THE PUHIPUHI SILVER MINE. THE PROSPECTORS DISCLOSE THEIR HAND. FULL RETURN OF ASSAYS. Whangarei, December 7.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 427, 11 December 1889, Page 4

THE PUHIPUHI SILVER MINE. THE PROSPECTORS DISCLOSE THEIR HAND. FULL RETURN OF ASSAYS. Whangarei, December 7.

TiiuPuhipuhi prospectors have relinquished their policy of reser\o, and the " Advocate " gives in extcn^o the assay tests and battery returns, as follows :—

ASSAYS AT THAMES SCHOOL OF RUNES. October 2, 1889. — Four samples of quartz for gold and silver forwarded by Mr D, Gordon. Locality, Whangarei. Wilson's reef (No. I).— Sample of hard white quartz, with thin blush vein of silver glance, con tains bullion at a rate of 1540z lOdwt sgr to the ton. This is mostly all silver, containing only a trace of gold. Collins reef (No. 2). — Contains only a trace of gold. Frasers reef (No. 3).— Contains only a trace of gold. Leader (No. 4). — Contains bullion at the rate of 2oz 17dwt 23gr to the ton, most of which is silver ; gold being only a trace. — Jamks Pakk, F.G.S., Director. Result of stone tested for Mr YV. E. Barton, Whangarei, 7th October, 1889. — Gold, 19dwb 14gr to the ton ; silver, 4oz Udwt to the ton.— W. W. Fortxk, Bank of Now Zealand, Auckland. tSchool of Mines, Thames, October 22nd, 1889. Four samples of quartz for gold and silver ; locality, Whangarei. Forwarded by Mr Elliott. Nos. 1, 3, and 4 contain a trace of silver ; No. 2, no silver. Five samples for gold and silver, forwarded by same person from same locality. Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 5 contain onlu a trace of silver. No. 3(a hard, blue, ratngfr flinty quartz). Three separate assays of this sample gave the following results : (a) 114oz Bdwt 3gr of silver to the ton ; (b) 114oz and 3gr of silver to the ton ; (c) 115oz lldwt 19gr of silver to the ton A trace of gold in all thiee assays. One sample of quartz for gold and silver, forwarded by same person from same locality, contains no gold or silver. — James Park, F.G.S., Director.

MR BROADBENT'S ASSAYS. Te Aroha, November 18th, 1889. To Easterbrook Smith, Esq. Dear Sir, — Last Saturday I waa over at the Te Aroha Reduction Works, and saw about 3cwt of the silver ore from the Puhipuhi prospecting claim spread out on the ilo;r. I took an average sample of these 3cwt, and found that it contained, gold 13d\vC Igr, and Bilver, 1790z 6dwt 19gr per ton, proving that the ore I saw was worth about £30 per ton. — Yours truly, John J. Broaubent, F. 1.0., P. 0.5., etc. Particulars : — Ore from bags : — 2oz 18dwt 19gr silver per ton ; gold, a trace. Average &ample from ore on floor :—l3d\vt: — 13d\vt Igr gold per ton ; 1790z 6dwt 19gr silver per ton. Te Aroha, November 23rd, 1889.—Easterbrook Smith, Esq., Auckland. Dear Sir, — Enclosed are two assays which 1 made of your ore alter you left Te Aroha. The .-C54 15s assay was a small pieccof riehbtone which I got at Waiorongomai. It contained a patch of metallic silver lam almost certain, but could not test it as 1 only had suflicient to make the assay. I shall be happy to let you know for certain when I have an opportunity. .... 1 have bought a furnace, and with the apparatus which I have at Opuawhanga, I shall havo a complete plant for making assayo. — Yours truly, John J. Bkoadisem-. P.S. — I may say that it is the first time that I havo seen metallic silver in an ore in New Zealand, and think that you have got hold of a good thing. Particulars : — Concentrates from blue reef : 2oz 12d\* t 6gr gold per ton ; 115oz 9dwt 12gr silver per ton. Concentiates : — 4oz llclwfc llgr gold per ton ; 988oz 9dwt 20gr silver per ton. Stone with dark metallic patch and slight grey streaks: — 9dwb 19gr gold per ton ; 2070z sdwt 9gr silver per ton. Value of silver at 3s 2d per ounce, ,€34 15s ore. This sample was picked up by J. J. Broadbent out of the ore on the floor at

WAIORONGOMAI BATTERY ASSAYS. Waiorongomai, N.Z., Nov. 21, 1889. C. Easterbrook Smith, Esq., Puhipuhi, N.Z. Regarding tho three lots of ores recently consigned to us for treatment, I beg to hand you the following report. 1 think a perusal of the several assays and treatment memorandums (herewith annexed) will give you all the details you require regarding the two lots of free gold ore marked Nos. 1 and 2. Lot No. 3.— Auriferous coppersilver glance ore carrying streaks of chalcopyrites and occasionally blended with crystals of ruby silver. Similar ore to this is associated with mosb of the permanent silver-bearing Jodes ot the mineralised fields of America. In Austin, Nevada, the reefs all carry a high percentage of their argentiferous values in ruby silver. These mines have been worked on an extensive scale for the last 25 years, paying dividends continually, and increasing in richness as depth was attained, the lowest workings now being in the vicinity of 2,000 feet below outcrop of reefs. Tho Manhattan Silver Mining Company of Austin, Nevada, U.S.A., and other concerns (who have had a similar ore to yours to treat) have worked it up to a very high percentageof its aesay value by crushing, dry desulphurising, and chloridising and pan amalgamation. By bhiBprocess9s percent, of the assay value of the crude orecan be saved. If your mine opens into a good-sized lode of ore that will average £20 per ton or more, it could bo besb tested by smelting, pro-

