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A Trip to Te Aroha Goldfield.

(By oub Special Repobteb.)

THE MmT&S.—CContinued.) WAIOBONGOMAI.

This company's property includes the Virginia City, Empire, Three Fools, and several other leases, being a total of 56 men's ground, well situated in the centre of the field. Altogether eight reefs, some of them, of large size, hare been found strikingi£b.roui>h the ground, and in four of theso very fair gold has been found where they have been prospected. In one, the Lucky Hit reef in the Provincial section, good stone was found, and a winze commenced, but the water prevented sinking. Besides these four reefs mentioned as carrying gold, the manager discovered a large reef in the Virginia City section. This he cut in a crosscut, at a point 30 feet from the Inverness boundary, and drove on it 80 feet. For that distance it averaged 5 or 6 feet wide, showing gold freely in both solid stone and honeycomb, sometimes from the hangingwall, sometimes from the centre, and also from the footwall. The manager, Mr Scott, showed me some fair picked stone, which had been taken from the reef, and strong colors and dab 3of gold were freely visible in the hopper of quartz. The manager has just started to sink a winze at the end of the crosscut to prove the reef downward. Should it continue good, as there is every probability, a low level will be entered, from which a shoot could connect with the tramway. About 200 ft of driving will give 140 ft of backs on the I underlie of reef, and will also afford a good outlet for the quartz from above the surface level, where there are. 60ft of backs. AH the quartz has been saved, there being nearly 100 tons on hand. The reef strikes north and south, with an underlie to the westward of one in one; there are ten chains of its strike in the Waiorongomai ground, and the outcrop being close to the eastern boundary, there is an unlimited block on the underlie, as it will have to pass right througli the Virginia City and Empire sections before dipping across the boundary. A crosscut is also being driven in the former section to intersect the Lucky Hit reef, and it should be to hand very shortly, LUCKY HIT. The manager of this company's property, bounding the Waiorongomai northward, had a trial parcel of JO tons of dirt on the road to the mill at the time of my visit. This was taken from what is known as No. 1 reef at the top level. It has been driven on 40ft here, averaging a foot in width fo? that distance, and showing gold freely throughout in both the honeycomb and solid quartz. The junction of No. 2 reef was expected to be met with in this drive, but it has not been picked up yet. At the low level on No. 1 reef, from which & trial parcel was crushed at the Thames and gave over .4o?s pc» load, the reef has been driven on for some distance, and though rather small in the southern {face, has {shown gold freely the whole distance. A. rise has been put up to the surface here, and a small block northward, about 10 feefclongi itop^d out,

the precious metal being met with all through the reef. There is a good-pad* dock of quartz here ready for crushing. No. 2 reef, which strikes nearly east and west, has been driven op westward, and a surface s.tope is now being taken along it to discover the point at which it junctionß with No. 2 ; 20 tons of dirt are on hand from here, and, judging by the gold seen in breaking, it should yield well. A crosscut is in progress near the southern boundary to intersect the Waiorongomai main reef, which prospects well a few yards distant; 30 feet of driving should see it in hand. THE ABMY Is a claim of 38 men's ground, situated to the westward of the Welcome and Vermont, the Navy intervening between it and them. A reef four feet wide, lying in good country, and supposed to be a branch of the New Find reef, has been traced for a length of 700 feet by the manager. Its strike is about north and south, with a dip to the westward. It has been cut into at a number of places in the length mentioned, and has been found to carry a large quantity -of mineral similar to that; found in the New Find mine. A little gold has been seen in the stone, which, however, prospects well all along. A j piece was pounded up in my presence, and on washing it in the dish, a nice pros* pect of coarse gold was visible. Finding that the reef at one end of the claim was dipping rapidly towards the boundary, the manager recently took up a fresh lease, to catch the underlie, naming it the Piako. A crosscut to give 30 feet of backs is in progress, and should touch the reef in a day or two. At the time of my visit the manager had just finished mak» iog a pack track to enable him to take a trial parcel of 10 tons to the tramway, en route for treatment at the mill. EUBEKA. This claim is situated to the southward of the Coquettee, which adjoins the Diamond Gully. A large quantity of work has been done, and the shareholders are deserving of success for the steady way they have pushed on operations. The,reef is a branch of the New Find lode, and strikes right through the ground. Gold was seen in several places on the surface, and a low level, giving 150 feet of backs at the present face, and considerably more northward, has been driven 274 feet (there still being 300 feet to drive to reach the boundary) and a winze sunk 122 feet and connected with the low level at the face. In putting in the low level the reef was for a portion of the distance left in the wall to 'expedite, progress; some time after this quartz was struck, and, thinking that he had found the reef, the manager drove 76 feet alonjj a good body of quartz, which showed gold freely. He then found that he was on the wrong lode, and coming back to the junction, he drove 54 feet to reach the winze. The reef for this distance was quite 5 feet thick, showing gold freely, and a prospect could be obtained from any stone tried. In the winze also the reef averages 5 feet, and is almost perpendicular. Here too the precious metal has been seen very freely right through the lode, and of a coarser quality than in the level, though this is accounted for by the fact that the level has not yet touched the run sunk through in the winze. The manager informed me that iS was very rarely a prospect could not be obtained from even the most barren looking stone, and to satisfy myself I pounded up a piece of white stone in which neither gold nor mineral was visible to the eye, and on washing found several good specs of gold. There are 200 tons of dirt on hand, and from the way the mine is opened up, bj putting a few men on, a large output of quartz could be obtained. The company has the right to the use of 10 stamps at the battery, and the manager expects to be able to commence crushing in February, To effect communication with the big tramway, the Battery Company has agreed to put up a wire tramway, 19 chains in length, and two hoppers, one to hold 60 tons and the other 90 tons; the sawyers are now at work preparing the timber. The

VICTOBIA.

Shareholders wish to get into their ground by extending the Eureka low level, their object being to try the reef inside the boundary underneath a slide which crosses it. The manager of the Eureka has recommended the directors to grant the request.

DIAMOND GULLY.

Mr E. Qttinn has taken charge of this miuoinstead of Mr Andrews, resigned. The principal work done has been the ex» tension of a drive on what is known «3 the specimen leader, a body of quartz averaging two feet in width. This drive is in 80ft., and the manager is now carrying £a a leading stope for ventilation. The qus^tz is blue in nature, with excellent minerals; gold ia colors and dabs in the solid stone have been seen freely, and several pounds of excellent picked stone, the nearest approach to specimens yet foand on the field have also been bagged. There is a good paddock of what should prove to be remunerative dirt on hand. Tbe manager is also crosscutting on the boundary for the New Find No. 2 reef, and should eu£ it very soon. As it has been driven on in the New Fiod to within 80ft of the Diamond G-ully boundary, and carried good gold' up to the face, it should be payable where intersected.

( To be Continued.)

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THS18831214.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4663, 14 December 1883, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,532

A Trip to Te Aroha Goldfield. Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4663, 14 December 1883, Page 2

A Trip to Te Aroha Goldfield. Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4663, 14 December 1883, Page 2

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