OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3847, 28 April 1881, Page 2

OUR MINES.

ALBUENIAi

Star of the South reef. —Driving operations on this reef at the Whau level are making good headway, though for the past seven or eight feet no gold has been visible. The lode, however, maintains its healthy appearance, and there is every probability of some good patches being gob in it. The Sons of Freedom reef is now pretty well worked out from the 160 feet level/up, but in this lode there is plenty of room for prospecting. The country continues favorable. A few days ego a start was made, at driving to cut the lode at the 70 feet level, but before the

tunnel had proceeded half a dozen feet, a bard rocky bar came into the face. Work has consequently been stopped there, and a start has been made near the Whau boundary. Here also the rock has been met with, but the manager thinks it will not'prove of any width. Dixon's.—ln a lute report on the mine, I referred to the winze on Dixon's lode. This is now down about 15 feet. No quartz is being broken out just now, it being deemed advisable to keep-the workings in the hanging-wall. Hanging-wall leader : The junction or the lode* with the specimen leader wnien looked so well for gold a week or two back, on going up got into broken country, the hopes formed concerning it being thus dashed to the ground. The quartz from the stopea is payable, and in the face of the drive the lode is larger than usual. The manager has just started to open up another intermediate level between the 70 and 160 feet levels. There is no other news of importance.

NEW GOLDEN CfiOWN

It is rumoured about town that after next retorting the directors will declare a dividend. In the driving and stoping operations on the main reef at 40 feet level the lode is about five feet in thickness, and gold has been seen during the past day or two. .

COLUMBIA,

The driving contractors are iv 29 feet, bul have' met with no sign of the reef as yet. This morning a changeVaa noticeable in the country in the face, but whether or not it presages anything of importance it is impossible to tell.

UENDIGO UNITED

A start was made this "morning at driving in Carpenter's level.

NEW WHAU,

The crushing continues to show up satisfactorily. In the mine the leader is increasing in size, and a pound or two of picked stone is occasionally obtained. The manager does not yet know how much, stuff he will have to c^ush, the frequent stoppage of the battery causing unexpected accumulations of quartz.

NEW NOJRTH DEVON

At the 160 feet level, thereof looks well especially the footwall portion. It is of great size, but little can be said respecting it yet. At the 70 feet level the driv > is now going ahead on the break, identical with the one which lost the lode at the Whau level. There is nothing left but a wall, and this it is intended (o follow. Stoping above the 70 feet continues to produce a fair grade of crushing dirt.