THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5309, 21 November 1878, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

The following mine managers' repoi^ B received yesterday : —

Alburnia.—The work done in yonrmine during the past week, is as follows Storing above buttery level is proceeding in an easterly direction, and there are tlireo stopes working on this block, all ctrrying a little gold. Since I com!!i>*„ecd working here I have obtained above of specimens and lOOlbs. of picked stuff, o day I got about lOlbs. of fair specimens fr«»m second stope above level. The reef averages about two feet thic*. The old battery lev, I has been driven along the hangingwall >ide of the reef, leaving the latter standing. At present I am engaged in stripping down the reef in the level, which shews a little gold. The block worked by contract between the \Vh=»u and battcrj* levels is shewing a little gold. The reef in thin block lias got much tighter, and the contractors have given up to day on that account, but as they have taken the stuff out clean and satisfactorily, I have given them a rise of B*, making a fathom. This is considerably cheaper than it could he taken out by wages. Western stopes above "NVhau level : No change in theso stopes since lust report: a little gold seen occasionally. 70-foot level : Stoping east ami west of No. 3 uinze is proceeding. A little gold is soon'daily on each side of the winze, the eastern end being the beat. The ieef going west is much larger, and in very tiiiht country. I have ceased operations* on Dixon's reef at present, it; being very poor, •uul the men being much scattered, I deemed it advisable to let it stand for the present. In a few days 1 will be ready to truck through the western drive of the Whau level, thus

i .-aving 800 feet of tho worst road for trucking. During tho last few days the stuff has been shewing up for a much better yield at the battery. I am getting ready to start five more head of stamps. Chowx riUNCFsg.—During the latter part of the week Graham's party have been occupied in timbering their ground, so that little work lias been done in either driviug or stoping. Since last report they broke down the quartz they had stripped on Wednesday, leaving it umier th«ic feet till the rise was timbered-tip, ami in picking it over this morning for the mill took out 19ibs. of specimen stone. The lode is about tho same as the tributors' rise, shewing gold in the stone, but their progress is slow, owing to bad air, streams of gas flowing out of the country as new ground is broken into, which will make it tedious for them to bte-»k thmu»h to the "winze sunk from the level above. Waite and party hava commenced from their winze along the back of the No. 4 level, but hive not broken out any qu.irtz. They drove the main level 25 feet from the bottom of the ivinze, but the couutry came in hard and full of quartz-veins, ono of which .-hewed gold in the stone, which has induced tlu-m to suspend driving until the leading stope u brought forward, and ascertain if it has any connection with the leader they sunk on. I h-tve got them to put a short cross-cut into tiie footwall, believing that they have passed the main leader in the soft country that they have driven through. Cook and party, on the No. o It:vol, are still driving back towards the >h.»ft. They lnive a well-delined body of stone, uhuut a foot thick, shewing gold, and obtained about lOlbs. of specimens on breakiug down the Jo.le on Friday. Wingato's party are stoping on the same level, towards the slide, but for the last, few days have not seen any gold in the s»toi:e, but the loader here is very patchy, and may. at an}' moment, change for the better. UeirivalV party, on the No. 2 level, are crushing a tii.ii IoC, af. Bull's battery, from the Kxehange ground. This is the first crushing from this portion of the mine, and I think, from the look of the plate.*, will pay for working. Thorburn, Tregowarth, and Carnie's j>arties are still driving and stoping, and seeing a little gold, but nothing at present to puy. I have given permission to a new party to prospect the No. 4 leader on the No. 1 level in the Exchange. The country is good, and promising for gold. [FROM our. OWN CORRESPOJfDEXT.] Tkamfs, Wednesday. Nkw North Devon.—There is no change iu the mine. The reef is still being stoped out, and another parcel of general dirt wih shortly be forwarded to thebattery. Unless, however, it should yield better than the late parcel put through, it will not be payable In the stopes over the slide the reef is fully 3 feet thick. Were the stuff of better quality, the company would have an excellent reef iu hand, for a very few bauds could readily keep twenty head of stamps continually employed, the quartz is so easily broken out. The main drive i 3 being pushed ahead, the mullock being used to fill up the stopes with. The company have a good prospect of meeting with payable quartz near the surface, aud when the Alburnia Company haveextendedthebattery level near to the Devon boundary, operations will be commenced iu this part of the mine.

Curk. —The cross-cut to intersect the No. G lode oil the No. 2 level is being pushed on with all possible speed. A hard belt of country has been met with lately, and the work has consequently been retarded. The manager has also started to sink a winze on the No. 6 lode from the No. 1 level. When the lode 13 to hand on the lower level, the drive will be connected with this winze, thereby providing free ventilation, which will enable the men to commence driving on the lode at once. The prospecting operations on the No. 2 lode in the upper workings have been suspended for the present. The crushing taken from this lode did not prove payable.