MINING REPORT.

Kumara Times, Issue 3044, 5 August 1886, Page 3

MINING REPORT.

[By our Special Mining Reporter.] The Lead, August 4. After a good many delays and drawbacks of one sort and another, a trial was made to-day again with No. 2 channel. It may not be known to all of your readers that, when it was tried before, it was found that the part of No. 1 channel which connects with No. 2—and is 14 inches wider—would not work into No. 2. When running clean water alone the sudden contraction of the size of the boxes caused dead water, and with stuff running it would not work at all. It was then decided to narrow the boxes to the size of No. 2 for two chains, and to make a longer bell-mouth, so na to contract more gradually. And, to give it a better chance of running, two chains of wood blocks were put in where stone had been. This work was finished ready for a start this morning ; and, as a great many had predicted a failure, there was a good deal of interest taken in the start. It fortunately turned out better than a good many expected, and worked very well with two parties on at a time. It may be ultimately found necessary to make the bell-month longer still, as there is a slight tendency to block there yet; but it may be found to work better with three parties than two. If three parties are found to work in the upper part of the channel, there should be no difficulty in working four parties on a shift, if one is put on in the lower part of the channel, as the No. 2 channel itself works better than the most sanguine expected it would do. The break-down in the channel, together with the difficulty of getting the one channel to work into the other, has been a most serious draw-back to all concerned. There has been about a month’s lost time, and, although a large Dumber of men have given their labour to put things right, there will still be a large liability to meet. In lifting the blocks to make the alterations required, the stuff was run over matting and 9ozs. some odd pennyweights of gold were got out of it. It is a matter worthy of the consideration of the Government, whether a few boxes at the lower end could not be blocked to save gold. I understand all the documents requiring signing between the promoters and the Trustees of No. 2 channel have been signed; and, as the 6xecutiv6 committee hns been eppointed, it is to be hoped there will be no further trouble in the matter. I believe all the prospecting parties in this district have knocked off, with the exception of the party out on the Christchurch road. They are in with their tunnel, I believe, about 600 feet, and have a considerable distance yet to go before they are into the likeliest country. All their driving, so far, has been iu the bottom, or what is known here as bottom—a lose drift similar to what the channels and tail-races are driven in. Their intention is to put up rises when they think they are far enough. It is to bo they will be

successful in finding payable gold, as this district has now arrived at that stage when its population will gradually decline unless something new is got.- I met Professor Black in the bush one day when ho was here lecturing, and I asked him if he had come to any conc'usion as to the formation of deposits here, and he said be had not, and that he never had been more puzzled in his life, so there is little wonder that our local prospectors get disheartened, and are often found out of their reckoning.