THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9494, 25 April 1894, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

C*r"fflESßEeiiFH.— CORRESPONDENT.] - / ' Thames, Tuesday. Hazklbaj*The regular monthly crushing for th< company has been commenced with teniead of stampers at the Moana- , taiari bitary. Operations in the mine are proceeds »a usual, but the quartz obonly of medium grade at present. Ma^Qdeen.— A trial crushing of five loads6f quartz broken from the winze whicjthe company is sinking upon Clarken's lead/ below No. 1 level, in the Saxon sectfn, has been completed for a return of 3Sof>f amalgam, and is equal to quite 3oz of Did per load. This winze has attained a /epth of about 40 feet, but during the W day or two the leader has not been liking as well as it formerly did, the qtintry penetrated having become some/hat tighter. The contractors for the j/xtension of No. 6 level are still making excellent headway. Two parties of tributes completed small crushings to-day, George and party obtaining 6oz 4dwt of gold from 5 loads of quartz, and Terry and I party 2oz 16dwt from 2 loads. The company will clean up and retort on Saturday next. MINE MANAGERS' REPORTS. Cambria (April 23).—There is verv littlo change to mention from the different leaders being worked during the week. Two stopes are still being carried along on the leader in the hangingwall of the main reef. The quartz being obtained from here looks very promising, especially that coming from the leading stope. Here another leader has just been met with, striking into the haiigin<>wall of the latter, in which a little gold has been seen, while th<) mineral indications it is carrying would lead one to expect something i better. The lender beiug worked in the hangingwall of No. 4 leader is still turning out some nice-looking quartz. We have not seen much gold here lately. Crushing for the company was started to-day. May Queen (April 23).—The drive going west from Moore's winze is in a distance of 126 feet. This drive has been idle part of the week, the men beiug timbering up. There is an improvement in the face. The country is better now than it Has been this last 30 feet. The reef is small at present, being six inches thick. On Saturday a few strong dabs of gold were seen,and to all appearances the reef will get larger. In the stopes over this block there is nothing fresh to report. There is a block of ground east of Moore's wiuze that was sloped some time ago. This has been started again, and a few colours of gold seen. The winze on Clarken's reef. Saxon section, is down 37 feet. The reef in the bottom is pinched on account of a hard boulder of ground coming up affainst the reef. Five loads of quartz passed through the battery from the wiuze for SSoz of amalgam. This would be 3oz of gold per load, darken and party, at fto. 2 level, have about 40 feet to drive to reach their boundary, so that there should be a connection made with the winze in about three weeks' time. The battery has been running three days during the week, amalgam S7ozs, picked stone lolbs. Whether the battery will be able to run this week I do not know. The water in the race is getting low. St. Hippo (April 23).—Low level: This drive has been driveu a further distance of 11 feet during the week. The reef at present is two feet in thickuess. and is running through a good channel of country, but as yet the quartz is not good enough to save. As there is now every appearance of the good country continuing, the chances are all in favour of the reef improving as the drive advances. Intermediate: This has been driven a distance of 10 feet, and colours of gold continue to be seen in the quartz broken, of which we have about 16 loads to hand, which I purpose putting through the battery next week.

New Moanataiari (April 21).—The general quartz treated tor the past week has been of slightly better quality, but there has been little or no difference in the surface dirt. The respective yields of amalgam from each are as follow : —Quartz, 430z; surface dirt, 220z. On account of the low pressure obtained from the county water supply, the usual quantity of material has not been put through the battery this week. A few pounds of picked stone are now and again being got from the workings on the Golden Age footwall lodes over the Point Russell level. On the 100-feet level Jones's lead continues to look promising, and about 151b of picked stone were got during the week from the stope where the buck or barren seam of quartz passes through it. There is every appearance of a payable block being opened up here, and I will now make an effort to *!.<» ««apo« hy oxkciullug the drive on the level, and connecting same with the intermediate drive driven '£0 feet up the rise. At the 150-feet level the hangiagwall branch of !No. 9 reef was passed through this week. It is a small rib of clear quartz, which ought to carry gold, but I have no idea what extent of a block there may be left to work out. We are now only 70 feet away from the shaft.

