MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13796, 8 July 1908, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

, -— ♦ —— • KOMATA REEFS. . PROGRESS REPORT. The report of the manager of the Komata Reefs Gold Mining Company for the four weeks ending May 16, which has been forwarded to London for presentation is as follows:— 18£ fathoms have been stoped on No. 2 reef at No. 5 level (first block), which is 6ft wide, and 15 tons of ore have been produced, the value being £2 per ton. These stopes are poorer, and require sorting. On No. 1 reef at No. 4 (second block), which is 1% wide, 17i fathoms have been sloped, and 591 tons of ore produced, the value being £1 10s per ton. There is no change in those stopes. On No. 2 reef at No. 4 level (first block), which is sft wide, 21i. fathoms have, been sloped, and 582 tons of ore produced, the value being £1 10s per ton. A lot of sorting is necessary in these stopes. On No. 1 reef at No. 3 level (third block), which is 10ft wide, 14 fathoms havo been stoped, and ore to the amount of 225 tons has been secured, the value being £1 10s per ton. There is no change in these stopes. On No. 2 reef at No. 3 level (second block), 24 fathoms have been stoped, and 378 tons of ore, to the value of £2 per ton, secured. A lot of sorting has to be done to get this value, but picked stone has been obtained in No., 10 slope. Thereof "is Bft wide. ' AX the Hopper level No. 1 reef (second block) is 9ft wide, and four fathoms have been stoped, and 26 tons of ore produced, the value beincr £2 per ton. This reef is getting smaller going north." *The battery is working well, and more water power is available. Referring to the development work done, the manager states that the drive north on No. 2 reef at No. 8 level has been advanced 17ft, but the reef is very irniall and poor. The drive south on No. 2 reef at 3So. 7 level has been extended 18ft, and five tons of ore were produced, the value being £2 9s per ton. The reef is 3ft wide, and looks well, and a few colours of gold can be seen in the quartz. On No. 2 reef at No. 6 level the drive north has been advanced 16ft. The reef is 12ft wide, but docs not appear to improve. The drive north on No. 2 reef at No. 5 level has been extended 19ft, and 30 tons of ore produced, the value being £4 15s per ton. The reef has widened out to sft, and the value shows an improvement. The winze north on No. 2 roof at No. 5 level has been sunk 20ft, and 26 tons of ore produced, the value per ton being £3 4s. Thero is a good deal of mullock in the reef, which is 4Jt wide, and the value is lower. Another' 20ft extension of tho crosscut • east on No. 2 reef at No. 5 level should tap No. 1 reef._ The rise from the stopes on N0.2 reef at No. 4 level has been advanced 15ft,\ and 14 tons of ore produced, to the value of £2 per ton. The reef is 3ft wide, and there is some good ore in the. rise. :.-.■"■■•■;' '.'■.-•. / MAGNET. The secretary of the Magnet mine (Mr. J. B. Sheath) received tho following telegram from the manager yesterday:—"Strong dabs and colours of~goM-in reef in north drive." Reporting under date of .Tidy 4 the manager states that the north drive on the main reef had been extended a further 7ft for the week, and that the reef had been broken down for that distance. It was 18in in thickness, and .a decided improvement in the quality of the quartz was noticeable at the last breaking down. The reef in the seaward drivo also averages 18in in thickness,, and tho quartz is highly mineralised. COROMANDEL SCHOOL OF MINES. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Cobomandel, Tuesday. A meeting of the School of Mines council was held last evening, Mr. Rhodes presiding. A communication from the County Council was road, intimating that a grant had been applied for for the road to the publio battery, and temporary repairs would be effected if circumstances necessitated such a course. Tho director (Mr. ,C. A. Cotton) . reported that' classes were being held in mathematics, . chemistry (senior and junior), assaying, mining, surveying, and mechanics. It was resolved that an application bo made to tho Mines Department for a special ' grant for tho purchase of additional apparatus and appliances, and it was also decided to renew the appMcatkn for a grant to pro- " vide water-power for driving the public battery. ' WAIHI WARDEN'S COURT. [BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Watht, Tuesday. ■ Tho " following mining applications were dealt with at a sitting of the Warden's Court this morning. Mr. F. J. Burgess, Warden, presiding: John Newdick, for surrender of Royal Standard special claim, accepted; John Newdick, for Royal Standard claim of 100 acres, forwarded for tho Minister's consent; S. A. Shaw, for Waihi Golden Hill claim of 20 acres, adjourned; M. J. Bain, for protection for Waihi Seddon Nos. 1 and 5 special quartz claims, six months' protection, granted; E. Bain, for protection of Waihi Seddon Nos. 2, 3, and 4 special quartz claims, six months' protection granted; Henry Shaw, for protection of Empire special quartz claim (consented to by the Minister), granted; T. H. G. Wood, for protection for Waihi Reefs special quartz claim (consented to by the Minister), granted. • ':';■-■.NOTES. ;..';', The main reef in the Coronation mine, -on which a winze has now been sunk to a depth of *iift, is improving in appearance, the dish prospects showing a little gold, but the quartz "is not considered good enough to send to the battery. "* In the Tangiaro mine the adit level has now been driven for a distance of 52ft from the chamber, and timbered up to the face. Two men have been engaged prospecting for the past five days, and have located the reef leading from the foreshore on "the Golden i Shore side to the southern side of the porperty. This reef gives prospects by panning.

