OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4584, 13 September 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW PEINCE IMPERIAL. The winze on No. 2 re jf at No. 5 level is now fairly started, and is down about sis feet, A splice occurred in the reef, but it is making solid again, and is about six inches wide. No gold has yet been C3n. The winze was started on the hangingwall, so as to keep clear of the timbers in the drive, and the men are now cutting through the reef to get on the footwall. The men working in the sixth stope west are at present drjying on a braneti leader to connect with tTie' Cross winze. They should break through very shortly. The leader driven on is small, but shows gold. 1 When communication is Effected hero, the smoke from the Gross workings will be drawn away from the Imperial sto.pes.and carried straight up to No. 3 lorel. The seventh slope is about half, way between the break and the boundary. The reef here is a nice strong body of stone 18in wide, and shows gold freely throughout, the precious metal also being visible in numerous places in the roof. The eighth stope is 35 feet behind the seventh, and is not more than 20 feet past the break. It was from here that tho hundredweight of stono was bagged on Tuesday,' and 4D\hs have oonje to hand since. The ninth stope has been advanced to within about 30 feet of the break, and the reef here is a compact body of quartz, showing gold freely. Before this stope is carried up to the break, the manager intends to.

piolc up the hanging wall lender at this point, to see if it is of p.tyablo grade. It » should not be more thau two or three feet from where the No. 2 reef touches the break, on the eastern side. The tenth stope was started froui the winze on Monday night, but it will have' to be carried some distance before reaching ike show of gold left in the beck of the ninth-. No work is at present going on at the eastern side of the winze. At No. 4 level the leading stope will be ap to the face of the eastern drive before long, when the face will again be advanced. On the eastern side of the break there are now five stopes iv progress, the second having just passed the winze sunk from No. 3 level.' On the western side two stopes are in hand. For the whole length of the block being worked, 320 ft., the reef averages-fully sft. in width, showing gold in every stope, and shaping at the battery j for quite an ounce per load. The highest stope eastwa/d of the break is about 33ft. from the floor of the level, so it will be seen that as yet very little impression has been made on the 130 ft. of backs to No. 3 level. DEEP LEVEL CEOSS. The winze on the hangingwall leader of No. 2 reef is down about 14 feet, and in taking down the reef this morning a few pounds of picked stone were bagged, and colors of gold seen freely through the general dirt. At ' first there were two bodies of quartz, but' . the footwall one has spliced into the otheV^V which is now about*B inches wido. Thp~ ' winza on the footwall branch of the crpss-T reef is down 7 feet. There is 15 inches wide of quartz showing, and on breaking', down on Tuesday gold was seen freely, though none was yesterday. The third stope has been carried home to the face, and the fourth is 10 feet from the stope on the hangingwall leader, while the fifth has just been started from the winze. In the fourth stope the manager cut in on the hangingwall leader to its junction with, the footwall branch of the crossreef, which is carrying on southward a strong body of stone 2 feet thick, though it was split up in the level. No gold was seen in the quartz, which is, however, well mineralised. The manager intends to open out on it shortly. The north drive on the hanging wall branch of the crossreef having holed through to the winze, the men have started to drive southward on the reef, which is three feet wide, and carrying good minerals. Only two men are at present working on the footwall leader, but more will be put on when the Imperial holes through to the winze. Gold is'seen in the quartz broken. The south crossnut at the 643ftilevel is still in excellent; country, but the face has not reached the point at which, according to the surveyor's latest estimate, the hangingwall leader should be met wilh. DART. The No. 2 reef was struck in the cross* cut at No. 3 level yesterday, at a distance of 160ffc from the shaft. None of the quartz was broken down till this morning, when ife wai found that only the Jbangingwall portion of the lode wa3 in hand, quartz showing behind a small horse of mullock, ihe footwalibiaach is likely to prove of considerable size, as a large amount of water is issuing from it. The hangingwall branch varie-i from four to eighteen inches in width, and is carrying splendid minerals. At first-only a colof or two of gold was seen in it, but on another shot beiog fired near the iloor of the drive several strong dabs were seen in the solid stone. There is no doubt, judging from the appearao.ee of the quartz, that it will prove p.yable when crushing is started. The crosscut will be pushed on so as to get through to the footwall of the reef, and the manager will then slart driving both ways to open up, a block for stoping without delay. The reef is 40ffc nearer the shaft at No. 3 than it was :it No. 2, so there-should be 80 feet of b. cks fa take out. Tiie winze at No. 2 level has been started 70 feefc east of the crosscut, and will come down about 10 feet west of the crosscut at No. 3. The reef is 7or 8 feet wide where the winze has been stirtc-1, and the.quartz broken has shown colors of gold freely. The winze is only about two feet below the floor of-the level. The manager is removing the quar'z in the hoppers to the battery, to le^ve room to stow that now being broken out. QUEEN OP BEAUTY. The seaward drive at No. 10 level is making good progress in an. excellent class of country, 15ft having been driven last week, making a total of 152 ft from the chamber. The reef is three feet wide, and has looked much better lately. A color of gold was seen yesterday when breaking down, the first observed for over 50ft. A trial parcel from here is nowbeing crushed. The new bordaos hare been taken over from the contractor, and , five of them are now in use, the turbine * being sufficiently powerful to drive this number. LONDON, T"he eastward drive at No. i level has ■ been cleaned out to the face, and'^the manager expects that, he will be able to , start driving m a week. I a the meantime the drive mil be enlarged, and an old winze from No. 3 level cliarcd out for ■ ventilation. A much better class of ground is coming in at the seaward end of the win^onNo.lreef. Colon, of gold are seen m the hangman leader, and a '■ piece of stone torn out of the uiaiu ree£ yesterday showed gold. - ■.-/ MAEINEE. / ; . ■--," ■■■ The winze on the cross^leade- vilifo* ' deep enough to connect with No. 4 leveS open out oa the leader, ' GOLp-iiETUIINS.