THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6996, 19 April 1884, Page 5

THE GOLDFIELDS.

Calkdonian. Low ?■ Level,.— The ,following important report, dated the' Bth inat.,~ has. been.received from the mine manager of the company namedDnring the past week the drive has been passing through tight country, but of a very good class, and of a sandstone •formation. 29 feet has been driven, making a total;distance ot 191 feet. The following particulars : 'of .coßt of 'drive to present- date will show, as near as I can at present, the cost of work per foot. The drive was started on the 13th. Febrnaryi and was continued a fortnight by hand labour, until February 26. During that time a distance of 26 feet was driven. On this date (February 26) the rock-drill was commenced to work, which makes it to have been working six weeks to present-date (April 8), but deducting the various stoppages of the pump (three in number) which prevented the men from working, and which was about a week's lost time, this leaves the drill to have been working five weeks full time. During that time a distance of 165" feet has been driven; adding the' 26 feet driven by hand, makes the total distance 191 feet, as above. This, you will see, makes an average for five weeks of 33 feet per week foe the rook-drill. I find it difficult to get at the exact cost, owing to the stoppages not having had a clear month's ran; But takiDg the last month's accounts and wages it will stand as follows, exclusive of hauling account Wages, from March 8 to March 22, £52 10s 6d; ditto from March 23 to April 5, £66 15s : total wages, £118 5s 6d. Accounts for month of Maroh, exclusive of account for winding, £85 12s 4d; four weeks' rent of drill, £12 : total cbst of driving 132 feet (being four, weeks* driving at 33 feet per week), £216 17s lOd. , You will thus see the average' cost 'per foot is about £1 13s ; adding hauling account for'four weeks, £34 2s (per foot about 5s 2d), gives a total of £1 18s' 2d per foot. IThis is; exclusive of saving in drainage fees, which is at the rate of £65 per month. There may be some items I have omitted, but, they r would increase the amoant but little. ' For yonr guidance I would state that I-.believe the lowest contract that has been let for driving at the 640 feet level crots-cnt drive of similar description coat about £2 9s 6d .per foot, not including hauling, air-boxes, timber, or rails and sleepers—merply cutting the gronnd and trucking mullook to shaft. Their average driving per week about 12 to 13 feet. This shows the advantage, of the rock-drill over hand labour, as yon will'we have, a3 far as we can judge at present, been able to drive nearly three feet ; for one by hand labour; and also as to cost, as, including timber, railß, hauling, &c., the cost is still less, and, as you know, time is a very great consideration.

Qcjeen of Beauty.— No.' 8 .Vanguard crosscut: Daring the past week the contractors have driven 12 feet; - the ground is much harder. We had seven feet of sandstone, and a new belt of black rook came in, it has thrown the crosscut too much hillward, and if it continues in that direction we shall be compelled to leave' the reef and cut through the rook. It might only be a short distance as the belt appears to be following the cross-reef, w<i should be within sixty feet of the supposed line of reef, we have cut through a leader of quartz, four inches thick, and the black rook is full of quartz stringers. No. 10 level: Having driven 100 feet since outting the reef and about 70 feet past the break where we last saw gold, the distanca I asked for being completed. If the directors are favourable I would prefer letting a contract.' The reef throughout the distance has been a well-defined one varying in size from nine inches to three feet with ' good minerals at present in the face. It is 18 inches and the black mineral is dying out and a silvery mineral taking its place. This reef is~the likeliest one at No., 10, and going seaward on this level is proving new ground. In the. upper levels all the runs of gold were dipping in that 'direction towards the main seaward slide. I have had this week four men employed a toping on the break where we obtained the r T and I would like to l follow it up and prove what value it is. Darwin.—The Chamber "No. 2, at 230 feet level is finished, and sinking the well has been resumed. Tenders for driving joint cross-cut-tunnel from the chamber to the reef, some 135 feet, have been called for, the intention being to have all ready , for a start as soon as the well is finished, it being impossible 'to commence the tunnel until that work' is completed. Mr. Bayldon has surveyed'the level, and given the course the tunnel is to traverse—namely, to be kept in a straight line from the chamber to the reef, at a point within the Darwin ground, three feet from the Cambria boundary. The reef will then be in hand westward for the oompany and eft&fotftfd for the Cambria Company. Meantime it is intended to orush the quartz taken from the 28 feet sinking in the winze.

Cambria.—The winze on the lode has all but reached the requisite depth of 120 feet totally -with tlbe Darwin 230-feet level. ' On Thursday last the reef altered its dimensions from the average of two feet wide, and became vastly increased in size—so much so, that instructions were sent yesterday to the manager to have it intersected and out through, to ascertain its width and character when the winze is completed, and to report on it. As soon as the joint tunnel is in half-way, .driving:,from "the winze on the lode to meet ; the>'cross-cut on the Darwin boundary can be commenced with a view to simultaneously meet the completed cross-cut. In surveying • the level-Mr. Bayldon went down the winze, and was pleased with the look of the'winze, comparing it to the Cure reef, which' lie said it resembled where they took out their big patch of gold.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] Tb Aroha, Friday evening. Crushing at the Waiorongomai battery is kept: steadily going, twenty head of the stampers being used by the.Colonist mine, fifteen by the New Find, and the other five head on trial parcels from various claims. To-morrow the Canadian Company will commence sending down the line the'first of a trial lot of 50 or 601b5., which it is proposed to put through. This will be'the first parcel tried from this mine, and some interest is being taken in the trial, as the claim for position is one of the most important on the field, having the New Find on one hand and the Colonist on the other, both of which are dividend-paying mines. There .has been no further breaking-down of the reef in either the Wellington or the Waiorongomai claims, but excellent prospects appear to be got from the mullock lying alongside the reef.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION',] Dunedin, Friday. - A meeting of the shareholders in . the Cromwell Quartz Mining Company wns held to-day. This company has paid £18,250 in dividends since 1869, but for the ? last two years has been non-paying. It is proposed to sink on a reef on the lower level, but ere this could be done the company would be £4000 in debt. At to-day's meeting a motion was carried that operations be discontinued, and a small call made to meet the present liabilities, ■ but the minority making strong objections to suoh a course, it was decided to adjourn for a month.