WAIMANGARORA QUARTZ REEFS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 282, 1 December 1869, Page 2

WAIMANGARORA QUARTZ REEFS.

•" o — - A party of Westport gentlemen have lately been 011 a tour of inspection to the Waimanga.roa reef and the following account of '■ what they saw .there, has been furnished to the Westport Times: — ■ Tbe works consist of a large shed, well and substantially built, with good shingle roof, in which there are eight iron stampers, weighing 4 c^t. each, plates, boxes, belts, tools,, .and every requisite to complete quartz - crushing machinery. Alongside is a large and easily wrought water-wheel of 30 feet diameter. I'he tunnels leading to the reef are from 100 to 200 feet from the works, - and a tramway with trucks is on the ground and seemingly ready for immediate use. In each of the tunnels the reef is visible and varies in width from two ,to three feet. Unfortunately on this occasion the shaft in one of the tunnels, from which the best- of the stone was received, was not accessibly, there being twenty feet of water in it, and time would not permit of having it bailed out. This circumstance was disappointing to •Mr. Wyloe and:; the.. mothers, who desired to provide themselves, for their own and their friends' satisfaction, with something to please the eye, if not to tempt the pocket. Mr. Wylde, however, saw sufficient to induce him to determine upon making an offer to the original shareholders, not to purchase, but to find capital to work it on tribute. It will doubtless be known in a few weeks whether the shareholders entertain the offer made by Mr. Wylde. That gentleman's opiuion is that the main reef has not yet been reached, but that a series of leaders only hive been come across, and by the outlay of two or three thousand pounds more, that the main reef might be approached, or, failing that, that there should be fifty or a hundred tons of stone taken from the supposed leaders and crushed in a manner to ascertain how much per ton it would really yield. Hitherto the works have been carried on in the loosest manner imaginable. A diary was kept by the manager showing the work done, but no, records were taken of the quantities of stone crushed. All sorts of stone from any or all of the drives were put through without any modes of measurement or selection. Something like £600 or £700 , worth of gold is believed to have been extracted froth the. reef since its first opening, but as yet each ounce has cost the shareholders five times its value.

The Auckland ELBCTiON.^-The election for the Auckland Superintendericy appears to have been characterised' at the Thames by the most disgraceful scenes, the mob having perpetrated wilful and malicious acts of violence, on the persons and properties of tbe more well disposed citizens, for no- other reason than that they differed, in. opinion from them. ; One voter, we learn, on arriving at the door of : the polling booth was recognised as a supporter of Mr. Gillies, and was immediately "roughly carried off by the.crowd,„ieceiv- . ing in the meantime a number, of blows in the , face; 'several'!" kick's,, arid being otherwise ill-treated." ... Another was "thrust roughly raside, had his hat knocked off, ; and his face considerably damaged,"., ", So ; . excited indeed did the. ci:owd became,! and ' so bitteragainst anyone who ventured to record his vote against their idol,, iMr. '»,- Williamson, -that .a. meeting "of. Justices ■ was held at noon, for the purpose of ...dis;cussiug the desirability of stopping r ,tho ; polling ; it was decided/ho we ver to leave ',' it to/ the discretion of the Returning ' officer,- who resolved on proceeding with it..; By ithree- o'clock there were ; SOOP'perspns : „<presen_; who evinced great delight on, ; the. ' *' state v 6f "the ,„poll. being -which- 1 - Cshowed ,a;majgrity ./fori Williamson 0f. v;375. 7 ■ Thie whole proceed ih'gißJ : which have'been 1 evidently toned do wn conshlerably: jjji 'Jhe^l : rpapers ; from . whi*^ iof the most ruffrauly description, and; tbe (■'.'j .appear i to oh ave finished up their;: ' £dayjbyrsinashing?;win^ ■'damaging .; property/ r*m '.'"the C steeets&^i-i •^rAima^^ ;.'■■ :^heatrat^delatde?;^ £f_i_Ked^#^_^ : ;-^^ ■■.■ .■ ;v_; ..;,