Pohangina Reefs.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1573, 4 December 1885, Page 4

Pohangina Reefs.

The Marton paper has the following : — Mr D. H. Macarthur hns had a furnace erected m one of the corporation buildings at Feilding, for the express purpose of testing some quartz taken from the Pohangina. On Thursday. Messrs Maearthnr, Bartholomew, Bray and Dr Johnston went through the usual process of burning 1 tho stone, pounding it, nnd then smeltine it m a small cruible — the only crucible obtainable at the time — and the result was beyond thr-ir most sanguine expectations. The pice? ef quarhc tested was about the size of a larf" tumbler, and the gold extracted therefrom consisted of four glo»>n!es, easily distinguishable with the naked oye. A practical miner gives it as his opinion that such quartz would yield from twenty to twenty-five ounces to the ton. The pi*c« of quartz, along with* some other pieces, li ad been lying m the corporation yards for some years past. Naturally, there was considerable excitement over the matter at Feilding. Yesterday it was expected that larger crucibles would be obtained, and more of the quartz tested.

We talce the following from the Feilding paper : — Tn order to give the alone obtained from the Pohangina by Messrs Joseph Bray and W. Oarthew a fair trial, a furnace has been erected on the premises of the F. & C.A. Corporation. On Tuesday afternoon a small quantity of the quartz was melted m an ordinary fire clay crucible by Mr Peter Biirtholomftw and Mr Macnrthur with the result that gold was obtained m snen a quantity as to definitely settle the question of tho oxfstence of that metal m the reefs. The means and appliances used were of such a simple character that we have no doubt when a trial is made of a few tons through a properly equipped stamper battery, the stuff will turn out not loss than seven or eight ounces to the ton. The stone has no gold visible to the naked eye, and is altogether what practical miners would describe aR " hungry looking." But the test to wiiich it has been submitted", proves cleafly enough that the metal runs through the wholo of it m very minute particles. The noxt thing to be done will be the formation of a company to take up ground and work it, to determine whether the re«f is of such an extent as to justify the erection of proper batteries. If such turns out to be the case it wilf be a jrlor/ous thing tor Feilding and surrounding districts.