MINING NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 587, 16 August 1909, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

A VISIT TO THE TAJLJSMAN. (By Telegraph,—Special Corroepondont.l Auckland, August 14. .' The "Herald's" mining commissioner, in .a report on the TalWan Mine, says:—My visit to the Talisman took place a few days ago, when I v;a6 courteously shown round Nos. 12 and 13 levels by Mr. H. Shuisficld,. 6uperinteu- : dent. I found at the latter level that eince the ; . wnter was, drained off the level has been ' ' cleaned up and retimbered, and repaired where ' ■ necessary, and that stoping has been resumed in the Talisman and Bonanza sections on the main reef. Coming to tho point of chief interest, we traversed the south drive to where- the water from tho,reef caused the suspension of. operations. Here I was shown a, surprisingly, wide face of very .rich ore, tho highest in value ' in the mine for in equivalent width, contain!- ' ing more minerals, I was informed by llr. ■ Stausneld, than any other part of the mine. Amongst tho latter were galena, zinc sulphides, , , and copper pyritesi- There was a fino show in ; ■ ; the face. The boixj-holce. in the quartz were still plugged up, but the oro body was making ' a good deal of which, however,. vzas being coped with by means of the pump installed.' ' A fact that [I ' particularly noticed was that, :whereas for some little distance back from the, face two separate veins have been followed, these at the point.where operatio&e are about: ■'■ to be Tesumeid appear to bo coming together on.this point. Indeed,; Mr. Stanefield expressed confidence in hJs opinion there, is not only a .-■'"■, big ore body, but a rich one ahead. - The his- ; tory. of New Zealand mining has proved that , better values frequently. result from 6ucu junotions on ore veins. The fact that this rich: ore in the, south section of the Talisman Mine has been proved underfoot, as well as overhead, ■ ; where (in' No. 12' level) the values extended to a point' 200 ft. beyond tho present face at No. \. 13 level, shows that there is a large block-,; : available here, tho levels being 200 ft. apart V Tho run of oro so far opened up in this: see- . ," tion of tho property is 400 ft. in length 1 at No. ' ■.-''-..' 12 level, 300ft.,0f which is in the high-grade ore. , In,, No. 12 winze, moreover, tho high ".■■;' values have been proved fo bo going down, fat .-' No. 13 level tho.ran should bo more '.extensive . Yas the reef and values dip to the south, and the high-grade ore is'wider. There is, there- . ■ fore, every reason to bolieve that the rich run, .'•'- at No. 13 level, which has been follow«d for : ■: IMft. already to the point, whore,the water came in, will possibly ciceed that'of the level . ' above. It. follows, that ,the most: important problem before the company at,present is the , ' further exploitation of, , this,southeni end ot.'■■•■".■ No.'. 13 lovel. The, only question at; issue ia oonnection with the advancement of tho driv< : along the course .of the Bonanza.ore is whetbei the company can overcome\the waiter difficulty. Jlr. Stansfield,informed' md that -they can,,; Aa'•■■■': '•'■■•. auxiliary stationary., pump similar to.th* 0n«.,:. ■ already installed; at, the level '<yrts. being'giveD , ■■-','■. the finishing, touches/at the , time, of my visit. r ■ This was expected to I)o:completed in'..a"f6w ■ . ... that at any time now, the resumption.- •,:, of driving, eoulh on tho,main,ycin.'may, be'in.- ; -. : . hand. As soon as'tho , extra-pturip'is installed ' the-plugged holcsare: to be,'firod, /aid th<* .'' breaking down of 'tho' face iwiir bo 1 proceeded ; with.' When this; south dtWe extension 1 gets. ,1 ,; fairly startedit isrintended to resume sinking ■'■; ■'■■■' the Talisman shaft to open •■up':No. 14 lovol '■•'"■< 200 ft- below.. This; shaft''..is; now"down"GOft. ■';;•' below' No. 13 level, and: thero-is good conntrj '"'■;' V ' in the, bottom,' Should; the, same,clasß;'of grouhdf.; ■, continue-down,':llr.| Stansfiold: considers;,that' ,', , good values.should.again bo.obtained as th« ; !.. '\: mine is, opened. -up.