THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6342, 16 March 1882, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

r rft a3i OUR OW.V CORRESPONDENT.] 1 Thames, "Wednesday. r„* Thames Deep Lkvkl Tribute Com,7axy —This company commenced operations -yesterday, although only in a preliminary manner. A party of men have started'to clean out the 400-fcet level, which through long disuse has become choked with ,k',w/and sediment. It is anticipated this will not prove a serious undertaking, and ■when completed it is probable a start will be made on the two winzes, which the manager proposes to sink 011 the lode. Another party of men have also commenced to clean out the accumulated dehrix in the -winch house. At present the winch is quite useless owi'.i" to the house being full of soil, which lias fallen from the Lookey Hill. and until it has been put in order it will be impossible to commence draining the water to the 500-fect level. These works, however, are only to the great question ot developing I:be low levels ;a V ,"; 1 31 varietv of schemes to choose Tom' with regard" to ascertaining whether the channel of countrj from the •103-feet level downwards is suihciently goldbearin" to be profitable to work. Before comin<fii=ing operations 011 an extended «C-1- i' would be well to carefully consider each of these schemes, and having selected the one thought to be most feasible, carryit out vigorously and thoroughly. There can be little doubt that 011 the Thames one "re-it- i-.-ason for supporting the Tribute Company is the fact that it assures the continuance of pumping operations tor a considerable time, but care should be taken not to allow this idea to become subservient to all others, and while the water is leiiiL- kept down, every endeavour should be made to prove once and for all time, whether the ground immediately below the 400 feet is payable or otherwise.

Jl--t-in--Time(Waitkkacri).— Operations in this claim, since the contractors commenced work, have proved that the lode has been cut in the crosscut, but at a point where there was a break 111 it. It lias now been ilc-i-lcd to start driving on the course of the lode, ami it is believed that very shortly tlu-re will be a good body of quartz in hand Tha winze on the lode has been sunk between 20 and I'.O feet, and at this depth there is fully IS inches oi quaitz showing. In carrying down the winze, good colours of the precious metal have frequently been seen, ami the stone, when pounded, prospects well. The fact that there is a good reef in hand in the winze strengthens the belief that when driven up at the level it will open out into a strong lode. The party Tfho had the winze on contract have stopped work, owing to the ground proving hard and difficult to deal with. Tenders are now bein" cillcd for a fresh contract, and operations 3 will be resumed at on?e. Of late the manager has been employing his tune in trenching along the course ot the lode, and has succeeded in tracing it fully sixty feco south of the winze, or towards the Crown boundary. In places the lode is fully two feet thick, an 1 gold can always be got by seine of the stone.

The Wrutc'k.iuri Extended have about ] thirty to.is of quartz in the paddock. Uhe prospents in thu workings on this claim aie promising. The proprietors of the Diamond Claim have at last bent down several tons of quart/, to the battery, from which a good return is confidently expected, fsie stone fiom this claim hasalwavs prospected well, and it will be strange it the return is not a really firstclass one. [BV OWN" CORRESPONDENTS.] Tu.vr., Golp Hiiturns. —Queen of Beauty tribute, Connellv, lGlozs.: Moanataiari tribute, Moorcraft. lliozs. lMwts.; Cbremont, 24ozs. lOdwts. Qtuf.n or Bwactw— Connelly and party, tributors iii this mine, have crushed 30 loads of general siutl' for the excellent return of lolozs. of'retorted gold. The contractors are making fair progress with the sinking of the shaft.

Jiloaxatatari. —Moorcraft and party, tributers in this mine, have crushed nine loads of t.-eneral stuff for the return of 19ozs. lSctv.'is. of melted gold.

Claremovt. —The proprietors of this claim j liave completed a crushing of general stutf for the return of 24ozs. of melted gold. Numerous inquiries arc being made here bv Southern investors with regard to the prospects of Te Aroha as a mining district. Coroman'dei., Wednesday evening. Tokatea —The directors visited the mine yesterday, and were well satisfied. They took out "some first-class picked stone in the intermediate level. The reef is 2 feet thick, Ivnox, tributer, lodged SOozs. from .'U tons of stone. Enis's Hon:. —McLean and party lodged 46ozs. from a crushing of OOlb's. of stone. The mine is looking first-rate. The following mine managers* reports have been received : — Vrw Xohtii Devon.—-Since sUrtiny to work in th» =tope=, work lias been conlined tostopins cast ami west oi the -winze s.jnk from the intermediate level. In stopine west the reef is about 2 feet wide but there caunot be more than 1 foot of it saverl for crushing, the remainder being composed of mn'lock intermixed with qunrtz veins. This renders the work but «Blow as the whole has to he picked over by hand. There i«'still a block of from 10 to 12 feet high, and about l'ift. in length, before wo reach the intermediate ievel This stope shows very good minerals, but we do not see anv gold. In going east the is better (lethied. and shows colours of gold. The block here is also but .small, and it will soon be necessary to extend th* 100-feet level. The vein of quartz which usuallv shows gold at the point where cut, ru-s diagonally across the reef from the hangnigvvall to the footwall and turns more perpendicular with the underlie of the reef as it ascends, at the same time dipping east at the point where it crosses the reel. This will render it necessary to extend the 100-feet level in or-ler to meet with it as it dips, as this drive is not extended far enough to cut it should it retain its present direction.—Tnos. Kadfokd.

\ew I'p.INCE iMrrr.iAi..—The portion of the crosslead we had stripped was broken down on Friday last. I was not able to see any gold, although sonic of the stone looks very well. Driving on it is very slow and expensive, as the lead is fully three feet thick and verv hard, the ground alongside being short and heart} , interlaced with small ribs of quartz, makinc it verv bail for blasting. lam cleaning out one of the old winzes that the tributes got some -ood "Old in I believe it is about twenty-five feet to the bottom of it. I have also cleared away a (rood deal of the mullock alow.' the side of the drive, and find there is n large portion of the reef not touched under foot from the slide back to the crosscut Jf I ,r et anv inducement to sink in either of the«e two places *1 will suspend work on the crosslead for a time, as 1 am anxious to get on a bit of gold as soon as possible. —G. S. Cl.AltK.