RICH PATCH OF GOLD

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1933, Page 7

RICH PATCH OF GOLD

RECOVERY NEAR THAMES. ESTIMATED VALUE £6OO. Thames, Feb. 9. The discovery of a rich patch of gold in a locality near Thames, which has not been revealed, has been reported, and to-day 161 oz of melted bullion, recovered from lewt of stone, was deposited in the Bank of New Zealand. It has not been assayed, but the director of the Thames School of Mines, Mr. H. Crawford, estimates it to be worth over £6OO. The ore was crushed and treated at the battery at the School of Mines and represents only part of the find, which is the outcome of six week’s work during December, and January by a party of prospectors who started operations under the No. 5 scheme. Owing to the breakdown in the water-race the treatment plant at the School of Mines has been disorganised. Extra time and work have been spent on the tail-end of the ore, while there is still a good deal of highly-pay-able dirt from the same parcel to be treated. Mr. J. W. Smith, mining supervisor, stated that some other parties were meeting with very encouraging success. A find in one locality near Thames showed country rock which was decomposing rapdily, but when panned off it gave extremely rich prospects. Mr. Smith states that prospectors are coming into the field with little or no experience, and he is finding it difficult to place this type of tnan. At least one of a party must have experience either in prospecting or gold mining. Three men of good physique arrived at Thames to-day, having walked from Napier.