MINING NEWS. THE KUOATUNU GOLDFIELD

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 392, 10 August 1889, Page 5

MINING NEWS. THE KUOATUNU GOLDFIELD

Auckland, August 7J7 J Mr J. H. Witheford returned from the Kuoatunu goldfield lasb night, after nearly a fortnight's tour of the Coromandel Peninsula. He is of opinion that the whole of the goldtields want handling in an entirely different system to that at present noticeable. More legitimate operations, and on a larger and continuous scale, are required. A few straggling parties of miners, without machinery, and backed up by limited funds, cannot develop a big reefing system. The goldfield estate of the colony is a magnificent one, and capable of increasing the wealth of the country if a simple, businesslike method could be adopted whereby independent parties of miners could get moderately quick treatment of their quartz. As gumdiggers take the product oi their work at the end of the week or of a month and realise its value, so might it be arranged that miners could get a periodical return, whether little or much according to the success of their labours. A small return is sufficient to keep the brave-hearted prospector battling with the difficulties of unexplored country, and facilities which should be provided for him to get the gold out of the quartz would also serve as a test to the value of the various reefs discovered. Kuoatunu is a promising field, having the best class of country, and fine bodies of quartz containing free gold. There is an almost unlimited extent of auriferous ground between Mercury Bay and Coromandel, with undoubted proofs of payable quartz reefs intersecting the field throughout. There is room for 10,000 miners along the main watershed of the district, where there is abundance of quartz lodes, and a magnificent water supply running to waste. What an impetus would be given to the country if at intervals were established battery power, to which miners could take their parcels of quartz, ascertain the value of the various lodes and proceed at once on a large scale to break out ore from the payable reefs. Along the banks of the creek are beautiful sites for homestead and mining townships. At Makarau, for instance, gold specimens have been found of considerable value in the creeks, some adhering to logs which were driven down rarines on the mountain sides and breaking off projecting bodies of quartz, have arrived on the flat with fragments of goid - bearing stone imbedded in the ends, ample evidence that there are reefs in the hills worthy of being sought,and gold lying uselessly in the lodes simply for want ot concerted and practical action being taken to produce it. Anyone traversing the road to Coromandel cannot but be impressed with the fact that the treasure houses of the goldfield should be opened up by some vigorous policy calculated to attract and maintain a mining population. The very water power skirting the base of the ranges provides the power required to grind the quartz. It simply wants utilising. There are hundreds of miners in the country who would gladly respond to the call it they could be assured of constant work, and plenty of men of means who would contribute, no doubt, to legitimately conducted operations for the raising of gold - bearing quartz and extraction of the gold. There are, however, at present almost insurmountable difficulties in the way of individual parties of woi'king miners. Here, as an instance, is the Kuoatunu field, and the whole goldfield range to Cape Colville, known to contain the most easily worked reefing system in the Australian colonies. At Kuoatunu the lodes cut are large bodies ot stone, containing sufficient gold to pay to work — that is, if there was any plant at hand for breaking the quartz. But there is not 1

PUBLIC PLANTS SUGGESTED. There cannot for months to come be any crushing power to which the field generally can take their quartz, and get some return for their work. Men of small means cannot face the position. The question is a national one, but it is easily and simply dealt with if considered in a practical, businesslike manner. Large numbers ot miners can hold out a month or two, and would rush to any promisingn q district, if there was provided a simple plant at which they could treat selected stuff and get some return. The erection of 10 stamper batteries driven by water power at intervals along the base of an auriferous range proved to contain payable lodes, would ensure miners a speedy return. A company owning a forest erect a mill to produce boards from the timber. The owners of a forest of reefs simply want to adopt the same plan, to erect a mill to produce gold from the quartz. A bushman can cut down a kauri, but that does not give him boards. A miner can break down a reef like those at Kuoatunu, but that does not give him gold. The kauri and the quartz have both to go to the mill before their respective values are fully realised. There can be no doubt as to who should put up the mill. The owners of the kauri trees which have to be cut ! The owners of the quartz reefs which have to be crushed ! Neither the bushman nor the working miner can be expected to do it. Yet in most cases while the quartz mill is " growing" miners are starved out and their supporters vote the field a duffer which practically has had no trial at all.

Thames, August^. May Queen.— As the erection of this Company's winding-engine will be completed about the end of the present week, the manager has decided to invite tenders for cleaning out and re- timbering the remainder of the shaft. It will doubtless be borne in mind that it has already been cleaned out to a depth of 100 feer,and properly timbered up, but as it has been sunk to about 360 feet altogether, it has been decided to clean it out and have ib repaired to thafc depth before opening out. Saxon. — There is not much change to report in connection with this mine since my last. At No. 5 level the work ot squaring up the bottom of the winze sunk from No. 4 level has been completed, and the drive timbered up. The manager now intends to proceed to break down the reef in this winze, and this work will be most likely started to-day. The stopes throughout the mine do not present much change, and at the battery the quartz is shaping about the same as last return. Lone Hand. — The contractors engaged in the putting in of the low level have not made quite as good headway during the past week, as the country is a little tighter, but still it is of an excellent description for gold. WheD this level has been extended 60 or 70 feet further, the Moa reef should be intereected. In the Lone Hand section of the mine the rise for the fourth stope was recently holed through to the old battery level, so that the block here upon this leader isnot more than 25 feet in height. The quartz coming to hand, however, shows gold pretty freely. Driving is proceeding on the leader met with in the crosscut a few days ago, and in which dabs of gold were seen when cutting through ib. This leader is now being stripped. In the Manchester section of the mine, the stopes manifest an improvement, and the quartz shows gold somewhat more freely than hitherto. Trenton.— The flow of water at the bottom level has decreased somewhat. The country in the face of the drive is still very hard. At the Cambria level the sandstone is of an improved nature, and more kindly for gold than hitherto. Lone Hand.— The country in the Gen. Chute drive at the low level has been tighter this week, but is a good class of sandstone for carrying gold - bearing leaders. Gold has been seen when breaking No. 3 leader, and the fourth stope west, sixth stope east, Manchester section, and eighth stope. Cambria. — Ho. 7 leader shows gold freely when broken down. Saxon. — This morning the mine manager wires— Fifteen pounds picked stone leading stope No. 2 reef, No 5 level, and lOlbs stone from main reef hill ward of break same level. New Manukatj. — Mulligan's leader in the stopes is looking about the same as last week. A small leader in the footwall which was met with shows gold freely,anda few pounds stone have been picked out. Yesterday a stope was started on No. 5. The lode looks well, but no gold has been seen as yet. Clearing up will take place to-day, and is expected to be payable.