OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4292, 3 October 1882, Page 2

OUR MINES.

THAMES GOLDEN GROWN;

At the 170 ft level operations are principally confined to that leader .known as " Clark's," in the Care section of the mine. Since our last report a leading stope has been taken along the back of the drive a distance of 20ft. A good supply of payable quartz has come to hand from here, and also about lOOlbs of picked stone. Work in the face will be stopped for two or three days, till the drive is timbered up. Stoping will then be re* sumed, and the drive on the leader north from the crosscut will also be pushed ahead. At the intermediate level between the 100 and the 170ftJleVeU the drive west on the course of the No. 1 battery level reef has been extended a distance of 20ft, making the total distance driven from the winze 84ft. In the face the reef is fully 6ft thick, carries a large percentage of good minerals, and is of a very promising appearance for gold. It is, however, very hard, which makea progress slow* Another 115ffc of driving will take the face to the slide, when the reef may be expected to improve. The manager intends to step work in the intermediate level, and push on a drive on the same reef at the 170 ft level. From this drive 120 ft of backs can be obtained, owing to the underlay of the reef, and the distance to be driven is about the same. It would likewise be a more economical way of working the ground. As the block on this reef above the 100 ft level produced a very large amount* of payable quartz, and the intermediate level just opened out has proved remunerative there is reason to suppose that the block will be a good one. The prospects certainly warrant the putting in of the low level. 100 ft level, Crown section: The No. 3 level has lately been opened up , from the main cross-cut in the footwall of , Nos. 1 and 2 battery level reefs. This crosscut has been cleaned out and repaired and the drive on the leader extended northward from the crosscut 35ft since work was started. In this drive the leader averages from 12 to 18 inches in thickness, and is well charged with copper pyrites and other minerals. It has yielded some picked stone, and the general dirt shapes well when crushed. The manager has started to drive south on the above leader from the crosscut, and in the face it is more compact than in the north drive. There is yet between 60 and 70ft. to go before the slide is met with. The leader is lying very flat, and the manager thinks it is standing up to the battery level, and probably above it. If this should prove to be the case, a large block of remunerativesi round will soon be opened up. A good supply of payable quartz is coming to hand as usual from the atopes on No. 2 reef at the 100 ft. level in the Cure section. The reef is about 8 or 10ft. in thickness, all of which is payable. The contractors for 200 ft. of the new tunnel at the battery level are making good progress, and hare: already driven 80ft. This tunnel is intended to pats through the Mary Ann andLCure sections of the mine, and will open ap Noi. 2,4,5, and 6 reefs.