OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4310, 24 October 1882, Page 2

OUR MINES.

THAMES DEEP LEVEL TRIBUTE

As the manager expected, the water was reduced enough by this, morning to allow of visiting the 640 ft level. The party consisted of Messrs Coutts, Heighway and Phillip?. When they reached the flatsheet, they found there was about 2b inches of slime all over the chamber. The partition between the air and pump shafts had fallen down, causing the draught down the former to pass through and up the latter, without going in the drives at all.; On account of this the... party were not able to get in more than about 40ft from the shaft, but so far as they could see, the drires were in excellent condition. A start will be made tomorrow to clean up the chamber and south drive; the north one will not be touched at present at any rate. The partition will also be mended and the air pipes taken down, cleaned, and replaced in position. This will be done gradually, so as not to send a draught straight into the end of the level, which would drive a large cloud of gas up the shaft. Mr Coutts cannot say ho\R long this work "wTTTtake, but if the drive is found to be in good order the whole length, it will soon be completed. , '/THAMES GOLDEtf GROWN. The principal points of interest in this mine are the works on the No. 3 leaders at the 100 feet level, and on Clark's leader at the 170 feet level. Id the. former place a drive is in progress on the leaders southward from the crosscut, towards tbe slide. The face has been advanced about 20 feet through good but tight country. The 'quartz to hand from' here carries splendid mineral, and also shows gold. North of the crosscut stoping is in progress. In tbe end of the stopes the main leader is from 4 to 6 inches wide, looking well for gold, and another vein about half that size is some 3 or 4 feet in the footwall. Sometimes these two veins come almost together, but all along the stopes they look exceedingly well, showing colors of the precious metal freely, and generally yielding a few pounds of picked stone when broken down. The ground is very* tight,: so progress is necessarily slow. At the intermediate level, Mr Ihmlop is cleaning out some old workings in the footwall of No. 2 battery level reef in search of these leaders, which he believes to be identical with one.cut 4 at the 170 ft level, but on which very little has been done. The coarse of the two leaders is similar, so it is likely his surmise will be correct. At the 170 ft level the leader is about a foot in thickness, and does not look un-

! promising. The only other work in progress at the 100 ft level is the slopes , on No. 2 reef in the Cure section. Here j the manager has a very large block of I ground in hand. The height of the block is 100 ft vertical, but this will be consider I ably increased by the underlie of the lode. •At present the stopes are being taken up on about 6ft of the footwall of the lode, ' but wben this block is worked out Mr Dunlop will go back and take out the hanging wall. The quartz in hand is vuggy, but carries a quantity of antimony and other favorable minerals, and shapes well at the mill. At the level from which the stopes were started the reef was between 8 and 10 feet thick, so some idea may be formed of the vast amount of crush: ingdirt available here. Front the intermediate level stoping is in progress upon the No. 1 battery level reef, which is here about 2ft wide, and is good payable crushing dirt. The manager lias not yet started to drive on this lode at the bottom level, as he intends doing at some future time. At the latter place stoping is row in progress on what is believed to be Clark's leader, and some others in the footwall of it. These leaders; are from half an inch to two inches in thickness. Two other leaders cross the stopes at the eastern end, and at the junction picked 'stone'is generally obtained in breaking. The drive west is at a standstill at present, till the stopes are brought over it, when it. will be pushed ahead a few feet, and the mullock thrown up into the stopes. The contractors for extending the battery level'2oo feet have driten 161 feet since starting work. As soon as their contract is completed another will be let for a further distance of 200 feet, which will take the face over present stopes on No. 2 reef, with which they will be connected. This will give good ventilation, and enable the manager to crosscut for Cure reefs. NEW PRINCE IMPERIAL.

The manager reported to the directors yesterday as —"In breaking down the portion of lead, in the seaward drive back to break (mentioned in my letter dated 21st inst.) lOOlbs of specimens were obtained leaving still a splendid show of gold in the back of drive for a length of fully 10ft. I will not be able to break down to advantage any more of the lead -on the ruu of gold for a few days until leading stope is brought forward through break, And the lead stripped again. The drive going towards Southern Cross boundary has been resumed to day, and will be pushed on with .all possible speed. You will remember that I got fully 200lbs of specimens from drive before reaching break, proving that the lead carries rich gold on each side of break. The only work in progress on hill side -of shaft "is rising and sinking to effect communica* tion as speedily as possible, which I expect to accomplished some time this week. Crushing is still proceeding with 17 head of stamps 16 hours per day, and is shaping for an excellent return. —G. S. Clabk." KURANUI HILL.

Tlie manager reports for last wesk :— Junction leaders: No. 1 leader having been intersected in the crosscut at tbe Shotover level sinking will be commenced at once, and 60 feet of backs vertical will be opened up as soon as the winze is connected with stopes below ; besides, there is another 50 feet vertical over Shotover level, or a total of about 150 ft on tbe underlie;'' When the winze is down onNo. 1 the drive/will^be continued to cut -footwalt leaders, audits roou awqn'heotion is^mjade by sinking, anotherblockof equal ,'eitejit - wnf: be opened on these leaders Oddfellows : A short time will clean out drive at Shotover level to'connect with winze sunk a short distance by Dabb and party, and completed by the Company's men to 50ft. When the drive breaks into the winze systematic operations will begin on this lode. This block should turn out well, as the trial lately finished gave an oz. per ton, and, I may further add,,the lead •lbok-s well at bottom of the 'winze for goldl Inverness,: Men have been put to clean out crosscut," which will occupy two or tlhree days, when work on the lode will! begin without delay. Poverty, Cook's.leader : I will soon be in, a position to obtain quartz from this leader, and as there is a very extensive block of ground unwrought on it, and. as it formerly paid well, I consider it worth a trial.; - Albion : All work, with the-exception of the drive, is suspended for the present. The drive will be continued|to hole through to All Nations shaft, and' when this is done work can be resumed on the most promising portion of the lode. In the meantime sinking On the lead, will be started from the funnel level, immediately below where the good" patch was obtained.. Battery: This crashing, although unsatisfactory, I may venture to state there are great hopes' of the next turning out better, as 'a considerable extent of ground is being opened up in good localities, and crushing dirt will come, to hand with greater facility.—T."H. Cbawfobd. The following are the amounts of quartz crushed and returns obtained :— Junction foot wall leader, 50^ toas, 15ozs sdwts; Albion 40 tons, llozs; Oddfellows' winze, 4 tons, 4ozs ; do. rise (not from same leader) 15 tons, sozs; AH Nations, 30 tons, 6ozs; Albion winze (below 80ft level) 3 tods, 3ozS; other trials, loz lOdwts. GOLD RETURNS. < Albubnia.—McLean and party have banked lO2ozs 3dwts melted gold, the yield from a parcel of picked stone. Caledonian.—A trial parcel for Irwin and party gave 7dwt4 gold. Waitekattbi No. 2.—Comes and party and Goonan and party have finished crushing fof the respective returns of 17oz8 lOdwts and 52ozs 9dwts melted gold. :