THE LEVIATHAN QUARTZ MINE

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 16

THE LEVIATHAN QUARTZ MINE

The Leviatlun Quartz inin9 is situated in Sawyeib' Gully, distant about two miles from Skippers Point. It is owned by Mrs Silk, Dunedin, and William M'Phercon and James Filippini, Skippers. The mine has baen opened in three different places, in all of which "good gold" (to use a muting phrase) has been found. The workings up to the present time have been near the smface, but gold having been struck at a point in the reef 80ft I clow the present workings, a low lcyi*l tunnel is in progress, which will greatly facilitate the working of the property The Leviathan lease, as at present applied for, comprises 70 acres, and contains three distinct I lode*, which have all been proved to be goldbearing. Altogether the prospects of the mine aie good, and when properly developed it bids \ fair to prove one of tLe best mining ventures in j the Wakatipu. Two trial crushings, comprisiug 30 toes of quartz from tbe miue, have been operate I ou by the Gallant Tipperary battery, and they gave an average j ield of lox 12dwt 12gr par ton. Any quaitz, however, in future will of course be conveyed from the mine to the company's new battery, a, distance of 400 ft, by means of three shoots. The battf ry c uiiists of eight heads of stampers. The batter)' frames are m »de of heart of totara and blufgum, budded in solid r<vk with cement The go'cl-savin? appliances consist of two blanket tables 6ft long and two silver tables sft long. The plates on the silver tables .lie electro-plated. A bei'dan is to be erected shortly. The battery has a crushing capacity of about 40_tous per week. The stampers are driven by a 3ft (Jin Pel'on wheel. The water to it is conveyed in a /ace 40 chains long, ssven chains of whi h are box fluming. The water is taken on to the whetl by a string of i 4 galvanised iron pipes £9?ft long, tapering from llin to 7ia, with a nozzle- lin in diameter. The vertical pressure is 200; t. The christening of the batieiy to - k place on the 12th inst., and from a long account of tbe proceedings by the special repoiter of the Lake Wakatip Mail, we learn that about 60 persons were present, including Mis Silk, Miss and Mr Fotheringham, and Mr Proctor, of Dunedin. The contractor having banded over the battery to Mrs Silk, that lady addressed those present, stating that she was overjoyed to be among them to celebrate the christening of the battery. She had some English tourists with her party, and thoy had been struck with wonder at what they had Been. She was reminded by the ceremony of the erection of the first batteiy at Bendigo, Victoria, which was the beginning of a great industry by which an enormous quantity of g .Id had been exti acted. Mrs Silk, after thanking the county couDci', county engineer, Messrs (Jongreve aud Co. (contractors), Cockburu, and Bordeau, said she was proud of the men who worked in the mine, and she believed she had some of the best miners iv the colony. In handing over the battery to Mr Tripp, she said she hoped that although it I was the first in Skippers it would not be the last, ! and that the hills and valleys would ring tvery- | where with ihe stampars getting out the gold. The ytar 1895 struck her as being the Golden Era of New Zealand. Mr Tiipp having taken charge, the orthodox bottle of champagne was broktn by j Mrs Silk, and the stampers started. Mr Fotheringham, in proposing the hf-alth of Mrs Silk, I referred to tlie surprising energy and en tei prise j she had displayed. MrM'Pherson.inivfrpondingfor [ Mrs Silk, referred to the manner in which she had assisted Mr J. Filippini and himself with money to do tbe pro-pecting. A number of other toafcts were proposed and duly honoured. Mr R. Johnson, who claimed to be one of the oldest miners in tbe district, after paying a tribute to Mrs Sjlk's enterprise, said : There are immense possibilities in this district in lode mining, and also a great field for alluvial mining yet. There aie any number of big terraces ana l*rge streams of water running to waste for the want of capital te utilise them. Capital is ouly stored-up labour, and to contend that we do not need capital is erroneous and contrary to expe<ience. By capital coming to the fore we have been able to exploit, to the stage the Leviathan has reached to-day, many of the reefs known to exist in our near neifrhbourho.od. Take, for instance, the present enterprise. What would it have been without capital, and what a scope capital still has ! If a low level tunnel were put in from the battery site here, it would give 800 or 1000 ft of backs. "B*cks" mean the vertical height of a teef from the place where you strike it to the "surface, »o that in tbi3 instance a low-level tunnel would give 800 or lOUOft of lode wealth. Mr Proctor in the course of a speech said that Mr Fotheringham, who was present represented the syndicate that have the Ciystal Reef in this gully in hand. The sj udicnte is a specially strong one, with nothing of the wild cat elemcut about it, and it has rome to stay. A parcel of stone from the Crystal has been sent toSydmy, andthere*f will soon be thoroughly prospected. The mine was afterwaids vi-ited, and in the evening an enjoyable dance was held.