QUEEN OF BEAUTY

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2607, 17 May 1877, Page 2

QUEEN OF BEAUTY

At the battery the turbine gires unbounded satisfaction, and it has been discovered that without considering its value as a cheap crusher it actually puts through more stun per day than the steam engine was.capable of doing. The engine put through about 14 loads per day, and the daily average of stuff crushed by the turbine is 21 loads. , I paid a visit to the mine this morning, beiDg accompanied by the mine manager. We first went to the drive towards the City of London end, and I found that the drive had at last reached the City of London boundary. There is a peculiarity about the lode close up to the boundary, which I have not seen in the reef in any other part of the mine. The peculiarity is that the stone is white, and highly crystallised, and shows a considerable quantity of brassy looking mineral. The reef is of good size, and is very well defined. Of course driving has been susi pended, but there has nothing been done to the reef for a distance of fully 60 or 70 feet back from the boundary, except the carrying of a drive and leading stope. Towards the shaft, however, stopingoperations have been carried up a considerable distance. The slanting floor of the stopes is covered with slabs, which though it i makes locomotion rather difficult, assists greatly in getting the stuff down to the passes. In the Piako- end the drive is also up to the boundary, and a good deal of stoping has been done. . The lode is here very large, being about 8 feet from wall to wall, and contains a large quantity of good crushing dirt. It continues to be. well defined, and shows a good clean wall which renders breaking down easier than it otherwise would be from the hard nature of the stone. A drive is being put-in in a south easterly direction on the cross lode, and the manager in? tends to start another drive in the opposite direction as soon as more stuff is required, as at present the supply rather exceeds the power at command for crushit up, which is 30 head of stampers—2o

at the company's and 10 at the Piako battery. But to return to the crosß reef; it it at present two feet across, and gives promise of improvement. Colors of gold are occasionally seen. The next retorting takes place on Saturday, and a good return may be expected.