheaply worked, and the prospect obtained 6oz lodwt troni four tons— shows > that the reef is a payable one. Its average width is nb ut 4ft, a' d it cm lie traced for a distance of 150i> j at da a'ong tho surface. | Trie All .Nations Company have had a long and uphi 1 bittlci to fight, but thoy have th<-ir works, irtmcl'iding a tiaraway, in fair working order. The reef in this mine re s*jniM< s more nhjn any other at Macetown what old Victorian miners understand by a quaitz-roef, ib Deitig a solid stone, With a cle.n cleavage The crushings fr.mi this clam have not bren so srccessful a j wa- anticipated by the share holders, but this may be accounted for by th'- defective machinery, which has now been demolished The party are at p_re ent taking out stone wh.ch is likely to rais,e the shares in value when crushing ia commenced ' ' The Maryborough Company haye done a large amount of unprofitable prospecting, tyut nave jhtely I come upon payable stouo, which shows aigt s of im1 provement. Ttiis parfy, besides tho reef they have buen engaged upon, have also the All-Nations reef inside their prg*, which, when opened out at a low level, must prove of great value to the Company. The Garibaldi Company have entered two tunnels a considerable distance into the hill, but have not yet struck the reef, which at the surface is 9ft wide. From tlvsthe 22 tons crushed have been taken, which yielded 0$ iz of gold. The Gladstone Company are putting out some splendid stone, and have a total of about 250 tons at gtißt. It ha^ been the habit for years p >st to look upon this claim as \v rh.ed out j but althou4h tho works are pro ecuted in a vigcous manner, ihe stone in the mtne will h Id our. for a year or t«o more T if Premier Company have everything in nrflt-claxs working order, and a tiumbdr of men are bu->> raibit.g stone, which looUs very well, and from which the average yield obtained dnri; g the past, season of about 33dwt per 'on m»y be oxpected The v-tt vuios Ir ii: 2ft fr> tSft in w.df.h, and the gold is pretty eve ly (list ibut< d through ut the whole body of the atone. This mii.c is du^tiued to become om> of the most valuable and permanent, on the field. The Defiance t ouu>any joins the Premier, and several tjuasmodic attempts have been made to work it, but without tuccess This miscarriage h*s been owing to the constitution and Internal mismanagement of affairs, and not to any want ot encouragement from vhe prospects. This Company is ab^ut to be reorganised, and active operations upon a Dew basis are to be resumed in the spring. The Treasure Company are busy getting out stone,, and opening the mine in a thorough and efficient manner. The prospects obtained are of a most encouraging character, aud the position of the mine is a "ary favourable one. " Morniug Star is still continuing its low level, Tm* *»»a course of the reef. Tho situation of following t~ ""x-a every facility for it being cheaply this claim also ou. and easily worked. -i « c driving away, hut The Queen Victoria Compaq '"noly prospecting, the spec they are engaged in isfiu- *— ttfeaent inthe success of which cannot ba gauged Dj x dications. The Homewand-Bound Company have up to thb present boen unsuccessful in finding the continuation of ' their reef. With the view of opening a new 1 >w-level tunnel, this Company has recently taken up an addi 1 r.ional (lease of eight ucrua. Judicious ciod— driving in i bhi*, as well a* in some of the othur mines, may pos- ' aihly lead quicker to the deßireJ result than driving < \hoad. ADVANCE PEAK ! The Keep it-Dark hv/o a reef about 3ft wide, which ' isatioAi-ig jiood gold freely, but owing to the high i elevation work can bfi carried on ouly intermittently ' md tho tame applies to nearly every mine at Advance ' Peak. : The Jlountaiu Maid Company have two distinct ' retfa in thei- claim, rnnninu in di'^ure- 1 directions rhe ciushings from the claim h»ve averaged more than '• 2oz per ton. ] The Golden Shoe, which obtained nearly 7oz from bw i tons of stone, Is about to amalgamate with tiie ' Welcome C mpany and form one lar.ve concern. These claims are situated ou the eastern 'slope of Advance 1 Peak, where the mountain U coversdT with a large landslip ; but it is expected that tho undisturbed ] country will be reached in a shart distance. No work of any extent has as yet been done in the claim, but the '

