OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5177, 20 August 1885, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW MANUKAU.

Crushing has been commenced with five | head of stamps at the Golden Grown battery on 5 tons of quartz from No. 2 reef, and 5 from the small stringers which have been worked, both of which are expected to yield remuneratively. The No. 2 reef has been driven through, and the crosscut will be extended so as to cut the No. 3 reef, and test it underneath where the rich shot of cold was worked. It is estimated that the reef should be to hand in another 50ft of driving. The manager writes :—" The drive is now up to the boundary, and I started driving for , the above company on "Monday afternoon with one shift. The drive will have to be timbered up and got ready for atoping before I can put on another shift. The leader is looking well/ and showed more

gold last week when broken down than it did before. It also showed gold pretty freely when broken down yesterday. This lode will, I believe, be very changeable like all the lodes in the Waiotahi mine, but when opened up will ba a good payable lode." , . DEVON. A leading stope is being carried in from the crosscut, which should reach the rise in the course of a few days. The manager will then be in a position to stope back from the rise to the crosscut. The reef is 4ft. in thickness, but is composed of stringers, and some nice mineral is showing at the present time. There is a parcel of quartz in the paddock which is heavily impregnated with favorable minerals. ALBUfiNIA. Considerable attention has been directed to this locality lately, owing probably to the excellent prospects met with by the tributers working in this mice. At the Whau level, Irwin and party have driven a distance of about 100 ft. on the Success reef, and have carried good gold the whole way, while excellent hauls of specimens have also occasionally been obtained almost up to the present face. The reef is a nice looking body of stone, and is composed of about one footof crushing dirt. A kindly looking leader, which should be payable, strikes into the lode on the hangingwall some distance back from the face. There yet remains about 100 ft. to be drivira to cut the slide, and it is well known that the heaviest deposits of gold are nearly always found in the vicinity of slides. Stoping operations are proceeding on the Success lode, and strong colors of gold were seen in the quartz yesterday. Proceeding along the crosscut some 20 or 30ft., we come to the drive on the Star of the South reef, which is being worked with excellent results by Bice and party. The lode is running almost parallel with the Success reef, but they diverge towards the slide. This party recently came across good gold, having already banked several parcels of specimens. It is estimated that they will also have to drive about 100 ft. further to meet the slide. The reef averages about lft. in thickness, and shows gold pretty freely, 221 bs of specimens having been banked yesterday, and gold left showing in the floor. The country is all that can be desired, being a nice class of sandstone, with mineral striking through it. The levels below the present'workings belong to the company just floated. The next level is 70ft. below the Whau (level, and the reefs could be intersected in about 150 ft. of driving. From the underlie of the reefs, they should junction downward. CALEDONIAN LOW LEVEL'!' A body of quartz has been met with in the southward drive on the erosslode at the 640 ft. level. It is not improbable that it is a portion of the Waiotahi main reef, which should now be close at hand. DEEP LEVEL CROSS. The crushing of 42 loads of general dirt was completed to day for the payable return o|" 44ozs retorted gold, which was reduced on melting to 42ozs 2d ivts. GOLD RETURNS. Adelaide,—Laughlin and party, tributers.have banked 17oz* 13 iwts gold.