MINING ITEMS

Inangahua Times, Volume 74, Issue 74, 26 August 1878, Page 2

MINING ITEMS

Mr Scott, who accompanied Profossoi U I rich to Hindon, communicates ihu fol« lowing notes to tho Star;— Tho two rocfg oponod in tlio Hindoi district which Professor Ultich inspeotei arc tho old " Hindon " rcof, close to tin township, and tho " Gomo Hen " reef situatod about four milas distant. JI( considors tliat both those roofs rnnli amongst tho strongest and boat dvQuocl lodo ho has soon inOlnujoj whilst tlicit payably auriformis ohnrnotor was satis* fuctorily exemplified in his presence !>y a number of tin-dish trials of loose stuff on J tho solid quart;; tnkon from different parti along luir ooono nnd doptli. JIo imli cntoa tho reefs ns crossing nonrly liorijnntnlly«boddod argillacoous mica schist;, witli stoop anglos of underlay, having wo!N defined walls with olny castings, and varying in thickness from about 3ft to Oft, anc in tho Hindon roof boing ovor 10ft ii places, nnd consisting in somo parts en tiroly of so.imy, good-looking quartz; ii othors, more especially tho wider 01109, ( strong veins of similar quart z alternating with minoro'iwd gold-bearing mullock iron and nraonicnl pyritoi, both no doubt, ho boliovo*, auriforou*, becoming also abundant in depth. With regard to tho mothod of woiking tho Professor is of opinion that, fnvorod by tho stoop mil lies cut moro or less deeply into tho high i-latenu, thoso reefs onn bo ndrnntagoously 6penod and workoi in different parts by adit levels to depths ranging to over 2)o't from tho surface. Tho high deration ol tho district seems fatal, however, with ro.speot to soouring at a moderato cost an adequate supply of water as motiro power tor crushing tmohinos, nnd ateatn will, consequently havo to bo n.«.soi-t*'d to. A deposit of brown coal has tortunatoly boon discorcrod in the vicinity, nnd will bo available for tho purposo. A supply of water, howevor, sufficient to work tho nmnll iniohinrg — now con torn platod to be eroctod at tho Hindon and Gamo Hen nlaima— may, it is thought, bo secured nt ii 3 great expense by tho cutting of short rncos in connection with ronervoirs for tho cons'. ruction of which tho gullios aro admirably adapted, It is to bo noted in connection with this question of motivo powor that in tho event of tho moro oxtonsiro dovolopo* mont of tho district it will bo possiblo !o bring in races from tho boa 1 watnrs of tho Leo Stronm or from tho Taior Hirer. With regard to tho undorolopod resources of tho dis'rict, Professor Ulrich judges from tho fuct that besides thoao auriferous gullies which plainly rccoivo ; thoir supply of gold by denudation from thoir position could not havo bcon fod by thoso resfs, that thoro can bo no doubt whatoror that other auriferous roofs oxist in tho district ; in foot lomo of tho nu« morns roofs of which utrong outcropß nro obscrvablo in many places, may he thinks, by syntomatio prospecting proro to bo Ro'd-boaring. All things considorod, tho Professor it of Opinion thnfc Hindon prosonts a vory favorablo field for quartz -mining enterprise, nnd tho excellent prospects obtained by Konny nnd party at tho Hindon reof, nnd Harrison nnd party at tho Gamo Hon indioato that tho nogloot with which tho district has boon trootcd by quartz prospectors is nltogcthor unmoritod. Tho bad roputo in which, undoubtedly, it has boon bald for somo years, can bo traood to tho failuro of a company formed to work tho old Hindon roo"", somo twolro yea re ago — a fuiluro sinco provoi to hnvo boon mainly duo to tho rory insufllccnt gold* saving applianoos attached to tho crushing batteries— a party of Ohinamon having done oxooodingly woll by wn.Bh.tug out tho old tailings,