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was present. Gold was occasionally visible in the vein material, more particularly in connection with the inclusions—slickensided partings and selvages of argillites. Four samples taken by him from different parts of the reef gave on assay the following results:—
| Gold. | Silver. | Value. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oz. | dwt. | gr. | Oz. | dwt. | gr. | ₤ | s. | d. | |
1. General sample of quartz selected from various outcrops
|
0 | 0 | 16 | . . | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
2. General sample in tunnel-level from width of 13 ft. 8 in. of reef
|
0 | 0 | 4·5 | . . | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
3. Sample from a bunch of high-grade ore showing a little gold
|
3 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 6 |
4. Sample from an outcrop on surface (21 ft. wide) but not representative of the whole
|
0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 8 |
It is evident from these results that the reef was patchy, and that the gold values on the whole in the exposed parts were not high; nevertheless it is to be regretted that more work was not done by driving along its course in the adit. Nearly all bedded veins of this nature are patchy in value, and it is possible that a drift along the reef would have revealed shoots of pay-ore.
In 1910 a party known as the Wilson’s Reward Syndicate is said to have cleaned up Hyndman and Cameron’s adit, and taken further samples from it and from the outcrops, but no other information is available as to their operations.
Fiddes’s Reward Reef.—This reef was located about five and a half miles south-westerly from the Wilson’s Reward, and at an elevation of about 600 ft. higher, near the head of Spencer’s Creek, a small tributary of Grave Creek. It was traceable on the surface for a much greater distance than any of the other reefs in the locality (at least 30 chains), striking north and south, and dipping westerly. It was, however, very narrow, sometimes opening out to 2ft. but averaging only about 6in. The quartz in appearance much resembled that of Wilson’s Reward, having the same thin slaty partings, and containing splashes of pyrite and chalcopyrite, and seemed to be equally patchy in respect to its gold content. The results of three samples taken by Bell for assay were as follows:—
| Gold. | Silver. | Value. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oz. | dwt. | gr. | Oz. | dwt. | gr. | ₤ | s. | d. | |
1. Northern portion, general sample of quartz, showing no visible gold
|
0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
2. Northern portion—specimen quartz . .
|
10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 40 | 18 | 2 |
3. Southern portion—high-grade selected ore, showing gold
|
4 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 7 |
For several years following 1905 a little desultory prospecting was apparently done on this find, and on certain other reefs in the vicinity, but in 1908 a start was made to put an adit in on it at a distance below the outcrop sufficient to give about 250 ft. of backs. For 55 ft. the reef was reported by Inspector of Mines A. Whitley to avarage 15 in. in width, and show good dish prospects as well as colours of gold. In 1909 Inspector of Mines Richards visited the claim, when the drive was in 117 ft., and reported that for the
