OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4899, 22 September 1884, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW PEItfCE IMPERIAL,

The winze below No. 6 level will be started in a day or two, the men being now engaged making ready for it. It will be sunk about 30ft west of the crosscut. The manager reported for last week as follows :—" The specimens accumulated daring the month, amounting to 16cwt, have been reduced for the splendid ! return of 196/ozs retorted gold. The final cleaning up for the month will take place on Monday, the 29th inst. The contractors for sinking the shaft are now 63ft below No. 6 level, and the ground still continues very favorable for working. No. 6 level: The drive going into the footwatl on the break has advanced 33ft. The lead cut a few days ago got smaller as the drive advanced upon it toward the Cross boundary. Driving ahead to pick up the footwall portion has again been resumed, and I think 25 or 30ft. should see the leader to hand. Stoping is proceeding as usual, and a very lair amount of good crushing dirt is being obtained. During the corn* ing week I purpose starting the winze to connect with No. 7 level. JSo. 5 level:

The south crosscut is still passing through very favorable country. The dirt coming to hand from the eastern stbpos on No. 2 lead has been shaping first rate during the past week. No. 4 level: Driving eastward from the break on the hangingwall lead was started this week. The quartz is very similar to that in the No. 2 lead, and is carrying good mineral, but no gold has been seen yet. There is 350 ft to drive on this lead before it junctions with the No. 1 reef at the Hand of Friendship boundary, and as it is a good strong body of quartz running through a. splendid couutry and almost parallel with the No. ?< lead, there is every reason to believe that at leasl payable grade dirt will be met with. Stoping on No. 2 and hangingwall vein ia in hand as usual, and the dirt coming to hand is shaping payable. The eastern drive on No. 1 reef, at No. 3 level, has advanced 20ft; the reef is not quite clear of the broken country, but is making stronger.—G. S. Clabk." MOANATAIRI. The manager reported on Saturday :— " Waitemata section: We have extended the crosscut seaward of the main slide without|striking reef about 40ft, obliquely in order to avoid, as much as possible, disordered country, as well as the water, which was very troublesome for some time. The drive is now quite dry, but very tight at present. We have commenced to crosscut easterly, just parallel with the slide. Quartz stringers have been intersected since starting it. If the reef is not to hand after driving a few feetfurther, I purpose driving westerly, to see it we can pick up the other reefs on the main slide, which were intersected under it in our main crosscut. No. 9, below Guthrie and Company, shows strong blotches of gold occasionally. The quartz in intermediate drive east still has a kindly appearance for gold, but none has been seen for some time past. Western stopes, above 132 ft level: The leader shows colors when broken, but does not produce any picked stone. INothing has been done in surface crosscut during the week, the men being required for breaking quartz at same level, and on a portion of No. 9 reef, which has produced a few pounds of picked stone in the past week. The new wheels have been supplied, and new rope in use.—J. G. Vivian." CALEDONIAN. The manager reports that the crosscut at No. 3 level is still passing through boulders of hard rock. A trial lot ia being taken out from the bottom of No. 2 level, at a point about 50ft east of the shaft, between Nob. 2 and 3 winzes sunk by Capt. Eiehards, and below where he got some good gold. If the gold can be traced downwards an intermediate level giving 60 or 70ft of backs will be opened out. The drive east on Bed Queen leader at No. 2 level has been idle during the week ; a parcel of 5 loads has been crushed for 3ozs 15dwts gold. This return is encouraging, but is scarcely payable. The manager recommends that the drive be continued another 50ft, as he considers there is a good chance of meeting with a run of payable dirt. BRIGHT SMILE. A parcel of about 20 loads of general dirt being on hand, the manager has had most of it carted to the flat, and crashing was started with .'lO head at the Queen of Beauty battery this morning. CAMBRIA. Crushing was started at the Queen of Beauty battery this morning with 10 head of stampers ; a trial from the bangingwall mass of stringers will be put through. ADELAIDE. The proprietors have just finished a crushing of 35 loads of general dirt at Bull's mill for the good return of 42ozs Idwt melted gold. This dirt was taken from the leading stope. KARANGAHAKE. The proprietors of the Dubbo claim have crushed 15cwt of quartz (taken from a small hangingwall leader at the upper level) for lOozsgold; which/however, has a good deal of silver mixed With it. A parcel of two tons from the Retreat claim gave sozs Bdwts gold. Crushing has been started on dirt from the Golden Crownmine, and a return of several ounces per ton is confidently expected. GOLD RETDRNS. Hope.—A ton of quartz from this claim* situated on the Una Hill, has been crushed by Schofield and party for the good return of 14ozs gold.