THE PARAPARA IRON DEPOSITS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 90, 8 April 1902, Page 3

THE PARAPARA IRON DEPOSITS.

A TRIP TO GOLDEN BAY. (By Mr Daneh, Bkbby.) We left Ntlson in the s.s. Lady Barkly at 5 p-.m. on Monday, 24th Marcfc arrived at Waitapu Bay about 10.30 p.m. same night; drove about one mile and slept at the Globe Hotel. Up «arly next morning to have a look round; found it a nice valley, well adapted to fruit and vegetable growing, of which large quantities are shipped to Nelson aid Wellington. Left again about 8 30 a.m., and about two hours later the captain kindly landed us at

the Tukurua Stream, thus saving us the going to Oollingwood and return. Here we were met by Mr Squires, a settler, with his buggy, and Mr Washburn, the owner of the Hematite Mills, where the celebrated Nelson hematite is made. Upon reaching Mr Washburn's house we had some lunch, although somewhat early, as we proposed to take the whole afternoon in climbing»tne bills. Guided by Mr Wash-

burn, after looking at his mills, which are driven by a large overshot wheel, wo ascended a long gully bsween steep hills, covered ou each side with great masses of iron ore tight down to, and no doubt, many fe* t below where we Btood, while h',re and there large masses of lin>;» 8 «one cropped out, especially on the northern side. After ascending the gully for some distance we climrjed the hill on one side, and so on to 'a track made, we were given to understand, by the Assets Realisation JPoard, who held the lease at one tims, ted as they had to do certain work to enable them to hold this, they pat a party of men on to make a track. In <!owg this they unearthed and stacked some thousands of tons of iron ore, but from here it woulu not pay 'o cart, while it would take fifty y- are w mo e' 1 1 i ?. • m." .

to work np to it, using all the ironstone opened up by a fair grade line f rem the beach. Upon reaching the highest point to which we climbed, some 1000 to 1100 ft., we had the whole country spread out before us between the Tukuroa and the Parap*ra Streams, showing the whole of Golden Bay extending from Cape Farewell to Separation Point and locked in by DTJrville Island on the east, forming a large bay, sheltered to a great extent from nearly all winds but one, and that we were assured only blew a very few days in the year. The beaches near Farapara are sandy, and there is deep water at no great distance from tbe' shore, and a whaif or a breakwater, I built at an angle, would give shelter on [ one side or the other at all times. No j great engineering skill would be ceces-1 sary, nor great expense required, to! build this either with rubble or slag blocks. The country generally, except a. few flats and valleys, is very poor from an agricultural point of view; but nature has made up for this by tie wealth of minerals she has placed here, iron ore, limestone, marble, coal, and

last, bat not least, gold in fair quantities, all abound in this district. Upon descending to the flat again, we were kind'y invited to partake of afternoon tea by a lady resident, and can assure Jou that we did full justice to tbe: elkious econee, cake, and tea eo liber-! ally dispensed to us. After thi°, we paid a brief visit to some of the workings of the Farapara Sluicing Company, whose manager, Mr John Baseett, is an old Taranaki boy. This claim is only getting a moderate amount of gold eo' far, about enough to pay for machinery' and working expenses; but the possi-; bilities are very great, as from the gold found in every valley and flat there j must be a second Mount Morgan not far away. In carrying on their workings this company have come aoross! masses of a rough marble or limestone,' yielding, we were told, as high as 97 per cent of lime. Thousands of tons of this has been stacked out of their way and could be had at about 6d pr ton for loading, as it is usele-s to them. Having now fulfillei the main object of our trip, viz., to personally inspect the iron ore deposits at Parapars, th» writer had to leave his friend to the hospitable care of the settlers tbe>e, while he was kindly driven, mostly along the bard sandy beacb, to Collingwood, from whence the Lady Bark'y sailed at 8 30 p.m., reaching Nelson at 4.30 next morning after a mill-pond trip. We have to thank the captain for his courtesy, bo'h in going somewhat out of his course to put us aehoi e where he did, and pointing out all of interest to us; and also the settlors we met for their unstinted hospitality. In conclusion, a brief description of Farapara will not be amiss. The block reserved by the Government for mining purposes contains 2100 acres and is partly bounded by the Parapara and Onekaka rivers, while the Tukurua river runs up through tbe centre cf the block. The hills or ranges run up to about 1200f i. above sea level. The block has been very favourably reported upon by Pi ice-Williams, Professor Binns and others whose names the writer baa not tbe papers here to refer to. The latter named gentleman, in bis report, gave the quantity of iron ore which he had seen, at 50 mil ion tons, but we found that on studying his report that there was about three miles of this country over which he had not travelled, and that a 1 w estimate of this would give, perhaps, 150 million tons without sinking below an easy level. Upon tbe percentage of me'aH : c iron, the writer, not being an expert, speaks with some diffidence, but while he baa seen pieces of " po s " or " blows " that would yield 65 to 68 per cent., yet experts give the bulk at 53 per cent, ol merallie iron, but when this is compared with the iron ore so largely imported into England from Biibao, in Spain, which only yields some 48 pet cent, and costs from 16s to 17s 6d per ton in Middlesborough, while this could be put on trucks at about Is per ton while hmestore can be quarried at the same time, and there are many coa. seams in 'he tame bay, the immense possib litien to any company starting can eaeily be *etn. It may possiblj be that steel of a superior quality car be madefiom tbeironsandof Tarans>ki but as the bulk of the trade is ircn o! different grades both in this and tht nearer markets, any company formec should consider the question of havic} works at both places. A em« 11 quantity of gold is founc all through tr.o bills, and experts in formed the writer that by bringing ii a beat! of water from some of thi mountain streams, a sufficient quantit] could bo saved to pay for quarrying thi iron ore* as well as delivering it in i dean conditioa.