NEW GOLDFIELD ON MARITOTO CREEK, HIKUTAIA (REPORT ON), BY WARDEN STRATFORD.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1887 Session II, C-07

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Sess. 11.—1887. NEW ZEALAND.

NEW GOLDFIELD ON MARITOTO CREEK, HIKUTAIA (REPORT ON), BY WARDEN STRATFORD.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Warden, Thames, to the Hon. the Ministeb op Mines. g IE) Thames, 9th September, 1887. Having returned from my visit of inspection of the new find on the Maritoto Creek, Hikutaia, I have the honour to report the result of my investigation. The prospectors' holding is more than five miles from the nearest quartz-reef workings. It is situate on the branch of a tributary to the Maritoto Creek. The find is about two miles and a half up this tributary from its confluence with the Maritoto, which is about eight miles from Mr. Corbett's hotel, bearing east-south-east, and therefore the reef is about ten miles and a half from Hikutaia proper, and at an altitude above the sea of about 700 ft. to 800 ft. The reef is about 7ft. in thickness, and had been driven into about Bft. when I visited the place yesterday. The droop of the hanging-wall is at an angle of about 75°, and the reef which hugs it is loose and friable quartz, very rich in gold and silver. I stood by while a tin dishfull was picked out of the quartz in the tunnel, and tested in about five minutes in a water-hole close at hand, with a result that astonished me ; the gold plainly visible, and preponderating largely in the handful of wash-dirt left in the dish. ' The sample of quartz that has been supplied to me from Hikutaia by Mr. E. Mcßrinn, the prospector, weighed about 61b.; this was well mixed, and parcels of about -|lb. each sent to the Bank of New Zealand, Mr. John Heighway, Mr. Montgomery (School of Mines), and to Mr. Thomas Bayldon, for assay, with the following results :■ — Bank of New Zealand.— Assay : Gold, 980z.; silver, 1,7750z. per ton. Mr. Heighway.—First assay: Gold, 630z.; silver, l,Blloz. per ton: value, £570. Second assay : Gold, 940z.; silver, 1,8070z. per ton : value £617. Mr. Montgomery.— Assay : Gold, 830z.; silver, 1,7980z. per ton. Mr. Bayldon. —Assay : Gold, 690z. ; silver, 1,8050z. per ton. A band of about Ift. of hard quartz lies immediately next the loose quartz, but is apparently barren stone, and the quartz on the footwall side, which is about 2ft. thick and of a hard brownish nature, has not yet been tested. Mr. Mcßrinn states that he has traced the reef for about 10 chains, and proved it to be auriferous. It runs about north-east, and there are others_ parallel with it which have been discovered more recently. The best proof of its compass-bearing continuing consistently is that some miners started prospecting in a south-west course, and were rewarded by picking up the main reef on the other side of a range in Peel's Creek, and at a distance of about three miles from Mcßrinn's workings. Claims have also been marked off for a distance of about two miles towards the Komata Creek, and, although there are cross-lodes in the locality, the two or three principal reefs appear to maintain the same bearing—viz., north-east. _ Mr. Wilson, the Mines Inspector, crossed over to Hikutaia from Waitekauri, and estimates the distance to be six miles from the Waitekauri Battery to Mcßrinn's Eind. He found evidence of likely gold-bearing quartz in several places; but would not recommend persons to try the same journey, as he not only had to walk up a very rough range which divides Waitekauri from Hikutaia for a distance of two miles and a half, and to a height of 1,250 ft. above the level of the sea, but also to stay in the dense forest of the western watershed for a whole night to complete his journey of six miles during the whole of the next day. I mention this circumstance to show how wild and rough the surrounding country is, and consequently hard to prospect; but, with all the difficulties in his path, Mr. Mcßrinn has made a discovery which deserves the reward he seeks, and I feel disposed in due course to grant him, not a licensed holding —for the number of men to be employed on such areas is too small —but a special claim. I believe when a track has been constructed up to the reefs, so as to enable the prospectors to convey their quartz to a battery, there will be room for about a hundred men. I have faith in the reef so far as to maintain such a number; but there is nothing to justify a rush of men from any distance. I beg to enclose Mr. Wilson's report to myself, which has proved valuable to me, and for which I have already thanked him. I have, &c, H. A. Stkatfokd, The Hon. the Minister of Mines, Wellington. Warden.

