OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4482, 17 May 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW PRINCE IMPERIAL.

At No. 5 level the drive on the leader, seaward of the break, is in about 20ft. The country in the dig continues good and several small veins of quartz, in which gold is seen, are showing. These are picked out of the mullock and sent to the mill. The reef is about a foot wide in the face, and is rather white in appear* ance, but shows gold freely when broken. The crosscut on the break to see if No. 2 reef had been heaved as at No. 4 level, has been advanced 20ft, but there is no sign of a defined reef, though two or three stringers of quartz have been passed through. The country is a blocky sandstone. The crosscut will be pushed ahead when convenient, as other leaders are known to be on ahead. The leading stope on the No. 2 reef is within about 10 feet of the break, and the reef showing in it is a strong body of quartz. A good show of gold is left in the roof, above where the cwt of picked stone was obtained yesterday. The second and thirdistopes are also being advanced. The reef in them is pinched in places, but shows gold when broken. Eastward, in the face the quartz is about 18 inches wide, and looks well. Gold was visible in the foot wall of the reef here to-day. The stopes on this side of the winze look about the same as last week. At No. 4 level, the Mariner's reef in the eastward drive has opened out and occupies the whole face, being fully five feet thick. Gold is seen pretty freely in breaking, and occasionally parcels of picked stone come to hand. A leader about 6 inches wide branches off into the hangingwall a few feet back from the face. Good coarse gold was visible in this. A splice has come in the main reef, but a good solid body of quartz is carrying on beyond it. The stopes on this reef continue to produce a large quantity of crushing dirt, and some nice stone was bagged last night from the workings west of the break. The drive on the No. 3 reef east of the shaft is at a standstill for the present. The No. 2 reef here appears to have split into two portions just beyond the head which crossed it last week. A drive has been put in on the hangingwall leader, which is striking towards where the Mariner's reef should be found, and though the quartz is sm*ll, some good stone has come to hand from it. The footwatl leader, which is the larger of the two has not yet been opened out upon.

DEEP LEVEL CROSS.

The men working: in the winze on the No. 2 reef have for the last day or two been cutting into the hangingwall, on the small break which has been followed down, so as to get the reef on the right-hand side, the winze having been sunk on the seaward side of the break. After cutting in about 6 feet, quartz was met with last night. It is 3 inches wide, and colors of gold were showing in two or three places to-day. The course of the winze will now be altered so as to follow the newly- cut body of quartz. - The finding of gold at this point is a good sign, and augurs well for the payableness of No. 5 block.

QUEEF OF BEAUTY..

Connection between the No. 10 level and the winze from No. 9 'was established last night, and the ventilation in both places is now much improved. The reef in the drive since the gold was obtained about a week ago, has been from two to four feet in width, and (hough no gold has been seen, the minerals have been very favorable. In the face the reef appears to have split, one portion striking off to the right, and the other carrying straight on. The junction of the Queen of the May reef should lie met with somewhere about here, but whether this is it or not will be hard to say for a day or two. In the winze there are two distinct bodies of stone showing, though a few feet higher up they were in one solid reef. The fbotwall branch is the one the drive has been put in on, and looks well, colors of. gold being seen. The hangingwall branch has ' not been touched in the drive, and is striking and dipping away from the fdotwall branch, its course being more westerly. It is about three feet wide, and carries excellent minerals. As soon as the drive is squared up and timbered the manager (Mr Chas. Wilson) intends to crosscut into the hanging and footwall to see if any leaders have dropped off from the main reef. The crosscut for the flat leader passed through in the shaft has not yet intersected it, but is in a good class of country. The distance driven so far is about 40ft, but the drive is curved, to keep clear of the the shaft. At No. 9 level underhand stoping is in progress on the main reef at the junction of the Queen of the May reef. A hole about 15ft long, and 9ft deep has been made. The reef looks exceedingly well, gold being seen pretty freely. Some picked stone and specimens came to hand from here in the latter part of last week.

MARINER

The water to-day was. reduced to within two feet of No. 5 level, and by the end of the week the manager expects to have the chamber cleaned up. Ouly one cage will be used for the present so as to get the well-hole partly emptied.' The northern shaft will then be cleared of mullock, the guides and other timbers repaired, and the two cages used. The tank is filled each time and a large quantity of slush is thus being brought to the surface.

WAIHI.

The manager reports :— The battery has been working satisfactorily. I hare crushed all the old Waihi quartz that was ,in the battery and hoppers, and commenced on the Young Colonial and Martha sections on Tuesday May 8, but I hare only been running the battery 12 hours. Since starting on the above stuff, it has been showing up for a very fa>r return, certainly much better than the Waihi stuff; besides, it is coming; from all parts of the mine.; I am continuing the drives mentioned in my last, and the reef is looking well in all of them. The drive on the reef from the Fraaer crosscut is within about 10 feet of the Dulcibel boundary.

GOLD RETUBNS.

AiißtrßNii..-— Connon and party have treated about 12 loads of quartz at the company's mill for the return of 33ozs 6dwts gold. :.)!;