THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 5016, 13 December 1877, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[FROM OUr. OWN" COr.ItESrONDKNT 1

Thames, Wednesday. (Ji.iTKi. Fcmi'inc Association-. —The mea.siiring up for the fortnight ijave tiie following : iNorth cross cut, llo'ifeet from shaft, aud discontinued. .South cross-cnfc, extended 36 feet, making a total of *4.> feet from shaft. Imperial Crown drive from cm-s----cut, 35 feet extended oil 30t> feet. The north cross-cut has rcached a, point beyond the slide, judged to be the underlie of the great slide cut by the Moanataiari Company in several of their levels, and the face is now in firm country, the last 40 feet having been cut through several water courses, aud passed through soft country, and Is within —G feet of the Shotover sliait, which, however, is feet overhead, that depth being between the (140 feet level and the bottom of the shaft. The County Council. under whose auspices the work has been prosecuted, have determined to stop operations in that direction, so far as they are concerned, but arc continuing the sonth cross-cut towards the Piako. I- resti con tracts have bocn let for an additional -'00 feet of driving. The north cr..ss-cut was started in April, 15715, aud has consequently been twenty mouths in execution a very good rate of progress for the 113- 1 feet taken out from tins, the lowest level on the Thames. Tho work has been carried on almost without intermission, Srat by the Kuranui Company, afterwards by the Government, and latterly by tho County Council, who having delegated to them the duties, have taken the securities given by the several companies for mortgage for the £50,000 loan, and raised an additional £ 10,000 on them, are now carrying out the object of prospecting deep levels and draining the country, so that companies owning tho ground may follow up the advantages arising from the work. The Imperial Crown Company have taken advantage of this and driven seaward from the north cross-cut seaward exploring their ground, and the Kuranui Company have tol lowed after two reefs to the north-east from the north cross-cut. The one now worked is in over 'JOO feet, with evident signs of improvement, both in the reef and country through which it passes. 'I lie south crosscut Las cut through the grounds pertaining to the Tookey, Caledonian, and Golden Crown, neither of which have attempted to improve upon the facilities opened to Chern. The face of the south cross cut is now in the Imperial Crown Company's ground, and is about one-fourth of the dis tance in towards the Piako. The whole of these drives in tho low-level comprise nearly -i4OO feet, and, by the splendid system of ventilation -introduced by Mr. G. ISlack, the operations can be exteuded almost in definitely ; and bv the great improvement iu the-workings of the Big l'timp, the aecnmu lation o; water from the large area of country drained is raised with an easy stroke of the engine at nearly one half the cost formerly required. Owharoa. —Smile of Fortune still keeps the battery going during the day shift. The long spell of dry weather if; beginning to tell, and some of the stampers have to be hang up. The quartz going through the mill ill this week is fair. Tho No. 2 reef is showing up for a. good payable return. Ihe tributers on the "-So. 4 will start crushing next week. The Owharoa, late Morning Light, is still getting out pretty stone. They will occupy five head of stampers next week, and should the stone shape anythiug like the prospects, a good return :nay be expected. The Aunie folks have started a cross-sut for the purpose of intersecting a leader they cut on the surface, out of which they got decent prospects. The Radical drive is beiug pushed ahead on a small leader which is increasing in size as it is driven over. Blain and party iu the Golden Gate are pushing on their cross-cuts, and expect to cut the reef shortly out of which the test crushing was taken a short time since.