THE CALEDONIAN.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1974, 3 May 1875, Page 2

THE CALEDONIAN.

Operations in"'the Caledonian Company's mine are being actively carried on, and to some purpose ; but there has been one great drawback in the 1 water which still remains in the shaft —an obstacle, unconquerable as yet, to the progress of sinking; and Captain Richards has been for some time thinking out a way by which to overcome this obstacle, and will submit his plan to the directors for approval? He purposes to carry a drive from the tunnel being put in from the Association, and then to open out in the Caledonian ground, and follow up the course of the reef at a deeper level, to the shaft. By this means, he hopes to carry off the water, which will enable him'to sink on the reef bordering on the Caledonian boundary, and dipping into that company's ground." This reef runs parallel with the Caledonian boundary, the Golden Crown and Cure mines being end on, and, as it is always accompanied, by foul air, the work proposed to be done by Captain Richards would be manifestly advantageous to those "c6mpanies/>as a complete system of ventilation would be established. Some ; time since the companies to be benefitted in kind with the Caledonian were asked to .bear a* joint share in the expense of cutting the tunnel, but they would not.- In the Caledonian's present workings there is nothing particularly freshto report upon. From the little leaders on the intermediate level no picked stuff has been obtained during the past week—-save one i or two small specimens—but the stone will pay very well. The manager is also prospecting in places on the intermdiate level; also, on No. 2 level. The footwall leader, cut in the No. 3 shaft, is being driven through the Golden Crown corner piece, a distance of 30 feet, and although,the leader is very smalljVgold can be obtained from the stone whenever it is broken down, which, is a.good sign, with the prospect of its widening out into a. leader of some importance. Inthe section of^the company's ground through which thejleader runs after passing the Golden Crown boundary, there will be at least 80 feet to drive, and rather more if the leader maintains its present course, The operations of the mine, I may be permitted to say, are pretty accurately summed up in the foregoing. Work on the No. 3 reef, running towards the Otago, and which is proved to be very poor, was discontinued last Thursday. The pur-

suit of the reef was an unprofitable kind of prospecting, as a furnace had to be kept going specially for the party encaged in the workings, and occasionally the shaft being devoted solely to lifting the stuff from them. It didn't -p^y, and was rejected. The Caledonian isiworked very cheaply, and this is a good reason for its maintaining its position so long without making calls. Something: like £89 constituted the expenses of last; fortnight, from which may be deducted the I money recsived from other companies— Albion and Cure, to wit —for hauling. That the mineis worked so economically throws great credit on its management.