Gold Deposit at Waitoa. AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 212, 23 July 1887, Page 1

Gold Deposit at Waitoa. AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

The report of Professor Hutton on the auiiferous deposit discovered on the estate of Mr J. B. Smith proves that the " find " is nob only of very great value to the proprietor of the land, but also of vast importance to the whole colony, as such formation of country has hitherto not been suspected to contain gold. Professor Hutton has made a full geological examination of the estate, and finds that there is only one outcrop of solid rock, which is a rhyolite breccia containing fragments of pumice, but no quartz veins. Nevertheless four assays from it had shown that it contained gold and silver to the value of L 3 18s 4d per ton according to one test, LlB Is 9d according to another, L(> 13s according to a third, and Ll 13s according to a fourth. Boulders of rhyolite had also been assayed and found to contain gold and silver. Professor Hutton makes the following interesting remarks on the geological formation : — " The outcrop of solid rock is only 8 yards by 3 yards in extent, and is surrounded by beds of fine sands and pumico clays, which have been derived from the decomposition of the rhyolito, and have been deposited in still water, probably on the shores of a lake. These lacustrine beds form the whole of the ridge, and extend as far south as the Waihekau stream. T,he flat lands south of the Waihekau are formed by a newer deposit of pumice, and rhoylite sand of a different character ; but thi» deposit probably overlies the lacustrine beds. In r the lacustrine beds on the ridge, 1 several shafts have been sunk to depths I of 25 or 30 feet; without reaching the 1 bottom. The exposqd beds are finely laminated pumice clay, alternating with coarser sands, often, containing pieces of pumice which is finer in texture and contains less qiiartz than the pumice from the Tauj3o district. , . . . . )Qold has been obtained from four of these shafts, out of the five which have been , tested." Of the stuff got from, these , shafts, 17 assays have been A made, and the results,

averaging from L2l 17s 6d a ton down to nothing, give an average value of L 6 per ton. Professor Hutton further states in his report that ' ' the area actually proved to bo auriferous is 88 acres, but in all probability it extends over at least the 350 acres at the northern end of the property. The depth of the deposit is unknown, btifc it is probably very considerable The gold has undoubtedly come from the decomposition of the rhyolite rock, and I believo that these rocks have formed the margin of an ancient lake, along the shore lino of which the gold has accumulated. How broad the auriferous deposit may be, it is impossible to say at present, and as the gold is nob visible to the naked eye the lead can only be followed by assaying the sands. The lacustrine deposit will require no crushing, but .simply working in some kind of amalgamating pan suchasberdans." In his concluding remarks the Professor states that there are great facilities on the ground for washing out the gold, and the process of saving; the precious metal will therefore not be expensive. Acting on Professor Hutton's advice, Mr Smith is sending four samples of stuff for a.sday by the Geological Department at Wellington. These samples embrace (1) rhyolitic breccia from No. 1 shaft,, (2) the upper part of lacustrine beds from No. 2 shaft, (3) the lower part of the .same lacustrine beds, and (4) lacustrine &and from No. 5 shaft. Mr Smith goes iSoutli by the steamer to-day, taking those bample& with him, in addition to a lot of stuff, to Christchurch. He is hopeful of getting money in the latter city wherewith to work the valuable deposit on his land at Waitoa.