THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5918, 4 November 1880, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

'NiiW Ciot.DK>. , Crowx.— Tlie mine manager reports on the Ist instant:—Brace level: At this level, a distance of 13 feet has been driven along the course of IN'o. I lcailer. to tli , ! west of the crosscut, but all work has nave been suspended here for the present, until the stones .ire carried up from the h.i'.tery level, so that all mullock may be ] «M-i to till up stones. Hattcrv level: On this \<-xA. tl.e stone* on Nos. '2 anil 1 leaders hive been carried'along, with a fair supply of fjuiirU coming to hand from both leaders, ivi-i oceasinallv a little picked stone. At t!.M |.-vcl I ha've also opened out <>n a small l«-.id.-r from "two to three inches thick, that r'.i.s between the Xos. I and '.'leaders. .Sth.:,. op.-nin" on this, a distance of -'.> feet Iμ, been driven, showing gold freely the v/'wilr- .M-ifaii.-c, and from which about SOlhs. or picked stone' came to hand. Intermediate l:-.-cl ■ Tlie only works carried on here are t,h- stupes on Ilerivels leader, and a rise on th': footwall leader, (mi the former, as the sl.:irv.-s ux- carried along, thy leader improves, with' colours of gold to be seen here and tl, •,-•:. The rise is intended to lie carried tiii to t:i« battery level, to open up a block fr..i:i tl:is level on the footwall leader. Kmfe-.-t Level: Tlie only work being earri.'.i .)!i at this level is stoping on the footv< i! i.-ader, which is being carried up to the iu'wnuediate level. A good supply of pay- «'.:<: mm-U is coming to hand from this part ..i 'he mine. During the fortnight KiO tons hi, !.--.'H crushed for a yield of 170/.ozs. of ii, -it.',! "Old. During the" last week I have i.'..i tli? battery running the 2i hours, or i:'l time, to try to make up for stoppages .in:-ii!-' the iirst week. In a lew days 1 in-t.-u«i tli keep tlie batterv running tlie whole ■.J: hours.—T. A. DlNi.oi'. Li:i'K - < All.—Thu mine manager reports o.i the Ist instant:—l .started ten head or Supers on your stuff this morning. 'L he (jj-intity ot stone to be put through will be :iii.).it 100 tons. I am doing nothing but on in the Xo. 1 level. Theeontract>,r/ar'driving ahead to cut the Lucks All k--d,.r. Kvervthing is very well. Ihe cir shin" will speak for itself. The contractors are°in splendid country, full of nnmdie vjiiis, one splendid vein an inch thick runnim' with the drive. ShouM it run into the ICiiU-r, we are most likely f> get a good haul of .iivoimens. The eontracVir.s drove eleven •"■.•*.' iut week. I expect them at any time t-i ■ '.: tlie Lucks All leader. The amount ~f specimens on hand is about IMlbs.—C. J i.-: kins.

Mist- _ Mr. Thomas Kncubonc. mine i,-■ .>'•:•. rap'ir:* on the Ist instant :—We 1,. ... P. - !.,■•.''!•.■■ such great progress this week '!.'.::■■■ :-.!!„*! .1.1 cxiK-ct,-.i tr. have done, ii. .r-i.-i:..- TiU'iu-e "l" discovering more ipiartz in tl..- k.i::,'iugw:ill of a very promising nature. '1. , ;... , sin-Hindi is al.-'i full of iron veins, which i:< !-O(v:---::ed a viry good indication for gold, i . :i -iy :iUri state that lam currying the drive ~.. :.." ; . h'><.i'"'i"wall of tin- lode, to permit ~- -,/:.u:',lo\vn a curve instead of a ilat >i,i-.-' i should not be surprised if we got •i .v iiiv day i'.fk'ing from the appearance of il. ••! '.':":-• present face. In fact 1 shall be <)i.iii>piM:rted if we do not.

