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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

Thames

Thames.

Thames School Of Mines. This important institution, which has been in active existence for about fifteen years, has buildings centrally situated in Grahamstown, and in close proximity to the chief mines of the Thames. The property is vested in a local committee of ten, with president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer, elected annually at a meeting of subseribers and students. Several of the present members have held office from the inception of the Institution up to the time of writing, and were mainly responsible for, and deserve largely the credit of the foundation of the school. The school has done good work from the very beginning, and has proved a great boon to the mining community. In 1885 the idea of a mining school was first instilled into the minds of the mining population by Professor Black, and the preliminary lectures and advice then given by him bore good fruit. Meetings were held, a committee and president elected, and Mr. Albert Bruce, who still holds the position, appointed secretary, to arrange for the starting and carrying on of a school of mines. Early in 1886, Mr. Alexander Montgomery, M.A. (Otago University), who had accompanied Professor Black on his tours through the Colony, when lecturing on mining and arranging for the inception of schools in the various mining centres, was installed as director of the school under notice, and commenced lectures on mining, surveying, assaying, chemistry, and kindred subjects to attentive and appreciative classes. During these first years, however, the director had to divide his time between the Thames school and the several smaller schools at Coromandel, Te Aroha, and other places, which had been started at the same time. This plan was not found to work well, no one school being able to carry on its work to advantage, and a change was made, so that the director could devote his whole time to the larger institution. This has resulted in the formation of a thoroughly efficient school at the Thames, which has, by the support afforded to it by the Government and the mining community, been enabled to equip itself with the necessary appliances for the proper instruction of mining students, and also to collect together a fairly complete metallurgical plant for the experimental treatment of complex ores. In September, 1889, Mr. Montgomery received an appointment as Government Geologist for Tasmania, and Mr. James Park, F.G.S., Assistant Geologist for the New Zealand Government, took over his duties, and ably discharged them for close on seven years. As the school kept continually increasing in usefulness and importance, an assistant became necessary, and Mr. Alex. Purdie, M.A., filled the office for three months, when he left to take a position in Victoria. Mr. F. B. Allen, M.A., B.Sc., was appointed in his stead in 1893, and has been connected with the school ever since, taking over the directorship when Mr. Park resigned in May, 1896. The staff in 1900 consisted of Mr. F. B. Allen, M.A., B.Sc., director; Mr. W. H. Baker, B.Sc., assistant; Mr. A. B. Harding, M.E., drawing master; Mr. H. Gummitt, battery manager; and Mr. E. McLean, laboratory assistant. Since the end of 1895, the school has made exceptional strides, consequent largely on the increased activity in mining throughout the Peninsula.

The students consist largely of mining men, who attend classes and lectures after their daily work is finished, but there is also a number of younger students, who are qualifying for the positions of battery superintendents and mining engineers, and who are devoting most of their time to study at the school. The work of the school comprises:— (1) Assaying and chemistry; (2) metallurgy; (3) mining in all its branches; (4) mathematics and mechanical drawing; (5) land and mine surveying; (6) mineralogy and geology. Connected with the institution is a well equipped assaying and chemical laboratory, and a very large amount of practical work is done in these departments. The students, when they have finished their courses, find employment with someone or other of the mining companies, as assayers, superintendents of Cyanide plants, etc. As the school is situated directly in the heart of a large quartz mining district, exceptional opportunities are afforded to students of learning the practical details of mining operations. For this purpose and for instruction in the geological relations of the various strata, excursions are made each week across the hills or into the mines, while, in the surveying classes, field practice, either above ground or underground in the mines, is also arranged for every week. This gives an essentially practical turn to the instruction imparted by the institution, and its utility is now recognised on all sides. The school is examined annually, by examiners in Wellington appointed by the Government, and conducts classes preparatory for the mining managers' and battery superintendents' examinations, also held yearly by the Government. Many students have already successfully passed these examinations, and now hold lucrative positions in consequence. There is also offered yearly a School of Mines scholarship of the annual value of £40, tenable for three years. This has been page 473 gained by two Thames School of Mines' students.

Attached to the school is an experimental plant, fitted with reverberatory furnace, stamps, plates, settling pits, pans, berdans, retorts, etc., and also a complete Cyanide plant. Here the complex ores of the Peninsula in all their varied forms are constantly being treated in test parcels of about one ton, and reports are made as to the best method of treating each particular class of ore. This plant has proved of great advantage to the mining community, in affording a ready means of ascertaining the adaptability or otherwise of any particular class of treatment to the ore of the mines. The method of crushing adopted is usually dry crushing, followed by pan amalgamation or Cyanide treatment, although sometimes it is necessary to chloridize roast the ore before treatment. Not only is the plant useful for testing and experimental purposes, but it affords an excellent object lesson to the metallurgical students, who are, subject to the director's permission, allowed to work in the battery, and so render themselves proficient in the actual working details of the metallurgical treatment of ores. As ore from all parts of the Peninsula, and also occasionally from other parts of New Zealand, is constantly being received for treatment, and as these ores vary in every conceivable way in their character and mineral contents, the mode of treatment has to be varied to suit each particular case, and consequently students are able, in a short time, to obtain an all-round experience in the extraction of bullion from complex ores. This could not be so easily obtained in a battery where only one class of ore is constantly being milled. Separate parcels pass through the plant and are subjected to dry crushing, pan amalgamation, chloridizing and cyaniding, as occasion warrants. The school has three distinct functions to perform, which, now that the work has so largely increased, might with advantage be made separate. First, it conducts classes for the instruction of students in assaying, mining, metallurgy, geology, surveying, drawing, etc., and provides practical work in these subjects. In this it has the hearty co-operation of the mine managers of the field, who allow the use of their mines for practical demonstration of the lectures. Next, the experimental plant is continuously employed in testing ton parcels of ore experimentally to the public; and, thirdly, the institution makes assays of ore for the public. The amount of public work in the shape of assays and experimental tests is very large, and an assay plant has recently been erected and equipped with a view to provide for complete assay tests apart from the class work of the school. An assay office and storeroom have also been erected, as well as a museum for the mining specimens which the headmaster has for several years been collecting. It is expected that this will prove of practical value to prospectors and miners by enabling them to discriminate all the different classes of country, rock, minerals and ore deposits found in the district. The school has been very successful, and many of its students have risen to important positions in the colony. Two of the students have gained Government mining scholarships, entitling them to study at the School of Mines in the University of Otago.

Mr. Francis Bowen Allen, M.A., B.Sc., Director of the Thames School of Mines, was born in 1867. He was educated at the Dunedin High School and Otago University, and held several provincial and University scholarships. In 1887 he gained the degree of M.A. with first class honours in mathematics and mathematical physics, and in 1888 that of B.Sc. In 1886 he entered the Public Works Department, but relinquished this work to study mining and metallurgy at the Otago School of Mines. After gaining his associateship, Mr. Allen had charge of two mining properties in Westland, and in 1893 joined the Thames School of Mines as assistant. In 1896 he was appointed director of the school and manager of the metallurgical experimental plant, and has successfully piloted the institution through the busiest period of its existence.

