THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10127, 9 May 1896, Page 5

THE GOLDFIELDS.

' [a? ihtWIRAPH.—OWN : GOBRKBPONDBNTSi] -. ■ '. • TttAii&S, Friday 1 ; Sharkmarket, — Cambria, sellers Is 6d, buyers Is 4d; Cardigan, Sellers Is 6d; Golden Point, sellers la 9dj Imperial, Betters Is 6d; May Queen Extended, sellers Id; Moanataiart, sellers lis,' buyers 10s Hi NewWhau, sollers lOd ;* Royal, sellers Is 2d j Sheridan, sales Is Id; South British, Sales 4Jd, sellers 5d ; Rhngatira, sellers (id ( Welcolue Find, sellers 2s (Id; Zealand!*, Sellers Is; .. .' • ■ .

Cardigan.— leader, thab is,how in course of development at No. 4.10ve! lias been .opened up for a total length of 40 feet, 25 feet of which ii oii the weStefo side

of the crosscut and the balance on the eastern side. So far tho leader has aver-

aged nboub a foot in thickness, and has shown nice strong dabs arid colours of gold, so that there is every hope of a payable block being developed upon it, May Queen.—Excellent progress is being made with the extension of the. crosscut towards darken 1 * leader ab No. 4 level, and Mr, Burch hopes to have the leader to hand by about the end of next week. At No. 6 level the development of Haye's leader in the vicinity of No. 1 break is beirig proceeded with. The leader averages about three inches in thickness, and shows colours of gold at every breaking down. A couple of men only ate now employed in the May Queen section taking out small blocks of quartz on No. 4 reef thab had been left standing, when more elaborate operations were in progress, so that the. company's output of .quartz is now very limited. Victoria.—Stoping operations upon the new reef above No. 1 level are now in full swing, the tobal length of the stopea in progress being about 250 feet, which is divided into two blocks. No. 1 block, which is about 190 featiin length, is situated between the first break Intersected in the

wettorn drive and the western side of the winze sunk from the surface adit level, and No. 2 block lies on the eastern side of the winze, and is about 60 feet in length, The

eastern drive, however, is opened up for a still greater distance, So that the stopes can be extended in thab direction whenever required. The reef in No. 1 block varies trom a few inches to about a foot ill thickness, and is encased generally by a firm although favourable class of sandstoue. Colours of gold are frequently seen in tho quartz, and a few pounds of picked Btone occasionally secured, bub the latter are generally obtained when the reef narrows down in size. In No. 2 blook, eastward of the winze, the reof will average a somewhat larger size, bub scarcely as much gold is observed as in No. 1 block. Still the reef looks very promising, and Mr. Coutts is hopeful that as the stopes are worked upward a still hotter class of crushing dirt will be obtained. In fact, the downward continuation of the run of gold worked at the adit level workings is expected to bo met with in this block. At No. 2 level Mr. Coutts is pushing forward the eastern drive upon the reof, and has already a length of over 50 feet opened up. The reef, so far, has shown no gold, bub ib has borne a very favourable appearance, so far as mineral indications and the class of quartz are concerned, whilst it has varied iu size from six inches up to a foot, the latter being the present thickness in the face. The work done upon the reef, westward of the crosscut, turned oub somewhat disap-

pointingly, there apparently being a blank in the reef at that particular point. When sinking the winze, however, from No. 1 level to No. 2 level, the reef carried down pretty strong to within about 25 feeb of the latter point, bo that Mr. Coutts has decided to open up an intermediate drive westward of the winze just above the blank portion, in order to open up that end of the ground tor stoping. That work is now in hand, and judging from the results obtained when tho westward drive at No. 1 level was opened up, this block should turu out to be a very valuable one, Crushing will probably be commenced again on behalf of the company, ab Bull's battery, on Monday next,