THE STORY OF A THAMES MINE.
: Wjj have;'hearil ■ many curious.."stories of the yicissjtudeg ;of gold miaiag.—those up's and downs of fortune fwhich; every iman ; ■ must-ihevitab'lysuffer if-'he enters upon mining enter'prisesof -any kind, but more' ■ : especially in "the 1 case of'gold mi ningPan'd ;.probably; |! qhe ; bf'the- : most : remarkable ;';instanc'e's|; J .p'f: i; the v freaks Of'• the.-famous: :o|'fortane'' is :: ta- befound''in ? the" "case 6f',tne'.Manukau ! mine^atctherPh.am : esi , iThe historyof- this mine is- worth'record-' ing,"especially as the'story-is'full of idpe-'i ". and :%'ncou?age'rae'nfc- to !v tliose''Who.have! . become 1 .-thoroughly'disheartened<■ by that'j : "hope t de'ferre(l'--H'liich'is j sure, to^make ■'•■■' the stohtesiJ'heai't'sickif toolb'ng'enduredv! ; Weill kriow ; th'at in the : lottery # quartz mining at ; the i;! riiame3 there 1 wel'iuar.y.'i ■:■ blanks', but the-"prizes when they are ob-' gained; arelgener'ally brilliant'in the ex-J .tremV;'' bat 1 it ; 'rarely-happeiis that the { famous .goddess smiles twice"'upon v /the-. . same'pershnsi as'she has Bone' upon two ■of the fortunate ownersof - the 'Man'ukau- '• mine;'.? v - i;; /;: - ; - ; ■:-^- : ''v- ■.-.-: j ..-i... u : l:
The"'Mahukau mine comprises a very small area fdf ground,' of not; quite one acre .in'exten't; situatednearand'boundedii by the Caledonian,"Goldea 1 Crown,.Gurej| and some other of the richest'mines at the • Thames, 1 and is,now owned 'ostensibly- by: three 'sh'areliolders'-"Messrs:"fl. It.Jones and 'fc e6ok, ! of the 'Thames/"^and--Mr-P.;A;- Wbitake'r, of Aucklarid;-.Tlie groundwas originally token up by Messrs; Jones,: Schofiel'd, and' Mctike.'but^MrCook afterwards' bought a IriilPshare,:and i ihena full'third sbare. ; 'Messrs O'Uugliim-nnd Cassin' : each-bought u sixth;.. share-before heavy gold f way fdund, and two oubof the: three'briginal owners retired.".- MrJones, howeyery reliii'icd' his; full< thirdv-shave: thrpughouti aiid the'shareholders.i'.e'ceivedsome" very 'ihan'dsome' dividends,; qno iof/ Which amounted - to ;£1,03i) Bj';9J'ieacli;;
-, At this'period a battery wm purchased, • and then'''Messrs' Cassia -and o'Bnglien 1 ; jsoji • theirCthird; share : /for the /sum' of to the pjd Thames Investment ..Company, b'uT'Messr'§"Jones' and Oook each refusedsimiluroffers.• -he Mahukau v; mine was at) working on' the '■ famous run'ofgold^^ .:.;'., found in'the Gdlderi'Orowii and Caledonian mines in sucu ; astounding.''richness - .' 'The claim- hadj'kowevev'lveeri;formed intoa- ''*'--' com'pauy p c6n9isding'-'6f '6, OGTO ' : a li'atfe'a > 'but: was,''and.'still is, ! held.in-' l 'three equal sh'aresof'2;ooo scrip'eaeh. i;!; '; ' V-' :i '';
By and by came the ■ reverse 1 b;f fortune. out," but'the'company continued vigorous mining'operations'for some'"tiaie,'.'expending a large'sum/of -... money,'and4nakmg the ground something ; : like a rabbit warren; After along period of .n'qri-succe'ssj faud - after •runuiug'"the battery'Tor'sdihe •time. 1 for other' com- - -' pauie's/the'-.owners sold the battery about; /• two yearsago, and it - is said ; that'au offer '■■ of a 'few hundreds of pounds : would aV ;"• 'the 1 entire 'rhino ■■;,. as .well- as/thei battery. - ! Howe'ver,the : grourid- was-:'generally "kept''mannedby three':'men'/; but ■ no important' . operations v were v entered ; into u for early Hwo ''years! : ' ; Abo"uf four months ago, however, an old drive'- 'whs' 1 ex- ;. tended for, five or six feet for the pur- . pose 'of "prospecting;" when a large .reef ,; was met with, the existenoo,of which was,. ; previously unknown,''and from it a small"; - parcel of-stone was.crushed, and yielded nearly three^.ounces of gold to the ton. The rest.ofithe story is well known. Day . by day, as_the. mine was opened up, the prospects improved, and now they may be regarded: as better than were ever before seen in-the Manukau—which issaying a great deal. "The first crushing ,'".;.. yielded'6366za;ot gold; and another 'cleaning up is expected'.to'' take, place this .;■■':' weeky:when.:, there will, probably be betwoeh 2,ooo'ahd 3,0000z j of gold, and a dividend of. at>h?ast £l.per share on the ;• ■6 ) ooq^hares\'i,Qr,J?2,oGoi,to i .each of: the: v. three, fortunate shareholders. ; And tho . best ofithe: gold :ini the ;face»bf "k the reef has not yet been tououed; as the. .••-v "<W - J work,"/'ha?' acaroely all ■ been...
.finished,, so ,that a number of la.rge.and handsome dividends may be reasonably expected. ;; -:■■ --i :.-.■ ■;-,.-; .; <• •■■• W;e have' spoken-''of the three• ■'! oatea'sible;"' owners \of 'the mine,' but' we. believe that i:thereiare> really four-share-holders;, The.l old -Thames: Invest.' ; ment;., Company, was will .be.,:-ga-thered;;; from. ; whati we';' have said, held 'one-third share; but on the failureof ,thafc; company-some, four years, ago, : Mr .Whitaker and the Bank' of .New iZealand,were compelled,: if. we .are -not.misin-, formed, to take 'overihis interest. ia-> the Manuk.au mine, amongst other*assets,.to ,save jthemselves;,, s They: have- therefore been' "let;in'! : for : a; very handsome, thing,' as themarket ( valueof the-mine;is now i: piacedafc-£72,066. : : H ,^ : ,:• ;:.<■•,•;•• -.... .:., .The,history.of, : this,mine .should afford, encouragement to the owners;of. .mining property on this.;field, and should.induce them to thoroughly, prospecte? ery-.portiou. of..theirj.mines,' instead.'of -paying:,-,too muoh; : afctention.,to',"lost,runs" of gold. h,ope,that,the present! ownors of the.; iJlauukau, ,willjrealise; th-eir- most sanguine; expectations, and we are: glad; toi.thiak thatitwo-thirds.of themine isstillm-thei'. hands of Thames: residents.'-'Batmo one. • will j begrudge.; Mr Wliitaker a - slice of.', good .fortune, for.the.'ThamesigdldfielcU pweß hiov.a'large! sum- of money, anbV he ; is; knowni as.one of t the best ■". stiokers"i ampjigst allythe Auckland :ca : pitalists, and.; .one jivho goes 'intoiinining m.)ire a's;an-in-yestmentitlian.for. speculativo;purpose; >;
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Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1857, 6 July 1874, Page 4
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767THE STORY OF A THAMES MINE. Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1857, 6 July 1874, Page 4
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