THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8316, 24 July 1890, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[by TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. Thames, Wednesday. SHARE MARKET. — buyers 2s; Dives, sellers 2s 7d, buyers 2s 3d ; Manukau, sellers Is, buyers 9d ; May Queen, 2s, buyers Is lid ; Moanataiari, 4s 6d ; Alburnia, 4s; Norfolk, Is 3d, sellers Is 6d. May Queen. — breaking down the No. 4 reef to-day in the western face, 101b of picked stone were secured. Tho reef is fully 18 inches thick, and looks well. Trknton*.During tho last two or three days colours and dabs of gold have boon more froely seen than hitherto in the quartz coming to hand from stopes upon both hangingwall and footwall reefs. Operations upon the continuation of the hangitigwall eastward are now of a permanent : character. Caledonian.There are now betweon 40 and 50 loads of quartz on hand, and crushing is to be commenced at the Cambria battery to-morrow morning. Tho winze upon the No. 1 leader below the floor of the No. 1 level is now down a depth of 30 feet, with the leader about five or six inches thick, and showing gold in tho stopes above the level. Operation? upon the hangingwall of the No. 2 reef are still continued, but no gold has recently been seen. KUAOTUNU QUARTZ-CRUSHING COMPANY. A meeting of the provisional directors of the Kuaotunu Quartz-crushing Company was hold in the office of Messrs. Saunders and Co., brokers, No. 2, Insurance Buildings, yesterday. There were present : Colonel 11. Burton, Messrs. W. S. Wilson, ]>. B. Nolan, H. Bees George, G. S. Graham, Joseph Glenny, and Dr. Walker. Jt was unanimously decided to purchase and erect at Kuaotunu the Paul's Creek battery, engine, and all berdans, which will be in position to do most useful work at Kuaotunu in a short time. Half the number of the shares ollered were at once subscribed for in the room. This promises to be a most successful company. It will meet a long-felt want on the Kuaotunu goldficld, and the directors can with confidence recommend the investment to the public. When this battery which the secretary of the company (pro tern.), Mr. T. A. Menzies, thinks will bo at work by tho Ist of November prox., is in full swing ; and should Mr. Cook's battery, which is in contemplation, be also started, an impetus will be given to the field, and satisfactory returns of gold should result. MINE MANAGERS' REPORTS. Cambria.—No. '2 level : Thestopeon the leader from the crosscut is in 28 feet; the leader is at present about six inches, and the quartz is of a kindly nature. Intermediate below No. 2 level : During the past week a few pounds of picked stone were saved from tho sixth stope on the main reef. Drive on the small leader : We have stripped the leader met with in the drive back to the footwall leader, to ascertain whether it was the same; I find it is a now leader, as the footwall leader is continuing its course. We taw gold in both these leaders. They are .also carrying splendid mineral. The third stope is still being carried along on the new leader without change. No. 3 level : The fourth sto[>e on the footwall branch of No. 7 leader is along 42 feet ; the leader at present looks very well, being about a foot in thickness, Bud shows gold at each breaking down. The small leader being driven on on the footwall of the western branch of No. 7 leader, has junctioned with the leader on the footwall mentioned in my last report. The quartz looks very promising, and is carrying good mineral. No. 4 level :No quartz has been broken in the leading stope as yet. Gold was seen in several stringers in the dig. The company's crushing will likely bo finished on Friday next. The battery and winding engine are in good working order.

Lonk IIAM). The drive eastward on the Manchester reef at the low level, is now in a distanco of 170 feet from the cross cut. The reef in the face of the drive is about 'JO inches in thickness, and there is some nice looking mineral through the quartz. The country on the present footwall is a good class of white sandstone with mineral veins running through it, but the country on the present hangingwall of the reef is still bad standing ground and requires timbering. I would recommend that two men be put on to break down the portion of the Manchester reef that was stripped when sinking the winze from the Moa level, in the Manchester section of the mine.