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Enclosure. The Inspector of Mines, Te Aroha, to the Waeden, Thames. Sic,— Warden's Office, Te Aroha, Ist September, 1887. I have the honour to report that on the 31st August I visited Mcßrinn's discovery of a gold- and silver-bearing reef at Maritoto, Hikutaia, in Ohinemuri County. The locality, which is over five miles from any known workings, is on a branch of Mcßrinn's Creek, which 'falls into the Maritoto Creek, about two miles and a half from the claim, and about eight miles above Hikutaia Township. The reef, which appears about 7ft. in thickness, has been driven on for about 6ft On the hanging-wall side it underlies to the westward about Ift. in 6ft., and the bearing is 60' east of north. About 2ft. of the reef next the hanging-wall consists of loose friable quartz evidently rich in sulphides of silver, and also showing metallic gold. This quartz yields'good prospects by washing; the bullion, being mostly silver, is worth Bs. 6d. per oz. A band of about Ift. of hard quartz lies immediately next the loose quartz on the hanging-wall; this band appears to be barren stone. 2ft. of softer whitish quartz gives good dish-prospects of gold • the remaining portion of the reef, about 2ft. on the footwall side, appears to be a hard brownish quartz, the value of which is not yet ascertained. Mr. Mcßrinn informs me that the reef has been traced for a distance of 10 chains, and proved to be auriferous. The general appearance of the reef, and the results obtained from dish-prospects and assays, and also the visible gold and large quantities of silver sulphides, satisfy me that a valuable discovery has been made, the extent of which it is premature to estimate. Three licensed holdings of 30 acres each, two of 20 acres each, and two claims (one of ten, and the other of four men's ground) have been marked out and applied for. The prospector, Mr. Mcßrmn, has also applied for a machine-site, a water-race, and the right to construct a tramway and shoot. J Any flat land at the junction of Mcßrinn's Creek and Maritoto, which may be available either for machine, residence, or business site, might be laid off by the surveyors in order that such land, of which the area is limited, could be occupied to the best advantage if required for that purpose. With a view to acquiring a knowledge of the locality and surroundings, and being at Waitekauri on the 30th August, I walked from Waitekauri battery to Mcßrinn's claim. The country from the battery to the dividing range between the watershed of Waitekauri and that of Hikutaia is rough and broken, and in two miles and a half rises to a height of 1,250 ft. At several places rock favourable to gold-bearing reefs is found. The country from the dividing range to Mcßrinn's is also much broken, and several reefs are found crossing the streams to the eastward of Mcßrinn's reef. The distance in a straight line is about six miles from the Waitekauri reef to Mcßrinn's. A road down the valley of Hikutaia is the best outlet for the mines which may be worked at Maritoto ; and, for successfully prospecting and developing the reefs, it is of the utmost importance that the track up the Hikutaia valley be improved, to enable miners to have better access to this part of the field. Eor future prospecting in this district a track should be formed from Maritoto towards Waitekauri, giving communication between those portions of the district. The claims marked out are situated on Hikutaia No. 3 Block, as near as I can judge, until the surveys made. This block is Crown lands ; but Hikutaia No. 4 Block, which is adjacent to No. 3, is Native land, and it is necessary that the boundaries of those blocks be defined as early as possible. The large areas of land applied for as licensed holdings will be detrimental to vigorous prospecting : the small area of five acres, which was the full amount allowed for each claim (under the provisions of " The Gold-mining Districts Act Amendment Act, 1875 ") at the opening of the Te Aroha Goldfield, caused prospecting to be carried on by numerous parties of men over an extensive area of ground, the value of which was determined in a comparatively short time. I have, &c, Geo. Wilson, H. A. Stratford, Esq., Warden, Thames. Inspector of Mines. [Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, nil; printing (1.G25 copies), £1 7s.]

Authority: Gkobge Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB7.