THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9220, 24 November 1888, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[from our own correspondents.] Thames, Friday. Cambria.—Three works only are in progress in this mine, viz., carrying along the last stope on the hangingwall leader below the floor of No. 2 level, and driving intermediate levels on Nob. 1 and 6 leaders about 30 feet below No. 3 level. The hangingwall leader in the stope ranges from nine inches to a foot- in thickness, and shows strong colours of gold at every breaking down. No. 1 leader at the intermediate level shows a thickness of about nine inches, besides which there are one or two other small leaders accompanying it. A fair class of sandstone prevails, and colours of gold are seen when breaking the leader down, but nothing of importance has been met with so far. No. 6 leader exists in very tight country, and shows a width of about two inches, with colours of gold to be seen occasionally. So far there has been no quartz crushed from either of these two latter works, but the quartz now coming to hand is being saved for trial crushings. New Manuka D.— At the present juncture operations are being confined wholly i to stoping upon Mulligan's leader above , No. 4 level. Here there is a block fully 00 ! feet in length opened up, 35 of which are j on the western side of the winze and 25 feet on the eastern. The stope now being carried along is No. S, with the leader averaging from a foot to 15 inches in width, carrying excellent mineral, and showing frequent j colours of gold ; in fact the leader is look- ( ing well enough to expect a fair quantity of picked stone therefrom, and the manager j is in hopes of securing a haul very shortly j if its present prospects continue. The quartz accumulated from these sto pes since the last return is now being treated at the Waiotahi battery, and is shaping for a fair return. There is still another block to open up on this leader westward, and there are also small blocks yet to beat out Oil No. 5 reef and its hangingwall loader, the latter two being already opened up. Each of these works will be undertaken as soon as convenient, to do so. The prospecting drive at No. 3 level has been suspended for the present. Saxon*. —Rather tight country is being met with in extending the main drive at No. 5 level, but, notwithstanding, the work is pushed ahead as expeditiously as possible. At No. 3 level driving has been resumed on the hangingwall portion of the main reef, which is now running through a firm and excellent class of country. The reef itself is fully 15 inches in thickness, and bears a most promising appearance, gold being freelv seen when breaking the quartz down. A large quantity of payable quartz is still coming to hand from both portions of the reef in the stopes above, with occasionally a few pounds of picked stone. Considerable inconvenience is being experienced at present through the collapsing of the old stopes between Nos. 3 and 4 levels, owing to the filling-in of mullock settling down. As the timber-work of No. 3 level rests on this made ground, there is consequently a general settling of the stopes above, which has had the effect of choking the passes, and preventing the free run of quartz, and also causing the ground around about the junc- j tion of the hangingwall and t'ootwall por- I tions of the reef to collapse. This is rather j a serious matter, and is likely to cause a ! good deal of trouble, but the manager is i doing his best to remedy the evil. No. 1 I toot wall leader having been intersected in j the crosscut lately driven at No. 3 level, driving has been commenced upon it in both directions. It was thought that the stopes upon it brought up from No. 4 level j were up a height equal to the floor of No. ! 3, but it has been found such is not the i case by about four or five feet. Communi- j cation, however, will be effected in a day or i two by sinking upon the leader. The size , of the leader is about six inches, and colours j of gold were seen distributed in the quartz i when breaking down yesterday. j Waiotahi.—ln this mine vigorous stop- i ing operations are being carried on upon \ various reefs and leaders above both No. 3 j and No. 4 levels with profitable results, j Above No. 4 level two blocks of stopes are j in progress upon No. 5 reef, which, j together with branch stopes on a small ; footwall leader in No. '2 block, gives a I length of fully '200 feet opened up. No. 5 j reef is very erratic in size—sometimes being , as small as nine inches, and at other ; times opening out to fully three feet 1 in thickness. At present its size is ; about two feet, whilst its quality may ! be termed fair crushing- dirt. At the same \ level, but some distance westward of the j blocks now in hand upon No. 5 reef, the I manager is preparing to put up a rise on a ' body of quartz, which he believes to be the j same reef ; but at this particular point two | other reefs occur, besides which a break j intervenes between them and the old blocks, i which makes it a difficult matter to decide j which is the correct body. At No. 3 level j new blocks have lately been opened up for ! stoping upon the Imperial City reef, j tributers' reef, and a leader in the footwall j of No. 2 lode. As most encouraging indications were met with in opening up these blocks, there is every reason to believe they will yield remunerative returns. A good supply of crushing dirt is now coming to hand from these stopes, which, together with the quartz coming to hand from No. 5 reef, is being crushed at the battery, and is shaping for a good payable return. In the Mary Ann section of the mine operations are being confined to driving on what is termed the tributers' lode, so-called on account of a party of tributers having worked it at a lower level when the ground belonged to the old Golden Crown Company. At present the lode is pinched very small, but back from the face a few feet it shows a width of fully two feet. A good class of sandstone country is now setting in, and it is thought the lode will make again, and, perhaps, be much improved in quality a few feet ahead. This section of the mine is now connected with the battery by a substantial tramway, one hopper only intervening between the brace and the battery. DISCOVERY OF GOLD. [BY telegraph.—press association.] Wellington, Friday. Warden Allen telegraphs to the Minister of Mines from Blenheim that gold has been discovered at Watamanga Bay, Queen Charlotte's Sound, some miles eastward of Plcton.