THE NENTHORN REEFS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1942, 7 February 1889, Page 12

THE NENTHORN REEFS.

(FttOM A CORRESPONDENT ON THE FIELD.) Nenthobn, January 31. It will not be without interest to your readers to give a full, true, and particular account of matters here, and an idea of the possible future position to be taken by this place as one of the wealth-producing districts of New Zealand. TiiS nowly-discovered quartz reefs extend over an area of from eight to 10 square miles, and are situifced in the elevated country about the Upper Stonebura. in the Nentborn and Hummockside districts. The distance from Macraes —the nearest post office-— is about eight miles per road, and from Hydo, wiianco our supplies are mostly drawn at present, is 2-i miles. The reefs, which are very numerous, are foundin tolerably soft mica schist rock, and run, with Blight variations, from 8.5.8. to W.N.W.— iha prevailing direction of the permanent reefing belts of Rough Ridge, Bendigo, Macetown, and Shotover. The lodes, so far as exploited, all carry gold and other minerals. Some of them are exceptionally rich, notably that of the prospectors, M'Slillan and party ; and one opened a fortnight ago by another prospecting party three-quarters of a mile to the south of M'Millan and Co. shows magnificent gold which has been traced in the Old Ireland, Hibernian, and Croesus, Ashley aud Co.'s lease, and others over a mile in lengfth, the Hue having been marked out and applied for for about three miles. A well-known expert, on breaking out some stone fch(j other day by permission of the owners, remarked thab "ho would give lOoz per ton for it at the battnry," and I am certain that he would make a good thing out of it at that, notv?i Has tending certain condemnatory statements made a short tima ago by one of your correspondents. A syndicate of speculators in Naseby have several claims applied for from one of which, tlut West Nenthorn, a sample of about three

