THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6935, 8 February 1884, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

Haubaxi —The winze we have been sinking on the Excelsior Reef was connected with No 2 level last Tuesday. The reef has eiven fair prospects right through. The depth of winze is 33 feet. We have commenced to Btope both ways from winze : the reef is small in leading stope, going noith about 4 inches, but in the stope going south or into the hill the reef is 2 leet thick. I have all the men at work in those stopes to get out as much quartz as possible for this crushing. I will commence crushing on Thursday ; it will take us two days to repair the fluming, and one day to finish the berdan tables. New Corby.—The main drive has been driven 28 feet, although not timbered quite up to the face. There has been a rise put up on the reef 29 feet, and the ground was pretty tight. No 1 or leading stope has been driven along 26 feet, and a second pass formed and timbered. No, 2 stope h»B been stoped 8 feet from the rise, and that is where I saw the last gold, as I got nothing in the leading stope the last 4 or 5 feet. I have started stripping the rapt in No. - stope to-day, and we ought to get some gold when we break down to-morrow. If I do, -1 will let you know at once. New Makukau.—The work in progress is the stope on small leader now being carried along from Crown boundary to hangingwall of No. 2 reef, which is now a length of 30 feet between these two points. Each stope is gaining longer as it i 3 brought forward. so far the junction of the above reef and leader has not taken place, but it is expected to land soon. During the fortnight 17 loads of quartz have been saved, and which is now started to be put through the battery this morning. It is shaping something like the last, judging from present appearance. I did not intend to crush until larger parcel was to hand, but as I had ten head at liberty I thought it better to put it through. Reuben Park. —Since my last 1 have got good, payable gold, and I am well pleased with it; but, only having four men, I could not get through the work as soon as I could have wished, as I had to put in six sets of timber that came away in the main drive. The gold I have got is in the bottom level, which will, I am told, give me 120 feet of backs. I trust by my next to have fully developed the reef; at present, I should estimate it to go 2ozs. to the load—nice, big fpefs, and good-looking country. Moanataiabi. —No. 9 stope, above 132 feet level, west end, has yielded 551bs. of picked stone since my last. The footwall portion of reef, and which produced the stone, will average six inohes in width. The gold has been found in pockets for a distance of 30 feet in length. The stopes this end are from 25 feet to 35 feet above the 132 feet level. Stoping is also in progress about 60 feet eastward from the point referred to above. Here we have a strong body of likely looking quartz, some of which will be tested next week. Our other workings are withont change to report. We retorted today and obtained llHozs. of gold from 60 tons of general stuff and 1401bs. of picked stone. It will take most of next week to get all the tribute parcels through. Darwin. —A further report from the winze states that there has been a big breakingdown of the lode, which has opened out to three feet, and looks splendid. It showed gold in the breaking with good minerals and antimony. Considerable headway is being made in sinking the shaft, and the water discharged from the Cambria drive proves no way troublesome. The hoppers being now finished the quartz is sent to them by the shoot. Hbbo (Te Aroha).—Mr. H. T. Rowe intimates that the tramway being finished arrangements have been made for sending quartz to the mill a week hence, when the battery will be ready to crush. He reports be is on good crushing, and has no fear of the result as to a remunerative yield.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] Thames, Thursday evening. Shabemabket. —Darwin, sellers 4s 6d ; Deep Level Cross, 3s Id to 3» 4d, sellers 3s 4d, buyers 3s 2d ; Imperial, 17s 6d, 18s, 17s, sellers 17s 6d ; Caledonian, buyers 11b 6d ; Queen of Beauty, sellers 2s 6d ; Low Levels, 6d to 7d, buyers 7d ; Colonists, ss. MARINER. —Five loads of quartz from the iiranch teader gave lOozs. lOdwts. gold. • A cross-cut from the intermediate level below No. 4 level has just touched the hangingwall leader, which should soon junction with No.. 2. The country is good. New Mamjkau.—l7 lodes gave 24ozs. cold. The fifth stope has just touched the large reef, and a little gold and ruby silver have been seen. Dabwtn. —The shaft is down 12 feet in good country. The winze has been sunk 26 feet. The lode is still flat. It is between three and four feet, heavily charged with antimony and other mineral indications. Gold was seen last breaking. The bottom of the winze should he in the Cambria ground. London.—Colours of gold were seen in the winze to-day. . COBOHANDEL, Thursday evening. Union Beach. —The usual work is going on. The Venuß is looking very well. The drive on the same reef is also carrying a large body of good-looking stone some two feet thick. Fair progress is made driving on the black reef. No change of any importance yet. - . Uxited have got the winze down over 40 feet, and will open out at about 50. They intend to drive both ways and take out a block for crushing. Jost-in-Tjme are getting fair crashing stuff from the winze on the No. 1 reef about nine inches thick. The manager haß repaired the air communication with the winze at No. 2 reef, and will resume operations there immediately. Albion are making first-class progress driving through Just-in-Time ground. They eipeot to be on the reef in a few days. Kapanga are getting a small quantity of very rich specimens from the old Kapanga reef. There is a better appearance in the reef than for some time past. Cobby are getting very fair crushing stuff in the stopes in the low level, but no haul of 'specimens. The reef in the main face also looks well. The manager confidently expects gold there before long. Tokatea. —Driving in the low level is still exceedingly hard. Progress is very slow. The only encouraging feature is the fact of nearing the big reef. The stopes are turning; out the usual class of Btuff. Tributes Knox and McNeill are getting good stone in their upper workings. Martini-Henry.—The show in this mine is very fair.- The shareholders who are working it are very sanguine of being well paid. • Success.—The reef has been .somewhat broken, but is now coming together agaip. The manager is very hopeful of getting rich stone at the junction. New Colonial.—The manager is still unable to crush, owing to the difficulty about the. road. The Council have not yet arranged matters. The show in the stuff comiDg to band is sometimes remarkably good, but is not regular. . Matawai. —Accumulating large paddocks ready for the battery. The show at the big face is still very good. Small parcels of picked stone are coming to hand occasionally. Vizard are sendiog down about 20 tons to Matawai. It is expected to yield well, and shows gold freely. There is also a srnal parcel of rich specimens to put through.

SOUTHERN MINING.

The Welcome obtained 380ozb. for 90 tons of quartz for the week ending the 26th January. The Big River Company at Reefton continue to rise on etone showing throughout good payable gold. In the same district golden stone has been obtained in the Lord Edward, which adjoins the Big River. Kbbp it Dabk.—With favourable weather the whole of the alterations and repairs to the race and battery will be out of hand in about ten days'time, when crushing will be resumed. The low level north is still being continued, the reef at the face showing a thickness of between six and seven feet. The output of coal alone last week was over 3000 tons, or 500 tons per day for the two miner. This ib a high average, and as much, under the present conditions of trade, as the mine owners can reasonably be expected to provide for. At the Fiery Cross Company's mine at Reefton, the workmen are employed on a three-feet reef of Btone, with excellent gold showing. The Just-in-Time and Imperial Companies oontinne to prospect their ground from the intermediate level in the main shaft, but nothing of importance has yet been met with. Messrs. Johnston and Watkins have completed the survey of the Walhalla Extended, and recommend ricing across the strike of the western reef to the point where the block was worked by the J ust-in-Tinie. The distance to be risen to reach this point is 150 foat. The perpendicular height between the two points is 117 feet.