Mr. William Henry Baker, B.Sc., Assistant Master at the Thames School of Mines, was born in 1876 at the Thames, and was educated at the High School and at the School of Mines, at which, in 1895, he took a scholarship, which entitled him to tuition at the Otago University. There he passed the first section for his B.Sc. degree in 1897, and completed his degree in the following year. He was appointed to his present position in 1899.

The Thames Miners' Union was inaugurated in 1890. Officers for 1900: Messrs M. D. O'Keeffe, president; J. A. Hardman, vice-president; T. Paltridge, treasurer; W. H. Lucas, secretary; and J. McEnteer, A. W. Burns and W. Connon, trustees. There are about 1700 miners belonging to the union, and branches have been established at Waihi, Karangahake, Golden Cross, Waitekauri and Coromandel. The registered office and meeting hall, in Queen Street, Thames, was erected at a cost of £850, and has accommodation for 500 persons. A reading-room, with newspapers and periodicals, is open four nights a week. Halls have also been erected at Waihi and Golden Cross at a cost of £250 each; a reading-room at Coromandel cost £150, and a similar one at Karangahake £100. Members contribute a subscription of 6d per week, and become entitled to an allowance of £1 per week for the first year, in case of accident, and to 10s per week during the rest of their lives. A sum of £50 is payable on the accidental death of a member, in additon to a levy of 6d on each member, which brings in about £35.

Mr. Michael Dineen O'Keeffe, President of the Thames Miners' Union from 1898 to 1900, was born at Mitcheltown, County Cork, Ireland, in 1852. He was brought up to foundry work in the city of Cork, and was afterwards three years in Liverpool. In 1879 he came to Auckland by the ship “Earl Granville,” and worked for some time in Northern Wairoa. In 1880 Mr. O'Keeffe was at the opening of the Te Aroha goldfield, where he was engaged for twelve years in mining and farming. During his residence in Te Aroha Mr. O'Keeffe was unfortunate and became bankrupt. Thereupon he carried his swag to the Thames, and some time afterwards, having been successful in mining, called a meeting of his creditors and paid everyone twenty shillings in the pound.

Having studied at the Thames School of Mines, he qualified as a first class mine manager and took his certificate. He has been very prominent in connection with the page 474 Miners' Union, and was presented by the Golden Cross branch with a Miners' Union collar, richly chased, in recognition of his services. He was married, in 1886, to a daughter of Mr. J. O'Leary, of Queenstown, Ireland.

Mr. William Henry Lucas, J.P., Secretary of the Thames Miners' Union, was born in Manchester, England, in 1851, and during his youth was employed in the office of an architect. In 1866 he came to Auckland, New Zealand, in the ship “Ironsides,” and was apprenticed to a carpenter. About a year later he went to the Thames, and, after finishing his time at his trade, embarked in business as a builder. He has also done considerable work as an architect, and has been engaged in mining in all its branches for the past twenty years. He has always taken an active interest in local affairs. He was one of the first members of the Thames Miners' Union, and filled the office of president for two terms. He was elected secretary of that union in November, 1894, and has been reelected annually since that time. Mr. Lucas has also been actively connected with military matters, serving in the Volunteers for some seventeen years in all, first in the Thames Scottish Volunteers, subsequently as lieutenant in the Hauraki Engineers, and still later as captain of the Thames Rifle Rangers, until they were disbanded. At the present time he holds the rank of lieutenant on the active unattached list of New Zealand Volunteers. He is a noted marksman, and won the Champion Ritle Belt for New Zealand in 1895.

The Big Pump at the Thames is managed in Auckland by a Drainage Board, of which Mr. H. A. Gordon was chairman in 1900. The funds necessary for the continuance of pumping operations are contributed by various surrounding companies, including the New Moanataiari, Kuranui, Caledonian, Waiotahi, Victoria and May Queen-Hanraki. The engine, which is of the “Cornish Bull” type, has a cylinder of 82 inches diameter, while the pumps have a 24-inch lift. This fine plant, which was started about 1872, is capable of draining the ground to a depth of 640 feet, the total measurement of the shaft.

Mr. Joseph Brokenshire, Manager and Engineer of the Big Pump, was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1853, and has been connected with mining from his youth. He arrived in Auckland in 1871, settled at the Thames, and found employment as a miner until 1893, when he became pitman at the Big Pump, and four years later was promoted to his present position.

The Eclipse Gold Mining Company (No Liability) was incorporated in 1896; and Mr. C. A. Harris, of 4 Wyndham Street, Auckland, is Managing Director. The mine, which is 100 acres in extent, is situated in the Upper Tararu district, and was worked about thirty years ago under the name of the Vulcan. Mining is carried on by shafts and tunnels, and no pumping is required. There is also a ten-stamper battery with six berdans situated about a mile and a half from the mine, and the quartz is carried thither by an aerial tram. The mine has already yielded satisfactory results.

Mr. James Thomas, Mine and Battery Manager of the Eclipse Mine and Battery, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, in 1853. He arrived in Auckland by the ship “Columbus” in 1864, and has since devoted his time to mining in the Thames district, except for two years passed in Otago. Mr. Thomas was for fifteen years engaged in tributing, and for a large portion of the time took charge of the tribute parties. He was underground foreman in the Saxon mine for three years and a half, and afterwards for four years at the Victoria mine under the supervision of Mr. T. A. Dunlop. In June, 1896, he became mining engineer for the Thames Exploration Syndicate. The Eclipse mine is one of the properties on which he reported, and it has since proved a successful investment for the syndicate that floated the company. Mr. Thomas has had charge of the mine since April, 1899. He was connected with the Thames Navals for thirteen years, and was first class petty officer for ten years of that time. As a Freemason, he has been a member of Lodge Sir Walter Scott for twenty-four years, and has long been connected with the Loyal Charles Bruce Lodge of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity. He was married, in 1882, to a daughter of the late Mr. S. Gribble, of the Thames, and has two sons and three daughters.

Mr. J. Thomas.

Mr. J. Thomas.

Ethel Reefs Gold Mining Company, Limited, Head Office, Auckland. Mr. T. C. Brown, Komata, is attorney and general manager in New Zealand for this company, which is an English corporation and was founded in 1896. Its mine consists of the Lord Nelson, Marcott and Souvenir licensed holdings, and it has a small battery of four head of stamps and a low-level tunnel extending about 1000 feet within its own ground, at Hape Creek.

Mr. James Benney, Mine and Battery Manager for the Ethel Reefs Company, was born at the Thames in 1875. He has spent all his life in connection with mining, and took a second class certificate as mine manager in 1898. Mr. Benney was appointed to his present position in April, 1900. He is a member of the Loyal Charles Bruce Lodge of Oddfellows. Mr. Benney was married in 1896 to a daughter of Mr. W. K. Wills, of Coromandel, and has two sons.

Mr. J. Benney.

Mr. J. Benney.

