A TRIP TO THE SILVER MINE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 217, 4 September 1876, Page 2

A TRIP TO THE SILVER MINE.

To, ifl? Editor; op; thb* t^vßmNo,Mail.'' Sik—Having just returned from a viai't to the silver mine near Collingwood, I think a brief account of the trip may interest the readers .of the Mail, I would, however, advise everyone who Can spare the time, to repair there himself, thus to gather health, pleasure, aud informjiiion aU r at <the' s aarae jticie, >.> ~^X'll 'i ,:S i; ■;■, l;- r We started from Niels .a, a'numerous ecm,p»ny, but dropped .of „(he, passengers at Motueka.. Here;the coming darkness and the heavy fain prevented ns from Csadiining tbe renovation of the wlwf effected by two pirited inbabitints. The Lidy Bjrkly anchored off Collingwood in the night, and entered the harbor at daybreak Although our arrival was unexpected, at the_ inn, Host Bayliss was not long iv spreading an ample and welcome breakfast, by which I succeeded in appeasing the wolf that always ships with me when I embark for Collingwood. On previous visits to this place I had noticed buildings going into (dilapidation, but np new ones going up. Thia time there were actually two houses in course of .erection, and, as another sign of 4 * the good time coming," I heurd that a lodging house for working men was about tb open s'lortly. The auspoaSion of operations by ihe Para Para Company would have seriously injured Col in .wood had not the; Richmond Hill mine comevinto, play at the same time. With respect.to. the former Company's coal, allow me to draw attention to a buribus anomaly in 1 trade. There ia hot a housewife in Nelson who has burnt Collingwood coal in her stove who does not give it an unqttalifie 1 preference over Newcastle coal for fiat purpose; at the same time the Company have hundreds of.tons lying on their whurf which they will sell at twenty shillings to anyone who will buy, yet it is impossible to procure it ia Nelson. Supply does not always follow o:i demand, as we readiu test-books, on political economy that it does.

Our puty soon set out on the road Jo Richmond Hill, on foot or horseback according to i individual preference, not th->t there is' much j to choose betwien them, for the distance is but seven miies, and most of it so hilly that little time is saved .by going on four fe<.t. instead of two. Though the road was never 1 reputed dangerous, eu:h ;orie : had provided himself wilh a pocket pistol, or *n implement called so by courtesy, shaped like a powderIflask, but containing a flery liquid of an evnpomble or otherwise perishable nature, for most of it disappeared, on the way.. The I country is so well-known th-it I need not pause to describe it; after pacing the moorland district and beginning our ascent, the views became interesting and extensive aud clumps of brushwood heralded the l tush country, which -we fairly entered on approaching Richmond Hill; Here the features of. the country become aa.bold jis" they usually are when formed of the, oldest stratified rbelca, of which there are at Hill: goeiseiti schist passing to the eastward into steatite or soap stone, slate, and blue or white crystalline limestone. The gorge through -which the Para Para river cuts its way is some six hundred feet deep, with steep sides densely covered with black birch, rimu, and ether trees. In gome puts the gorge is ao narrow j as to afford but a kind ot twilight even on,i the brightest day, except whenthe sun shines down the axis of the cleit. The river, as might be expected in so declivitous a country, la a most variable stream, quiet and pellucid io dry weather, but changed by a day's rain into a headlong torrent of inudly. roaring water, tearing its way irrbsistably through ever) thing. The bady of water it brings down in summer is but small,' hut the' fail is so rapi . that any amount of water-power required for pumping, Stamping. &c, can be easily obtaiued evenat that season. ' , ; "' - Wo crossed the river twice . by temporary bridges, the .second of which is close, to tne mine., As we cime in sight of .'the' m:no a dull booming ' aoun. "' announced tho firing of a sbot in the drive. We could not dtsceDd for a time till the smoke hud partiallycjeared off, and when I. wept dowu ihere was still enough of it to render the lights at the bottom invisible fro <n the platform. The iron bucket iv which one descends (one leg In and one out, while tne hands grusp the rope as if for climbing) quickly took me down. Not quite; trusting my he«d in such unwonted circumstances, ii eontemplsttti. like the god Bramalv niy> thumb, as I descended infcofcbe bowels of the earth, and thus avoi led becoming giddy, but on landing 1 should have stepped into the well, but for the friendly grip of a stalwart miner. Tbe drive had been put in 35 feet, with a slight bend at one part, following the lode, which at the farthest end measured 18 indue, but varies from foot to foot both in size and quality. There was a constant drip of heavy drops from the rodf, bat the quantity of water is still insignificant, mostly coming from the loose ground near the top of tlie Shaft which can be slabbed if necessary. It is noticeable, as probably lending strength to the opinion that the ore will grow in richness at increasing depths, that all along the course of the drive the best ore has been found at the lowest part of it. The shaft and drive arealike dingy, indeed almost as black as coal, the natural color being rendered still darker by the clinging smoke. Anything less like a "jeweller's shop " cannot well be - conceived; those who wish to gee. that have abetter chance by going to Mount Rangitoto; but for ray part I hold, of minerals as of men, tbat '• handsome is that handsome does," and such is the behaviour there is every reason to expect from the Richmond Hill ore. It is ; noticeable that silver ia the most sociable of metals; according to Phillips neither gold nor lead (in iti usual ore, galena) is ever met. with without silver alloyed with it, but the percent 1 " age of silver in galena has a certain' limit," while on the other* hand when copper takes'

up with silver, the totter may be found to .a ! g-lvger^te^fc,., indeed a^mwh as thirty F e f?^ eri .;<»f'theHhole.; ; lt is' t^fore fortunate ia;the oafeifof this mink that -while the specimens.: . t thginrfiid} o» She^ouuirop J * r ff t' y s l^ ofjfiead.llQw^ down hfe {"M w £Sj»saoc|afed. with te&per,\si.that la ' t^s nia t^hWvh^ever^et,<been lound may not unreasonably Te hot>e<T for. lne ore from the drive has been roughly sortel into three parcels which may be callei middling, good, and beat. Important questions * am if u foPe the Direotor * °Q thia occasion as Jaf b^ 8 }^ 0Ur l e *» pursue 8o»as to realise prints fqjf the shareholders as. obn a. possible ana at the has* outlay, but tf woutQ not be proper for me to prematurely indicate their probable action, but I may say that they are *Wt~ satisfied- with their prosp ects. On Ihis acciaun there was n> time to visit any /of •theijpfcjier lodes of lead, silver, or hematite (a thick vein of the latter .h, a^been, # foun4 :: on < -.the _;Compa.r>x'_ leased Por was it needful, for while the poaeeasion of theae gives the Company " more than one string to its bow," it would be unwise try snd fit it with moretlnn one at a time. I must draw thi? long letter to a close withI out adding some ttnughts I had on hand t M^^tefS^^^Tmuhig as an investment, lii.wniChvSj'ottiean 4ißweveF:well spare. A bs<»utiful moonlight walk back to Collingwood, a | w.-U-fttmished supper (with adjunct o welli earned sleep iv comfortable quarters, unwilling waking at the cill of rhe shrill ateamwhiatle of the Lady Barkly, a calm and s.mny passage to Wakatu— sufficiently denote the reßt of my story. ■ lea<.aav_ \ began; by advlaing your readers togo and do.likewisc-r-I am, &c , ''" "••'" i 5 ■'■'''■ '■' «'' 1 F. W. L" • • • = Collin g^ooirstreet, September 2. °"