ALBURNIA.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3559, 24 May 1880, Page 2

ALBURNIA.

The mine was visited today. Sons of Freedom Tunnel: During the last day or go a very marked improvement has been noticeable in the appearance of the Sons of Freedom reef, which is now five feet thick and contains good minerals, though so far no gold has been seen. Portions are being sent to the mill. The tunnel is in a very creditable condition, the r-ils being easily worked. and the foot-road clean. 70 feet level: In the face of the drive on the hanging-wall leader I found that the quartz is scarcely looking so well as on Monday last. The lode is of good size, and is easily worked. The drive is now in about 100 feet, and gold has been carried all the way. A stope has been carried over the drive, from the junction with the , main lode right up to the face, and remunerative stuff is coming to hand. I believe this block will prove a good payable one. la the stopes on main lode good quartz con* tinues to come to hand with occasional . patches of specimen stone. Over the eastern drive the stope has been carried right up to the New North Devon boundary and that company will have a really fine looking lode to commence operations when their passes are through. There is about 3 feet of quartz at this point. About 30 feet down the No. 2 winze- a drive has been put in 31 feet to the east* ward and the prospects are very good. This winze will be connected with No. 1 winze by means of the eastern drive from that working. In the western stope the reef is about 4 feet thick and some specimen stone was obtained at the time of my visit while the lode maintains its healthy appearance. . The reef in the eastern stope is about 2| feet thick and continues to produce golden stone. The general dirt . from these workings is really first class. The stope over foot-wall leader produces general dirt of a remunerative character. 160 feet level: It will be remembered that some time ago the manager carried a stope to a distance of 20 feet from each side of the No. 1 winze. In consequence of the unremunerative character of the lode, operations were suspended. Notwithstanding this, the confidence of the manager was not shaken, and about three weeks ago he commenced to stope close up to the Whau boundary. Although the baok of the highest stope is not more than 20 feet above the floor of the drive, good golden stone has been * obtained, indeed I was shown some fair specimens. The reef is close on three feet thick, and the stone exactly resembles that obtained at the relative points on the the intermediate and 70 feet levels. This goes a long way to prove the correctness of the theory that the western termination of the run of gold is a vertical line drawn just inside the Whau boundary. At one time the general belief was that the shot of gold had a strong dip west, but Mr Radford has always had the opinion that it went down straight, and as shown above, his idea appears to be the correct one. In my last report I alluded to the fart; that the manager' had started the contractors to cut through the reef in the eastern drive. This work is now be?ng completed, and quartz fully ten feet thick—it never has been so large hitherto—is disclosed. The quartz is Very hard and bsing very fall of " vu^s " was difficult to get through, the powder blowing uselessly into these holes. There is 18 inches of heavily mineralised crushing dirt on the hanging wall, then a composite layer of mullock and stringers, while the footwall is composed of 2| feet of good quartz, and one foot of white and unpayable stone. The mineral indications are excellent, and all that is required to make golden stone is the. junction of a small cross leader. As the manager expects to cut the hanging-wall vein—worked at the 70-feet level—shortly some gold ought to be visible in this face ere long. KURANUI HILL. The manager announces that he has 44 tribute sections to let.in various portions in the mine. HERALD BATTERY. The stampers of this battery are at present occupied by Mclnnes and party Caledonian tributers, who are crushing 6 loads from the old stopes, and by. Glasgow and party who have a lot of 4 tons. GOLD RETURNS. Red Queen.—Moore and party have finished a crushing of four loads at Bull's battery for the handsome return of 51ozs lSdwts.