Fame And Fortune Mine (E. K. Cooper, proprietor), Thames. This mine, page 475 which has been worked about fourteen years, includes the Pinafore, Gladstone, Australian, Gold Cup and other holdings. It is worked from a low-level tunnel 1600 feet long, and has been managed by Mr. W. A. Connon since 1900.

Fame And Fortune Battery (E. K. Cooper, proprietor; Mr. L. Gordon, battery manager), Thames. This battery is a wooden building containing twenty stamps and a specimen stamper. The falling weight of the stamp is about seven hundredweight and a half. There are also berdans, and the plant is worked by a powerful Pelton wheel driven by the county water supply. The battery was originally known as the Caledonian. It was erected about 1870, and has been Mr. Cooper's property since 1880.

Mr. E. Kersey Cooper, Proprietor, was born at Euston, Suffolk, England, in 1843. After leaving school he assisted his father, till twenty-one years of age, in agricultural work and the estate agency business. He then entered a stockbroker's office as an authorised clerk, and was thus enabled to get into the Stock Exchange, and form an idea as to whether he would like to follow such an occupation. Mr. Cooper decided against it, on account of the lack of continuity in the work. In 1865 he went to Hamburg, and superintended the shipping of that year's Saale barley for a large maltster and brewer; whilst so occupied he made the acquaintance of the late Mr. A. Nobel, who had then only recently discovered how to explode nitro-glycerine by the use of a strong detonator. For many years thereafter Mr. Cooper was engaged with that gentleman in experimenting with nitro-glycerine, and introducing it into the mines of England and Europe. He subsequently visited America, and engaged in various ventures, eventually finding his way to New Zealand in 1880. He was for some years prospecting in the Ohinemuri district with varying success, and, after experiencing the usual vicissitudes of a miner's life, was at last fortunate enough to become proprietor of the splendid property known as the “Royal Standard,” which he succeeded in floating on the London market.

Mr. Laurence Gordon, Battery Manager of the Fame and Fortune Battery, was born at Mercer in 1873. He was educated at the Thames, and gained knowledge of mining work in connection with rock drilling in the Tararu mine, and also had experience in general mining work. He was for some time employed in Comer's battery, afterwards at the Fame and Fortune battery, and subsequently at the Waitekauri battery. Mr. Gordon has been manager of the Fame and Fortune battery since the beginning of 1900. He is a member of the Loyal Waikato Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U., and is connected with the Hauraki Rifles and the Hauraki Rifle Band. Mr. Gordon was married, in 1900, to a daughter of Mr. Pike, caretaker of the Thames County Water Works.

Mr. L. Gordon.

Mr. L. Gordon.

The Ironcap Gold Mining Company, No Liability, was incorporated in September, 1893; Mr. S. C. Macky, of Victoria Arcade, Auckland, secretary. The mine was originally known as the Kaiser. It consists of seventy-six acres, and is in the Tararu district, about five miles from the centre of the Thames; 122 loads of quartz taken from the mine produced £478 worth of gold in July, 1900.

Mr. William Bowden Martin, Mine Manager of the Ironcap Mine, was born in Cornwall, England, in 1844. He was brought up to mining in South Australia, and settled at the Thames in 1870. During his residence in the district Mr. Martin has engaged in mining either as a tribulter or on his own account, and has been successful. He took charge of the Kaiser mine on the 29th of June, 1896, and has continued to manage the property since the new company came into possession. Mr. Martin has been a member of the Loyal Charles Bruce Lodge of Oddfellows since 1871, and has passed all the chairs. He was married, in 1865, to a daughter of the late Mr. S. Gribble, and has five sons and four daughters.

The Kauri Freehold Gold Estates Company, Ltd. Tiis company, which is worked entirely by English capial, was registered on the 1st of June, 1896, with a capltalisation of £250,000 in share of £1 each, fully paid up. The working capital is £60,000. The property consists of 36,000 acres, including freehold land in the Coromandel and Thames counties. The land at Tairua, Taparahi, and Whangapona was bought outright from the Kauri Timber Company, with which the Kauri Freehold Gold Estates Company has no connection whatever. The object the promoters is to develop the land in their possession until it is fit for Halation on the London market. One section of 810 acres at Whangapona has been thoroughly exploited, the company having spent for a protracted period nearly £2000 per month in its development. The superintending engineer for all the properties is Mr. A. Montgomery (late Government Geologist of Tasmania). Mr. D. W. McArthur. A.G.G., the civil engineer, attends to the laying out of roads, construction of buildings, etc., and the practical mine manager is Mr. Edward Quinn. The local secretary is Mr. C. Rhodes, whose office is in Queen Street, and the London secretary is Mr. A. H. Singleton, G Draper's Gardens, E.C.

Mr. Alexander Montgomery, M.A., Superintending Engineer, Kauri Freehold Gold Estates Company, is a gentleman of extended colonial reputation. The son of page 476 the late Mr. Alex. Montgomery, for some years headmaster of the Normal School, Dunedin, the subject of this notice, who was born in Edinburgh in 1862, came to the Colony with his parents in 1865, and was educated at the High School, Dunedin, and at the Otago University and School of Mines. When eighteen years of age Mr. Montgomery gained his B.A. degree, and in the following year that of M.A. (with First Class Honours in Chemistry and Electricity). In 1882 he joined the Public Works Department in the South Island as a junior draughtsman, and was engaged in general engineering work until 1885, when he assumed charge of the Thames School of Mines. He retained that important position till 1890. when he was selected for the post of Inspector of Mines and Government Geologist for the Colony of Tasmania. In December, 1896, Mr. Montgomery returned to New Zealand to accept his present appointment, the duties of which are of the most important character. Several of the highest honours in the gift of his fellows have been bestowed upon Mr. Montgomery. In 1895 he was president of the Australian Institute of Mining Engineers, and is still a member of the council of that institute, also a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He is a vicepresident of the Geological Society of Australia, and a member of the New Zealand Institute. In 1887 Mr. Montgomery was married to Miss Lisn Allom, second daughter of Mr. Albert Allom, an old and respected colonist who came to New Zealand in 1842, as a member of the staff of the New Zealand Company, and who is referred to in these pages under the heading of “Old Colonists.” Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery, whose town house is in Manukan Road, Parnell, have four sons.

Kuranui-Caledonian Gold Mining Company, Ltd. This is an English company, and was registered in London on the 24th of April, 1896. The property is situated at the Thames, and has an area of nearly thirty acres, it includes the famous “Caledonian” Mine, which in the old days helped to bring the Thames into prominence as a gold producing district. A battery of twenty head of stampers has been erected, and the monthly yields are of a most satisfactory nature. The capital is £175,000 in £1 shares—half-a-crown on application, and seven shillings and sixpence on allotment. The working capital is £25,000. Mr Matthew Paul is the nine manager. The London offices are at 20 Great Winchester Street, E.C., and the aceretary is Mr. P. G. Browning.

