OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4461, 23 April 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

DEEP OtBYEL CEOSS. Three shifts are now employed in the winze oa the cross-reef at i^To. 4 level. The horse of mullock has increased in size, and a dig is beio^ put dowa on it • The hanging and footwall portions of the reef wiltV tfceio baC; b>^enj^4pwn^*iThe manager will keep the irhole of the reef in the winze as long-'^^rcanfcas flQwill probably come together again lower down. At the 640 feet lerelgthe country in the south crosscut has become tighter, aad is also not sq white in color as formerly. MARINER AND LONDON. Though a full report of the prospects of these companies has already appeared Un our columns, it will not be oat of place to refer to them again, especially as the winding machinery is now.at work, and operations underground fairly in progress, that is, so far as preparations for working the reefs are concerned. In tbe Mariner ground, the manager'is: cleamng, d|lt a winze, sunk on the No. 2 reef about 30 feet seaward of the crosscut at -No, 3 level. The men are down 20 feet, but progress is slow, owing to the old timbers all being rotten/ Good gold was got in this winze when it was sunk, 3cwt of picked stone being bagged from it at a height of about 15 feet abore No. "4 level, and another 7blbs from the level itself.' 'A small hole was -sunk under this ran, .. but as' no gold of consequence was found,;work was stopped. ■* This^ is not proof, however, that the gold died but, for it might easily have jumped a few feet to either side, or perhaps r, that, ispotr was a poor place. At No. 4 level '/ffcen are employed securing the top of the winie sunk on the No. 2 reef to No. 5 level. - As soon as this is done, they will commence to repair it, the old timbers being unsafe. The manager expects to be able to reduce the water quickly enough to keep these-men going. The reef is showing in this winze, and is about a foot wide. It carries a kindly class of minernl, and the country is a good white sandstone. Some capital stone was obtained in the stopes eastward under the old management, and there is no reason why similar'patches should not be come.upon in the block above Noi 5 level, when it is wdrked. At N/o. 4 level a;jhangingwall leader and the specimen leader were worked, from both of which payable stone was taken, and Mr yraifo^the pre* sent manager took out 24lbs. of spebimens from the first mentioned lode in the (Jrive on it west of the crosscut. The junction of the hangingwall leader is dipping to the eastward, and good-payable stuff his generally been found Where the two, leaders came together. "A The^ maniig^f^ will start winding water tomorrow, and as the tanks will hold about 80 gallons each, it will not take loDg to get rid of thig drawback. The shafts were sounded this morning, andit was found thafthe northern compartment was clear for 63 feet below No. 4 flatsheot, but the southern one has been filled with mullock to within 24 feet of theleveljv;;Tkis-willnot,;however,;a»ke-much difference, as if one comgartmeDt' can be cleared and' the chamber reached, the dirt can easily; be run frorti thief seoond. As soon as this is done Mr Waite will itart driving both ways on thp No. 2 reef, from

the bottom of the winze referred to, and open up the block ready for stoping. He will also crosscut for the hangihgwall and specimen leaders, and No. 3 reef, which has . not been cut below No. 4 level. There is ; a large amount of ground standing on Nos. 4 and 5 leaders below No. 2 level, but for the present it is not intended to touch them. In the London, good progress is being made in cleaning out. the drive on No. 2 reef at No. 3 level, to connect with the winze cleaned out from No. 2

level. A big run of stuff has been cleared, and it is probable that the drive will be pretty free from mullock the rest of the distance—about 200 feet. The

manager will first start to drive east and , west on No. 1 reef, which has been cut at this level, though a great deal of work has not been done on it. He will also sink a winze underneath a shot of gold worked Tery successfully down to No. 3 level some years ago by & party of tributers. KURANUI HILL. r ,., The manager reported this morning as folldWß :—" The cleaning up at battery -■> for the trials from the different lodes took . place on Saturday, and the return is very . unsatisfactory, particular! of which are subjoined. Cook's lead at the depth stoped on is worthless, and a rise is being - put up from stopes to get at the junction of the hangingwall portions, so as to open out on quartz at the depth of 40ft from beach level, for which distance gold was V carried in sinking the winze. This will be holed through in a few days, and it will '/. be very strange if there is no good '; * crushing dirt from here upwards Wheel of Fortune: Seaward of the slide ". from here turned out of no account.

\ Hillwards the reef in the stopes continues to show a little gold each breaking down „ [ for a distance of 18ft. or so from the slide, lind to this portion operations will be con- ., fined, so there is every chance of the next ,: crushing being payable. There being no means to keep the quartz separate before, > this could not be done for want of room, ■nd consequently the dirt had to be crushed along witn that from the drive. The tributers' crushings this time have not turned out very well, and some of them have bot crashed for a number of months past. Wheel of Fortune, hillwards of slide, 47 tons yielded 20ozs retorted gold; do., seawards, 13 tons, l|ozs gold; Cook's lode, 15 tons, 2ozs gold ; Kelly's crosscut lead, 3 tons, lOdwts gold ; All Nations, 3 tons, Sdwtsgold. Total 81 tons, 24ozs Bdwts . gold. A hopper has been pet in the pump- * ing shaft, and through tbis. a saving of at least three men's labor per week is effected, and the hands have been shortened by that number.—Thos. H. Cbawfobd."

MOANATAIBI. The manager reports for last week :— ''Sedan section: Stoping is in hand on ' No. 9 footwall leader, and above 80 feet level; it will average one foot in width, and is of a very promising character. All Nations', stopes, above 80 feet level, are looking very poor at present. No. 2, 80 feet level, west of crosscut: The hangingwall portion of reef, with the hanging* w»H leader referred to in my last, now form one part, is about 2 feet wide, most of which is formed of several small branches encased in mullock. Colors of gold; are frequently met with in two of ;um branches. We have commenced to :" -rile and stope 20 feet behind face of drive ' referred to. The reef here is 18 inches in width ; the hangingwall portion, which is 4 inches wide, is gold-bearing'; strong blotches are occasionally found. About , 251bs. of fair picked stone have been obtained from here and the drive during the. week. Morning Star section: The intermediate drive has been extended into the eastern part of Heldt's section. At this point we came into contact with a barren belt.of country, in which leaders can scarcely live. I therefore discontinued driving for the present, and started doping some distance from the face of the drive. Most of the leaders we are working ,in this section are producing .■very low grade stuff just now, and the tome will apply to the leaders on whioh we are,stoping in Heldt's section, above 132 far t level. Stoping is proceeding on a : small likely-looking lead in Homeward Sound section at tunnel level. No change to report, on workings in Nonpareil section.—J.G. Vivian."