THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7772, 19 October 1886, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

(.FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Monday. Larnaoh.— The drive in No. 1 reef holed through to the drive from the opposite direction on Saturday. This will afford ventilation, and we expect soon to hear of to ping operations being in fall swing. Mollis and party, tributers of the Waitekauri mine, . banked 1790z sdwt gold on Saturday. New Prince Imperial.— company has only six men employed. Four of these— two are timbering the drive, so that just now there are only two— sinking a winze on No. 1 reef in No. 3 level, at a point where the hangingwall leader junctions with it. The quartz: on the level at this point was payablel believe worth an ounce and a half to the load. Ob breaking down in the winze this week colours of gold were seen. The remaining two men are driving on the reef eastward. The manager has always been of opinion that there is an excellent chance of a shot of gold being found eastward in No. 1 reef, but of course two men can make vary little impression on it. Moanataiari.—The mine manager, under date 16th October, reports :—At all breakings down we hare seen good colours of gold, and the quartz during the past week hat shaped satisfactorily at the battery. Our reef averages from 18 inches to two feet wide, and is promising looking, and if it continues as at present should pay well when opened up, so as to work it to advantage. There is still a little pioked atone ooming from Williams's leader. New Prince Imperial. —The mine manager, under date Ootober 16, writes : — Good progress is still being made with the eastern drive on the No. 1 reef. There has been no gold seen yet, but I am pleased to say that the footwall portion of the reef, which is still about the same size, looks very promising, and is carrying good bright mineral. The country is also very favourable for gold. Adeline (Karangahake).—The mine manager reports The total crushing will be 1370 bags, namely, 400, No. 2 Ivanhoe; 800, Moanataiari; and 176 No. 1. Try to make a start at battery on Monday next. The stopes are now approaching the floor of the No. 1 level. They are looking well, if anything improving as we work up. No. 2 level: No. 2 reef is thirty feet along the course of the reef, and the leader looking better, giving improved prospects, both in the mullock and mortar tests. As yet it is not payable, but very small inorease in quality would make it so. Old Caledonian.The following mining telegram was received from the mine manager on Saturday last:—" Cat leader in crosscut No. 3 level; strong gold. Have holed through winze this morning." Cambria.—Under date October 12 the manager reports: Good progress is being made with the south crosscut at No. 4 level, 35 feet having been driven during the week. It is now in a distance of 230 feet from the shaft. There is still good sandstone country in the face of the drive. Six man are employed in driving on the leader in the hangingall of the winze at the intermediate level, below No. 3 level. It is small in the face, but in breaking it down yesterday colours of gold were seen freely through the quartz. The western drive at No. 2 level, in the Darwin section of the mine, is in a distance of 335 feet from the crosscut. The country for 10 feet back from the face has been rather soft, and of a ■lidy nature, but there is an improvement in the face to-day* The reef is also looking a little better. A little gold Is seen in the stopes above No. 2 level in the Darwin section of the mine near the Cambria boundary. A trial crushing of eight loads has been put through from the reef in the western drive at No. 3 level near the Moanataiari boundary, from which 12oz of amalgam has been obtained. This ie not quite completed yet. but I expect it will be worth about 12 or 144wt to the load. This was broken out some time ago. Sixty loads of quartz have been crashed daring the week for 1620z of amalgam. There is now on hand 4350z of amalgam. This does not include the picked stone, which is not all through yet. Everything will be finished up to-morrow, and 1 will retort on Thursday. The battery is in good working order. The winding engine and air compressor are working satisfactorily. Saxon.— Under date Ootober 12, the manager reports: The drive at No. 3 level 'has been extended and a break has been met with, throwing the reefs into the footwall. They have been picked up again, and although small (about 6 or 8 inches thick), fine mineral and good colours of gold are seen. In the stopes the leader is about the same size, and colors of gold are seen here also. There is nothing fresh to report from the winze, and if no gold is got here this week I shall discontinue sinking for the present. Nkw Albuxnia.—Under date Ootober 12, the manager reports : Daring the past week the drive on New Specimen lode, 70 feet level, has been advanced a farther distance of 10 feet. . The lode in the face of the drive is small, but in the leading stope it is fully six inches wide, and showing gold freely. The leading stope has been advanced 10 feet daring the week. A start has been made in the drive at the bottom of Gribble's winze ; both drives will be kept going until communication is effected. The intervening distance between the two faces is about 30 feet. Tierney and party completed a crushing for 4ozs of gold. Irwin and party will olean up about Thursday. [BY telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.] Hozitika, Saturday. Humphrey's Gully. — Sluicing operations have been steadily continued during the past week. The directors have postponed running down the boxes till the blocks require turning, whioh will be in a week or ten days. During the past week the engineer completed alterations to the dam, which will inorease its storage capacity by oneeighth, or 784,080 cubio feet of water. A telephone has also been erected from the claim to the dam, by means of which the manager has instant communication with the man in charge of the water.