Mr. Matthew Paul. Mine Manager at the Kuranui-Caledonian Company's Mine, was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1863. He arrived on the Thames goldfield with his parents soon after it opened, and was brought up to mining. In 1891 he obtained his certificate as a mine manager by examination at the School of Mines, and after being nine months manager of the Kaiser Mine, was appointed to his present position in 1895. Mr. Paul was married, in 1889, and has one son and one daughter.

Mr. M. Paul.

Mr. M. Paul.

May Queen Extended Gold Mixing Company (No Liability), was incorporated about 1895; Mr. J. J. Macky, Victoria Arcade, Auckland, secretary. The mine consists of seventy acres, and embraces the holdding formerly known as the Adelaide, Onehunga, Hokianga, Crack Shot, and other small holdings. Prospecting work is being continned on the property; a shaft has been sunk to a depth of 180 feet, and cross cutting work is being carried on from the bottom of the shaft. Thousands of ounces of gold have been taken from different sections of this company's mine.

Mr. Richard Jenkins, Mine Manager of the May Queen Extended Mine, was born near Truro, Cornwall, England, in 1812. He was brought up to mining, and went to Italy in 1865 to manage two copper mines. In 1872 he came to Auckland, and settled at the Thames. Mr. Jenkins was for about twelve years working on one of the properties now held by the May Queen Extended Company. Prior to that he was working as a tributer in the Kuranni mine. Mr. Jenkins is a Past Grand Master of the Loyal Waikato Lodge of Oddtellows, and as a Freemason he is Attacheq to Lodge Corinthian. He was married, in 1877, to a daughter of the late Mr. S, Paill, of Cornwall, and has three sons and two daughters.

The May Queen Extended Battery is the oldest on the Thames Gold fields, having been erected by Mr. George Bull early in 1868. It was purchased by the present proprietors in September, 1896. The battery is fitted with twenty-three stampers, and the power is sufficient to crush, on an average, about twenty-four tons daily. The machinery is driven by a Pelton water wheel supplied from the county witer race. There are fourteen berdans in the battery, which is lighted by electricity, generated by two dynamos. It is said that the battery was the first, on the field to be lighted by electricity.

Mr. Daniel Kennedy Redwood, Manager of the May Queen Extended Battery, was born in Onehunga, in 1871. His father, the late Mr. John Redwood, was one of the pioneers of the Thames in 1867. Mr. D. K. Redwood was educated at Kauaeranga. Boys' School, and was brought up to battery work by his father at the May Queen Extended battery. He afterwards gained further experience at the Great Mercury and Red Mercury batteries, Kuaotunu, and was subsequently employed in batteries at Whangapoua and Waitekauri, In 1898 Mr. Redwood became amalgamator at the May Queen Extended, and was appointed to his present position when his father died in 1899. Mr. Redwood is a member of the Hauraki Band, and as a Forester he belongs to Court Pride of the North, of which he was Junior Warden in 1900, He was married, in 1896, to a daughter of Mr. H. Taylor, of the Thames, and has one son and one daughter.

Mr. John Redwood, sometime Manager of the May Queen Extended Battery, was well known throughout the Thames for more than thirty years. Settling in the district in 1867, Mr. Redwood located himself in “block twenty-seven,” and engaged in mining pursults. Three years later he began to work at the “Una” Battery, and afterwards devoted himself entirely to that branch of the industry. He entered the service of Mr. Bull about 1880, and was with him mainly for sixteen years; at the time of purchase by the present owners of the battery Mr. Redwood undertook the management. Born in London in 1846. Mr. Redwood came with his father, Mr. John Redwood, to New Zealand in 1855, in the ship “Egmont.” He learned the trade of a carpenter in Auckland, and followed his calling for a short time. During the war he served for about two years in No. 2 Regiment page 477 of the Waikato Militia, under Colonel Haultain. As a Forester, Mr. Redwood on several occasions represented his court in the position of delegate. He died on the 18th of September, 1899.

The Late Mr. J. Redwood.

The Late Mr. J. Redwood.

May Queen Hauraki, Limited, The property, which is situated at the Thames, has an area of 184 acres 2 roods 36 perches. It includes the “Queen of the May” (L.H.) Hematite Claim, “May Queen Junction” Claim, “Trenton” (L.H.), “Hand of Friendship” (L.H.), “Saxon” (L.H.), “Hidden Treasure” Claim, and “St. Hippo” (L.H.). There is a battery of thirty-one head of stampers and a complete plant for the treatment of the ore. This is an English company, and was registered in London on the 2nd of July, 1896. The capital is £200,000 in £1 shares, which have been privately subscribed. Mr. W. Baker has charge of the mine, and the colonial attorney is Mr. H. A. Gordon, Mr. R. McDonald Scott being the local secretary of the company in Auckland. Mr. William Alfred Berry, the general secretary, has his office at 22 Austin Friars, London, E.C. The company has a working capital of £30,000.

Mr. William Baker, Mine Manager of the May Queen-Hauraki, Limited, was born in the Bay of Islands in 1848, and is a carpenter by trade. Mr. Baker has been on the Thames since 1868, and has been engaged in mining either as a tributer or on his own account. He became a mine manager in 1888, and was for a year in charge of the Eureka mine, Otunui district. For seven years subqently he had charge of the Cambria mine, and was for some time engaged as confidential expert to the Anglo-Continental and New Zealand Exploration Company. Mr. Baker was appointed to the May Queen-Hauraki early in 1899. He is a member of the Loyal Waikato Lodge, I.O.O.F.,M.U. Mr. Baker was married, in 1873, to a daughter of the late Mr. C. Woodcock, sergeant of the commissiary department, Auckland, and has five sons and four daughters.

Mr. W. Baker.

Mr. W. Baker.

Mr. Henry Stratford Leece, Engineer on the May Queen-Hauraki Company's Mine, was born in 1868 at Uralla, New South Wales, accompanied his parents to Otago in 1870, and was educated at Roxburgh. He was brought up as an engineer in New South Wales, whither he had returned in 1880, and was engaged in mining in the New England district for about eight years. Mr. Leece arrived in Auckland in 1896, when he settled at the Thames, and found employment as as engineer. He was afterwards employed by the Waihi Company for a short time, and for three years subsequently by the New Alburnia Company at the Thames. During his residence in Tararu, Mr. Leece took an interest in the local school committee, of which he was chairman in 1899 and 1900. While in New South Wales he was for some time a member of the Hillgrove Hospital Committee. As a Freemason, he is a member of Lodge Corinthian, and has taken several of the junior chairs. He has been a Forester since 1886, and passed all the chairs in Court White Star, New England, New South Wales. He was married, in 1891, to a daughter of Mr. T. O. Key, of Glen Innes, New South Wales, and has two sons and one daughter.

