OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4516, 26 June 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

QUEEN OP BEAUTY. A shot wag fired in the main reef at No. 9 level; beyond the heave, yesterday afteruood, and the stone thrown out yielded 201bs picked stone and showed good dabs of gold freely. This came from neaPt'he floor of the drive. Another shot' "was .fired bear the roof last night, and. the splendid haul of 1501 b's of picked stone and specimens was bagged. Some of the pieces are very rich, having a seam of the precious metal right through them. A grand show was also left in the roof. For a length of three feet a band of' gold, in places two inches wide, is visible on the hangingwall of the reef, promising farther rich hauls when stoping is started. A small clay head ofosseu the reef near the face, bat does not change the

position of the quartz, and underneath this rich gold is showing in several placps.. The main body of quartz is about 2ft wide, but there is also a hard cab on hanging and foot wall, in which small stringers, also showing good gold, are found. The country is a good solid sandstone in the face. The piece of reef broken down. is not more than 4ft in length. Since the manager first picked np the reef he has driven 16ft on it, and gold has been seen the whole distance; even when cutting along the break that heaved' the reef "rubbly quartz wsf found, which when broken shewed good gold. The reef is carrying the same course as before it was heaved, and the men are now advancing the dig ready for breaking down. At N"o. 10 level the main reef in the northern drive was taken down to-day ;it is from,6 inches to a foot wide, and carries excellent minerals, though no gold was seen. The country is Very similar to that at No. 9, and the same hard cab is noticeable on the reef. About 6ft of the Queen of the May reef has been stripped, but none of the quartz has yet been broken. The stopes continue to look well, and in the third one going north colors of gold are seen mixed with the mineral. The drive towards the Piako is in 70 feet, and the reef is a strong body of well'mineralised quartz fully 2 feet wide.

QUEEN OF ENGLAND,

The only work in progress is driving west on the specimen leader from :the crosscut lately put in by the ra-inagor at No. 3 level The leader was first struck between two breaks, but the- drive now being clear of them, an improvement has taken place in the lead. It is small, but showed several good colors of gold close to the western side of the break.

KURANUI HILL,

The battery started with the :fu]l force yesterday morning, 20 stamps being em ployed by the company and 20by tributers. The company's dirt. wilh probably all be turouah by the end of the week. The manager reported yesterday:—" Driving from the shaft is still making good ; pro-; great*: nothing unusual has transpired since last week, with the exception of a small leader having been driven through, in the south end, but it does not seem of much account. This end is now inx9sft, and the northern drive is in 56 feet, and is now making a little more water, therefore a change of ground may be expected. The other workings in Albion section am making fair headway. The crosscut to connect with tbe Wheel of Fortune has been driven 16 feet, leaving about 24 feet to reach that lode. If the ground continues as at present it will be pretty nearly in this week.—Thos. H. Cjrawfobd." .;■