OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4706, 6 February 1884, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW PRINCE IMPERIAL.

The winze at No. 5 level is now down about 50ft; the leader is still split up, being fully 3ffc in width, but good strong dabs and colors of gold were seen in it on breaking down yesterday evening. A defined footwall is showing, and this will no doubt bring the reef together again in a few feet. The eastern stopes here are lookiug just about the same as usual. The crosscut on the break towards the Mariner is in 100 ft, in good country. The stopes west of the break are nearly finished, and another week will probably see the reef all out. The winze on. No. 1 reef at -Wo. 4 level is down 30ft. The branch leader has gone off in the hangingwall, and the main portion of the reef in hand is about 2ft. wide, carrying splendid minerals, and showing colors of gold. Good dirt continues to come from the stope on this reef near the break, and a little gold is also seen in stoping on it above No. 3 level. Payable dirt is com* ing to hand from the east stopes on No. 2 reef above No. 4 level. As soon as the 640 ft. level is drained, an effort will be made to make the Big Pump shaft the upcast one. The sinking of the Imperial .shaft will probably be commenced shortly. DEEP LEVEL CROSS. In order to prevent, if possible, the gas rising through the winze to the 640 ft. level when the water is out and spreading through the workings, the winze has been covered. There i 3 very little fresh to report in the mine. Driving is in progress on the leader found at No. 5 level near the slide, but it is disturbed at present. The last stope is being taken along the No. 2 reef; the stopes on the foot and hangingwall branches of the crossreef are in hand as usual, and are producing payable qnartz. KURANUI HILL. The stopes on No. 9 reef at the tunnel level are nearly up to the junction with, the flat cross«lode, and the men are now stripping both reefs. The No. 9 shows gold, but the manager does not ezpeot it to improve much till he picks it up at the top of the cross-lode. The battery will start on Monday next, and enough dirt will be to hand to keep it employed a week. HAND OF FRIENDSHIP. Very little work has been done lately in the drive on No. 1 reef at No. 4 level, owing to the gas. The footwall portion of the reef is about two feet wide, and is carrying excellent minerals. The quartz in the hopper has been conveyed to the Golden Crown battery, where crushing was started this morning. LONDON. The eastern drive on the No. 1 reef at No. 4 level having been extended 20ft, and showing good minerals, continuing split up and showing no gold, the manager yesterday started to break it down in the winze, in order to see where the reef became disturbed. The men commenced at a point 18ft up the winze, where, geld was last seen in sinking, and have not yet broken all the reef down, only 2ft. baring been shot out. Good dabs of gold were, however, seen in this portion. NEW EUREKA (OTUNUI). An interim retorting of the amalgam on hand (4350z5, squeezed in cold water) took place at the Alburnia battery to-day for the yield of 116ozs gold. The quan* tity of dirt crushed is 106 tons, but the manager estimates he will get another 3Oozs yet from the blanketings on hand, which are now being ground. No workis going on in the mine by company's men at present; a start will, however, be made next week to sink a winze from the top level to the new low lerel, a distance of 48ft.