Mr. William Henry Burch, for some time manager of the mine, is a native of Dawlish, Devonshire, England, where he was born in December, 1845. Some time after quitting school, he left the Old Country for the colonies, arriving in New South Wales in 1863, and in the early part of the following year he came to Auckland, New Zealand. In August, 1867, he moved to the Thames, and has since then had a large and practical mining experience in the Peninsula. Mr. Burch was the first mine manager to open up a mine at Waihi. In November, 1896, he was elected a member of the Thames Borough Council for a period of three years. He is also a member of the council of the Thames School of Mines, and in March, 1897, was elected to a seat on the Licensing Bench.

The May Queen-Hauraki Battery, originally known as Goodall's, was one of the earliest batteries on the Thames. It has been several times enlarged, and contains thirty-two stamps and one specimen stamper. Each stamp has a fall of about eight hundred weight. The plant is worked by a Pelton water wheel, driven by the county water supply, and is contained in a wooden building.

page 478

Mr. Peter Weir, Battery Manager of the May Queen-Hauraki Battery, was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, in 1853. He came to Auckland in 1869 by the ship “Mary Shepherd,” and settled at the Thames, where he has been engaged in battery work nearly the whole time of his residence in the district. For a while he worked at the Kuranui battery, and afterwards had charge of one of the shifts for about three years. He was employed for some time to superintend the crushing of the Golden Calf quartz at the Waiotahi, Souter's, and other batteries, and has been in his present position since 1895. As a volunteer he has served altogether about twenty years in the Thames Navals and Scottish companies. He was married, in 1897, to a daughter of Mr. A. Mercer, of Auckland.

Mr. P. Weir.

Mr. P. Weir.

New Moanatairi Gold Mining Company, Limited; Head Office for the Colony, Thames. This company has its head-quarters in London, where it was incorporated on the 14th of August, 1899. Its capital is £300,000. The mine comprises the ground worked by the old Moanataiari company, and has a large battery of sixty stampers, with a cyanide plant and every appliance. It is considered the most up to date battery on the Thames. The colonial manager and attorney is Mr. James Park, and the secretary in New Zealand, Mr. Belworthy.

Mr. James Park, F.G.S., was born near Aberdeen, Scotland. From 1875 to 1879, he was engaged in sheep farming pursuits in the East Coast district of the province of Wellington, and in the latter year he joined the scientific staff of the New Zealand Geological Surveys, under Sir James Hector. First as field assistant, and afterwards as geological surveyor and mining geologist. Mr. Park acquired an intimate acquaintance with every part of New Zealand. For ten years he carried on his geological explorations and mine examinations in all parts of the Colony, and his travels among the higher Alps and mountains of both islands would, if recorded in detail, fill a book, and, as a mountaineer, he has few rivals in New Zealand. His explorations among the trackless alpine regions of the South Island, extending from Mount Earnslaw to the West Coast Sounds, were of an exceptional, protracted and hazardous character, and stamp him as a man possessed of great energy and endurance. In 1889 the New Zealand Government appointed Mr. Park director of the Thames School of Mines,—a position he held till May, 1896, when he resigned. What he has done for that institution is now a matter of history. From the status of a village school, he claims to have raised it to the proud position of the leading mining school in the Australian colonies, and it is now well known to mining men throughout the world. Mr. Park proved himself an instructor of mining and metallurgy of exceptional ability, and numbers of the mine managers and metallurgists throughout the goldfields of the Colony owe their start in life to his help and encouragement. Besides acting as director of the School of Mines. Mr. Park was manager of the Government experimental and Cyanide works at the Thames, erected in connection with the school, and in that capacity acquired a knowledge of the different methods of treating the refractory ores met with in the Hauraki district. In addition to this work, Mr. Park continued his scientific and mining researches, and his memoir and map of the Thames Gold-fields form a classical work, which has, perhaps, done more than anything else to attract capital for the development of the Colony's resources. Besides his official geological and mining reports, Mr. Park has been a contributor to the transactions of the New Zealand Institute since 1880. He has also furnished many valuable reports, dealing with works to be undertaken to develop mines, and the treatment of ores. He is well known as the author of very useful books on “Practical Assaying,” “Cyanide Treatment of Ores,” and “Determination of Meridian,” which are now standard text books in all New Zealand and many Australian schools of mines. Among New Zealand geologists, Mr. Park has a reputation for keen and careful field observation, and certainly his judgments relating to mining properties have proved singularly accurate and well founded.

Mr. J. Park.

Mr. J. Park.

Mr. William Belworthy, Secretary in New Zealand for the New Moanataiari Company, was born at Eton, England, in 1867. He was brought up to mercantile life, and came to Port Chalmers in 1886. Mr. Belworthy became secretary and accountant to the Anglo-Continental Syndicate, and subsequently received his present appointment, as well as the secretaryship of the May Queen-Hauraki Company.

Mr. Ezra Cartwright, Mine Manager of the New Moanatairi Gold Mining Company's Mine, was born in 1856 in Auckland, and educated there and at the Thames. His experience as a miner began when he was twelve years of age, and he was advanced by successive stages to the position of shift boss, foreman, and mine manager. He was for some time employed as foreman at the May Queen and Cambria mines, and was afterwards for two years mine manager at the Nonpareil mine, which he continued to manage until he was appointed to his present position, in November, 1898. Mr. Cartwright studied at the School of Mines, and gained a first-class mine manager's certificate in 1896. He is a Past Master of the Corinthian Lodge of the Order of Freemasons, and as a Forester is page 479 attached to Court Pride of Parnell, Thames. Mr. Cartwright was married, in 1887, to a daughter of the late Mr. T. Gentles, of the North of Ireland, and has two sons and three daughters.

The New Whau Gold Mining Company (No Liability), was incorporated about 1894. Its capital is £96,000, in £1 shares, and its offices are in Auckland; Mr. H. Gilfillan, junior, secretary. The area of the mine consists of ninety-nine acres, including the original holdings of the Old Whau, Black Angel, Sons of Freedom, Caliban, Wai-temata, Clunes, and Nordenfeldt. Some very rich reefs are known to exist in the property.

Mr. James Sprange Jobe, Mine Manager of the New Whau, was born in 1853, in Devonshire, England, where he was educated and brought up to mining. After having had about ten years' experience, he came to New Plymouth, in 1877, by the ship “Hurunui.” In the same year Mr. Jobe found his way to the Thames, and has since been engaged in mining in the lower and higher levels of the field. For seven years he was underground boss at the Alburnia mine, of which he was also underground manager for three years. Afterwards he was underground boss of the Thames-Hauraki, and was one of the tributers of the Alburnia mine for five years, during which about 6000 ounces of gold were obtained. In 1891 Mr. Jobe became mine manager of the Flying Cloud mine, and was appointed to his present position in 1899. He comes of a well-known family of Devonshire mine captains, of whom the late Captain James Sprange, after whom he was named, was a type. As a Freemason, Mr. Jobe is attached to Lodge Corinthian, and has passed three chairs. He is also a member of the Loyal Waikato Lodge, I.O.O.F.,M.U. As a volunteer Mr. Jobe served seven years in the Thames Scottish No. 1 Company, and as a member of the band, took part in the band contest at Auckland in 1882, when the Thames Scottish Band was victorious, and each member received a medal. He was married, in 1883, to a daughter of the late Mr. H. Jenkin, of Cornwall, and has three sons and four daughters.

