OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4428, 14 March 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW PRINC B IMPERIAL. j The manager telegraphed early this morning :—" Cut a reef two feet thick in crosscut at No. 4 level. Identical with the large reef worked on by Deep Level I Cross. Quartz looks well; have not seen any gold.—-Gr. S. Clack." The crosscut being put in on the break, the reef so far has only been met with on the southern side. Its course is northerly, and it is lying very flat. The country is of an excellent class. Up to this morning only about a truok full of quartz had been broken; it was very similar inappearance to that met with in the Deep Level Cross, and was well mineralised. Gold was afterwards found close to the floor, and two or three pieces of stone in which the precious metal was freely distributed were picked out The reef on the northern side of the crosscut will probably be picked up in a few feet more driving, and, judging from its present underlay and strike a large block can be opened up on it. In the eastern end driving is in progress on the No. 2 reef, which is from 18 inches to 2 feet wide, and shows colors of gold on breaking. There are also two small veins in the face, striking into the reef, and in these; colors are .freely seen. A leading stope is at present being carried along the drive on the footwall leader, in order to! secure more efficient ventilation. The manager reported yesterday :—" The ground in the crosscut at No. 5 level still continues hard, and therefore progress for the past week has been slow. The change in the ground mentioned in my last did not prove* to be the back of the hard bar, as Ijthought,but merely a soft head running through the rock. The face of the drive is now in 26ft from the chamber, and taking the underlay of the rock from which it first came into the shaft we may expect to get through it any shift. According to survey made yesterday by Mr Bayldon, there will be 25 to 30ft to drive yet to connect with the winze. Stoping in .the different sections above No. 4 level is still being carried on, and continues to produce good crushing dirt, although very little picked stone came to hand last week. The drive on the footwall lead, No. 2 section east, is still in progress, and is looking much about the same, gold always being seen when the lead is broken-down. I have resumed work in the crosscut at No. 4 level to cut j the large reef now worked by the Deep Level Cross Company, and_ which they have driven upon back to within 16 feet of our boundary. If it keeps its present course, we should cut it very shortly, when I will drive south upon it and connect with the Deep Level Cross drive, which will give .sufficient > ventilation for working- Crushing is,still proceeding, and has been looking much better during the past week.—G. S. Glaek." DEEP LEVEL CROSS. A haul of SOlbs of good specimens was bagged to*day. A few pounds were got in the drive on the hangingwall leader, but the greater portion came from the stopes' on the i cross reef and another leader between the No 2 reef and the hangingwall leader. This strikes off close to. where the crossreef was first met with, and lies very flat. It varies in size from 6to 10 inches, but shows gold freely. It is heaved several times by heads crossing the country, but these heaves appear to make the gold. - Some good gold was showing at the time of my visit. In each of the stopes in progress on the No. 2 and cross-reef gold is obtained, and a stope being carried up on the hangingwall, leader also yields stone occasionally. The crossreef varies in size from eighteen inches to 3 ft, and the whole of it shapes well at the mill. The drive on the hanging wall leader is in about 45 feet from the No. 2 reet, and the" quartz in the face is fully two feet wide. It appears to have taken a turn more to the westward, or away from the Imperial boundary. The stone is very heavily mineralised, and the gold is generally found mixed with the mineral. ' QUEEST OF BEAUTY. The second column of pipes and the pump rods were carried down to the bottom of the shaft last,week, and other necessary work' completed. The contractors started to cut out No. 10 chamber on Monday, and were in about three feet from the edge of the shaft this morning. No quartz has yet been cut, but the main reef should be met with in the chamber or else very close to it, as at No. 9 it was only 6or 7ft from the shaft. The coua* try is of an excellent class for gold—a good white sandstone with a few mineral veins running through it.. It is somewhat blocky, and water is trickling through it. At No. 9 level a start has been made to stope on the Queen of the May lode,, to the eastward of the stopes on the main reef. The quartz is from a foot to eighteen inches wide, and carries nice mineral. Work was only commenced yes - terday, so very little quartz has yet been broken. At No. 8 level some, men are working in the old drive connecting with the PiaUo shaft. The manager cannot say how long it will be before he gets through as ho does not know how much mullock there is in. the drive. The air on this side of the shaft ia light, so a fan is employed to drive a current in to the face. The Bird-in-Hand crosscut was discontinued some time ago on account of the ventilation being bad. There is no change to report from the stopes on the main reef above No. 7 level. JDABT. The shaft ia now down about 68 feet below N0..2 level, or within two feet of the depth of the new level, but it will yet be a fortnight before the well hole is completed. The,Bhaft is ,now of large size, the pumping compartment being Bft by sft, but below the level it will be carried down smaller. The couutry is good working ground. The leader cut a. week or tw(\ back is still in the shaft, and is from 6 to'B inches wide. No gold has been seen iv it, though the quartz has a very farorable appearance, and is well

mineralised. A start has been made to clean out the southern drive on No. 1 reef at No. 2 level, for the purpose of sinking a winze. This will be put down so as to connect with No. 3 level at a point about 40 feet southward of the chamber, and the current of air thereby created should prove ample to ventilate the crosscut for-No. 2 reef. ADELAIDE. This company have forborne time past been crushing at Ball's mill^butowinff tft there not having been a great deal of water in the creek, only a small number of stamps have' been employed. A total of 118 loads of general stuff have been put through for the satisfactory return of 141ozs lOdwts melted gold.