MR MONTGOMERY'S REPORT ON TAURANGA QUARTZ.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 142, 20 February 1886, Page 2

MR MONTGOMERY'S REPORT ON TAURANGA QUARTZ.

Thames School of Mines, Feb. 9, 1886. Sir, — I have to report that I have made essays of the samples of quartz forwarded by .you I row various parts of the Taut an*; i District. With one exception — a sample (A) of quartz — none ofc the atone gave a payable result though, traces of gold and a little silver were fonml in nearly every case. With regard to the quan* iti"s of silver shewn by fcne assays, it must be regarded as only approximately correct, as I was unable to procure any litharge quite free from silver to make the tests with. The amount of silver known to exist hi the litharge has been from the total silver found, but there might be a little difference in the amount of silrer reduced from litarge in different cases; The error due to this cause is not, however, sufficient to effect the question of the payable or unpayable nature of 't,ne Stone. The following are the results of essays : Sample I.— From Katikati, sent, by Mr S. Earl. Dense quartz, containing a great deal of pyrites. Rusty on outside from wethering of pyrites. Coulcl find no gold nor silver. Sample 2. — From Katikati. Quartz, with some pyrates and a little calcite; Gold, idwt 15gr ; silver, loz 14dwt 7gr, per ton. ►Sample 3. — From Katikati. Quartz^ with a good deal of calcite and some 1 pyrites. No gold or silver. Sample 4. — From Katikati. — Nd gold or silver. Sample 5. — From Katikati. Calcite, quartz and pyrites all plentiful. Bare" trace of gold. Silver, 18dwt lgr. Sample 7. — From Katikati. Quarts with much calcite and. a gbod^ d<sal of pyrites. Golu Idwt Isgr ; silver, loz; Idwt sgr, per ton. Sample 8. — From Te Puke, Prond's lieef. Mott lt'll bruLTi.ited qn.irtz, vutha irnni] deal of pyrates. Gold. Idwtlfitjrsj silver, loz l<i.vt 4gr, per ton. | Sample 9.— Fio.n Te Puke. Siniilar ! quartz to sample 8. This was linforImiately lost in the furnace, and I have not had time to repeat the tc?t since* Sample C. — This was a small sampid of qu-u'tz in a paper parcel in a small bag, fonvmleil by Mr Galbiaith. It gave n slight trace of gold. Sample C— Cellular quartz witli white dense quartz shewing agate structure in parts. Sent by R. S. Galbraitb, Esq Found at Te Puke, top 1 of No. 3 road. The labels of this sample and the next had got detached} so that I couhl not tell which was meant; This sample was a very white quartz. Trace of gold. Silver, 9dwt 19gr. Sample C. — Drown dense quartz with a little pyrites. ForwnMed by Mr Galb nitn. A small sample of iron rviitos in a rnatcJi box also sent by Mr G.\ibraith was too small for assay. The brown quartz gave a slight trace df go* ll - . . Sample. — From banded reefof qnnrfz and pyrites in the Nomitu River, Kaimai District, collected by myself. I could detect neither gold nor silver ill it. Sampid A. — This wak a sampid of rusty cellular quartz, pretty free from pyrites. Locality where found is not stated. This S the only good tone thiifc I examined, giving loz 9dwt9gr ofgdid and 2oz 12dwt 6gr of silver per ton of ore. The quart?! fonhd in the Te Puke ard Kaimai districts is in a rhyolitic formation which has ndty I believe, been yet found to contain payable gold and silver ores. As far as I could ascertain, from men well acquainted with the eountrj, no gold has ever been found in the creeks and river traversing thi3 fdrmation. This absence of gold in the creeks is a very unfavourable sign, fdf if there had beeii gold in tlie reefs, their destruction by weathering would have liberated the gold which would gefc washed^ into tha creek beds. Both at Te Pdke aud Kaimai there are large reefs of quartz, carrying large quantities of iron pyrites, a mineral without tfnich gold is hardly ever found. I know no reason why there should not be gold in those reefs, but my essays fail to show more than a trace of its presence. Further prospecting might rosult in finding better stone, bdt looking at the fact that the geological fdrmation has not hitherto been found favourable for gold, I do not think that the present prospects warrant a large expenditure in Opening tip the reefs. Some further surface 1 work, however; is required to set at rest the question of the auriferous character of those reefs. In the Waitekohi river a little gold is said to have been got from time to time by prospectors, which points to this district as more likely to pjove pay ably aurit'eroug that those previously mentioned: I was not able to find any pajjte