H.—s.

12

WARDENS' AND WATER-RACE REPORTS.

AUCKLAND GOLD FIELDS. No. 1. Mr. Warden Kenrick to the Under-Secretary for Gold Fields. Sir,— Warden's Office, Coromandel, 26th April, 1883. The prosecution of deeper mining operations on the proved line of auriferous country extending from the Union "Beach to the Kapanga mines is the principal work which has engaged attention during the year in this portion of the district. Of the companies so engaged the Just-in-Time has succeeded in striking payable gold at a depth of about 100 feet from the surface, in a reef averaging a foot wide, in a blue sandstone country. Two crushings have been taken out —one of 30 and another of 20 tons —yielding respectively 170 oz. and 187 oz.; the gold worth £2 Jss. per ounce. In my previous report, -when referring to the Union Beach Mine, I regretted that the directors did not see fit to continue operations in developing the reefs under those parts from which such rich returns (£70,000 worth of gold) were formerly obtained. lam glad to say that this is now being done, the mine and plant having been purchased by a new company, the New Union Beach, formed for the purpose of further working the mine. The ground worked by the old company to a depth of 180 feet is now being tested deeper by means of a winze sunk on the cross reef, with the aid of a tangye pump, to a further depth of 70 feet. This winze is sunk in the 180-feet level, at a distance of 300 feet from the shaft, the intention being to drive on the cross reef for about 40 feet to the black reef, on the hanging-wall of which the greater part of the gold was formerly obtained. Work is being carried on in another part of the mine on a section of the Green Harp leader; 50 Ib. of rich specimens have been obtained. The lona Company, south-east of the Just-in-Time, have during the year erected machinery and cleaned out an old shaft 160 feet deep. A low-level is now being carried into the hill to intersect the several leaders known to exist in the ground. About 30 lb. of good specimens have been obtained from the sides of the shaft, portions of a gold-bearing leader formerly worked having been left behind. The Albion, New United, Suez, Morning Star, and other claims are working or preparing to work in this neighbourhood. Between the Kapanga and the beach a block of 130 acres, known as " Blagrove's Freehold," is now proposed to be worked, a company being formed for that purpose. The New Corby adjoins the Kapanga on the north-east. The Corby and Kapanga reefs are supposed to be identical. It is a matter of surprise that, though the Corby paid thousands of pounds in dividends, and never made a call, yet the mine has not been worked at a greater depth than 100 feet. The ground has been purchased during the year by a company—the New Corby —who have erected machinery, and commenced to drive from the old shaft, which will enable them to cut the reef at a depth of 160 feet. The Kapanga Mine is employing about 60 men, and has turned out 2,000 oz. of gold for the year. The company have surrendered their various holdings in order to take out a new title, under which they now possess a compact mine of 30 acres—eighty-eight men's ground. During the year a large quantity of underground work has been done in the mine. Commencing at Scotty's reef, at the 300-feet level, a distance of 267 feet has been driven south and 70 feet north of the cross-cut, and rises have been put up from 70 to 140 feet in places, which have opened out valuable blocks of ground. Nothing has been done at this (the 300-feet) level on the Kapauga reef proper, but at the 420-feet level a cross-cut has been extended due east from that reef—a distance of 160 feet, where the cross-cut intersected Scotty's reef. . At this point a large selfventilating rise is being pushed ahead to communicate with the 300-feet level, and drives have been extended north and south on the course of the reef to open blocks for intermediate stoping. The operations on the Kapanga reef proper at this level consist of drives north and south, 70 to 100 feet in length respectively. Men are now at work rising on the hanging-wall to tap a large body of water 120 feet in depth, getting some old stopes below the 300-feet level. This rise is now up 140 feet. The ground is very wet, and it is expected that a distance of 15 feet more willj|trike the water, thus draining a large amount of .known gold-producing ground, which will be at once stop^j out. The quantity of quartz crushed at this mine during the year is 729 tons, yielding 2,030 oz. of gold, an average of 2 oz. 16 dwt. of gold to the ton. This return has given'general satisfaction throughout the district, as it is felt that the English shareholders who own the mine deserve to succeed in return for the pluck and enterprise they have for many years displayed in working the ground. The return is encouraging, inasmuch as it shows that the reefs carry good gold to a greater depth than was supposed.