HAZELBANK (April 21.)— The drive on the lead near the break at No. 1 level is still being carried forward. There is not much change in the appearance of the lead since my last. The country is also all that can be desired for speedy driving, but we have not been successful this week in getting any gold here. Stoping operations on Darby's above the No. 2 intermediate is proceeding as usual. Gold has been frequently seen in breaking out the quartz on the western side of the winze, but on the eastern side very little has been seen, although the quartz looks quite as well, as it is carrying a considerable amount of mineral. On the western side of the winze sunk on the cross-reef from No. I intermediate, work has been chiefly confined to a small leader striking down into the footwall iD which a little gold has been seen. There is nothing new to report from the stopes above No. 1 level this week. _ Crushing will be commenced at the Moanatairi battery on Monday. Woodstock United (Karangahakc, April 19). —Good headway is being made with the No. 3 .level, which has been extended a distance of 17 feet during the past week, and this, brings it up in close proximity to the line of the winze. In the present face the No. 2 lode averages four feet in width, and ! he hanging wall portion comprises three feet of first-class ore, containing a high percentage of the precious metals. Although the inflow of water is heavy, fair headway is being male with the work of sinking the winze, which is now down to a depth ot 73 feet, and here the No. 2 lode, varying from three to four feet in thickness, is yielding a considerable amount of high grade ore. On Friday last a start was made to treat ore broken out from the No. 2 lode, No. 3 level, and the stuff very soon attested its value by making a good show of amalgam on the plates and in the pans. . New Alburnia (April 23).—During the week work in the mine has been carried on as usual along the course of the Dixon's reef, from the Chines main tunnel. Hitherto the drive has been continued along the course of the old stopes, but to-day we met with a solid block of the Dixon's reef, the quartz from IS inches to 2 feet in thickness. No gold has yet been seen through the quartz, but still a very fair class of mineral is distributed through the stone. None of this has yet been forwarded to the battery, and I cannot say as to its value for a few days, nor yet the extent of the block. The battery is being run eight hours per day, 10 head on the stufi coming to hand from the drive, but up to the present it is of low grade, still there is sufficient gold in it to pay for tramway and crushing. The stuff crushed has all been from the drive on the old stopes. I have therefore discontinued crushing for the present, until the drive is farther extended, and the solid block opened up so as to allow men to be put on. Orlando (April 23). — The contractors made a start on Wednesday to drive the intermediate level, so driving this level will now be carried on as before, the only change being that the work will be done by contract instead of day pay. The reef is still large aud well defined, and continues to maintaiu a large per centage of minerals. Norfolk (April 21).—Timbering-up and securing the winzt is now completed. A start has been made to carry a stope along west of the rise. Since commencing the stope has been extended eight feet. The reef here is three feet in thickness, and is carrying some nice mineral for gold, though so far very little has been seen. The crosscut towards the California reef is now extended 65 feet, 12 feet having been driven for the past week. The country still keeps much about the Junction (April 21).—After timbering up JnwriON (April 21).-After timbering up the rise, a start was made to open out from the north-east end at the top of the rise 14 feet has been driven in that direction on the hangingwall. The reef has been stripped for that distance, and will be taken down during the incoming week. I expect to meet with the junction of the east and west leaders coming in from the hangingwall. Small stringers have been met with since driving was started. The country in which the reef is encased is favourable. Victoria (April 23). -During the past week a distauce of 24 feet has been driven in the crosscut at the 300-feet level, and during the past two days a body of. rubbly quartz with ribs of sandstone intermixed, fully four feet in thickness, has been passed through. The country in the footwall of this, reef is still of a tight nature. lam still carrying on a head with the cross-cut, and its length from the shaft is now 460 feet. There is nothing fresh to report from 4 the tribute parties. Towers and party will be crushing at the end of present week some five loads 01 general , quartz and 65 lbs of picked Btooe.