THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7824, 18 December 1886, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[FROM OtJB OWN COBBB9POSDKNT.] 1 Thames, Friday. rAMfcRiA —I wm in this mine to-day, but 2ST*J ™cb .fresh light; upon the eabject. To begin with, let us hark.back a little in the history of the mine. The drive on the reef, then known a. the bangingwal braneh, was beun probably two yean.agoat No 2 level A email block was etoped, w h iim««t payable results More recently driving was resumed, and one or two small hauls of specimens obtained The lode •iways looked so kindly that { *«««" *£j was no better chance on the field. At a break a parcel of very good B P^°%* eU £ re I alised, came to hand, SOlborSOlb. Here I thought, is the long-expected come at last. But i was doomed to disappointment. The drive was continued to within ntty feet of theWaiotahi boundary and proved poor. Two or three etopee were put UD at the break, but did not prove rich But here is the strange feature: ivomthie break the lode went toward; .the Walotahi- but, to correspond with JNo. JleveK should havegenetowards the Moan^ taiar. A crosscut was entered near the break and when driven 62 feet the lode now in hand was cut. This is just where quarts houldhave been found to correspond with >o 3 leveL The direction would •lwfront to this, being the lode driven on at No. 3 levelL It hasten driven on 45 feet eastward ,nd 20 feet westward. The lode carrio. go d all the way, and averages about a foot m width At the western end tke mineral illIcSns are excellent, and 351b pioked stonj ere obtained here. A considerable amount of silica is discernibie, and this carries goldin fact is an indication of excellent crushing dirt. Eastward a rise has been put up for another stope. There can be no doubt; of the payableneu of the quartz. The crashing Iβ shaping satisfactorily.

Cambria.—The manager reports :-101b of specimens were obtained when breaking down the reef in the rite on the hanging wall reef this morning. The reef in the top of the rise is about IS inches in thickness. Gold was also seen freely through the quarts when breaking down the reef in the eastern drive. The quartz that is now being put through at the battery from the hangin«wall reef is shaping for about loz HMwt to toe load. One of the piston rings broke to-day, and hid to get a new one put in by■ Price Brothers. All will be ready to start with the engine asain to-ni«ht about seven o clock. The leader cut in the south crOBS-CUt at ISO. 4 level is about 9 inches in thickness, lbe quartz it rather white-looking and very little mineral in the stone. There is very little improvement in the class ef country. The mine manager wired yesterday:— 3olb picked stone from hangingwall western drive." Tbkn-tos.— The mine manager report* :— John Wooluer has completed his contract for sinking this company's shaft 179 feet very satisfactorily. There is nothing new to report in the bottom of the shaft; it still continue fair working ground. The eDgine is in good order. JoscPHiXß.— The company's inspector, Mr. J. P. Hall, has called for tenders for the drive, as instructed. Adeline.— The mine manager reports: fie the 10 tons to Railley's battery he may rest assured that he has received every justice. It is the desire here that the plant should be a success, and the greatest of care was taken that ho should have the same quantity of ore as the other battery. The stuff also—from the many sbif tings it has had, ti;i, from the stope to the passes, then trucked out and shot on to the sorting floor, and scattered over a heap 25 feet square, has got tborenghly mixed. The ore for Eailly'e battery is at the jnnotion landing, and has yet to be sledged down the hill. I was talkicg to Mr. Railley yesterday. Hβ ie making copperplate tables, which will not be finished before perhaps Friday. He then has to put through 15 tons for the Sotro mine before starting on ours. lam doubtful whether the 10 tons will be finished up before the holidays. The improvement Mr. Eailley is now making is the one thing the battery wanted to make it complete. When finished it will without exception be the best plant in the Thames peninsula for our class of ores. DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT MARTON. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Marion, Friday. In sicking a well here an auriferous stratum was discovered. At a depth of SO feet specks of fine scaly gold were found freely in the black saad through a layer two feet thick. It is suggested that the Government should prospect the interior, as the gold has evidently been brought down from the mountains. i