Mr. J. S. Jobe.

Mr. J. S. Jobe.

Occidental Gold Mining Company (No Liability); Head Office, Victoria Arcade, Auckland; Mr. S. C. Macky, secretary. This company's mine, which was originally known as the Old Una, is situated on Una Hill, at the Thames, and is fifty acres in extent. The company was incorporated about 1895.

Mr. Thomas Moyle, Mine Manager of the Occidental Mine, was born at Forest Gate, Parish of Illogan, Cornwall, England, in 1850. He was brought up to mining, in which he was engaged until he left for New Zealand. Mr. Moyle arrived in Lyttelton in 1871 by the ship “Charles Gladstone,” but went to Auckland, where he stayed for a few months before settling at the Thames. There he worked for some years as a miner, and was afterwards a shift boss for five years, and ten years a mine manager, and was connected with the New Fear Not, Lone Hand, and St. Hippo mines. He was appointed to the management of the Occidental in March, 1895, and in January, 1898, he took over also the management of the Victoria. Mr. Moyle is connected with Court Pride of the North, A.O.F., 5575. He was married, in 1871, to a daughter of Mr. W. Andrew, of Cornwall, and has two sons and two daughters.

Mr. T. Moyle.

Mr. T. Moyle.

Standard Exploration Company, Limited; Head Office, 43 Lothbury, London, E.C. Capital, £1.500,000. This large company purchased the properties lately held by the Thames-Hauraki Goldfields, Ltd. These mines include an area of 290 acres, and the holdings were originally known as Queen of Beauty, Deep Sinker, and Deep Levels Consolidated. The Government advanced a sum of £25,000 in consideration of the company's having undertaken to sink the main shaft 1000 feet, and the shaft has now (May, 1901) been sunk to a depth of 828 feet. The plant is the largest and the most up to date in the Colony. The size of the original shaft was 13 feet by 4 feet, and the present one is, 20 feet by 11 feet. Chambers 25 feet square have been made at 327 and 654 feet respectively. In these chambers sets of plungers are to be placed, and when the full depth is reached a draw lift will be put in. The cost of the plant, including engines, boilers, and pumping machinery, was £42,000 in London. An immense concrete block forms the foundation for the winding engine, and is said to contain 500 tons. The concrete for the main engine measures 20 feet in depth by 70 feet and 60 feet respectively, and includes 6000 tons of concrete. The estimated strength of the machinery is 2000 horse-power. There are ten fine boilers, each measuring 7 feet by 30 feet, capable of carrying a pressure of 120 pounds to the square inch. There is a Tangye winding engine of 40 horse-power, and it will work double cages, which can be moved at the rate of 1300 feet per minute. There is also an electric lighting plant, and an air compressor for working rock drills.

Mr. Thomas Aitken Dunlop, who is referred to in another article as Chairman of the Thames County Council, is the general manager for the Standard Exploration Company, Limited.

Tararu Creek Gold Mining Company, Ltd. This company was registered in London on the 7th of August, 1895, with a capital of £95,000 in shares of ten shillings each—one shilling on application, two shillings on allotment, and the balance as and when required. The company has a working capital of £15,000, and a reserve of £15,000. The secretary is Mr. W. J. Lavington, 97 Dashwood House, London. E.C., and the colonial attorneys are Mr. R. W. Powell and Mr. J. Mowbray. The property, which consists of about 155 acres, is situated on the left bank of the Tararu Creek, In the Hauraki mining district, and is in close proximity to the “Caledonia,” “Shotover,” and “Hauraki” Mines. It comprises the following licensed holdings:— “Norfolk,” “Norfolk, No. 1.” “Norfolk South,” “City of Dunedin,” “Opal,” “Sunbeam,” and “Excelsior.” The deeper workings are being systematically developed, and the crushings are regular. The mine was equipped with a forty stamp battery which was destroyed by fire in March, 1898, during which a new battery of thirty stampers was erected to replace it. The machinery is driven by a Pelton wheel, which is supplied from the company's water races, and there is an auxiliary steam engine.

Mr. Robert William Powell, General Manager and Attorney for the Tararu Creek Gold Mining Company, was appointed to the position in April, 1900. Mr. Powell had a large experience as a miner, mine manager, and owner, in Australia, where he arrived in 1855. He has for many years been a member of the Amalgamated Mine Managers' page 480 Association of Victoria, and was a foundation member of the Australian Institute of Mining Engineers.

Mr. Richard Tierney, Mine Manager of the Tararu Creek Mine since 1899, was born at Papakura, in 1868. He was educated at the Thames, and has been connected with mining from his early days. Having studied at the School of Mines, he obtained a first-class manager's certificate in 1894.

Mr. Claude Francis, Accountant at the Tararu Creek Mine, was horn in Colchester, England, in 1859, and educated at Bishop Stortford. He came out to Auckland in 1880, and arrived in Wellington three years later. After ten years of farming in the Ashurst district, he was appointed to his present position in 1895.

Mr. William Lang Thorburn, Junior, Amalgamator at the Tararu Creek Battery, was born in 1854 in Auckland, where he was educated. He removed to the Thames in 1863, and has since been engaged in battery work. He was successively employed at the Wild Missouri, Old Tararu, Kuranui, Queen of Beauty (afterwards Cambria), and Anchor batteries. Mr. Thorburn was appointed to his present position at Tararu Creek battery in 1898. As an Oddfellow he is attached to Loyal Charles Bruce Lodge, in which he has passed the chair. He is also a member of the Corinthian Lodge of Freemasons.

Mr. W. L. Thorburn, with Son and Grandson of the same name.

Mr. W. L. Thorburn, with Son and Grandson of the same name.

Mr. James McLean, sometime Mine Manager of the Tararu Creek Gold Mining Company, Ltd., was born at Wade, near Auckland, in July, 1864. The family moving to the Thames in 1872, and locating at Tararu Creek, the subject of this sketch began to earn his livelihood at the age of ten years in the mines of that district. Mr. McLean had a practical experience in mining of over twenty-five years. Commencing at the lowest grade, he rose gradually, by dint of using his energies and abilities. Mr. McLean was for a time battery manager in several mines, and in 1884 was appointed mine manager to the “Eureka” Mine; after that time he had charge of several mining properties, including the “Norfolk” and “City of Dunedin” Mines, and, when the latter was taken over in August, 1895, by the Tararu Creek Gold Mining Company, Ltd., was appointed mine manager. Mr. McLean was an active and enterprising man, and was highly esteemed in the mining community. He was drowned in the Piako river on the 2nd of April, 1899, whilst out on a shooting expedition.

Victoria Gold Mining Company, Limited; Head Office, Victoria Arcade, Auckland; Mr. S. C. Macky, secretary. Directors for 1900: Messrs J. S. Kissling (chairman), L. D. Nathan, and G. Aicken. This company's mine, originally the Old Prince Imperial, consists of forty-two acres, and is situated between Albert Street and Willoughby Street. Mr. Thomas Moyle is mine manager.

