SILVER MINES NORTH OF AUCKLAND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8641, 29 November 1889, Page 2

SILVER MINES NORTH OF AUCKLAND.

Little by little items of information are leaking out, says the Auckland Herald, with regard to the close preserves of the Ptihipuhi mining discoveries. A great amount of mystery has l">een observed even in regard to the location of the discovery itself, as well as the results of the tests sent to Waiorongomai, and as to the attitude of the Government in respect of the field. In the course of interviews with gentlemen who professed to have a knowledge of the district we ascertained the following facts : — The prospectors have operated on three reefs. One is called the silver reef, and it was from this that the result of 1740z. of silver and 13dwt. of gold was obtained. This was from a one ton trial, from a reef carrying ore for a width of 2£ feet. The other samples were sent from other reefs, and the experts at Waiorongomai pronounced them to be free milling ore, and the average return from these two samples to be 27s a ton. The silver reef is really the only one that has been tested effectively. Tn regard to the position of the mines or mineral discoveries there has been a considerable amount of discussion. From an authentic source we learn that the silver reef has been driven on for a length of about 80 feet. Its width was about 8 feet, but its ore was only about 2$ feet in thickness. This ore has been stacked at the mouth of the drive, but the stuff tested was amongst that taken out in the ordinary course of operations, and not selected. There was on exhibition in. Auckland a small box of quartz from the Prospectors mine in the Puhipuhi forest. The largest portion was a piece about 12 inches in diameter by 5 inches in thickness which had been knocked off the cap of the outcrop of the reef. It was a tine specimen of honeycombed quartz, apparently of a free and kindly nature, and one which would cause no difficulty in extracting the precious metal with which it was impregnated. The smaller pieces from the inside were even richer. The assay value of this ore was published in Tuesday's Herald, 1740z of silver to the ton. With regard to the Puhipuhi silver find, the Auckland Herald learns that the original prospectors, Cunningham's party, had a prospecting license which expired on 31st October, but owing to their having applied for a prospectors' lease of sixty acres around their find, the Government agreed to allow them to remain a short time longer to get sufficient stuff to make a really good test. These men are named to the ranger, and are confined to the land covered by their application. Mr D. R. S. Galbraith, assayer, forwards us the result of an analysis of a sample of quartz from Puhipuhi. He says, " I have assayed sample of quartz, and find it to be argentiferous. It contains 9140z. 13dwt. per ton of 22401 b. There are only traces of gold present. The samples seem to have been derived from a massive source." The present attitude of the Government is that it would not be judicious to risk the destruction of the Puhipuhi forest by the introduction of prospectors on the block until the prospects of the silver mine were substantially assured. It appears that the forest has been on five twice this season already, and on one occasion, during the past fortnight, in seven different places within a mile, and eight acres of bush were destroyed.