THE GOLDFIELDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 217, 12 September 1900, Page 4

THE GOLDFIELDS.

THAMES-HAURA-IL

A-meeting of the Finance ■ Committee of the Thames Drainage Board was held to-day at, Mr D. G. Macdonnell's office, at which there were present: Messrs H. A. Gordon (chairman), G. S. Kissling, G. Clark, and S. Hesketh. The report, of the pumping engineer was. read, also the following circular from the Thames-Hauraki Company*. "We beg to give notice it is our intention to discontinue pumping and drainage operations-at the Queen of Beauty shaft, Thames, on December 31, 1900. (Sighed) C. A. Harris and S. Hesketh, attorneys." The Board decided to forward notification^ to the various contributing companies. .. NEW WHAU. The drive on the Sons of Freedom reef is in a splendid channel of sandstone country, which is still interlaced with nice quartz stringers, in which gold is seen. The reef is a well-de-fined body of ore 2ft wide, and gold has been freely seen in the quartz when stripping the lode. A start has been made to rise over No. 2 winze in order to allow a leading stope to be brought along over the drive, where an improvement has taken place. - ALPHA. The crosscut at No. 4 level is entering upon most congenial country traversed with small veins of quartz of a character indicating the close proximity of the Golden Cross lode, '•which," .the manager adds, "should be in hand at any moment." WAITEKAURI G.M. CO. Local shareholders in the Waitekauri G.M. Compjaiiy have just received a circular from the London Board of Directors furnishing interesting particulars regarding the mine. At. No: 3 level the Southern Cross reef has been driven upon another 76 feet. For the first 10 feet the reef was 6 feet wide, and averaged £2 1/6 per ton. The last 28 feet the reef was 5 feet wide and worth £5 15/ pei- ton. At No. 4 level the Southern Cross reef has been driven upon 152 feet. It is 5 feet wide, and for 22 feet-was worth £4 6/ per ton, while for the last 14 feet the value was £3 14/ per ton. A rise has been put up from the fourth level 43 (at the time of issuing the circular).. The width of. the reef was 5. feet, and the average value of the ore. £19 10/8 per torn ... *'.'.' WAIORONGOMAI. Application for protection of Mr Hardy's claims'* at Waiorongomai. which had been lodged in the Warden's Court, have been withdrawn, consequent upon a satisfaqtory arrangement being made . with the County Council re haulage, of quartz. The battery has been stopped recently on account of large additions to the building and the erection of new machinery, but it is now working night and day crushing the large quantity of quarto on hand. The mine looks well. Some time has been occupied in driving and rising, on a new block of ground. The reef shows 4 feet wide, and gold is freely seen j throughout for a vertical height of 80 feet. A new claim, is about to be worked near the Big Blow, on a reef 9 feet wide, which gives evidence of being highly . payable. An iron rail tramway is to be laid from the top of Butler's Spur to the Big Blow. The roadway has been cleared of slips and overhanging trees, and the bridge over the Army Creek re-erected. This road will also, give access to the property recently acquired by the Hampton Plains Exploration Co. of London, whose operations are being supervised by Mr Hardy. Mr Holman, mine manager, and five men are building a- house and getting things i-eady preparatory to starting active work on the Army section of the big reel'-.