GOLD PROSPECTING IN THE SOUTHERN ALPS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1368, 29 February 1884, Page 2

GOLD PROSPECTING IN THE SOUTHERN ALPS.

The favourable weather has enabled the various gold prospecting companies to again send their men out to the ranges. Mr Macpherson, the mining manager of the North Creek Company, started on Friday night with a party to conduct operations on the north slope of the Bolleßton range, in the neigh bo urhood of the place where the party from the Moa Creek Company are at work. The Premier Co. 's prospectors, under the leadership of Mr Smart, are engaged in searching for the precious metal on the southern slope of the same range. The Methven's party is supposed to be in the ranges some ten miles distant from the latter, on the main divide. Explorations are also being carried out on the eastern slope of the main divide at the head of the Wilberforce by three private parties. Stone had been taken from various outcrops, and it has been pronounced auriferous. Steps are being taken by more than one of the companies to have a large quantity brought down for the purpose of a proper trial crushing. The result of the test of some quartz from the Wilberforce river by Professor Ulrich, of Dunediu, tends to show that other metals besides gold may be expected to be found in that locality. Some weeks ago a man brought a sample of quartz to Mr Wickes, who tested it, and found that it contained a fair proportion of gold, together with pyrites of a character which he considered required a more careful examination. He accordingly forward the specimens to Professor Ulrich who replied that they where what is termed "good-looking," and that he would, even if he had not heard of Mr Wickes' test, have confidently pronounced them auriferous. The ore impregnations consisted of copppr phrites, zinc-blende, and galeua, and as the gold was evidently intermixed with these in very tine graius, its satisfactory extraction would require fine crushing, and careful amalgamation. It would also be highly desirable to save the pyrites over for special after tratment, as there was every probability of its containing gold so finely impregnated as to defy extraction by the ordinary methods. It may be mentioned that the admixture of galena with the gold is one of the features of the ores obtained in the mineral districts in the Nevada district in America.