PROSPECTING IN WELLINGTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 380, 2 August 1869, Page 2

PROSPECTING IN WELLINGTON.

: — .■» ■ - {From the Independent, July 27.) I lhe public, attention seemß to be fairly roused in the matter of gold prospecting, and j notwithstanding the comparative want of ' success hitherto experienced, efforts are daily becoming more vigorous and extended, and parties dre ehga'ged in a number of 'spots in the neighbourhood of this city— sbtrie almost within a stone-thro^ of our 'dwellings, Qi&ny of them well organised and appointed.' •'■' Of this latter class, there are some who' hive determined upon 1 bestowing six months' work on the localities they have fixed upon befo'fe abandoning ths search. In the way of alluvial mining, we have not heard of. any new scene of trial. The first and well-known scene of many fitful efforts during a great number of years is the OTOUONG9 CREEK A few weeks ago, .before the organisation of so many quartz mining compahies it was said that almost 100 m^n. were distributed up

and down the stream and its various branches. But now, owing to the diversions caused by operations further afield, the creek is almost abandoned except by such permanent "fossickers" as " Old Bob," who appears to be the genius of the place, and can, it is said, get a few pennyweights at any moment. KAIWARRA CREEK, has by this time ceased to be a wonder, as it haa been visited daily for the last fortnight hy hundreds of young and old. Although nothing has been obtained that could be really called payable, yet a good number of prospectors comtrive to keep up their spirits. All that portion of the creek above Baker's house, or the prospectors' claim, appears to be almost abandoned. It certainly has had a very fair trial. Down the stream towards the Devil's Bridge, several new claims have been opened, but in most cases have yielded but a slight improvement upou the prospects obtained higher up. One party, however, are particularly worthy of mention, both for the systematic manner in which they nre working and the quality and quantity of gold they have obtained. They have opened about twenty feet of a face, and are running about two or two and a-half feet of wash through a good length of sluice. Though the gold washed out has not been a fair remuneration for the expenditure of labour, it is yet a nearer approach to it than anything obtained hitherto, and is a coarse sample o,f high colour. But it is in lode-mining that expectations arechiefly centred, and in which tbe greatest enterprise is shown. One of the most promising claims, so far as anticipations go, is at PORIRUA. The claim is known as Edward's reef, and is being worked by five men, who have got a reef which they describe in size as " any quantity." They say the reef can be traced a great distance, on which 1000 men might conveniently find employment. Theyexpress themselves satisfied with their prospect, and say they only want a crushing machine. The quartz, like all the reefs in this district, is of a dense flinty nature, and appears to want burning before crushing. To crush it in its present form would certainly be severe on the ordinary cast-iron stamper. A bag of stone was crushed and tested yesterday by the help of quicksilver, a small quantity being put into each dish before panning off. An amalgam of some sort remained in the dish after the mineral was washed off, but whether it was an amalgam of gold we could not say. The lump of amalgam might weigh about one and a-half or two dwts, while the stone from which itwas obtained was estimated at 80lbB weight. This, they estimate as equivalent to two ounces to the ton. If they are correct in tbeir opinion, and they have a reef as they Bay, foui feet thick, they have a good claim. As this is the first instance of what can be called a tangible prospect, no doubt many will be desirous of visiting the locality. Anyone wishing to inspect the reef can be directed to the spot by inquiring at Mr King's (Armes') Hotel, Johnsonville. In the vicinity of this claim is another one (a joint-stock company's) which is worked by eight men. Owing to the indurated nature of tbe rock, and the small progress to be made operations are carried on night and day. Shareholders in this reef are also very sanguine. WAINUIOMATA also has it* reef. The prospecting on this reef assumes the form of a shaft. Owing to the wild an inclement weather which prevailed throughout the Wainuiomata dietrict during the whole of last week, progress was almost suspended. In many parts of the hills there were several feet of snow. The shaft is sunk on the eastern side of the reef, which, from its inclination, the party expect not to strike until they have sunk about fifty feet. The quartz is of a flinty texture, in some instances highly pyritons. HAXANA eeeme to be the favourite locality for reefers, as a number of claims are held in prospective in and about the vicinity of those which are in active work, of which there are three. The most accessible of these is the Break of Day, not many hundred yards to the west of the road, on a spur from the main range. In this claim the reef crops out of the ground in the form of a large cap. Work has commenced about fifty feet down the side of the spur, a face cleared a few feet above the level of a blind creek, and a tunnel opened. The tunnelling ie not so hard as to necessitate the use of powder, but it is very hard to break out with the pick only, though once detached it seems of a friable nature. The tunne! is in about twenty feet. Last week a counter tunnel was opened on the opposite side of the spur on the same level. This will prove an excellent arrangement for air after both are Once joined. This claim is booked f< r a six months' trial, and is in the hands of experienced and energetic management. About three miles from the above claim, tbat is by following the sinuosities of a bush track over the hills and deprcßßions of a rough country, is the Pioneer reef. It is situated on the pinnacle of the highest knob of a very high range, as formidable lookiug as the famous Ngatapa. Several months' labor has been expended on this ground. Besides a shaft sunk to the depth of seventy feet, two drives have been put in at different levels. In the lowest drive, which ia also farthest in, a reef, or leader, has been struck. Last week the men were opening ground along the surface of tbe vein. Rumours were in circulation that gold had been struck, but we have heard nothing further of it. Away down tbe valley, in that part known aa 7 North Makara, is another company of men, who have been working steadily for some time, but owing to tbe out-of-the-way locality very little is known of their prospects. NEAR THE CITT. several parties are trying their luck on the hills in the^ environs, but as they have only recently set inj they, have made no progress worthy of mention. ', .-. -• ; .'tia Evans'j'Bay; in close 'proximity to what

