THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 3847, 12 March 1874, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

fpBOH OU-12 OWS COEEESEOITDEKT.]] Thames, Tuoßday. Cbsxbali Italy.—Continued flouiishing reports from the new lode of this mine induced me to pay an underground visit this morning, and I was not at all astonished at the reports I was in receipt of daily. It will be rememthat the lode was fournl in a winze sunk oelow the main level for a depth of 38 feet upon the rich hangingrwall leader ; -and at this depth the hanging-wall vein was suddenly cut off by "& mullocky lode about two feet in width. In consequence of the Golden Calf having been so successful in this description of lode, the manager's attention was directed '■ o it, and immediately opening out commenced ; and the result is, that with forty f' 't of driving on either side of the winze, prospects have been obtained unprecedented • the irine. It is estimated that every ton of stuff broken from the lede will yield 3 ozz., ' icluaive of specimens. There are seams of small rubbly quartz in the lode, and these givo out a great deal of gold, while the genera! l ,aff also shews gold ircely. The underlie oi th*s lede is so fHt. that by the time it is sloped up to the main level it will be 20 feet behind the main lode, so that there iB not the s'-'ghtest doubt of it nol being touched in the ine before. I', is intendrd at the end of the week to commence sloping at the bottom of the winze, and for the first few feet both it and the hanging-wall lead w : U be in the same stops. The value of this block of ground below the main level was estimated a few days ago by the manager in his report to be worth 1000 0Z3., but now a totally different version i 3 put upon it, and if I had to record its estimated value it might be set down aB a bit of blowing, at any rate I should 'ike to see it crushed separately, and I believe it would Burpriae the public. The mp : n Btope3 are also looking first-rate, giving out good specimens, and daily strengthening the conviction that the No. 3 level, immediately overhead, will yet pick up the ruu of ?old from the Nonpareil ground. The lie A the country and the way the gold has mado from the very bottom tends to this belief. There is a very good paddock of stone —not less than 160 tons, —and as crushing will not be commenced before ITouday week, I anticipate a dividend at the first clean-up, although the crushing henceforth wiJl be continuous. Golden Calf.—Crushing commenced yest -rday mo.ning at the Prince Alfred battery, with the ten light stampers, and the show so r -r f jlly 2 ozß. per ton. Ti the mine, work ac t he low level has been discontinued, as there is some doubt whether the lode intersected a lew weeks ago is the genuine ono or not. In the 200-feet level the lodo is within 50 feet or so of the Movmug Star boundary, and contains more Btone than formerly, the bulk of whicL* shews gold freely, end a good portion of which is Bet aside us specimen stone. The portion gives out Bpieuuid pan prospects, while '*1 the stopes occasional patches of cake gold are obtained. Not so much attention is bestowed on this claBS of gold now, as it " sold" them last time, and it is therefore put into the box without being cleaned. Tke winze, to ascertain correctly the whereabouts the lodo in the 260* feet level, is down 13 feet beiow the 200-fctt ievel, and

there appears to be a " horse" of ground coming in, dividing the lode into two branches, and it is probable that this division is tho oause of the uncertainty as to whether the lodo at hand in the bottom is the proper one or not. The prospects going down this winze are exceedingly good, ond speak very well for the deep level. The Moan ataiei Company's new _ Batteey.—ln an hour or two this magnificent plant will make a start under auspicoß which T hopo will augur a brilliant future. Wednesday. City ob London. —The stuff is shaping very well at the battery, principally attributed to the cros3 lode, which ave/agt. in My four feet in width. Tho week's orushiug, with seventeen heads, gave the handsome yield of 3SO ounces of hard amalgam, and the return, so far, this week is equrl'.y good. On Monday I stated that the company wore within a few feet of tho Queen of the May boundary, and now they have drivon home. The lode at this point undergoes a little change in its constitution, sim-'ar to wb '\t it did in the upper levels j that is, more mullock, but still retaining its compact wa'ls. On the Queen of the May side this disappears in about?- twenty feot. Tho City had a splendid lode for 140 feet, and there is fully forty-five feet of this intact above* the drive to the old level. Of the No. 2 there is not less than eight feet of dirt being sent to tho mill, and I fully nntieipito that another dividend at lea3t will be pa ; .d before tlie present level is worked out. Queen' of Beauts'. —Crushing for this company Btill proceeds with tho usual number of stampers (34), and the show this fortnight promises a far higher yield than the last. The stuff that is now being crushed is - principally from the branch leader of No. 1 lode, of which three to four feot of stuff is being sent to the mill, and the remainder from the No. 2 lode, hence the yields are not equal to what they were'when the bulb of the stuff was obtpincd from the No. 1 reef. For some time back operations in the shaft and winze were discontinued, but to-night a resumption of sinking will take place. The shaft is down 41 feet, and as the country is veiy goc i, a depth of 60 to 70 feet ought to be obtained in about a fortnight, so that if expedition is used a new levei ought to have the reef in hand in less than a month. Bright Smile.—Very steady progress is. being made in uiie sinking of the engine shafr, not le_ ■ than 26 feet having been gained. This is very rapid sinking indeed for so large a shaft, but the country is so genial that it is not to be wondered at. Tho last few days hes shewn a very decided increase in the water, no doubt parLly due to the moist weather, but as yet it is no let or hindrance to the wen. The crushing for this company still proceeds at tho Imperial Crown battery viith twenty stampers, but the result is not qu'ts so satisfactory as the last month. The stuff comos chiefly from the No. 1 lode, which is very much broken and split up, and also from No. 3, which is yielding about four feet of stuff. No. 2 lode yields a little, but nothing to- the former proportion. Dixon's No. 1. —In consequence of tho übundanca of rain which has fallen within the last few days, advantage was taken of it yesterday >>7 the manager of the Ballarat and Clunes battery to resume crushing. This company have at least 300 tons of stuff in hand, and will employ at least 20 stampers for a considerable length of time.