ALBURNIA.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2606, 16 May 1877, Page 2

ALBURNIA.

Early this morning I paid a visit to this mine, and in the absence of Mr 8. Gribble, the manager, Mr 3. Gribble, underground boss, kindly conducted me through the workings. I first visited the extension of Foster's intermediate level on the specimen leader. The manager is carrying a drive and leading stope on the lode, but driving has been suspended, the face now being half way through the slide while the face of the leading stope is about eight-feet back from the face of the drive. Driving will be resumed as soon as stoping stages are erected. I closely inspected the lode in the/ drive where it is intersected by the slide, and in the slide itself I saw that there was a quartz formation going through it. By this it may be surmised that the lode will be picked up again, probably as good as ever, on the other side of the,slide. Up in the leading stope I was informed that 3501bs of fine specimens was obtained by breaking down the stripped portionof the leader. The face was dirtied in some places, but I cleaned it in; several and never failed to see some gold, in fact, it is not saying too much, stating that all the stone broken out from the reef is worthy of being called picked stone. As soon as the stope is carried up to a level with the face of the drive, it will be stopped, and the drive wiP be pushed ahead on the leader. It is hoped that it junctions with the lode beyond (he slide, supposed to be the Sons of Freedom reef. If the, slide does not disturb its course it should do- this after driving about 40 feet, and then a firstclass patch may be expected.. As to the size of the specimen leader—about one foot from the face of the stope it is about four inches in thickness, while up in the face it is only two. It first struck me that it looked like the lode running out, but Mr Gribble informed me that the lode varies a great deal in size. The formation of the leader is a stripe of white quartz edged on each side by a band of blue quartz, and two veins of gold are visible at the junctions of the two colors of quartz. There has been nothing done on the lode except the drive and leading stope for a distance of 50 feet from the slide, and as there are good backs there is yet a Jot of stone to stope out. I then had a look at the supposed Sons of Freedom leader. It is a body of stone about six inches thick, and showed good splats of gold, and I was shown some nice-looking stones broken out this morning. It was there that some sOlbs taken out about the middle of-last week were taken from. A drive is being carried in a southerly direction on the course of the slide to pick up the reef which was displaced by coming in contact with it. It is expected that a start will be made to «et the stuff' down to' the Moanatairi battery to-morrow. There are about 90 tons on hand, and from its appearance it can pretty confidently be said that the estimate of its value given in yesterday's issue was a very low one. With last night's parcel there are now close on nine cwt of specimens on hand, and there are good prospects of getting another hundredweight or so before the ! crushing is completed. The following,is i a copy of the telegram sent-to Auckland this morning : —" 3501bs of fair specimens broken down last night." Emmett and party, the tributera, are getting their stuff down the tramway, and Skeen's and Coad's tributes will be crushing soon. Several lots are doing pretty well.