GYMPIE. [GYMPIE TIMES, FEB. 21.]

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1138, 21 March 1872, Page 2

GYMPIE. [GYMPIE TIMES, FEB. 21.]

We have learnt that, the proprietors of the'well : knowri New Zealand prospecting claim have entered into a contract with Messrs WalkerandCo.jof Maryborough, for the supply of a 29-horse power engine, with winding gear and tank** attached to cages ; provision is also made for the erect : on of a crushing battei/ at any time hereafterr" The' engine is to be ready for work-in; four months hence.? We congratulate the owners of this claim on their spirit, and have no doubt that they; will find that a considerable saving will be Effected- when the engine is at work. ' It must be very evident to all that the tithe is gradually approaching when'our claims can be more profitably worked by steam power than by the ordinary whim, especially where any heavy quantity of water has to be overcome. ; ; k ;

We are very glad to chronicle the striking of the underlie of the Monkland Reef in the Aurelia Company'sground, at the great depth of 265 feet perpendicularly. The first indication was got on Saturday last, when the contractors came aoross^a fair-sized leader in the eastern corner of the, shaft ; this leader has since been ascertained; to lie on the main body, cif stone; ' The : cb'htsactbrs are now : stripeping the reef and are down about 270

feet. Between the hanging wall and the reef there is about four feet of soft mullock through which several quartz leaden run. About halfway in the shaft, which is a very large one consisting of three compartments, the haaging-wall, previously^ of a granite -formation,, chauges into fine soft black slate which" comes in froiri i ."■ jthe t west . land .cats/ out the granite ; the proximity jof^the slate^ to the Teef ;^!s^n6w^gene»lly looked upon as.a very .favorable indica* tion. This slate was met in the western corner of she shaft, and the contractors have now sunk through about ten feet of it. The leader firat .struck appears to run into the main; body; Of quartz a little lower down, and from the junction the underlie will apparently be flatter.! The thickness of the vein will' not be known for ; a f ; ; feV;d,ay^: : ati i-.it will be irfm^ed right -down to ' the western suite 1 of ibe 'shaft b6fjjreq'uartziii broken; oiit^,v^udging by 'appearances',' however,,; it'wilF'be of a ! very fair size ; ; .a hole has-been drilled abouHl4 ? inches in r tne °c6riier where the reef : was-Mfirst*- met, and the' : contractors r state;' . that s':thejs /have not yet got through- the; quarter; -tVesbelieve that it is now fully eighteen months ■•since"- 1 tKe shareholders of this company started to sink for the underlie iS of the Mdnßand; they have put down one of ; the ; best" 'sbAftß. L bn^th'e:.;field' ; l ; to';' r &e greatest : depth., yet .attained;. here, ;suid they have. alspi at considerable cost, ; built a whim which may , safely be : said to^be by far the best erected on Gympie. And it is therefore to be hoped mow-that they have go t t the reef : J;heir r wfl be rewarded in the manner ' it deserves. Of cou'rsej^with the. unavoidably limited test which has been given, Vmuch be said as to the quality of the reef _; { blit it may. be said that the indications are ■ peculiarly 5 encouraging. We' may • mention- that Mr Mallard predicted' that the shallowest, depth at which the Monkland ! 'would be steock in this claim would-be 265 fee't^' and >: that the greatest depth would be 287 feet ; the result has proved hpw'reruarkably correct he wiis in hiii 1 calculation. : >-. No. 4 north St. Patilck.— ln this claim s stoping to the south is carried on, but the stone that .is bjeings raised is of a ; poor charactOTr« are taking . out the reef in onelargeif ace nearly from-^ tfi'e 1 eastern boundary of the claiiri^right down, to the 215 ft leveL; the men driving at this level are working 1 about 150 ft from.' -the shaft ; at 130 ft a .Vbigj bar?, wasjnbt, . which completely cut out the reef, but on driving through it, a distance of about 20ft, : the reef was again struck. "When it was first got after the bar had been driven through it was of a vei/ large, size, and jumbled ; but now it scems.-tOjget somewhat smaller, the further it is being drven on.. Above this level there are two parties of men engaged taking out stone ,; they are .working in benches ;- the reef in each bench is of a fine size/ and in the upper bench our reporter saw gold in the face. The manager stated that most of the gold wasi being got from this portion of the workings. There are fully 5C 3 tons of stone raised. J r ■ ! | In No. 3 south Smithfield the' owners are sinking en the reef, and are down 110 feet.. For the last eight feet they have been going . through, black, slate 1 ; their reef is a little over fdur feet wide, and is composed of slate; through which numerous quartz leaders rdn ; since they have come into this slate they have been getting gold in almost ? every bucketful-i of stone that has been brought up ; the gold is very regularly.- diffused- through^ the. stone, and also seems to improve as the owners sink deeper on the reef. ,-. .. .- ■ Samuels'/a nd party,- owners of Nos. 2 and 3 north Monkland, are raising stone very quickly. ;: Last week they got r ij6me nice specimens. ; arid during tiie present week they have been getting gold, but not in such quantities as in the previous week. "The specimens were obtained 4n ' stoping biit the reef northerly. \StopMig has now been left off, to give the party running in the' northern main level time to extend it further, and a level to the south has^been^^ commenced. Where -the reef was being ,stoped v oiit it is said to have been three feet thick. The claim is '■ showing very well, and ; the ; stone that is-'jbeing taken out : is considered ' payable. ■„-, .... ■v, „.; , ; __./■■ .