Crawford, Thomas Henry, Mine Manager, Thames. Mr. Crawford came to Australia in September, 1855, in the ship “Merlin,” and followed alluvial mining at Ballarat, Bendigo, and other fields, for some four years, when he joined in the “rush” to Otago, coming over the Tasman Sea in a vessel named “Lightning,” Settling on the Dunstan, Mr. Crawford, in common with many others, found food exceedingly scarce, and in consequence suffered many and great privations. After three years of fair fortune he went to the West Coast, and there also was engaged in alluvial mining. In 1867 he went to the Thames, and for about eighteen months practically engaged in quartz mining. For a similar period Mr. Crawford had charge of a very rich mine known as the page 481 “Belfast,” and then managed the “Cure” mine for some nine years, controlling, at times, as many as 160 men. During a portion of the last named period Mr. Crawford was also manager for the “Tookey” and “Golden Calf” Mines. Subsequently for five years he had charge of the “Hurunui Hill United” Mine, from which during the first six months he extracted 1100 ounces of gold. The “Saxon” was his next mine, but, when the amalgamation took place between the “Saxon” and the “May Queen,” he, in company with Mr. T. C. Bayldon, pegged out the “Crawford's Special” Mine, which was floated into a company. This Mr. Crawford managed for some eighteen months, when the company was wound up and refloated as the “St. Hippo,” of which he again took charge. He, however, resigned within the year, and since then has been mainly engaged in pegging out properties and floating them on the markets. The “Karaka” claim was pegged out by him and sold to Messrs. Harris, Haggard and Co., and the “Queen of Beauty” Mine was also pegged out by Mr. Crawford, who is still interested in many of the properties, notably that of the Hauraki Goldfields Company. Ltd. Mr. Crawford was born in County Monaghan, in the north of Ireland, in 1839, and is a brother of the Rev. Dr. James Crawford, of Belfast, and of the Rev. Dr. Joseph Crawford, of Liverpool, also cousin of General Sir Thomas Crawford, of London. The subject of this notice represented the North Ward in the Thames Borough Council for a period of three years, and has also been a member of the Harbour Board. He has taken a great interest in educational matters, and has been a Freemason for about forty years.

Hansen, Peter Christian, sometime Mine Manager, Thames. Mr. Hansen was born at Nyborg, Denmark, in 1838, and when quite a youth took to the sea a profession. His bent for a seafaring life was not surprising, considering the family from which he sprang, and the nation to which he belongs. As early as the age of sixteen, he visited England, and thereafter rose rapidly in his adopted profession. In 1857 he came to Australia in the American ship “John Cottle,” and, as the gold excitement was then at its height, left his ship to go to the fields. Not meeting with the success he anticipated, however, he returned to Melbourne and engaged in the coastal trade, afterwards running between Newcastle, New South Wales, and New Zealand. Mr. Hansen was in the Colony at the time of the Walkato War, and finally, in 1864, determined to make it his home. At first he engaged in trading with the natives, principally for gum, but in 1867, when the Thames Goldfields were opened up, he decided to join in the “rush,” and there his experience in Victoria stood him in good stead. Mr. Hansen worked for a few weeks as a miner, and then obtained a position in the “All Nations” Mine, of which he eventually became the manager, conducting it most successfully for three years. Shortly after leaving this mine he visited the South Island, and remained there for eleven years, the principal part of that time being engaged in quartz mining in Collingwood. On his return to the North Island he was soon engaged as a manager, and had charge of various valuable properties, ranging over the greater part of the Peninsula. Mr. Hansen always took an active interest in mining throughout the length and breadth of the Hauraki Goldfields, and was instrumental in opening up and working claims in new districts such as the Great Barrier. He was a certificated mine manager, and had about forty years' experience as a practical and theoretical miner. Mr. Hansen was a member of the committee of the Thames School of Mines. He died on the 29th of July, 1899.

The Late Mr. P. C. Hansen.

The Late Mr. P. C. Hansen.

Hastings, Richard John, Mine Manager, Waihi. Mr. Hastings was born at the Thames in the year 1870, on the claim of the original Caledonia Gold Mine. His father, Mr. Charles Hastings, was one of the early settlers at the Thames, and was for a number of years Foreman of Public Works for the Thames Borough Council. The subject of this notice received his early education at the old Thames School, and at the age of about ten years began to work in the mines. He followed tributing work for about seven years, in which he was quite successful, and was subsequently employed in the well-known Moanataiari Gold Mine for a like period. In March, 1896 Mr. Hastings took charge of the mining property of the Apakura Syndicate, and remained in that employment for eight months. A year previously he had pegged out the Dover Castle claim, consisting of 100 acres, and in December, 1896, floated it into a company, and became mine manager. The Dover Castle Company is now out of existence. Although Mr. Hastings is a comparatively young man, ihe has had a large and extended experience in practical mining. He is a member of the Sir Walter Scott Lodge of Freemasons, No. 15, N.Z.C., also of Waikato Lodge, No. 5444, I.O.O.F.

Loughlin, David John, Mine Manager, Thames. Mr. Loughlin was born at Cumber, near Belfast, Ireland, and emigrated to New Zealand with his father, Mr. John Loughlin, when quite young, arriving in Auckland about 1866. The family moved to the Thames shortly after the opening of the goldfields, and the subject of this notice began at the age of fifteen years to earn his livelihood in the mines of the district. He rose gradually till he was promoted to the position of amalgamator in the Prince Alfred Battery, which position he filled for two years. He was then in charge of the Kuranul Battery page 482 for twelve months, and subsequently engaged in tribute work with marked success. In 1890 Mr. Loughlin was appointed mine manager for the Junction Mine, of which he had charge for some two years, and was also at various times in charge of the “Little Nell,” “Prosperity,” and other mines, including the well-known original Great Barrier Mine. Mr. Loughlin is a thoroughly experienced miner, both in underground work and in charge of machinery, having been identified with mining in its various branches for about twenty-five years. He is well known throughout the goldfields for his skill and Industry. Mr. Loughlin was married at the Thames in January, 1896, to Miss Mary Wells.

Loughlin, Samuel Jameson, Mine Manager, Thames. Mr. Loughlin is a son of the late Mr. John Loughlin, who settled at the Thames a few months after the opening of the goldfields in 1867. At the age of fifteen, Mr. Loughlin began to earn his living by working in various mines on the Hauraki Goldfields, and followed that occupation for nearly thirty years. He was engaged in some of the principal batteries and mines at the Thames, first as amalgamator, then as battery manager, and finally as mine manager. Mr. Loughlin had charge of the Dart Battery, and the well-known Ivanhoe Battery, and was appointed manager of the McIsaacs Company's mine in September, 1896. He holds many letters from the companies by whom he has been employed, testifying to his ability as a competent miner and amalgamator, and is considered a thoroughly reliable manager. Mr. Loughlin was for five years a member of the Thames Volunteer Naval Brigade. He was married at Wairon South in 1893 to Miss Annie L. M. Wilson, daughter of Mr. James Sangster Wilson, an early settler of that district.