May Queen. —No. 1 lode : Two stopes have been manned on the lode during the week. The No. 2 slope lias now been carried forward (50 feet from the rise ; the leader here is about 6 inches wide, and shows gold pretty freely when broken down, though no picked stone came to hand from this stope during the week. The No. 3 stope is now forward '24 feet from the rise : lode in this stope is 4 inches in thickness ; the class of sandstone here is of the best, and the quartz looks very well, about .Sib of picked stone came to hand from this stope during the week, and some nice gold is left showing, No. 4 reef east; The drive on the No. 4 reef is now in a distance of 31 feet from the crosscut; the reef in the face of the drive is fully 12 inches thick, and at this point carries a lot of nice dark mineral, making it very difficult to see gold, still a little gold is seen here when breaking down, and I should expect the quart/, to be of capital grade. No. 4 reef westward towards the slide : A start was made last week to drive on the No. 4 lode west, towards the slide. The reef at this point looks remarkably well, being fully 18 inches in thickness, highly mineralised, and showing gold freely. About four feet of the reef was broken down on Friday last, from which 51b of picked stone were saved, and gold was well distributed through the remainder of the quartz. As soon as the drive on the No. 4 lode west has been far enough advanced, a rise will be started, with a view to open up blocks for sloping both east and west of the crosscut. By the end of this week the paddock will be full of quartz, and carting therefrom to the battery must soon be commenced. The mine manager wired yesterday " 101b of picked stono from No. 4 west."

Blanch.—For the past week the drive has been extended 10 feet. It is very difficult to make rapid progress at present as the face is full of quartz and stringers are met with which require a little time in picking over. The quartz is of a very kindly appearance, and occasionally a few colours of gold are seen through the quartz. The reef is about its usual size and looks well, being very heavily mineralised. Saxon. —No. (i level: Fair progress was made in the early part of the week with the drive at this level along the course of the No. '2 reef, but on the ISt instant the men hail to be removed to the No. 5 level owing to the stoppage of the pump for boiler inspection, etc., when the water had risen to a height of two feet on the chamber. However, the pump has again resumed pumping operations, and I expect in a few days to be able to resume work at this level. No. 5 level: The drive along the course of the No. 3 reef at this No. 5 level has been extended a further distance of 16 feet; the reef continues to average from 18 inches to 2 feet in thickness, the quartz carrying good minerals and indications. On same reef west of junction, three stopes are following up the drive, Nos. 1, 2, and 3. The reef in all of these averages 2 feet thick, and in the Nos. 2 and 3 stopes during the past few days several pounds of fair picked stone have been saved. The stopes on this reef and No. 2 going east of junction are three in progress. The reef in these averages from one to two feet in thickness, and is running in tight country, carrying splendid minerals, and occasionally a little picked stone is saved from the stopes. Winze at No. 5 level : A wjnze has been started on the No. 2 reef, 310 feet east of tlio shaft, with the object of connection with the No. G level and ventilation as soon as the drive is forward to this point. The stopes on the footwall, hangingwall, and No. 2 reefs, nil between Nos. 4 and 5 levels, have been fully manned during the week. No. 4 level : The drive along the course of the new reef going east lias been extended a farther distance of 17 feet; the reef still continues in a splendid channel of country, but somewhat small (from nine inches to a foot in thickness), with occasionally a few colours of gold. The leading stopo is also being carried on behind tlio drive; also two stopes are in progress on the No. 1 footwall leader at this level, but without change. Cleaning up and retorting took place yesterday for a yield of 2700z retorted gold from 395 loads general quartz and 261bs picked stone.

