TUAPEKA PROSPECTING AND MINING COMPANY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1051, 18 June 1884, Page 3

TUAPEKA PROSPECTING AND MINING COMPANY.

A meeting of the Directors of the above named body was held in the Council Chambers on Monday afternoon at four o'clock. Present : Messrs Herbert (President), A. M'Kinlay, A. M'lntosh, P. Uren, J. M'Hattie and R. Pilling (Manager). After the minutes of the previous meeting and of adjourned meetings had been read and confirmed, and the inward correspondence read and disposed of, The President stated that, in company with Mr Browne, Mr Johns (Inspector), and the Manager, he visited the mine at Wetherstones that afternoon, and measured the work done by Messrs Foreman and party. The contractors had driven considerable distance before striking the cement. The Inspector had tried some of the cement and found it to be gold-bear-ing. Thi3 was very encouraging after the great amount of work that had been done. It was now for tho directors to propose or suggest the best courae to pursue in the further development of the mine. The Works Committee in their report, suggested that a drive be put in the cement some distance so as to prove its character ; the dirt taken from the drive to be stacked and subsequently sluiced. The cost of sluicing would not be very much, as there is a water-race close to the mine, which could be utilised ; the only outlay would be a few sluice boxes, which would always be useful to the Company. The whim erected by Mr Egglestone was a substantial piece of work, and will prove of great benefit to the Company in carrying on further operations. The following is the Works Committee's report : — Your Committee have to report that since last meeting a contract for tunnelling at the rate of 18a per foot was let to Messrs Foreman and party for putting in a drive, the dimensions of which were 4ft. 6in. at the base, 3ft. at the summit and 6ft. high. The contractors struck the cement at a distance of 111 feet from the shaft. A substantial whim and poppet heads have been erected at a cost of £40 14s, which greatly facilitates the working of tho mine. Your Committee would recommend that a drive be put in, say 100 feet, so as to cross the gutter and test the nature of the cement. The cement taken from the drive could be sluiced at a small cost, as there ia a waterrace in olose proximity to the mine ; and by this means the shareholders would be enabled to form a good idea of the value of the mine. The report submitted by the Company's Inspector was as follows : — I have the honor to report that since the Directors had their last meeting, I have visited the mine at Wetherstones several times, and always found the works in progress. The contractors (Messrs Foreman and party), after driving 72ft in a westerly direction from the shaft, were instructed to put up a rise to reach the cement. After rising 13ft, the cement was reached, dipping south-west. It was deemed advisable to turn the drive more to the sou-west aud to continue in that direction. The cement was reached on Wednesday last in the roof of the drive, 111 ft from the shaft. I tried a small quantity of the cement and found that it was goldbearing. E. Johns, Inspector. Mr M'Hattie was in favor of driving in the cement and sluicing it, as suggested by the President, as this would give the Directors a better knowledge of the cement before going to any great outlay in opening up the mine. Mr M'lntosh was also in favor of driving, so as to cross the cement, as there was supposed to be a run of good ground crossing the lease. Mr M'Kinlay moved and Mr M'lntosh seconded : " That tenders be called for putting in a drive 50 feet, in the cement 6 feet wide at the base, 5 feet high, and 4 feet wide at the summit."— The motion was agreed to by all the Direccors present. A few accounts having been passed for payment, the meeting adjourned till Thursday evening to receive the tenders.