Ohinemuri Goldfield.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4413, 24 February 1883, Page 1 (Supplement)

Ohinemuri Goldfield.

(feom ottb own correspondent.) Kabangahake, Monday. Haying just visited some of the mines in this much neglected district, a brief accounts what I saw there may not be uninteresting to some of your readers. Haueaki Gr.M.Co.-— In this company's ground a large amount of prospecting, as well as permanent work has been accomplished. In fact a sum of six hundred pounds has already been expended in its developement, and the results so far augur well for the future of those who are interested in it. Five different reefs have already been disclosed by means of trenching and tunnelling, and all of them carry more or less gold, accompanied by a fair per contago of silver, which here occurs in the stone in precisely the same manner as that obtainable from the celebrated Comstock lode, California. Tndeed it has often been asserted by those who are competent to judge of such matters that at least one of the reefs above re« ferred to—which traverses the whole of the Maria, Hauraki, Noble, and Diana companies' ground—would yield band' some dividends if treated for silver alone, and I have no doubt that the time is not far distant when even the people of this happy-go-easy country will tumble to tbe fact that silver mining will pay as well if not better than mining for gold. Of the reefs in this company ground No. 3, averaging 4 feet in thickness, may—so far as present operations are concerned—be said to be richer in the precious metal than any of the others. It has been driven upon for 80 feet, carrying gold throughout for the whole of that distance.' In the slopes which have been carried right up to the surface—a height of 30 feet—gold showing freely in the stone has been seen at every breaking down, and the whole of the crushing dirt obtained therefrom prospects for a highly remunerative return. From the winzo, which is now being sunk from this level to connect with the low: level, scwt. of good picked stone have already been obtained, and the lode grows richer and richer as sinking is continued upon it. At the time of my visit to this mine I broke out from the bottom of this winze a piece of stone that was so rich in gold as to approach more nearly what is known as " specimens " than anything I have hitherto seen from the district. Besides the work going on in this winze, there are two tunnels in operation. One of these is being driven 1 along the course of a load about six inches in thickness. It was from this lode that the trial crushing (treated at the Alburnia battery some i time ago) was taken, which yielded at the rate of 14ozs per load. The other tunnel 1 is a crosscut from the low level, and is ; being driven along the course of a lode | about one foot in thickness. This lode is believed to be identical with that in the Maria claim which yields so large a percentage of silver, 80 per cent, of the proceeds of stone treated in Auckland being composed of the last mentioned metal.

In my next I shall speak of the claims south and east of the Hauraki, and I shall also have something to say about tbe battery business) roads, &c.