OUR MINES.
NEW PRINCE IMPERIAL,
Since my last visit work has been pushed on steadily, and the mine all through is looking well. The shaft is now I down about 45 feet, but the country has lately become tighter, aad of a darker colour. This* may not have any effect on the reef, because when sinking to open up No. 4 level, an exactly similar class of country was met with, and yet alongside the leader it changed its nature, and was very favorable for gold. A start ha* been made to sink a winze from the floor of No. 4 level, at a point about 35 feet west of the shaft. The floor of the drive has been squared up, and a small chamber cut out to make room for the windlass. The crosscut for the Mariner's reef is in a distance of 50 feet, and the country has become softer and whiter in color I during the last few feet of driving. A I number of small black mineral veins are showing in the face. A soft head made its appearance on the eastern side of the drive yesterday, striking off towards the break. The men started to drive eastward on the new reef, 1 this afternoon, but the quartz has not yet been broken down. Stopiug westward is proceeding as usual. The leading and second stopes have been carried to the Cross boundary, and Nos. 3 and 4 are well advanced. In the face of the third stope, where the reef is from a foot to eighteen inches wide, good gold was showing in the footwall | yesterday. Small parcels of nice stone come from"" here every breaking down, and lcwt of picked stone was bagged yesterday and last night. In the back of the stope, there was a capital show of the precious metal visible for fully three feet in length. The stone is of an exactly similar nature to that when the rich hauls were bagged some weeks ago, the gold being mixed with a large amount of ruby silver. The fourth stope should yield some picked stuff when it is a few feet. East of the shaft, work does not progress j very quickly on account of the air being bad. Two men are stoping, and payable dirt is coming to band. SOUTHERN CROSS. The drive west on the main reef at Nd. 4 level of the Imperial shaft is now in about 65 feet from the boundary. The other leader branching off into the footwall, and on which driving was started, was cut off by a small break, so work in that direction had to be discontinued. In the present face the reef is a foot wide, well defined, and shows colors and dabs of gold when broken down. Stoping is being continued, good crushing dirt being obtained, The winze on the boundary is down about 14 feet. The reef is rather split up at present, and occupies the whole width. Colors of gold are seen through it. As the hoppers were full, the manager has had some quartz carted to the Alburnia battery, where crushing will be started shortly* DEEP LEVEL TRIBUTE. The contractors are making excellent headway, having driven 85 feet. The country still continues of an excellent class. As soon as they have completed the 100 feet tendered for, pumping will be stopped for a day or two, and the machinery and boilers.overhauled.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THS18830104.2.14
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Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4369, 4 January 1883, Page 2
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572OUR MINES. Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4369, 4 January 1883, Page 2
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