preliminaries for an early start in the spring are progressing apace. , The Sons of Freedom Company, situated on the western slope of Advance Peak, havo a btrong and well-developed reef, which crushesfai. prospects; but no trial alignings of any extent have as yet been male This Company has a grand fu ure before it, aa its situation is favotirablo in every respect. 'he reef occurs in solid and undisturbed country, the rock flankiiitf the reef being trap vouk. There are, besides the above-mc-itioned, a large number of claims merely marked out at Advance Pt'alc. bus in which no work whatever has been done, an>l ail aro of course no v iying idlo on account of the winter, owing to the t-hirt--i^hted legisation which at thf pie-euo timf reguiutcß quarte mining. THE SKirr-EKS RVBFd A very marked revival has manifested itself in these reefs ciuting the paat summer. Many new claims have been marked out, and much important work has boi'ii done ia the older ones. Climatic influences dp not interfere so muoh with the working of these reefs as is the case at Macotown, the elevation being much le»8 ; and the Skipper* reefs have also the advantage of timber for fuel and for mining purposes, unlimited supplies of both being at, hand. The principal mine iv this locality is the Phoenix Mine, owned by Mr O F. Bullen, of Marlborough, who has spared neither money nor pains to place the mine into first-class order. All the new inventions in quartzlninii'g and in gold-saving were introduced by the energetic manager, Mr Fred Evan3. Several handsome cakes weie produced during lai-t summer, and a good body of stone is being opened out for breaking d"wn in the spring. Other works of aa extr naivenature are alao b.'inir ■ arned on to follow the reef to a lower level. It is the intention, when these works aro c mple'ed, to fl an the Com 'any iv the London market atid prosecute works in '.his mine on a scale that Ins not beeu hitherto atteinptei iv these Colonies. The Gallant Tip. is a new discovery that hag given several proofs ot payability A cake of a';out 80oz w.»B b r ought down thn ol.her week, being the result of 100 tons f t-t me. Trie reef is well define'!, and averages from 3ft to tjf tiu width. A company is about beinjj formed to work the mine and ci eel crushing n:achiuery on the Hpot. The reef is easily worked, and with a good body of stone, should be a payable investment. The JNuscirofc and Cornish Company, which has in yf ars past yiolrled handsome rot ms, has of late "eon much neglect d, but as the Company has a fitst-class crushing-machine and dll the appliances f >r working the mine economically, we may avon hear that it hag entered a^ain upon a career of prospeii y. The Scandinavian Company in owned by a party of working miners, whn are doing all the work required in the tuine themselves, and have on several occasions been well paid for their labour. Although lately the returns from the mine have greatly Mien oft, yet, nothing daunted, the party aye still Btioking to the mine with the indomitaule pluck and perseverance characteristic of the true goid-digger, and it is to be hoped that they may shortly strike another payable shoot of stone. THE RKKS VALLEY. The Invincible Company, after having overcome incredible difficulties, succeeded in getting their crush-ing-machine into working order, and got a fair quantity of stone crushed. The stuff put through the mill was taken roughly f«om the mine, and contained a large quantity of mullock, which contained lcttle or no gold. yet the average yield was rather better that Bclwt. per ton. Even this low yield will give a surplus for dividends, as t - ie reef is a very wide one, sometimes attaining a width of 12ft, and is easily worked. An unlimited supply of timber is close at hand, and everything is favourable to the mine being cheaply and systematically wo'ked. Nextaetson this locality is likely 111 1 ai.tcuct a large amount of uttemion from raiuors and others. iMiUVUL MINING. Some stir has bean occasioned by the discovery of payable gold in some of the tributaries of thekeeß< Ri ec, and it is likely that when spring se a in a ru-ih t > tie head wate- s of Lake Wakatipu will set in. Tne discoverer is Mr Arthur Foord, an experienced minor in this district, who describes the gold to be of a shotty and heavy character. No heavy finds have been ma>ie but gold which will pay mining wages - from £2 to £3 per week -has been discovered in several places Mt Foord cautions people against rushing to the spot in largo number-, as the likely c-u..try is of limited extent, and every .ne going there will havo to prospect for himself as the gullies are short, and the physical format-o • of the country makes anything like continuous leads of gold impos&ible. r

At Skipper*, Mr John A?pinall, by dint of the best mining appliances and a ifood head of wa'er, manages to make hi* ground yield very hand:-oine returns. Messrs Smith Bros aie aiuo in the possession ef a claim and water-right whi^h are hisjhly payable, and several other parlies are doing fairly well. The Shotover Terrpca Company are at preteut at a standstill, but annth'.-i* t>t.u-' will sooo be made.

In the Arm * <iiv sioa alluvial mining is still carried on wiih pa\ u.blu vcsulis at Macetown, Bracken's Gully, WhitechapU Flat, the Kawarau, and other places, but there is no insranea of special public interest to enumeiato from this part of the dintrict.

A limited comp my ia about being formed under the title of "Tho'La-t Chanco " to work the flat below Arruwtown, where the old river bad hjs been silted up to a depth nh>ch haa hitherto prevented a great portion of the flat being worked. There is a large scope of untried ground .which promisis to be highly auriferous, as the portions which have been worked paid handoomeiy. It is . xpected that the company will mil c a. btart with active operations iv >e|>temi/er next;, and there ia every probability that it will bo a success.