THE CALEDONIAN CLAIM.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 178, 6 July 1871, Page 3

THE CALEDONIAN CLAIM.

The Grahamstown correspondent of the Auckland " Weekly News," writing of the Caledonian claim, says :—: —

" That a shot of gold altogether distinct from the one that has yielded and still yields such astonishingly rich returns has been struck in this mine is now placed beyond doubt. The tenor of my late reports has pointed to this conclusion. I have stated in plain terms that the old or main shot of gold is marked in its course across the lode by a peculiar description of stuff, and that its north-eastern line was marked by a change in the characteristics of the lode, and in the country on either wall. Drives were opened at the bottom and middle levels to follow the lode, in expectation of a change for the better, and very soon the change did occur and gold again put in an appearance, not in any great quantity, but enough to indicate that another shot of gold had been touched upon. As the lode was followed the stone improved, and last night a splendid show was obtained in the lower level, at about 50 feet distant from the main cross-cut of the mine, and about 280 feet from the Otago boundary. I went down the mine this morning to inspect the new find, and was astonished at what I saw. The lode has undergone a radical change in constitution, that is, more silver and much more mullock, and an absence of that intense hardness and black hungry appearance of the ore of the main lode. Base metals, deemed a good sign, are hot wanting, however, whilst gold itself is abundant. Under the hanging wall, on the foot-wall, in the stone, and through the mullock, the precious metal was to be seen in rich patches. I broke down a lot of the staff, and wherever the pick could reach gold was revealed. The lode is about 1> feet thick, and is flanked by grey tufa, very easy to work. This is a most important find — not altogether new, for, as I stated yesterday, I am of opinion that the shot is the continuation of the dribbling run of gold struck in the Cure mine, 150 ft. nearer the surface. There the country is broken up, hence the poverty of the lode ; below it has become settled, and the quality of the lode has improved in proportion. As near a 8 I could judge by casual inspectiou, this new shot will strike across this lode, and into the Belfast mine. But not a mine, progressive or otherwise, on the Messenger's Hill spur that will fail to derive benefit from the discovery. The shot was struck whilst the lode was beinsj followed along the spur : it is the efore only reasonable to suppose that other shots will be found in the same direction. I feel convinced that there is oDe in the Otago mine, from the simple fact of straggling gold having been met with in the higher levels opened in the upper reef in the shaft, which reef is part of the same run of stone. This straggling gold is very likely to prove the top of another shot that will gain in richness as it acquires depth.