is called the "Cave Rocks," a party are working at a very likely-looking reef, but as they did not like the appearance of it where they were working, they have since opened a tunnel eome distance apart. On Flagstaff Hill last week the indications of a reef were discovered, and some little work done towards prospecting it. The following paper was read by J. C. Crawford, Esq., R.M., F.G.S., at the meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, on Saturday evening, the I7thinst : — Having visited the operations at present going on in the upper part of the valley of the Kaiwara stream, I find in that narrow valley a greater quantity of gold washed out than could have been reasonably expected from the limited area from which it must have been derived. Taking the actual fact of the presence o£ gold in appreciable quantities in this small valley into consideration, I am inclined to revert to an opinion which I long ago expressed, and which is as follows : Tliat considering the very high angle of inclination of the main chain of the island consisting in this part of the ranges of Tararua and Riumtaka, with all thesubsidiary ranges, that the tendency of the denudation of the valleys would be to wash out gold, or other minerals which might be thereby released, beyond the boundaries of the hills, and deposit them in the valleys to the East and West of the chain. j If, on the J'-ast side, we consider the wearing away which has scooped out the valleys of the Tauherenikau, the Waiohine, the Waingawa, the Waipoua, and the Ruamahunga, we may reasonably expect, that supposing the rocks are to any extent auriferous, and the fall and force of water are sufficient, that gold must have been carried out and deposited somewhere in the Wairarapa Valley. On the West Coast, in a similar way, from the valleys of the Wainui, the Waikanae, the Otaki, the Manawatu, the Rangitikei, gold may have been deposited in tbe trough between the main ranges and the line of Kapiti and Mana. I put this statement theoretically. How to prove the theory to be fact is the point to be decided. If we attempt to sink to any depth on either side of the range we shall probably soon require powerful pumping apparatus, and of necess'ty considerable capital would be required. It is possible tliat tentative exploration may be made at the least difficult points, which, without going to much expense, may either lead to further trial, or to the abandonment of the idea. Supposing tbe land to have formerly stood at a higher level (at a comparatively recent period) there ia a possibility that the Lower Hutt Valley and even the bottom of this harbour, may have undergone the conditions necessary for the concentration of alluvial goH. My reasons for advancing the above theory are the extremely steep incline of the chain on both sides, and the rapid fall of the rivers, the great general force of their current, and the frequency of heavy floods, combined with the proved fact that gold is found more or lass distributed within these ranges. It is possible that the above remarks may be found applicable to the valleys of the Wakamarina and the Pelorus, in the province of Marlborough.