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THE PRINCE OF WALES MINE, AMHERST, NEAR TALBOT. 
By A. M. Howitt. 
This report is based on information obtained from personal interviews 
wifh some of those who worked in the mine in the “ seventies,” from my 
observations on the line of reef, and from records in the Talbot Leader. 
The Prince of Wales reef is situated in the State forest, 2 miles north¬ 
east of Amherst township, and 1 mile west of the Daisy Hill State school, 
parish of Amherst. It was hist worked in the “ sixties,” but yields at 
that time are not obtainable. 
The reef is in a well-defined channel in Ordovician strata, making in 
blocks of well mineralized, highly laminated quartz. It dips 70 deg. to the 
west, and its general strike is N. 20 deg. W. ; the slate and sandstone beds 
strike N. 10 deg. W. This difference of strike causes displacements along 
the line; where the reef abuts on hard sandstone beds, it is moved to the 
east as it is traced northwards. Two of these displacements are seen; one to 
the south of the Prince of Wales main engine-shaft and another near the 
Perseverance engine-shaft on the north hill; between them the best blocks 
have been mined. (Plate XXIII.) 
The beds through which this line of reef trends are medium-grained 
yellow sandstones, green to yellow-pitted slates, and some black pitted 
slates containing pyrites, and running close to the reef. These strata dip 
from 70 cleg, to So deg. to the east, and succeeding them are harder and 
coarser sandstones apparently on an anticlinal, since softer beds dipping 
west occur 2 chains further to the west; through these beds the small reef 
known as “ The Emu ” trends. 
Eleven chains south of the main Prince of Wales shaft there is a nearly 
horizontal dyke, apparently minette, which appears to have its origin 
directly to the west, where a deep shaft has passed through surface dyke 
rock and dyke rock of a hard nature, such as would occur near water level, 
thus indicating the position of a main vertical dyke just west of the reef. 
This dyke should influence the southern portion of the line, and also be 
adjacent to the main south workings at the engine shaft, as here there is 
evidence of its presence. 
The outcrop of the reef has been prospected a little, and 6 chains south 
of the main Prince of Wales engine shaft, where it crosses a gully that 
yielded rich alluvial gold, a small trial crushing yielded gold to the 
amount of 7 dwt. per ton. At this place the reef is narrow 7 and the above- 
mentioned cross dyke, if continuous, would intersect it at a depth of about 
100 feet. 
From the Prince of Wales engine shaft northwards to the Perseverance 
shaft, a distance of 10 chains, there is a continuous line of workings in the 
following order : — 
1. Prince of Wales main shaft workings. 
2. Busch and Party’s rich claim. 
3. Fentel’s rich claim. 
4. Lubie’s claim. 
5. Perseverance United Co.’s workings. 
Then follows a fault to the east and other workings to a depth of 60 feer 
in places. 
The main Prince of Wales engine shaft is stated to be 240 feet deep 
and measures 9 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. 6 in. Mr. C. Ohlsen, one of the last v 7 ho 
had a tribute in this portion of the reef, informs me there is a good reef 
going south underfoot. The stone his party mined was 4 feet wide; 1 foo 4 : 
of quartz on the footwall w 7 as payable and yielded rip to 11 dw r t. of gold 
