THE MINES.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume V, Issue 241, 26 September 1885, Page 2

THE MINES.

(From our Mixing R is porter.) Friday, Sept. 23. United Alpine.—The excellent returns frem this mine are being steadily maintained, and everything is shaping for another good general cleaning-up after the end of the current month. Inside tke mine, the usual nunirber of stopcs are being worked -over No. £ level, and winch ■show good faces of stone. Quarts is coming to grass freely. The only perceptible change is in the top stope, (north end) where a lot more mullock than usual has come in; and above the stope, the country has the appearance of having slipped. This has disclosed an apparently massive -body of stone, of large dimensions, right alongside the hanging wall; but about which, little can U known until the stope has been further extended, and the new make risen upon, and broken into. Mr Conradson has just commenced cross-cutting for the north block, from the second man-hole, 180 feet up the main pass above No. 6 level. Ther« are indications in the man-hole, which

was driven 12 feet, (south) but in order to command the mullock pass, the crosscut is now being started from the opposite side of the rise. luciine tramway, headrace and battery, ail in good order, and ready for any amount of work, for a long time to come.

Crossus.—-Tribnters at present north from main pass, just above No. 2 level. Stone looking pretty regular, and varies between one and two feet thick. S.x men in the mine, and the battery running one shift a-day. General cleaning-up, at beginning of next month. Tyr Connell.—Blocking-out on leader' at top of rise. Stone keeping about usual size, and showing gold pretty fairly. The outside works are being pushed ahead, preparatory for the crushing. The stone will be lowered by a shoot, two chains long,—now in eourse of construction, and at the bottom, a small paddock is also being put up. From this, the quartz will be bagged, and carted to the Croesus shoot, on the Eight Mile road. United Italy.—Operations on this lease are at present discontinued. Maruia.—The tributers are busy inside just now, —some constructing roadway for facilitating handling of stone, and others bloeking-out on each side of winze. The leader has a deceut average thickness ; carries fair gold, in places ; but is both difficult and expensive to follow, through the unevenness of the stone, and the irregularity of formation, A crushing is intended, before Christmas.

Lykll Creek Extd.—Very fair headway being made by the contractors,—the present face of the level now being in upwards of 1100 feet. A well-defined track was cut through the other day, consisting of a vein of quartz two inches thick, laying in a pug, and soft slate formation.