WAIHI MINING NEWS. TALISMAN CONSOLIDATED.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1908, Page 3

WAIHI MINING NEWS. TALISMAN CONSOLIDATED.

LOW LEVEL DEVELOPMENTS AND ORE VALUES. FUTURE OPERATIONS. ' I [Br TsLBGKAr-H — SraoiAi to The Post.] " WAIHI, This Day. . No developments of special • moment have occurred in • the Talisman mine j I $ince my last report was furnished; but I tho works in progress 'underground have [ combined to disclose very satisfactory j results. At No. 11 level the face of the soutli drive on tho main lode has been advanced a total distance of 1062 ft from tho starting point (crosscut off the main reef), and tho winko from the No. 10 level op the downward strike of" tho J ore body has. been- connected with the uprise, thus affording good ventilation. The reef is of largo size, and on the, whole better than in the. upper. a,re.is of the inine, "but still patchy and irregular in' its values. The' management will continue to advance the' drift south at this level in to the Dubbo section, but probably •no marked improvement will Tbe disclosed -in tho reef in this quarter uijtU. it is exploited in the deeper levels, where a more defined and. seft led quartz body will in all likelihood ba met with. About gOQft back (north) from the present south face, < where the lode was of larger dimensions and composed of ore of a manganese character, it is intended to sink a winze. Ai No. 12 level the Nos. 12 a^nd 13 rises have holed . through to tho winzes, thus effecting a connection with No. 11 level. Tho lises went up on the eastern branch in good values for" the full distance, but tho lode going up was not very wide. . A leading stope is "vow in !>rogross on the main reef over No. 12 evel, and has been carried along 111 high grade material for about 200 ft. Another, 20 to, 25ft shoidd reach the end of the values here, and a leading stope will then be brought back on 'the eastern branch reef from the point of junction with the, mam quartz pociy. At No. 13 level very littlo/ work has been done in tho south, face for some weeks past, and' about 245 to 250 ft still remain to be driven to bring thip face under the present south face at No.' 12 level. The lode at No. 13 maintains its exceptionally high .values right across the drift some 8 or 9 feet, and the indications are that the mineral will spread out as -the drift ;s; s advanced. T i liO ( ore here is of a complex character. and much' more densely impregnated with base metals than in the' level above, which in turn disclosed copsiderably more quartz oi this nature than at No. 11 level, where the change in the class of ore took place. Although this quartz calls for entirely different tieatment to that wrn from the higher areas of' the mine,* it 1 : presence going down is generally regarded by experts as an excellent indication, as where the base metals live gold is always to be found, &nd every . thing therefore points to tho more pre- i cious metal continuing down. This change in the quartz has, I understand,, called a temporary halt as far as additions to the Company's treat- ! ment plant are concerned. Plans, etc., for additional tube mills had been prepared, but, this work , will not be put m hand pending further developments I and experiments with the- complex oro; meanwhile the main 1 shaft will be carried down for another , level (No. 14) to | ascertain th.e^'Chara'ctcr.'of . the' ore' at greater 'depth',, aid "if, "'as anticipated, the complex » ore ' is ' again strongly in evidence the question of finer concentration arid roasting on tho spot or shipping for. sm.eltiijg.wijl. betaken into consideration \as a permanent; part of the- scheme' for future treatment.. The new pumping plant for sinking the main shaft .for No. 14 level and -coping -with the, wafer' at greater 1 depth. has x ajready been' ordered' at a cost of about £lo",000, and as the contracts were let, be-, fore the decision of' the management was made known tho plant should' bo on^lhe 'ground inside' six .months from ,date.- the, foundations, etc., will be put down, and\ before the close <tf the!present -year everything should be in readiness to commence .the sinking of lh&< shaft. The new pumping ,-plant will be 50 per cent, more powerful than that- Ir.t- present in ■ use for unwateriug the. mine, and when' installed will throw Jihb-wjiter in one lift from the No. 13 io.tbe No.;ll level, a vertical height .of about ■ 340 feet. The existing plant, which -accomplishes the same work- with two lifts, will be. allowed to remain in position,', to be used in case of emergency. ' " Under the circumstances mentioned .above., it, would.; seem that the waiting policy 'adopted l?y the management is to ( be; .comjnencecl as a 1 wise one, as meantime ,no • difficulty should be experienced "in: maintaining, or if deemed desirable increasing, the highly satisfactory gold yields •of the past . few months. As the maximum itotal of monthly, working cost, is £7000, it \vill be seen that- the' company can, for ihe time bqinjj;, quite easily 1 continue, to pay two dividends of Is* per share (six shillings per/annum,.' absorbing £90,00^0), arid at. the ■ same time build up ' a substantial reserve lund to meat all future contingencies' in the shape of machinery, etc. Ori . a gold yield- of £18,000 per calender month the output from the mine would be £216,000 per annum, of which dividend's totalling &ix* shillings annually wduld absorb ' £90,000, and working costs at £7000 monthly £84,000, leaving a balance m hand of £42,000 for' twelve months' operations.