-dta greater'depth.;, Solong'i; >■■■ as.values exist, underfoot it is at-least eocour- .' > .agmg. It may here be -noted that thfe-maia , ;. ■■ reef at. No. 13 level has been • found , , to bi /, \ lying far lees flat-than in; the levele, aboro,- : ., ! ; It is, in fact, eteeper than at any.'previous' •" :, time-in the history of the Bononri' section. •: ■ This is a. better condition from •av vtOrkine ', .' ■ point of view. Whilst,'in thejnino I inspected the N0b."12" anfl 13 level drives nocth "on the > '■': oast vein at the lowest level. Mas or* ehoor', >-■ i(which is not definitely: proved .to. be tl» (iaet, I,: Vyein) had been .driven on- for.abont,;soft., to ■.'■■! whioh-.point, the'.valuea have been'low , so far.-;;'' i It was also.not too good at; the junction with . v tho.main reef,at No. .12.level. -In both work-•: '"■.', ■'-: ings,'however, tho. tendency .was.; for jncreased •;, ; widths.' With regard to values,, as pointed out ; in connection, with: the Waihi .reefs,-.itis also. '■'*-' a characteristicof the Talisman-oro bodies that. ■; they are at .times at. times, poor,; ■ "blanks"- occur in all the Talisman, lodes both '/ abpvo and below , high-grade; areas, and .these '~ \ conditions, will- probably.'coritinue.'idownwards, . ■ ta poitit which; only -further work'can>,deter' } mine.',' Such -a';'-T)hink" ; had made in the reel ':■ in ..the south' end,of No." 12 le,yelr jvheri*l; was ;,; , at'thejnine,' but tKcre was;no,telling.bow soon ' ; another pay block might'conieto hand ahead, .'.'"■■ :•' Meantime'the, lode here was about 4ft. vtii» , : ; boyond the northern, drive .towards the 'Wood- .i ■• stock. ' Purely,- : development work;was , now ■ goiiig on in the, lower.levels of. the.sani'e'in-- - , -tereat-'as at?Np.i'l3 ; lovoL -L.'kwv of- coiiras ; ', operations"■ proceeding - ih : "several; , directions- : ... where good'milling.ore was coming to hand.:ln ; -v tho Woodstock-section the cutting out'of a; huge chamber for in connection , .;' 'with, the sinking of. the'Wooilstock shaft' fromi ; . .: its present depth of 250ft.» t0 , ' the -Talisman-\ ... low Jevels was well in hand.- The, shaft-should .-.-' be going in about 18 months. At the battery the company are installing .three tube mills, ; . eight B and M agitating tanks, a vacuum v filter plant, and a ne\V. mill engine. ■ With : v these improvements: an increase in extraction is assured. The' impression I brought • away .. : with mo of the Talisman property was on Uμ whole a favourable one. It \vas impossible, ,' without a more minute examination to arrive \ at a 1 reliable estimate of the oro reserves, the; , • principal factbrin the life of any big mine, ■ but what I saw'led mo to conclude that if'the water trouble at. No. 13 level is successfully : . coped with, as the superintendent-asserts it'wiU : ; be, tho future prospects: are v more rosy than ; they havo been previously. Though tho pressnl ~ . oro reeorvee may not be remarkably'impressive'v a largo portion of the'lode matter in hand is so''••. ■„W rich m a small.compass that the .values in pro-. , ".-'; portion to the quantity in.,;!sißht may .be onormons. I slioiild be dieposed .to characterise : ; ', A the Talisman-as a fascinating proposition all / ;; things considered, seeing that it is one of th< ■:..:',,! few m the Dominion which claims to rank as a , ; ;■■', high-grade one. i There is, too, : the fascination ■-.'■:[. of the question , as to what'iextent the rich 0r«... ; , : is 'going to live downwards, and-the'-problem, ...;:,, as to whether tlie.tosting of -the: deeper; leveli, ..-■' , is to be accoTnplisbed without further :contrelomps such as .water.., The mine posseeses great •, ; ;■"■ interest, moreover, inasmuch as■• its,ore .is dif-. ': ■ ferent in oharacter to, any other being mined in ; , the Dominion. Consequent upon'this, we have , uo' local date, as a guide, to , ite possibilitice, -, ■;■ such as in the case of the comparatively uni-' ; ,' form grades of .Waihii the free, gold, of th«,; . ;' : Thames, and the "pockety" deposits -of Core* ;., > niandel. ,-, . '■- . , : - ,;-.;,

NEW \LT?INK (Dy Tclcsraph.-l'rcss .\BSOclatloD.l Groymouth, August U. The New Alpino Gold-Mmino; Company's i» turn from the battcrv is 2oloz. coucentrates. and 650z cands, a. tolil of 32007 from OSB tons crushed, of the valuo of JCI2IO. The <*■ traction from slimes is not yet completed. DREDGING. IBy TdccraDb.—l'ross A ssoclallon.l Duncdin, August U. Dredgo returns .-Punt, 13oz , Otago, No 2, 48oz , Waikaka. Unitedi No 1, 370? , No 2, 21oz Idwt , Rto and Slime, 1, slozldwt ; No. 2, 2Goz lOdwt. l Dancdln, August IS. ' Dredging returns —WaikaLa Queen, 13oz, lldwt j Chicago, 17oz 7dwt , Golden Bed, 1708. 12d«t.j Molyncux Hydraulic, 20oz. sdwt.