MINE Managers' reports.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8632, 30 July 1891, Page 6

MINE Managers' reports.

Cambria.—No. 2 level: Stoping on the main reef above this level is proceeding as ! usual. The quartz broken for the past weekhas shown gold pretty freely, while two or three ' pounds of picked stone were also selected from the genetal quartz. The reef still continues to carry good mineral and' looks very promising. Intermediate, below,j No. 2 level: Gold is still seen pretty freely! in the stope on the cross leader, and during; the week a few pounds of picked stone were j saved from it. The leading stope on the new.' leader is still ■ turning out a good supply of fair crushing dirt., The leader will nowaverage about two feet in thickness. No. 3 level: The drive on the new leader is in a distance of 46 feet. On Thursday last the main' reef was : met with. The face of the drive is now a mass of quartz, some of which: looks well, and carries good mineral for gold,: although none - has been seen as yet. : Good grade quartz is still being obtained from the stones on the western and., footwall branches of So. 7 leader, with occasionally a pound or so of picked stone. v S Stoping is proceeding aa ; usual on Wo., 7 leader, above No. 4 level, and gold is seen at each breaking down. Crushing for the company is still proceeding. The battery and winding-engine are in good working order. ' ; * ' ' , " Trenton.—No.l 4 level : The face of No. 4 stope oh hanging wall branch is SO feet from the eastern boundary, v The branch has all its usual characteristics for gold, but none has been seen .during the week past. New ■ lode, No. 4 level: .The leading stope has been' taken along 25 feet east of the rise. We have not seen any gold here in . the past week, but the lode, which is from 9 to 15 inches ,in width, 'looks very promising for the production of' gold. 'The lode in sink below Mo. 5 level is a strong body of stone, averaging; 20 inches in width; it is well mineralised, and shows colours of gold. As there are no immediate prospects of getting picked stone below. No. 5 level, I shall remove the men— to the No. 4 level on hangiugwa,ll branch, the other to No. 4 level on the new lode. , r ' ~, May Queen.—The contractors are making very good progress with the sinking of the shaft, having sunk 11 feet during the week, making the total depth below No. 1 level 78 feet. The shaft is going down through a splendid channel of country. There is no water in the shaft to interfere with the sinking. The contractors are also making good progress with the crosscut towards the shaft at No. 2 level, having extended the crosscut. 25 feet during the week, making the total distance in from the No. 4. lode 36 feet. The four-inch leader cut in 'this crosscut "on Thursday' last is now running about the. same direction as the crosscut. It is striking. through ■ a splendid class of country. There is some nice looking mineral through the quartz. < Boiler inspection takes place oh Thursday next (30th) by Mr. Jobson. • Lone Hand.— rise now in course of progress from the low, level has attained a height of 40 feet from the back of drive, and is still penetrating a good firm class of sandstone country. The contractors during the latter part of the week while putting up the rise intersected a . nice looking leader about two inches in thickness, which carries good mineral and a little silica, but no gold has been seen as yet. We shall not be'able to carry this leader very far with us at present, as it has an underlie of about one in one. and the rise is being carried up vertically in order to effect communication with No. 1 winze. Moa level: The winze now sinking on the No. 3 leader has attained a depth of seven feet from the floor of drive, and is I penetrating a splendid class of sandstone country for gold. The leader which is still split into small stringers shows colours of gold occasionally. Consols.Machinery and pumps are working all rijjht, and the water forked to present depth of draw-lift—say, 50 feet. . Three lengths of pipe additional will reach the bottom, but difficulties in the shape of loose sets and timber lying at the bottom of the shaft are to be set to rights, and it will take two or three shifts to do it. .The pumps are proving themselves quite efficient and capable of coping with all the water likely to be met with. They reduced the water in the shaft 8 feet in two hours' time yesterday. When the surrounding country is drainod a few hours per day will suffice to keep the water down.

Adeline (Karangahake).—Since my last report tho distance driven is five feet, three feet of which was through a hard jumble., of blue rock and quartz stringers. I might call it a broken up reef. But the last two shots which I had in the face stripped a portion of what I believe to be the reet which I have been looking for. As far as I can see at present it is running in a nice-looking brown sandstone country, but owing to the hard nature of the ground-above mentioned I am unable to , say more about it at present. I will be able to tell more about it next week, and hope that something good will be met with, to recoup the shareholders for their outlay and enterprise. Nothing fresh to report from tributers. New Alburnia.— Battery level: There is no change to report from the slopes in progress on Dixon's reef above this level. Colours of gold continue to.be occasionally seen when breaking down the reef, which still maintains its usual size and mineralized nature. The intermediate level being formed to work this reef west of the Devon shaft has been timbered for a distance of 40 feet, and a leading stope started over same, and everything is now-favourable to a good supply of quartz coining to hand from hero. The crushing dirt on hand is now being sent to the battery, and crushing will be started on Wednesday. Whau level : The drive on footwall leader at this level is now in a distance of 110 feet. The country here for the past week has shown a great improvement, the broken country having been passed through. The clrivo is now penetrating firstclass sandstone country, and the quartz is now formed into a nice compact leader from six to eight inches in thickness? carrying good minerals and other favourable indications for gold. ;

•' Caledonian.— men are employed jin driving on Turtle's leader from the back of the stopes about 24 feet above No. 1 level. The leader is about' six inches in thickness, and from the. appearance of it would expect to get gold i,in,, it at any time. Should gold be got there in payable quantities it will be necessary to extend the No.- 1 level that has been driven by the Hazel bank Company through the stopes that have been filled in to reach this company's boundary, but as it is only a distance of 50 feet it will not cost much. There should be about 150 feet to drive on the loader at this level before it reaches the Moanataiari boundary. * There is little 2or no change on the reef at No. 1 level in the Otago section of the mine. . > ; Magnolia. —1' he leading stope westward is in a distance of 75 feet, No. 2 stope 65 feet, No. 3 stope 56 feet, and No. 4 stope 46 feet. The leader here averages from nine inches to one foot in thickness, and we see colours and dabs of, gold in it. The leading stope eastward is in a distance of-30 feet, No. 2 stope 25 feet, and No. 3 stope 18 feet. The leader here is «till divided into two. The hangingwall and footwall portions are each about six inches in thickness, and there are from three feet to four feet of mullock between, and shows colours of gold. I shall start crushing this week. ' The contractors, Gordon ana party, have driven six feet eastward during the week. The whole face here is stringers and quartz at present, with splendid mineral and black veins; but the ground is rather hard at present. > ' j Flying Cloud.—l have just completed a crushing of 30 loads of quartz for the return of 18oz 16dwt of gold. This return is not up to my expectation, still it is satisfactory, as the whole width of the reef was saved for treatment, for 60 feet in length, and judging from the improved appearance of the reef in the last stope, and also in the western drive, the return, I think, in the next crushiug, will yield better than the last. The reef is a large body of stone, about three feet in width, and a little gold distributed all through it. The reef can be worked with small expense. When toping, a large quantity, of quartz can be broken out monthly. I should ; recommend to put another man on, then the work could ;be carried out to better advantage ; all the faces would be fully manned. I consider from 50 to 60 loads per month could be broken out now, as most of the dead work is done, and everything in good, working order. ?