Mcdonald, Ronald, Mine Manager, Thames. Mr. McDonald was born in Prince Edward Island, Dominion of Canada, in 1837. He is a great-grandson of the late Mr. Charles Ronald McDonald, who emigrated with Captain John McDonald in 1772 to that island with a large body of Scotch Catholics, and a son of Mr. J. C. McDonald, of Orwell. During his youth Mr. McDonald learned the trade of a shipbuilder, and for some years worked in his brother's shipyard at Orwell as a partner. In 1854 he sailed in the ship “Edward,” from New York to Victoria, where he followed mining on the goldfields of Ballarat and in other countries for ten years, and met with considerable success. He was mine manager of the North American Mine in Happy Valley for three years, and also of the Robin Hood Mine, of the same place. In 1864 he came to New Zealand in the s.s. “Omeo,” and subsequently engaged in mining on the West Coast of the South Island. He moved to the Thames in 1869, where he has ever since followed mining pursuits. Mr. McDonald has had a practical experience in his profession extending over a period of forty years, and has been a shareholder in and manager of some of the most important mines at the Thames, including the well-known Queen of Beauty, Golden Calf, and North Star Mines.

Williams, John, Mine Manager, Thames. Mr. Williams, who has been intimately associated with mining for more than a quarter of a century, was born in Wales in 1852, but when quite young went with his parents to South Africa. On coming to New Zealand, in 1864, by the ship “Alfred,” Mr. Williams joined his father in a farming investment at Wajuku; but in 1870 he relinquished his interest to follow mining at the Thames. Two years later he went to Australia, and was as far north as Charters Towers, in Queensland, where he remained about six months, and engaged in alluvial mining. He was afterwards coal mining at Woollongong, New South Wales, for about nine months, but ultimately returned to the Thames. From the position of an ordinary miner, Mr. Williams soon rose to that of underground foreman, and in 1884, he took charge of the Silvia mine. A year later he became manager for the Dives Gold Mining Company, and held the position for two years, when he removed to Whangapoua, near Coromandel, where, for eight months, he had control of the Hilda mine. He then took charge of the Jubilee mine, at Waitekauri, for a few months, and was afterwards manager of the Owera mine. Twelve months later, Mr. Williams returned to the Thames, and speculated in mines with fair success. In 1894 he became manager of the Sheridan mine. The management of the Golden Point mine was placed in his hands in September, 1895; but he resigned it in January, 1897. While managing the “Sheridan” he was also supervisor of the Club and Golden Band mines. In July, 1896, Mr. Williams was appointed manager for the Great Mercury Company, at Kuaotunu. He was the second member elected to the Oddfellows' Lodge at the Thames, in 1868.

Eddowes, William, Mining Investor, Thames. P.O. Box, 29. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Eddowes, who has resided at the Thames since 1868, received his early education at Schofield's Grammar School. At the age of sixteen he began to follow mercantile pursuits, and while so engaged studied assiduously for some years at the Thames School of Mines, from which he received certificates for proficiency in the various branches of chemistry and assaying. For a number of years Mr. Eddowes has given his entire attention to mining, and has met with considerable success.

Adams, Ernest Feltus, Mining Engineer, Authorised and Licensed Surveyor, page 483
Mr. E. F. Adams' Premises.

Mr. E. F. Adams' Premises.

Thames. P.O. Box, 5. Telephone, 69. Mr. E. F. Adams was born in the Isle of Man in 1865, and came to New Zealand with his father, Mr. James Adams, B.A., in the S.S. “Great Britain” in 1871. The family settling in Auckland, he was mainly educated at the Church of England Grammar School, while his father held the position of headmaster of that institution, and completed his studies at the Thames High School, of which Mr. Adams, senior, is still the principal. The subject of this notice was employed in the Government Survey Department for about six years, working principally in the Hauraki Peninsula. He entered the service as a cadet, and passed his examination three years later. Mr. Adams resigned his position in the Survey Department to start business with Mr. James McLaren, formerly Inspector of Mines, as mining engineers and surveyors. After two years he purchased his partner's interest. The business he now carries on was established in 1867 by the late Mr. W. C. Wright, who disposed of his interest to Mr. D. H. Bayldon; that gentleman sold to Mr. Adams, who conducts a large and extensive business. The office's records of the goldfields date from 1867 to the present time, and the plans alone number over 3500.

Mr. Charles Frederick Sims, B.C.E., was born in Melbourne in 1874. He was educated at State schools, at Scott's College, and at the Melbourne University, and took his degree in 1895. Mr. Sims had considerable experience at Broken Hill as assistant assayer, and was subsequently assayer and assistant cyanide manager at Padington Consols Mine, West Australia. He was appointed metallurgist at the Tararu Consolidated Mine, Thames, in June, 1900, but that mine has since then been closed down.

Mr. Samuel Alexander, who claimed the reward of £5000 for the discovery of payable gold at the Thames, was born in London in 1828. He came out to Victoria in 1852, and went to Bendigo and other goldfields. In 1863 he came over to Otago, but removed to Auckland during the same year, and was for some time in business on his own account in the furniture trade in Parnell. Prior to the declaration of the goldfields he made a trip down the Hauraki Gulf, and as an old digger judged from the appearance of the ranges that it was a quartz-bearing country. In the month of July, 1867, Mr. Alexander was on the Thames, and found his way up the Kuranui Creek, then surrounded by dense bush, including supplejacks. Having discovered a small waterfall about 10 feet high, he climbed to the top and scooped up some of the loose stuff. This he carried out to the open, and on panning off the dish, discovered a rich prospect of gold. The prospect was immediately taken to Auckland by Mr. Alexander himself, and when crushed there by him, it yielded 21 pennyweights of gold. On this circumstance Mr. Alexander based his application as the discoverer of gold. The ground on which he found specimens was afterwards well known as Hunt's Claim. Mr. Alexander afterwards alleged that it was originally arranged between Hunt, Clarkson, and himself that he (Alexander) should have a full share in the mine as the fifth shareholder in six men's ground, but that Hunt had sold that share to other persons before Alexander had had time to register his interest. The other shareholders made large fortunes, which they afterwards lost; and after that Mr. Alexander's claims were year after year pressed upon the Government, and at last, in 1896, he was awarded a sum of £50. Mr. Alexander is an old Forester, and opened the first court in New Zealand, Court City of Auckland, 3978, in 1863, and became page 484 Chief Ranger of the Lodge. In 1871 Mr. Alexander became assistant court bailiff on the Thames, and continues to perform occasional services when required. He is often called the Father of the Thames goldfield, as well as the Father of Forestry. Mr. Alexander was married, in 1854, at Bendigo, Victoria, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Middleton, of Manchester, but that lady died in 1867. In 1868 he was married to a daughter of the late Mr. R. Brady, of Auckland, and four sons have been born of this union.