tons was sent to Melbourne in charge of Mr J. Barronj C.Bf; it was "crashed at the reduction works at Footscray, and yielded lozl3dwt6gr per ton. One trial of three tonß from ■ M'MiUan's claim, tested at Mr ' M'Queen's battery, in Dtmedin, yielded over 3oz per ton. These are the only tests yet made, except hand crashing, and by this primitive process the results are in many cases startling and equal to or better than anything of the kind I have seen daring an experience of 28 years on the Otago goldfields. M'Millan and Co. have a shaft down 27ft in their claim, in which the reef averages 18m in width and prospects quite equal to the trial stone sent to Duuedin. The " syndicate " are putting down a shaft in the West Nenthorn, 50ft, to teat their property, and prospecting is also being carried on by them in the Bast Nenthorn and other claims. The country pierced is very firm and solid with a very slight dip to N.E., and is so far free from the breaks and contortions which have proved so troublesome and bewildering to the quartz miner in other reefing localities in Otago. It will be easily and cheaply worked, as very little timber will be required. Altogether from 15 to 20 leases have been applied for up to date, but an immense number have been marked out, the pegs of which, standing up all over the country, are a nuisance to prospectors. It would be a good thing if everyone who marked out a claim was compelled to place his name on one of his pegs so that those coming after him might bo able to distinguish between the legal and bogus applications which are virtually abandoned by non-occupation. It would be too much, I suppose, to ask the bogus speculator to knock down his pegs or cairns and fill up his trenches on taking his departure. If this was done the genuine prospector following him would feel much obliged. At present the presence of these marks all over the field are, as I remarked before, a perfect nuisance, and has a very deterrent effect on the development of the place, as new arrivals, seeing them, imagine the ground to be legally occupied and pass on. There is a good water supply, with storeage in tbe Stoneburn and Nenthorn creeks, for crushing purposes, and several water rights have been applied for. What is now wanted is a good crushing battery, and all on the field and in the district should do their utmost to achieve this desideratum, Of what use are the reefs if they cannot be made to yield up their treasure ? A petition has been extensively signed and sent to the Waikouaiti County Counoil to chip a dray track to the reefs (about three miles), a trifling matter which that body will perhaps consider it to their interest to at once take in hand. The j work of development must not be allowed to I stagnate. " Delays are dangerous," particularly ! so in a place like this, where hopes run so high, and with such good reason. We must not halt j in our course, or a revulsion is sure to set in detrimental to the progress of a district destined, if properly handled, to prove to all "croakers" that the mineral wealth of New Zealand is no myth, and likely, in this case, to prove practically inexhaustible. The climate here is splendid, although the elevation ranges up to 2000 ft, and the pasture is superb over all the hills and gullies. Bog wood, peat, and manuka scrub are plentiful, although rather distant. If there are any unemployed left in Dunedin, I may call their attention to the speculation of getting out stores of these fuels for winter supplies. It would undoubtedly pay well. Were I not ether- ; wise engaged I would promptly turn wood and peat merchant. All that is required is an old ; " moke " and a sledge to earn a remark- j ably good living, in view of the increase of population shortly expected. As an instance of the richness of the stone here, I heard the other day of a man who obtained a specimen, he went to a certain township, sold it, and had a spree with tho proceeds. I don't know the party, but he must have got hold of a good sample, for are we not told "it takes money to buy whisky?" As an introduction I think I have stated enough at present. As we progress I will endeavour to keep your readers posted up truthfully. In conclusion X may assert my belief, without any " blow " or exaggeration, that this latest goldfield is destined to play no mean part in the era of improvement and prosperity which is now said to be setting in in New Zealand, but as usual ours is "a cause which lsoks assistance, ' February 1. To-day one of the shareholders in the Croesus, Mr J. Hartstonge, jus., called and showed me the Daily Times of the 30th ult., in which a report on the Nenthorn reefs appeared. Although very favourable on ihe whole, exception- is generally taken to the term " mullocky reefs," applied by your correspondent to those here. I am sorry I did not meet your special as I could have shown him more of the reefs than he appears to have seen. As a proof of the richness and solid character of the reefs Blr Hartstonge, who proceeds to Dunedin today, takes with him samples of gold and stone from the Croesus claim, alluded to above. These were taken out this morning and need no comment. They will speak eloquently for themselves. They will remind people of the palmy days of the Caledonian at the Thames. Mr J. Hartstonge, jun., one of the prospectors of the new line of reefs discovered at the Nenthorn, has called upon us with a number of specimens of the quartz, which certainly present a very rich appearance. From Mr Hartstonge j we learn that he and those who are associated with him were led to prospect in the locality where the reef is situated in consequence of becoming aware that an alluvial miner, who had a few days previously set in to work in the gully, was getting good gold, although the washdirt was in small quantity. Mr Hartstonge and his mates followed up the alluvial run in the endeavour to trace its source, being convinced there was a good reef in the locality. Sinking in the gully promiscuously, without any surface indications to guide them, they (by good fortune) „ put down a hole right on the top of the reef. They then opened out along the line of reef, and after going a considerable distance found an outcrop, the only one to be seen along the line. The claims taken up by Mr Hartstonge and his partners are three in number, and they have named them tap Old Ireland, the Croesus, aud theHibernia. Claims have since been pegged out for a distance of three miles along the supposed line of the reef. In one of these, Kenny's claira, the second from the Hibernian, the reef has been sunk npon, aud some wonderfully rich I stone taken out. Hartstonge and party have ' put on two men, who are putting down a shaft. The reef runs from east to west, and at present varies from 3ft to 4|f tin thickness. The stoneis what is known a3 blue mottled quartz, and it is very solid and well formed, gold being freely interspersed thropgh the stone. Persons interested in ihe discovery may inspect the specimens which have been left by Mr Hartstonge at this office. Towards showing the extraordinary richness of the Nenthorn reefs, we on Monday received a specimen of quartz picked up in the alluvial claim of Messrs Craig and party, a chain or two below where the outcrop of the second reef is exposed beside a blind creek. The piece of stone, which was found while washing mullock out ofHhe little gully, is evidently off the outside of the reef, and is thickly studded

with gold.' This is the more remarkable as the piece of quartz is of a kind usually considered barren. If this piece of stone gives any fair idea of the general quality of the reef from which it has tumbled off, then the latest discovery at Nenthpin must yield a much higher percentage of gold than the splendid results already obtaiued from the other line of reef^ ■