yiding a water jacket smelting furnace was in reasonable distance, or transportation nob too big' 1 ' It is nob a good smelbing ore when taken by itself, but could be worked up to 99 per cent, of its assay value, where it could be treated at similar works to ours here at Waiorongomai, where we could mix in other deniable ores and fluxes. But for the economical treatment of such an ore at or near your mines I would recommend the following smelbing plant :—lO: — 10 Stamp Dry Crushing Ameiican Improved Battery, or similar to the9o head now erected here ; one 50 Howell Tubular Cylindor llovolving Furnace for desulphurising and chloridising the ore ; four Howell Amalgamating Pans ; two American Settlers and their auxiliary machinery for water or steam power, according bo the facilities at proposed plant sito. The battery should crush 15 tons per day through a No. 40 screen. The ore would require from 12 to 15 per cent, of salt to the ton for chloridising. Such ore generally consumes an average cf one pound of quicksilver to the ton. The Howell lan is so constructed that the ore can bo first ground for say from half to one hour, then the muller raised and charge of quick«ilver added. When teats of mixture ' indicate that the amalgamation of the silver is finished, the pan can be drawn off at bottom into settler and immediately charged again. After running 24 hours or more, accoiding to grade of ore under treatment, the pans should be cleaned up by cci aping off the harder amalgam (which will adhere to the leg?, muller and mould boards) and washed into the settlers by adding new charge ot quicksilver. A boy can clean up a Howell Pan in this way in 15 minutes, and in half-an-hour after pan is drawn off into settler all the amalgam may bo in the retort, so that a virtual clean-up can be made every day, and products demonstrated without any stopping of the pans or other machinery. Outside of quicksilver and salt no chemicals would be required for this mode of treatment. Our crushing and concentrating tests demonstrate that about 45 per cent, of the assay value of the ore can be saved by wet crushing, using battery plates for amalgamation and running the tailings over the tine concentrators This is a very cheap process, and might bo advisable for a low grade ore, where larger bodies could be extracted and transported to works for a small figure per ton. Our 20 head of stamps crush and concentrate the hardest agate quartz found in this country at a cost of about 3s per ton. The gold ores which we tested (lots 1 and 2) would not require desulphurising, unless they changed their character as depth is attained. "But they could be best worked by wet crushing concentrating and subsequent pan amalgamation. The same pans and settlers would be required for the gold ore as heretofore described. Personally I have been associated with Mr Jno. Howell for the lastl6years,andhaveassisted him in the erection and running ot several plants of this description in America, but I have nob made myself familiar with the cost of such a plant in New Zealand. Bub aa Mr Howell has recently ordered the machinery for several large plants now under course of erection in Australia, I would suggest that, providing you deem it expedient to ex-ect a milling plant, that you consult with him as to cost and more full details. Hoping that our efforts to demonstrate the value of your ores and treatment required will prove satisfactory, I beg to remain, Yours, &c, Wm, Adams, Jk., Acting Manager for the Te Aroha S. &G. Mining Coy., Ltd., Waiorongomai, N.Z, Particulars of crushing and concentrating of three lots ore from Puhipuhi, furnished by Mr C. E. Smith :—: —

OTHER TESTS. Private test made at Bank of New Zealand forMrCooke: 2740z silver, Boz gold per ton of ore (vide "Advocate,"' '2nd November. Analytical Laboratory and Assay Oflice, 41, Shortland-sbreet, Auckland, November 26th, 1889. Mr Fraser, Whangarei : Sir,— l have assayed sample of quartz, and find it to be aigentiferous. Ib contains 9140z 13d\vt of sih er per ton of 2,2401b. There are only traces of gold present. The sample seems to have been derived from a ' massive ' source. — I am, etc., I>. K. SIIIRREIJ' GALBKVITir, F.T.C., F.C.S.

HOW BEST TO REACH PUIIIPUHI. As a good deal of conflicting information has been published re the cheapest and most expeditious way of reaching Puhipuhi, the following may be taken as reliable :—: — Auckland to Whangarei (96 miles). Return ticket by steamer, 20s ; 'bus fare from Whangarei to Hikurangi (10 miles), 2s 6d ; thence to Puhipuhi, 12 miles by horse. The journey from Auckland to Puhipuhi by this route may be compassed in 18 hours. Auckland to Kawakawa (142 miles) : Return ticket to Russell, 60s ; steamer from Russell to Opua, 2s 6d ; train from Opua to Kawakawa, Is 9d ; horse thence to Puhipuhi ; length of journey from Auckland, 19 hours. It follows that Puhipuhi may be reached from Whangarei at less than half the cost of the journey via Kawakawa, and also at a paving of time. The road, too, from Kawakawa is a most difficult one to traverse.

Q old per ton.oz dwl gr Silver ore, lot 3 (ore) 0 115 „ „ (conpts.) 3 10 5 „ „ „ (tailings) trace Gold ore, lot 2 (ore) trace „ „ , ( (concts.) 2 4 2 „ „ „ (tailings) tiacc „ lot 1 (ore) 0 3 6 „ „ „ (concts ) 0 19 14 „ „ „ (tailings) liace Silver per ton. oz dwt gr 28 3 12 950 7 2 16 14 20 0 16 8 117 3 10 0 3 14 0 19 14 26 5 22 0 9 91