OLD-TIME STORY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 265, 3 August 1921, Page 6

OLD-TIME STORY

GOLD IN THE RIMUTAKAS THE LOCATION OF BRANDON’S REEF The days when prospectors were searching for gold in the Rimutakas arc recalled by a correspondent, who writes: “An old geological report by Cox, dated October 8, 1879, meniicns that a quartz reef was discovered in the Rimutakas, and that a ton of stone was sent to Thames for trial crushing. The locality is described as sixteen miles south of Featherston. Could you give any particulars of the find, and what developments took place ?” The report referred to was <f.ado by Mr. S. Herbert Cox, assistant geologist in the service of the Mines Department, and' it is on record in official publications. “I have visited reefs in the Wairarapa district, which are at present attracting attention,” he wrote. “Brandon’s Reef, from whigji a ton of stone was sent to Thames, is situated about sixteen miles from Featherston, along the borders of Wairarapa Lake. It has cropped out on the banks of a small creek, tho name of which doos not appear on the* map, and abo«t eight years ago it attracted some little attention, a drive having at that time been put in for about 60 feet, and a shaft sunk at the end of this drive for a depth of about 20 feet. The reef was, however, abandoned at this time without, so far as I can learn, anv satisfactory results having been obtainwl.”

The report states that Mr. Brandon and a party had undertaken further development, and that assays had shown that some Of the quartz carried gold. “I may mention,” added the geologist, “that the course of the reefs is well marked, and that they can be traced for miles from the old Pioneer Claim, near Palliser Bay, in a. northerly diree tion through Brandon’s Reef, and iivm there the whole distance they are in easily accessible positions.” This report and the tales told by the prospectors roused a great deal of interest at the time. The stone sent to Thames was reported to have produced gold, and some people were very confident that they were going to gain wealth from tho quartz reefs of the Rimutakas. But nothing came of tho efforts of the prospectors, and there is reason to believe that some of the stof«m«'nts maile at tho time were very much coloured by tho imaginations of their authors. The test made at Thames was stated by experts to be of very little value, since the ton of quartz was put through the batteries that were being used for the treatment of stone from the Thames field, and there was no guarantee that the “slimes” had been kept separate. Tho prospectors evidently satisfied themselves that the reefs were not worth further attention. Tho official records do not disclose the exact location of Brandon’s Reef, but probably there are old settlers who could direct inquirers to the drive and shaft mentioned by Mr. Cox in his report. Traces of gold have been discovered at various spofs in tho Welling-,, ton district 'during the last .eighty years, but it does not appear that any of the men wht> have prospected in the district have found*,, anything worth their trouble.