THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9308, 18 September 1893, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

{by telegraph.— correspondents.], Thames, Saturday. haremaßket.— list was issued to-day,

ihe market being very dull. Lone Hand.The contractors for the lew crosscut in the Dives section have nade very fair progress during the week, laving driven a distance of nearly 20 feet through a pood class of sandstone country. Alburnm.— winze that was commenced on Thursday last upon the hangingrvall branch ol Dixon's reef from the floor if No. 5 stope, westward of the main winze mled through to No. 2 stope above the jack of the eastern drive at the 70-feet evel to-day, consequently operations in Nos. 5 and 6 stopes where so much picked stone has been obtained of late, will be ■esumed at once. A few pounds of picked ■tone were obtained to-day from the No. 7 itop westward upon the footwall dropper. This leader is looting very promising. Cambria.—Tho various works that are in progress in this mine still continue to yield a air supply of remunerative quartz. The nain reef is being stoped upon at two points, lamely, directly above No. 3 level going eastward from the winze that leads down to So. 4 level, and a little below No. 2 level, vestward of the main rise brought up from So. 3 level. At the first mentioned point, -here is a block about 40 feet in length, eading to the No. 1 . hangingwall leader, vhich is intact up to an intermediate drive tome 35 feet above the point now being Hoped. From 15 inches to 2 feet of the langingwall section of the reef is being jroken, as this part is carrying a very good :lass of mineral, in which some nice colours if gold have been seen. These stopes, tiowever, were only started a few days ago, ?o that none of .the quartz has yet been treated, but Mr. Baker is hopeful that it will turn out payable, and he also anticipates that a still better class of quartz will be met with as the block is worked upward. A very good grade of quartz is coming to hand from the hangingwall section of the same reef in the stopes below No. 2 level, and at this point an occasional pound or two of rough picked stone is selected from the general dirt. The block which is being stoped is about 60 feet in length, and although there are only two stopes more to carry along to bring it up to the No. 2 level, still there is every prospect of the run of payable quartz continuing above that level. The smaller leaders that are at present being operated upon between Nos. 2 and 3 levels are No. 6 and its footvail branch, and the hangingwall branch )f No. 7, besides several smaller veins hat are oftentimes met with when carryng along the etopes upon the leaders mentioned. From each of these leaders the quartz broken shows gold pretty freely, and i little picked stone is often selected Tom them. Below No. 3 level a slope i* icing taken along on No. 6 leader, And a ;ross branch that junctions with it. In all in average width of about 8 inches of good crushing dirt is being saved, and colours of gold are freely seen at every breaking down. The work that has lately been carried on upon the cross reef below No. 3 level in the Cambria section, has not yet been so satisfactory as could be wished. An intermediate drive has been driven on the reef in a |

southerly direction for a distance of about 20 feet, but the quartz broken has not been of a payable character, although a little gold has been seen and a pound or two of picked stone obtained. The manager has now stopped this drive for the time being, and ha? just made a start to test the reef going northwards instead. The only work at present in progress at No. 2 level is the development of what is known as No. 1 leader back near the shaft. This has been opened up for a further length of 25 feet, and a leading stope is now in progress upon it, but as the country encasing it is of rather a firm class of sandstone, the leader is consequently very irregular in size, sometimes being six or seven inches in thickne«s, and at other times pinched down to an inch or two. A little gold is seen in the quartz, and a pound or two of picked stone have been secured, but the leader is of rather a patchy character. Mr. Baker commenced his ueual monthly crashing on Thursday last.

MINE MANAGERS' REPORTS. New Albcrnia.— As per wire on Thursday 251b picked stone from No. 7 stope. The point where the stope- is started is about 30 feet ea*t of the main winze, and aboot 38 feet back from the face of No. G stope ; there has been but little work done iu this stope as yet, as there is some difficulty in petting the quartz through the puss to the 70-feet level at times, owing to the stoping operations going on in the block under the intermediate level, the stope having to be started away from this pass when Nob. 1 and 2 are now in operation. With the object to hurry on the connections between the intermediate level and the 70-feet level as speedily as possible, a winze has been started at the face of the intermediate which will connect with No. 2 stope close up to the face of the eastern drive on the footwall branch at the 70-feet level. At the battery there is no change. The quartz continues to shape as usual, and the amalgam coining to hand from the general quartz is so far rather better than the previous week. Mr. Adams made a survey of the mine yesterday, and will make up the office plan to date, which will be forwarded to the office in the course of a few days. Woodstock United (Karangahake)— anchorage, at the head of the proposed aerial tram line, has been all cut out of the solid rock, and it will be ready for the ropes tomorrow night. The open cutting, being a continuation of the low level tramline, has now been extended for a distance of 12 feet along the footwall side of the No. 2 lode, where it outcrops, and there still is another five feet to go southwards, before we shall have enough ground overhead to start driving. This work should be completed early next week, when there will be about 17 feet of the lode stripped ready for breaking down, and then I expect to grass some good ore. We are now cutting out of the solid rock, near the starting point of the low level, a place 20 by 20 and 10 feet high, for a smithy, and this will be ready for the roof about Saturday next. The excavations for the siding and large hopper, at the horse grade tramline, will be sufficiently advanced to admit of a start being made with the timber work in a few days' time. , At the mill we shall finish the treatment of 30 tons of ore and 10 tons of slimes, next Friday, when I will try to get the resulting bullion melted and assayed in time to telegraph the results. Robinson and party, tributers, are giving th» reefs above the smithy level, Ivanhoe section, a good trial, and they have already met with very encouraging prospects. Within the ensuing 10 days they expect to have atrial crushing of several tons from the No. 2 lode ready for treatment, and if the results are payable, there is here an extensive block of ore still untouched.

SOUTHERN MINING. [BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] Greymouth, Sunday. The Reeffcon gold returns for the week are : —Globe, IB2oz amalgam from 250 tons; Big River, 3440z from 100 tons ; Alpine, llOloz from 400 tons.

Dunedin, Sunday. The Dunedin Gold Dredging Company's return is 40oz gold.