OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3931, 4 August 1881, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW VVHATJ,

This mine was visited -by me today, and its prospects certainly seem to be improving, though at present work is only being carried on by the company at two places. The crosscut at 160 feet level going in to meet the winze coming down, from the same drive 70 feet east of the Alburnia boundary, is in 146 feet, and from 25 to 30 feet more will break into the winze. The couutry has changed greatly for the better, having become much softer—in fact it would now almost be possible to drive without powder. Very good progress is being made by the men. The winze is down 2§> feet, but Mr Wilson, the manager, now thinks he will have to sink fnlly 25 feet before he is on a level with the crosscut. The reef in this winze is about 2 teet thick, and the stone is full of mineral, a kind of silvery mundic— which is an excellent indication of the presence of gold—being predominant. Colors of gold are frequently seen by the men in breaking out the stone, and the manager showed me some pieces of quartz which he took from here two or three days back, which showed the precious metal freely. Some of the gold in this stone is very dark in colour, and sometimes is hardly distinguishable from the other minerals. The reef at the Sons of Freedom level has not been broken down lately, but what quartz comes is being saved, and will be crushed shortly. The country is improving, the black veins in the sandstone increasing in- size. • Work has been stopped on the hanging-wall leader at the intermediate' level. Some quartz from here is now at the Herald battery, and crushing will probably b« started on Saturday. ' ' ALBURNIA. The reef in the winze at the 70 feet level is a nice looking body of stone., The hangingwall leader in the stopes at same level is looking well, and a little picked stone is got occasionally. OLD GOLDEN CALF, This company has 20 head of stamps going on their dirt at the Herald mill, and it is estimated that fully a hundred tons of quartz will be put through the*battery, this crushing. The show of amalgam on., the plates predicts a yield of fully an ounce per load. .....>

GOLD RETURNS. City of Manchesteb.—Brownlee and party banked 9ozs odwts gold to-day.