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last 47 ft. the reef was only about 6 in. wide. When the drive had been carried in to 232 ft. a company known as the King Gold-mining Company was formed to take the property over. This company is said to have extended the level to about 532 ft., but there is nothing in the available records to indicate whether or not the reef lived for this distance, or what its width or value was. However, the fact that the company gave up its efforts after driving to the distance mentioned leads to the presumption that on the whole the developments could not have been satisfactory. Since 1911 no work has been done on this reef, or, indeed, in the field.
Pfahlert’s Reef.—-This reef was found outcropping near the head of Snowy Creek, about three-fourths of a mile south of Fiddes’s reef, and is probably the southern continuation of the same. Regarding it, Bell and Fraser[1] state that southward from the creek it had been exposed by trenching for a distance of about 250 ft., with some indication of further extension under the rock talus. Its strike was about 19° west of north, and the dip 40° to 50° to the westward. As calculated from six of the cross-sections in the trenches, its width averaged about 30 in., the maximum width being 5 ft. The stone was said to be of a favourable character, gold being seen at frequent intervals throughout the full length of the better-defined portions of the outcrop, generally associated with the rusty slaty selvages and partings, but occasionally in the solid quartz. A general sample taken by the geologists from various points along the full length of the outcrops yielded on assay only 1 dwt. 5 gr. gold per ton, but another assay made from fragments of quartz showing gold yielded at the rate of 8 oz. 9 dwt. 21 grs. gold per ton. Beyond the surface trenching referred to no further work seems to have been done on this reef.
Among the other reefs located, and on which a little prospecting, mainly of a superficial nature, was done, may be mentioned those known as Hyndman’s reef, on the south-western slope of Mount Harman; the Kanieri Syndicate’s reefs, on the eastern slope of the same mountain; the Grave Creek reef, Billett’s reef, and Fiddes’s stringer reefs; but none of them showed any special promise. In 1909 and 1910 Callieri and party drove a tunnel on what may be considered the continuation of Fiddes’s reef northward of Grave Creek. Good surface prospects were got from the outcrops, but in the tunnel very little solid stone appears to have been seen.
Bell and Fraser point out that the area within which these various reefs were found has been subjected to extensive glacial action, and that the disintegration and rapid erosion of the surface may have had the effect of removing the upper and richer portions of the reefs, and that the numerous barren reefs may really represent the downward continuation of some from which the more valuable upper parts have been entirely eroded. This explanation of the position may well be correct—nevertheless it seems to the present writer that this field deserved more vigorous and thorough testing than it received; but no doubt the fact that the country containing the reefs was all well above the snow-line and could only be worked for a small part of the year was a serious drawback to operators. The isolation of the locality and the difficulty of maintaining supplies in it were further hindrances to effective prospecting. The time will doubtless come when the region will receive further attention from the prospector, and, either there or along the belt of greywackes and argillites that seems to crown the Alpine range for a number of miles both north and south of it, there is a possibility that important reefs will yet be revealed.
- ↑ Geol. Bull. No. 1, p. 55.
