GOLD AT WHANGAPOUA. AN IMPORTANT FIND. Mercury Bay, October 30.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 313, 3 November 1888, Page 5

GOLD AT WHANGAPOUA. AN IMPORTANT FIND. Mercury Bay, October 30.

Kauki, and everything connected with it. has. for the present, taken "a back seat" in this locality. Gold and rumours of gold are in the atmosphere ; expectations are high ; some individuals are already mentally arranging for the disposal of the immense wealth they hope soon to acquire. A man who cannot talk of quartz, reefs, Ct leaders," colours, etc., is looked upon as an uninteresting person, and the clang of the pestle and mortar i« heard all over the shop. The " strike " that causes the chief excitement now is situated on the north side of the Whangapoa Peninsula, and is close to the beach, which extends to the river, near which the new saw-mill is built. Mr W. White is the lucky finder, and he has, of course, applied for the prospector's claim. Mr White tells me that the reef, which is on the open land, free from bush, may be averaged at about two feet nine inches in thickness where it has already been tried, and that competent authorities consider it will widen as it goes down. Gold was plainly visible fn several pieces of stone shown me, and some of the prospects obtained by the ordinary pestle and mortar test were really splendid. A trial by Frasers well-known concentrating pan process gave a result of lsoz to the" ton from gome stone taken from the cap of the reef, but out of a sample broken 12 feet from the cap, 3oz 7dwb were obtained. Gold is found to run right through the reef. The chief advantage in the " strike " is the facility with which the ore can be got out. My informant tells me that scarcely any actual mining will be required, as the auriferous rock can be broken down by ordinary quarrying operations, and for a trifling cost can be shipped from the beach close by. Another thing that speaks well for Mr White's find is the fact that the well-known and experienced prospectors, the brothers Mclsaac, have taken up ground peg and peg with the prospector's claim. Already > there are some half-dozen claims located, and, no doubt, much' more ground will be tafcen up.