THE DISCOVERY AT TE MATA.

Thames Star, Volume XIX, Issue 5845, 24 October 1887, Page 2

THE DISCOVERY AT TE MATA.

Account of the "Find." l THE PEOSPECTS. Considerable interest has been awakened in the discovery which we mentioned a few days ago bad been made by Messrs Baker and Birch at Te Mats, about a mile beyond Tapu, as an opinion has been held for many years by experienced miners that a rich reef mast exist ia the neighborhood, which has shed the numerous^ pieces of quartz foand ia the creek daring the"past eighteen years. Prospecting has consequently been carried on at various times by several parties, but unfortunately none were successful in unearthing the lode supposed to be concealed in the neighborhood. It is therefore only natural that the " find" made by Messrs Baker and Birch should excite publio interest, as there is just a possibility of it being the means of leading up to the discovery of the El Dorado, believed to exist in this region. Messrs Baker and Birch have been prospecting in the neigh" borhood for the. past seven or eight months, and first of all traced loose gold up two creeks—one of them being the Gentle Annie—at the base of a small hill. In the first place a drive was put in for some 20ft., and a nice looking leader intersected, at a depth of 16 or 20ft. below the surface. The quartz varies in thickness from 6 to 18 inches, and is encased in a very favorable sandstone.the leader having dean walls. Strong dabs of gold were seen in the stone, and really good dish prospeots were obtainable. This- work was soon afterwards discontinued, the prospectors directing their attention to the putting in of a drive some distance lower down the hill, which would give 60ft. of backs. Here, also, the same leader was cut in about 40ft. of driving, but the sandstone is different to that in the former drive, while the leader is a little pinched up, although we are informed that very good prospects were obtained. A winza was next sunk from the. surface upon the leader, which maintains its thickness as operations are prosecuted upon it downwards. It is now down a depth of 12 or 14ft, and we are informed by the prospectors that good dabs of gold have been seen in the quartz, although none is visible here or in either of the faces of the two drives. The leader is running Almost north and south, and dip* ping to the south-east, and the locality of the "find " may be described as being on the diriding range between the Waikawau and Te Mata creeks, on the western side of a spur running down towards" the Mata No work is at present proceeding pending the granting of an application made by Messrs Birch and Baker for a licensed holding of 12 acres to be called the Gentle Annie. On the northern side of the prospectors' ground a claim has been marked out by Mr W. Davis, while on the < southern side is an area pegged out by Mr Carr. Altogether a large area has been marked out by various parties.