OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3973, 22 September 1881, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW GOLDEN CEOWN.

This mine, which has attracted a deal of attention lately, owing to the Rood stone found in it, was visited by me this morning. At the battery level the manager has put in two crosscuts northward, and has out the hangingwall reef, which runs east and west, in both of them. In the drive west from the first crosscut, the reef is about three feet thick, composed of good looking stone, which ia impregnated with minerals favourable to the existence of gold. A large quantity of fair crushing dirt is obtained here. In the second crosscut, about 40- -feet further. in the drive, the reef is only' about a foot thick, but looks promising. Work is suspended here for the present. The stopes from the 100 feet level on the No. 1 battery level reef are opened up for a distance of 205 feet east from the slide, ■and yield good crushing stuff the whole length, 4 In the western end, near the slide, the reef junctions with No. 2 reef, and there is about three feet of quarts here, but going eastward it divides, forming a hanging and a footwall reef, which are about 14 feet apart. The space between these contains several stringers of quartz, which yield good crashing dirt, and also some picked stone and specimens. This space is therefore being shot down, and the quartz picked out and sent to the-battery. The footwall portion of the reef is about a foot thick, and it is from here that most of the specimens are got. The precious metal is principally found in a small rein of quartz, which at times is almost solid gold. The manager found several good specimens in it at the time of my visit. These stopes are now up about 12 feet from the 100 ft. level, and have there* fore about 80 feet to rise before breaking into the battery level. At the 100 ft level, a leader was cut yesterday in a drire being put in there. This leader runs away into ground which, aB yet, has not been prospected, and as a good color of gold was found in it last night it may yet prt)ve valuable. In the drive above battery' level, put in on No. 1 reef, the manager has left the reef and is now driving for No. 2., He has come upon several stringers, and expects to get the main reef ere long. A few feet ahead of the'face of the drive a rise is coming up, and when this is met with it will improve. the ventilation, which is not very good at this point. A winze is also being sunk on No 1 reef at battery level on the boundary. Previous, to the flood -operations w ; ere carried on at the 175 feet level, but .the water which got into the mine then has not yet drained off, so work has had to be stopped. A large quantity of picked stone and specimens is now on hand, and the yield for the present month promises to be a good one. .. GOLD RETURNS. Caledonian.—Jenkins and party have crushed a parcel of quarts for the return of 17oi8 gold,

MoANATiißi.—Whisker and party hive crushed 13 loads at the Herald battery for the return of llozs 6dwts gold..