MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13826, 12 August 1908, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

/ NOTES. /The Phoenix Gold Mining Company liavo had a trial run out of the now engine. It worked very satisfactorily. The locio in No. 1 stopc at the Queen »evel in the New Waitekauri mine shows very little improvement ho far. The manager of the Tairua Extended ™ ,no stares that he has started cutting a chamber, and hopes to commence sinking this week. In the Coronation mine tho quarts in the cast drive on the main reef is improving in appearance, and the manager states that the i dish prospects are a little better.

In the Golden Bolt mine the country in the rise is very hard. The winze is clown 54ft. A fair show of gold can, the manager states, be obtained by dish from the ore coming to hand. In the Consolation section the rise is up 40ft.

The reef now being driven on from the rise an the South Kapanga mine is still going through good country. During the past week the lode maintained its favourable appearance, and excellent mineral indications for gold were met with. It was also much larger. The manager states that there is now a thickness of 4ft of quartz in the face.

In Langan's antimony mine the manager has been driving on the reef in the hangingwall of the south-cast intermediate level, and has now stripped for stoping 30ft of antimony from 9in to Ift thick. After shipning the ore already won, ho intends to drive on the reef in the hangingwall of the main level, which ! will give over 30ft of backs to the intermediate level. 9 . — Tlio manager of the Mount Zeehan mine reports that the winze is down 28ft. The country is very tough. A lot more water has had to lie contended with, which helps to rehire! progress. There is still 3ft to sink, and the manager hopes to make a connection next week, when he. will be in a postion to prove what extent of payable ore is underfoot on the No. 2 and Birthday lodes. In the Brilliant Block mine the hands driving to intersect the Brilliant lode have advanced the face a total of 26ft, The country passed through is still of a good character, both for progress and as a gold-bearing class of country rock. In the western portion of the mine, Surface prospecting is continuing, and some of the wash-dirt when panned off in the dish gives a very good result. Breaking down the reef in the Scandinavian mine has been carried on for 7ft, but so far the hangingwall has not been reached. The reef is described by the manager as a fine body of highly-mineralised ore, which gives fine dish prospects,, some of the ore being like that which carried the high values in the low level. A drive has also been started on the footwall branch which, at its junction with Lowrio's reef, gave good stone. This leader is encased in good blocky sandstone, and from its mineral indications should pro* duco good stone. The manager of the Thames mine reports that the country in the winze on the reef is congenial andesite. The liu lead has not yet junctionod with the main lead. The latter was broken down twice last week. It is still Bin to lOin wide, and kindly-looking quartz, in which a few colours of gold were seen, but nothing in the shape of picked stone. A winze is being started on the Liverpool Boy's reef, where about 20ft of sinking will meet with the junction of the Wa-do lead, which was responsible lor a large amount of gold overhead.

At the mino owned by the Coromandel. Limited, work of a preparatory nature has occupied a good deal of time since starting operations, but this work has now been nearly all executed, and everything is in working order. The manager has pegged off a battery site and water rights. Timbering and widening 30ft of drive No. 2 will be completed in tho course of a few days, when driving will start on tho gold reef. It id intended to drive about 60ft on this reef when it junctions with a 30ft gold-bearing reef, when good results may be expected.

No. 9 reef in the Old Hauraki mine at.'the 300 ft level averages 6in, and the manager reports that it looks well for gold, though none was seen at. tho last breaking down. Tho country and that in the leading stopes on the same reef is first-class. Colours of gold were seen in tho footwall of the reef at last breaking down. In the drive north the No. 9 reef formation is about Si wide, principally pug. In the stopes on tho west branch the lode is sin, revealing a little gold occasionally. At the 220 ft level the developments in the stopes on Legge's reef are favourable. Wells' lead is 4in wide in tho stopes at the lCjQffc level. The ore is fair general quality. 'A rise is being .started on a small leader south of No. 7 reef at the 100 ft level.

In. the Tairua Triumph mine the Bluff level crosscut is being pushed on "with through rhyolito country, which is much softer than when last reported, consequently better progress has resulted. At, sft in a loader from 3in to 9in thick was passed through, composed of jasper and quartz, together with decomposed silica, and carrying a good percentage of iron pyrites, and, although no gold was visible, the indications were such that had it not been for the class of country encasing it tho manager would have given it more attention. lie has no doubt but that this is the forerunner of many more leaders' 1 that will bo passed through before No. 1 reef is struck, and as there is quite 100 ft tV> drive through unexplored country, _is very sanguine of meeting with something payable before that distance is spent. Very good progress is being ! made on the tram lino along the Bluff, which is being constructed for tho purpose of conveying ore to the ore paddock. A NEW COALFIELD. The attention of investors is called to the fact that shares can now be had in tho NgaruawahJa Coal Company, Lid. Tho company owns the mine on the new coalfield at To Akatea. on the properties of Messrs. Runcimau, Coad, and Dawson. Mr. John Hayes, M.E., F.C.S., late chief inspecting engineer of tho Mines Department, Wellington, is reported as having estimated that the property contains £0,000,000 tens of superior coalloo years' outpiuw at 00,000 tons per year, which can bo mined and produced at a very profitable rate, as it is so conveniently situated for way development, having so many natural advantages. Professor McLaurin. F.C.8., Government analyst, reports the coal to bo an excellent household coal. William Jemison, formerly mine manager to the Edge-well Colliery, England, and the Koronui mino, West-port, reports eulogistically on the mino. Mr. John E. Duncan, ■ mine manager, /after six months' prospecting and developing the several outcrops, is stated to bo satisfied that the quality of the coal is very superior, and the quantity is practically unlimited, and with the great advantages of easy development a substantial profit is assured. Prospectus and all particulars can bo had from the secretary of the company, T. P. Wing, 9, Empire Buildings, Swanson-st.