MOANATAIRI.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2622, 4 June 1877, Page 2

MOANATAIRI.

In company with Mr Comer I paid a visit to the mine this morning. Before going in I was informed that 2§cwt of specimens had been broken out at about 6 o'clock this morning, and on going past the single stamper at the battery my attention was drawn to the table-men, who were cleaning out the stamper boxes and had two or three buckets of amalgam, which I was told was the result of the morning's breaking down. On going down the winze I found that the foot-wall, side has been all securely timbered, at least the upper portion of it. In the drive I found that the foot-wall section of the reef, which has been standing sin,ce the drive was put in, had been broken down this morning to within a foot or two of the face, and will probably be all put through the single stamper, as for the most part it showed gold freely. The breaking down discloses a.good footwall and shows that the reef is about 3| feet in thickness. There is a good show left in the face, especially within a foot of the floor, where there are several good stones standing ready to be taken down with the next shot. The discovery of the rich gold near the floor might lead to the assumption that if the drive had been put in at a few feet greater depth, richer stone might have been obtained. Be that as it may there will be a good yield at the next retorting.. Throughout the stopes on this reef generally the lode is looking ; well, and gold is showing pretty freely in several places. They are now nearly two hundred feet in length. Towards the eastern end the reef appears split up^but, between- the different sections there is good crushing dirj. In the middle stopes over the new winze, the reef looks its best, being here a fine solid body of stone snowing gold freely.. The stuff taken from the western stopes is all low grade stuff, and the manager has decided to temporarily suspend stoping operations in that direction. The reef in the drivel is looking well.' Heldt's reef is looking well and gold is showing freely throughout tho face. Up in the stopes in Wallis' leader the show remains good, but no .stuff of any consequence has been broken down for the last three or four days. The manager intends to.open out from the shaft, beginning with this afternoon's shift. The distance fr^m the shaft to the beginning of the run in the SO, feet level is nearly 150 feet, but as up to the present it has lengthened out to the west it is not probable that there will be much over ICO feet to drive from the shaft to the shot of gold in the new or 150 feet level. The Ingersoll rock drill has all been landed-safely, and vrill shortly be at work in extending the tunnel. The drill is to be worked by compressed air, but it has not yet been decided where the engine will be erected, I as it is probable that arrangements will | be made with the Kuranui Hill United, 7 who have also imported a drill, to have both drills worked by the- same engine. The air will be conveyed to the drill by 2^-inch pipes. The following is a copy of this morning's bulletin :—"2§cWts specimens from drive east in new winze. Good gold showing in face. No. 9 stope above 80 feet level shows gold freely .•?— Eobt. Comee." ■;

Teasdale and party, tributers of the Point Bussell section, completed a crushing of 14 tons of stuff at the company's battery on Saturday afternoon; for the unsatisfactory yield of 3ozsretorted