OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4608, 11 October 1883, Page 2

OUR MINES.

•; DARWIN. Some of the directors visited the mine to-day, and expressed themselves as pleased with the prospects. It has been decided to purchase the old Imperial winding plant, though the negotiations have not yet been completed. The price asked by the Imperial is £175, and the plant consists of a portable single cylinder* engine, two cages, the bodies of the trucks lately in use, and some other articles. The engine, &c, will be placed in position as soon as possible after the arrangements are concluded. • MARINER. Crushing has been started at Bull's battery, and the manager expects to have about 25 loads to put through, all from the cross-leader. The western drive at No. 4 level is in 40 feet, and a leading stope is also in progress. The leader is not large, but shows colors of gold. DART. The eastern drive on No. 2 reef, at No. 3 level, after being advanced about 20ft from the crosscut has been suspended for the present. The reef has become much smaller, being about 4ft wide in the face, though there is another leader in the hangingwall, which has not been taken down yet. The western drive is in 25ffc, and is just below the winze in progress from No. 2 level. Here also the reef has narrowed considerably, but the hangingwall leader is still standing. The quartz has not been broken right up to the face, ' but some good strong dabs of gold were seen in it when last shot down. The lode is about three feet wide, and is a solid body of quartz, carrying a large percentage of mineral. The winze from No. 2 level is down 47ft, and another 20 feet should hole through. The stampers are running eight hours per day, but the berdans are kept going three hours longer in order to reduce the blanketings. The dirt is shaping for 6 or 7dwts per load, but it will no doubt improve as the seaward drive advances, the face still being 90ft from the point where the tributers' run of good dirt commenced on No. 2 level. GOLD RETURNS. Moanatairi. —Guthrie and party, who are working on No. 9 reef at the surface level in Heldt's section, have crushed 9 loads of general dirt and about 601 bs of picked stone for the good yield of 67ozs 4dwts melted gold.