In the Halcyon mine tho rise is being continued, and the remainder of the roof stripped in tho eastern end has been broken down. A little gold was seen, but the j reel broken down in the western end (Showed the better gold. A few . feet of this reef- have been stripped, and will be broken down shortly. The new level has been extended 18ft, and is now 4ft into the solid country. The broken country in the New Occidental mine has now been passed through, and the drive has been' extended a further distance of 6ft in solid country, the reef being stripped at tho same time. There is Ift of solid reef in tho footwall, and several veins in the hangingwall), and it is probable that when broken down they, will come together in the face, thus forming a solid body of quartz. In the Tairua Broken Hills mine Hie main low level crosscut has been extended a further 10ft ? and a reef formation Ift in thickness has been passed through, no gold being seen in it, however. Tho rise on the newreef has been advanced 12ft for the weak; and tho reef is very small at present, while the prospects do not show any improvement. Stoping is being carried on as usual, and the ore coming to hand is of a good payable quality. Work is being continued in tho low level on the course of No. 1 reef in tho Watchman mine, but no change of note has occurred during the week. Tho hangingwall of tho Windfall reef at No. 1 level was again met with, and an additional 6ft have been driven. The quartz looks well, and occasionally a little bright mineral, is seen in the # hangingwall portion. Tho manager is carrying about 4ft of quartz in the drive, and he intends cutting through the reef, as the level advances, every 30ft.. The drive in the Queen level in the Now Waitekauri mine has been extended Bft during tho week. The lodo maintains its si;te of over 2ft in width, hut is of low grade, owing to being disturbed by a soft soam running along on tho hangingwall of the lode. In No. 1 stope the lodo is not Hooking so well, while that in No. 2 stope shows no change. There have now been 330 half-top. trucks of ore delivered at tho batterv which is all that it is possible to get in for the present crushing. During the past week the rise over the ! Bluff level in the Golden ' Bolt mine has | been extended 10ft, and the ore being pene- j trated shows a fair dish prospect. Tho winze which is being sunk from the open cut is down 20ft, and the ore is being paddocked. In the Consolation section the drive is in 170 ft, and a start will bo made shortly to rise to the surface. When completed, it will act as a hopper, and greatly facilitate . tho working of this deposit. The ground tram to tho battery will be completed in a, day or two, and the ballasting of the line will then bo commenced. The manager of the Kuranui-Caledonian mine, reporting on the work done during the past fortnight, states that the No. 1 level crosscut drive is still penetrating a nice channel of country, but little quartz has been. met with. The drive on No. 7 reef is now in 89ft east of the crosscut, and the reef maintains its size of about 18in in width, and is composed of kindly-looking quartz. No gold, however, has been seen in the stone. The leading stone on Whitley's leader' has been extended lift, and another pass put itt. A little gold was seen in the Mono when breaking down, both in the drive and the stope. ' Stoping operations have beon carried on as usual on Hunt's reef in the battery level, and on Hunt's leader, No. 2 east, in the Kuranui mine. Ten feet have been driven on Hunt's reef in the Kuranui level. Tho loader averages 7in, and is heavily mineralised. Two mineral veins were cut during the week. On No. 2 cast, intermediate stopes, 12ft have been stopod in promising country. The leader appears to be improving as the stopes are advanced, while the ore is of a favourable character, and averages 3in in width, carrying dabs of rich minerals, and colours in the dish from panning off. Eight feet have been stoped west, - immediately over an old crosscut at right angles to Howe i old pass, and the stringer gives favourable j indications. The trial parcels from tho old stopes have turned out fairly well, 10 tons ; of dirt returning 7oz sdwt 3gr of amalgam. A parcel from No. 2 east is now being put through tho mill, and so far has proved the best ore treated, two tons giving 6oz of amalgam from the plates. The manager of the' Golden ' Cross , mine reports that very little ore has been broken from the leading stope 'going north from the rise during the week, on account of it having been found necessary to limber up the level. This work has now been completed, and operations in the face have been resumed. ; The dimensions of the. lode do not ap-, pear to be so large as last week, but. judging '• by the dish prospects, the value of the ore is unchanged. Rising operations have been temporarily suspended, and the men are engaged carrying along the second stope going in the same direction as tho one below. The lode matter in this face is 3ft in thickness, and tho assay value of stone won is £3 6s per ton. Tho level in progress on the north bearing of the Golden Cross lode has been steadily proceeded with, and a . crosscut was put through the lode, with the object of getting at its full dimensions, with the result that it was found to be 20ft in thickness. About 6ft of the footwall portion is carrying values, but from that point on to the hangingwall the oro is poor.