OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4455, 16 April 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

MOANATAIRL The manager reports for last week :— " No. 2 reef, 80ft level: Our operations here during the week hare been confined to west of crosscut. Two men only have been employed in driving, the other two having been engaged in stripping and taking down the hangingwall leader and stringers, which produced in all 501bs of good picked stone. The droppers showed gold from the lop of the drive to its bottom, and for about 12ft in length, the distance driven on them. They have now functioned near the face of drive, thus forming a compact leader two inches in width. Its tendency is a little from the reef in face of drive at present. We are carrying about 18 inches of the hangingwall portion of reef, it being the most likely, and has become much more compact since my last report, and has shown colors of gold. The foot wall part is about 18in. in thickness ; it carries more of the baser mineral. Two more men will be employed here next week, as I wish to extend the eastern drive a short distance, so as to commence rising and stoping as quickly as possible under tlje winze (which is sunk about 25ft. below tunnel level), in order to get good ventilation, as well as to prove the eastern portion of the block, on which so little has been done. The branch leaders in All Nations' stopes, 80ft. level, continue to yield occasional parcels of picked stone. The leaders on which we are driving and stoping in Morning Star section are from 1 to 6 inches in thickness, and sometimes show a little gold. The other parts of the mine are without change to report.—J. G. Vivian." DEEP LEVEL CROSS.

The country in the face of the south crosscut at the 640 feet level continues tight, but is good shooting ground, and from its appearance a reef struck in it should carry gold. The small leader wbich has been followed since the hard country came in is showing in the face about an inch wide.. It is composed mostly of white quartz, but in places car" ries excellent mineral. A number of mineral veins strike across the face, but these seem to hare very little effect on

the leader. Another small leader, striking across the one first mentioned, is Tisibie near the bottom, of the drive- This is lying very flat, and as yet has hardly been touched, but what quartz has been broken from it looks very white. The air here is very good, the boxes giving an abundant supply, but back in the crosscut where the large reif was intersected, it is hotter on account of the gas. The workings at , the Imperial end of the mine are being pushed on as usual. The cros-sreef in the is a fine solid body of quartz, and yields payable dirt. The winze at the Imperial boundary is in full swing, three shifts being engaged in it. CALEDONIAN The mm are/mostly engaged in the Red Queen section. The cross-leader has Iven driven on b >th eastward and westward, fv a considerable distance. . Three shifts are employed westward, so as hole through to the lied Queen shaft. I he manager is of opinion that he has in this drive been following the Cure No. 6 reef, which he thinks has branched off from the cross-leader The country has been very hard, and the lead in consequence pinched up, but it has now opened out to about 15 inches in width, but shows no gold yet. The sandstone i*_/% somewhat softer, but is still shootingground, and as the air is light the smoke " hangs about all day. The distance to drive is about 50 fret. EastvraW the leader has shown gold at every breaking down. A few days ago a clay seam crossed the drive,and behind itaaotberwef was found, upon which the manager drove about 12 feet. It ia 18" inches or 2 feet wide, and showed colors of gold, but:Mr Hicks felt sure it was not the same one he had been following, so he staried the men to shoot down the left. hand, side- of the drive, where he thought it had been heaved. His supposition turned out to be right, as the leader was found on Saturday about four feet from the drive. It showed gold on breaking dowhV and a few good stones were obtaired from it tbis morning. It is about a foot wide, and the quartz does not carry much mineral. Its strike is more to the north than that of the new leader, and a greater length will therefore be available on it. The left hand branch has been driven on for 20ft, and showed gold the -whole distance, being from 6to 12 inches in width. The men have been removed from the face and started to rise on the junction with the cross-leader, so as to have things ready to start s toping at once when the necessary ventilation is secured. Five head of stamps are employed full time at the Herald battery on quartz from here, and it is shaping for a payable return. At the 60ft level the north cross* cut is in slightly over 100' feet, in a good class of country. Several small leaders have been passed through, but no gold was seen in them. Three loads of dirt have been crashed from the reef first intersected, and it shaped for about odwts. per load. The south cross- . cut is still in unfavorable country. A clay head has followed the drive for the .last few feet, but this appears now to- be cross* ing the face, so better ground may be found under it. NEW MANUKAU. . ,* The contractors are making good headway, and have only about 30 feet to drive before the distance tendered for is completed. A good class of sandstone is now beiug pierced, and the Waiotahi No. 5 reef should be met with before long, as it waa estimated the 1 coutract let would in*"" tersect it. The winze from the Waiotahi .bottom level is completed. ADELAIDE. A retorting for tbis claim took place on Saturday, yielding 122^ozs gold. A\ second retorting to-day gave I<4§oz.s and the whole return, on melting, was reduced , to J34ozs, losing only 3ozs by the process. For this about 100 loads of quartz from the stopes on the City of Manchester reef have been crushed at Bull's mill. GOLD BETUENS: ; Queen of Beauty.—Connolly and party to-day banked an additional 17qzs. gold, making the total melted weight of their return 48ozs. 2dwts. gold.