OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4277, 15 September 1882, Page 2

OUR MINES.

QUEEN OF BEAUTY.

The drive on the main reef at IS'o. 9 has been pushed on through the cross-reef, and securely timbered up to the face. The reef has been found to be hove, but it is probable that it will be in hand again in a few days. Only a few shots have been fired inside the cross reef as yet, and the country is considerably disturbed. A body of quartz has made its appearance in the northward end of the face, and as this has apparently a defined wall it may prove to be the footwall portion of the reef. This quartz carries good mineral, but it will be some days before it can* be decided whether it is the continuation of the main lode or not, as slides or cro«s~ reefs often disturb the ground for several feet, though boulders of quartz are frequently found in the disturbed ground. A drive has been stairted in a south-easterly direction on the Queen of the May reef at No. 9. The j face is now in about 18 feet from the junction, and the reef is between three and four feet in thickness. It is a good solid body of stone, showing gold occasionally, and carrying a capital class of mineral. Driving is also in progress oix it at No. 8 level, north of the main reef. The lode is somewhat split up in the face at present, but it is probable that it will improve when the face is advanced further. The bulk of the crushing dirt is now : coming from the stopes above No. 9 level. The leef here is fully 14 feet wide, and shows gold all through. The stope nearest the winze is now up about 10 feet from the back of the drive, but on either side not nearly so much progress has been made. The stope east bf the winze is now nearly up to the cross reef, and the stone in the face looks splendid for gold. It will be some time before either this stope or the one west" of the winze is up to the level of the centre stope, as both the hanging and footwall of the reef have yet to be shot down nearly the whole length. The reason the stope close to the winze is carried up highest is to facilitate the spreading of the mullock. This is tipped down the winze from No, 8 level, and then spread on either side. The mullock stored at No. 8 level and from the tributers'drive comes in very handy now, but a large amount will have to be taken down from the surface on account of the immense proportions of the reef at this point. Work on the main reef at No. 6 level seaward of the shaft has for the present been suspended. A fair amount of quartz is on hand from here, which it is expected will shape better than the last parcel when it is put through the mill. The tributers are at present rising on their leader in the footwall of the Queen of the May reef,at. No. 8, in order to connect with the intermediate level opened out from the bottom of their winze from the level above. The rise is being carried up about 12ft wide in order to create a current of air. The leader is rather split up at present, but shows gold freely. It is about a foot or 15 inches thick. They do not expect to i meet the shot of gold they bad in the winze till the drive is advanced another 35ft, but the ventilation was not extra good, and they decided to put up the rise to improve it.

• NEW PEItfCE IMPERIAL. The rise from the drive seaward on the Beach leader at No. 4 level holed through to the winze last night, aod stoping will be started as soon as possible. The eastward drive is in about 37ft, in a splendid class of country for gold. A few pounds of picked stone were got in breaking down a day or two ago. The reef is now fully 3ft thick, and look? well for gold. The manager expects shortly to come upon the run of gold the old company sunk the big winze on east of the shaft. Crushing is proceeding with 12 head, going 16 hours per day, at the Alburnia mill, and con. tinues to shape for a payable return. The manager expects to have about ICO loads through by the end of the month. The cost of the surface works, erecting the poppet heads, &c, has been £75, while the lowest price when tenders were called was £135, or nearly double what it has takeu to do the work with wages men. A good deal of extra work, not mentioned in the specifications, has alsQ been done for the above %qre.

WEBAHIKO (TE AROHA). The manager reports:—Since my last report I have been driving on the western portion of the lode, which has improved very much. It is now threo feet solid quartz, with a good deal of quartz stringer in the hangingwall. I can see a little gold in the stone. As the surveyors have not finished marking off the tram way* X have not yet marked off a site for the lowar level. By the end of the week I" will be able to do so, and measure the distance to he driven.—E, Oameeon.