Magnolia.The contractors finished on Saturday, July 19, their contract for 200 foet, making a total of 385 feet. I have let them another 200 feeb for tho same price. 1 told you in my last report that we gob clear of the clay, bub at the middle of last week tho clay came again in the floor of the drive. We had it all over in the drive for about 15 feet. Now there is a nice sandy country coming in the floor of the drive, and it is rising very fast to tho top. It is only about two feet from the top of the drive now. As the clay is rising up now, and we are getting underneath it, I don't think we will be troubled with it any more. The sandstone at present below tho clay is nice and dry. I was afraid we should have some water behind the clay, bub it is splendid working ground. Caledonian. —The winze on No. 1 leader has been sunk seven foet during the week. The leader in the bottom is about six inches in thickness. In breaking it down on Saturday colours of gold was seen freely through the quartz. The country still continues good, and the leader looks more promising than it has done since we commenced to sink. Stoping operations are still being continued on the above-named leader above No. I level. Tho leader in places looks very well, but I have not seen much gold here during the week. Prospecting is still being carried on on the No. 2 reef. At No. 1 level there is a great body of quartz at tho place where we are working, and as a matter of course the progress made is slow. Some of the quartz contains a good deal of mineral, but 1 have not seen any gold hero since I wrote to you. I would recommond you to extend a crosscut drive that has been put in 40 feet on the eastern side of No. 4 winze on No. 1 reef at No. 2 level. This drive should cut the No 1 leader that we are now working on at No. 1 level, also other leaders should also be cut in this drive, and as it is excellent country in the face of this drive, a leader may be cut here now at any time, and, 1 have every reason to believe, the leader here will be gold-bearing. I expected to have commenced crushing yesterday, but we will not get into the battery before noon tomorrow afternoon. Hancock and Lang have given up their tribute. There is only one party of tributers now working in your mine, namely, Ryan and party.

Dives.—During the past week No. 3 level has been timbered up and a further breaking down taken place ; the reef showing strong colours and dabs of gold. In this part of the mine the quartz and its attendant mineral seam or flinty, occupies about three feet of the face, one vein of about three inches of solid quartz on the footwall portion, another of about the same dimensions on the hangingwall, with the flinty leader between, all connected by small stringers. The hangingwall portion is gradually coming in on the flinty, and should it junction as I hare every reason to believe it will, a haul of picked stone may be expected. The stopes above the intermediate level still maintain their favourable appearance, and since my last report 30 pounds of picked stone (as wired) have been selected from the general dirt, mostly from the sth or back stope, making in all 139 pounds on hand to date. The crushing dirt in the stopes averages about nine inches in thickness and gold is frequently seen throughout. In consequence of a slip on the waterrace conveying motive power to the battery crushing had to be discontinued on Saturday morning, but as repairs have been completed, crushing was resumed this morning. Our general dirt will all be through by the end of the present week, and up to tho time of the stoppage the show on the plates and from the berdans was even better than usual.

New Auht.n'U-—Battery level : The drive on Dixon's roof is now in a. distance of I*2 feet east from crosscut, through a firm sandstone country, arid on breaking down the reef, which averages about 15 inches, strong colours of gold were seen in the quartz. A few feet have also been driven west from crosscut for making room to lay flat-sheet. The reef here is about 1.3 inches through, with favourable mineral indications. It is my intention to continue this drive later oh, as, according to plan, a considerable jwrtion of Dixon's reef is left intact in this locality. Wliau level: The to pes on the sjwcimen leader have been worked up to where an intermediate level will be formed, which will do away with repairing old level, and forming passes through old stopes, which would mean a considerable outlay. Tributers : Loughliu and party banked -401b stone last week, start to send down quartz to-day. Orlando.The Bendigo reef is to hand after driving the crosscut 54 feet. The reef averages about two feet wide of nice kindly quartz, showing a little gold intermixed with copper minerals. The country on the hangingwall is all that can bo desired for gold. The footwall is full of quartz stringers, probably they are portions of the reef, and will junction with the main body a few feet ahead. I have taken two men from the new level, and started them to drive both ways. I intend stripping the reef several feet before breaking down. The new level has been extended a distance of '20 feet. The reef is very large and split up, being fully five feet wide. lam only saving a }>ortion of it for treatment. The country alongside is very soft ; it will require to get into more solid country before we can expect the reef to improve. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION". llokitiK A, Wednesday. The Ross United G.M.Co. cleaned up on Tuesday after a ten weeks' ran with 3500z, valued at £1330.