[FiiOM or:: nvs couuksi-onmknt.] TiiAJiK. Wednesday. (' i,.k:»->sian.--Ou the Xo .'! level the drive in ■..:■■ iunginswall of the lode in the work:l Xii! i'-i'jclion has been suspended for ti'"- urgent, and the men are engaged break- ),. > .'town a portion of the lode about -20 feet i.iek from the face. At this point the lode is a laige body of atone, and about 18 inches of quartz on "the haiigingwall has a rather ii- Miiisiii." appearance, being heavily charged with t*..«e minerals. The lode is a free, open i,-t". imt is rather dry. The quartz now being l.:ik,-u out is beini: saved for the battery, and :i fcri.il crushing will bo put through in a few il;iys. The co'untry on the hanging wall is unit sandstone, and of a rather favourable description. On the Xo. '2 level driving and stuping on the Voting American lode is being continued without much change taking place. U:;riug the List fortnight a considerable ii,ii;iLay of quartz has been broken from this lo.le, but in taking this out gold was not so frequently as it was while taking tha previous parcel out. Crushing will prokibiy be commenced at once, and when the qjartz from this lode has all been put through the trial parcel from No. 3 level will be crushed. • f - Oli> Golden Calf.—Driving is still being continued at the otiO-feut level. For some distance now the lode has been very much i disturbed by broken, heady ground, and although good strong quartz was frequently slnwiiig there is no regularity in the course 'of the lode. In the present face it is pinched and heaved by a crossh?iii. "Judging by these indications, it is Tc-i-y probable that the drive is now in the Tioinity of the Moanataiari slide. CiniK.—ln this mine operations on the No. 7 '..ode at the Caledonian Xo. "2 level are b.-ing continued, and lately encouraging indications have been met with. Eastward of the winze the lode was driven upon about Vi feet when it pinched up very small, and driving was suspended. Going westward, hnwever. the Me opened out into a strong body of quartz, and this has now h.-eii carried up to within 20 feet of the Wiiotahi boundary. Along this drive colours of gold have frequently been seen in tiia quartz. There are now nearly 100 feet of stopes opened up on this lode, and as for some distance along these stopes the lode is ef good size, the output of quartz is considerable. The atone has a promising appeara;ie«. and colours of the precious metal are frequently seen. Near the winze a portion of the ground overhead has been taken out by underhand stoping from the level .tliove. but towards the Waiotahi boundary tin- ground stands intact between the two levels. The manager has now some thirty or forty tons of quartz on hand, and crushing will start in a day or two. Waitkkach!.— Hollis and party, who are tr: outing in this mine, have brought down 14-iozs. Udwts. of melted gold, the produce of al)out 133 tons of general stuff. The party have only been two months getting this parcel out, and the result exceeds their most sanguine expectations. The other tributers in the mine are also doing well. The opinion among them is that large portions of the mine would pay well for working, and that a greater number of men than are now on the ground would readily find profitable employment. To-day a prospector uwncil Hnntloy lodged flSozs. Udwts. of malted gold, the produce of his prospecting operations in a number of creeks in the district. [r.V TELKOP.APH, OWN - COKRESI'ONDKST.]

Thames, Wednesday evening. Gold Retu-uns. —Southern Cross Company, G6ozs. :Sil\vts.; Moanataiari tribute, Christie, 1 lozs. Tdwts. Southern Cko.ss.—A crushing of 17 loads *£ general stuff and a small parcel of specimen stone for thi3 was completed ts-day for the excellent return of (IGozs. :Mvrts. melted gold. During the last few days the specimen leader has been yielding some very ricli stone. Victoria. —The manager has started to clean out one of the old levels driven by the Vale of Avooa Company, and which will give 120 feet of backs on the lode, from which the late trial crushing of four lodes and a half was t.) ken. Driving on the low-level bus also been

resumed. MoA.VATAi.iRI.— Christie and party, tribute rs in this mine, have crushed a parcel of general staff, for the return of llozs. Tdwts. of melted gold.