THE GOLDFIELDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2797, 15 January 1873, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS

fjBSOII OUB. OWN COBBEBPONDENTS.]

Thames, Tue»day. Black Angel.—The quality of the general stuff now being broken out is of a first-rate character, as shown by the crushing taking place at the Knranui battery, whero twenty heads are employed. The number of stampers will be increased at the beginning of next week, and would have been done so this, but the manager intends occupying two or threo days in filling up the etopes, to that the large quantity of quartz beforehand will keep the mill going while the stopes are idle. The only difficulty to contend against in keeping these thirty heads employed is, that the Tramway Company are rot taking it away fast enough; and could they do so, more stuff could be broken out than even thirty heads could crush. I went through Ihe mine a few hours ago, and wai well pleased with the prospects. The reef maintains an average of about five feet wide, and is easily taken out, very little blasting indeed being required. The quality of the dirt is very euperior, and gold could be seen distinctly not only here but in most of the stopes, while north of the winzd some very good stone was obtained in my presence. The main level from the bottom of t lie engine winze, has been carried 130 feet south-west, leaving about thirty-five feet more to go before the boundary of the Sons of Freedom is reached ; and in the find there is a strong lode (unlike what they have had before), which has been very free from minerals, while now there is no difference from what is in the Sons of Freedom, a little mineral mixed with the stone, carrying good gold near to the footwall. North-east of the engine winze fifty-eight feet has been driven, with fifty feet more to come ; but the face bus not progressed since my last visit. It is, however, intended shortly to drive up to the boundary, and stopes to follow. The prospers for the present month are very encouraging, as there is a nice lot of picked stone in hand ; but a fifteen-hundred ounce yield, like last month, must not be expected, ns that included the boxes for a month previous. The ensuing return can be reckoned upon as a good one, and likely to giv,' a good dividend. Albdunia.—Since work was resumed in the mine, until the present week, not much has been done upon the specimen leader back of the tunnel, as they hove been timbering up ; but now operations have been fairly commenced, several men are enaaged stoping, so that the next few days I shall not be surprised to see a nice lot of golden stone broken out. In addition to the stopes, a winze has been sunk a few feet below the tunnel, just where the best of the gold was got, and the leader looks stronger going down ; but us this is found to interfere with the other workings just now, it has been suspended for the present. The average width of the leauer may be said to be about five inches, but it often swells out to double that, while, on the other hand it nips iu. The main lode has now been followed 70 feet east from the cross-cut, or where it was first intersected, having pusaed through the shaft and the underlie winze, but yet it is over 20 feet from the other winze, from whence the rich gold was formerly obtained. The character of the reef so far opened upon has not been very promising, but I fully expect that henceforth every foot of ground opened will show an improvement, a* it is well known that the lode surrounding the coming winze is very strong. Crushing is going on irregularly with 20 heads, but the bulk of the stuff so far is from the main lode, so that I anticipate the ensuing fortnight will give better results than the past.

Old Whau".—Driving the adit from the Black Augel tunnel still proceeds but slowly, on account of the tough nature of the ground. The reef, according to survey, cannot be much further ahead, as they are now 23 feet pust the perpendicular of the lode us shown in the old level. The engine level is now beinsj cleaned and baled out, preparatory to sinking a winze, so as to coramunicnte with the level coming in from the Black Angel tunnel. This winze will have to be sunk a depth of about 160 feet, which is the height of the backs to work out from the new to the old level. Sinking the winze upon the Sons of Freedom lode has been discontinued for the present, so that, every available means can be brought to bear in developing the old lode.

So>"3 or Feeedoii. —The creek tunnel is making much more rapid progress than it has done for a long time back, in consequence of the ground being more favorable. Seventeen feet has been driven the last fortnight, from which three broken days must be reckoned, and the entire length is now 542 feet 6 inches. This, it is supposed, leaves about 150 feet more to drive before the underlie of the lode is met with. In the surface workings a little good stone is being taken from the blocks of ground above the Flylug Cloud level, and it ia intended shortly to open some blocks that were left standing above the present main level.