MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14237, 7 December 1909, Page 3

MINING NEWS.

OLD HAURAKI. FIVE POUNDS OF PICKED STONE. The manager of the Old Hauraki mine telographed as follows yesterday morning: "Five pounds of picked stone, rise 400 ft level."

WEST COAST RETURNS. The chairman of tho Auckland Stock Exchange was advised yesterday of the following returns from the West Coast mines: —■ . Progress Mines: In thirteen working days crushed 2607 tons, yielding gold value £3229. Cyanidcd 1585 tons, yielding £791. Smelter worked 19 days; treated 135 tons; no matte tapped ; estimated gold in furnace, 1960i5. Wealth of Nations: Crushed 1740 tons, yielding £2494. Cvanidcd 910 tons, yielding £536. " . . Blackwater: Crushed 3260 tons, yielding £7103. Cyanided 2070 tons, yielding £934.

KU RAN UI-C ALEDON lAN. The manager of the Kuranui-Caledonian mine telegraphed yesterday: — "Shaft lender showing colours and blotches of gold." In report for the week ended December 4, the manager states that the low level in the Blyth section of the mine has been advanced 7ft. A small stringer, carrying good minerals, is running parallel with the drive. It is a dropper from the hangingwall portion of the shaft leader, and in his opinion will junction with the footwall portion of tho reef when tho latter is cut. The shaft leader has been stripped 10ft, and broken down. The quartz looks favourable, and is increasing in size as the drive advances.

MAY QUEEN. The manager of the May Queen mine, Thames, reporting for the week ended tho 3rd insfc., 1 states tliat' in No. 6 level good country is still being passed through in tho crosscut to cut the north-west lode. The intermediate drive on the hanging branch leader above the level is in 30ft, and a leading stope has boon started. The drive has also been formed along Clio stopes on tho footwall branch loader to command the passes leading to No. 6 level. Tho leader in tho drive, and also in the stopes, looks well, and frequently gives some very nice pickcd stone from the quartz broken. The same also applies to the footwall branch leader. Thirty loads of quartz ■ are in tho hoppers, and a start will bo made this week to crush it. In the Moanataiari section the rise is now up 21ft. An improvement has taken place in the country at tho back of the rise, it being now of a good, firm white sandstone. Tho manager hopes, with a few feet higher up. to get tho hangingwall leader into this good country.

WAIHI EXTENDED. During the week ended November 30 the drive being put out in the Waihr Extended mine for the purpose of proving the cross lode was advanced 25ft from tlio main south-east crosscut. A little stone was showing at date, but not sufficient to determine whether it was solid quartz. No. 5 winze was down 108 ft, carrying 3ft of stone. „

WAIOTAHI. The manager of the Waiotahi mine reports for the week as follows: — No. 6 Level: The slopes on the footwall dropper" have been in progress. Hie reef is about 18in in width, and colours of gold are seen. No. 5 Level: The fifth stope on the Cure reef has been carried west of the rise for a distance of 62ft, the reef at this point being about 9in in width, and during the week 41b of picked stone were selected. " Intermediate Level: The drive east on the junction of, the main reef and hangingwall loader is in a distance of 36ft. The main reef is now the full height, of the drive, but no gold has been seen. No. 4- Level: The crosscut through the main reef is in a distance of 29ft from the face. There is now a rib of quartz from 6in to Bin in width, which is carrying a little bright mineral, and is underlying the same as the main reef. The rib will, however, bo passed through in the next round of holes. ; The third stopo on the hangingwall leader has been carried west of the rise for a distance of 27ft. The leader at this point is from Sin to 12in in width, and a little picked stone is coming to hand, 151b having been 'selected since Wednesday last. In these stopes cast from the crosscut the hangingwall leader is split into two branches for about 50ft in length, and these have now to bo stoped separately. A start has now been made to get the Mary Ann shaft, in order to enable us to clean out and repair the No. 2 level, the object being to connect the workings on the hangingwall leader at No. 4- level with the Mary Ann No. 2 level. ,

, NOTES. • In the New Comstock mine operations havo been continued in No. 2 and the low levels, with little or no change being met with. i

The drive on the Alpha lode in tho Durban mine lias boon advanced 12ffc through fairly tight country, though of a good description. The reef is 9in wide, and carries*good walls, with a good underlie.

During the past week in the Tararu mine, the contractors have extended No. 4 level crosscut 22ft. At this point a reef formation crossed the face of the drive at about right angles to the line of the crosscut. It has a southerly flip of about lift in 6ft, and it shows a width of lOin, composed of rtibbly ouartz and sandstone mixed. It has a well- j defined footwall, with a little water issuing ! from it.

No. 7 slope on the cross lode in the Pride of Tokatea mine has been carried along to the end of the ground, and No. 8 stone is weir in hand. Gold has been seen in the ore from tho faeo being stuped west, from which between four and five pounds of picked stone were bagged. Tho drive on the course of the footw&il lode lias been extended 60ft, but nothing of value has been met with.

Though the crosscut in the east wall in the Champion mine, Puriri, has been advanced a further distance of 20ft the reef has not yet been met with. Tho. country being passed through is of a blue nature, with occasionally large boulders of flinty quartz intermixed. The men are now underneath the old workings south of the outcron and should the reef live down they should meet with it at any timo now. The manager has also done a little prospecting on tho surface, but has not met with anything fresh.

At the Golden Pah mine, Commando], tho drivo from the top of No. 1 rise in the hangingwall branch has been driven 18ft, the last 6ft being on the junction. A stope has been started over tho drive, and colours of pold have boon seen in tho stone. The branch is about l£in thick, and the quartz is being saved. No. 2 rise is up 13ft, being now through to the intermediate, level. Just prior to this occurrence the men cut another leader about 2in thick, in which colours of gold were showing. A drive is now being opened out on it from the intermediate level. No. 1 stope north of No. 1 rise on the Venus reef has been extended 6ft. The roof, composed of rubbly quartz, is about 2ft wide, and is heavily mineralised, giving colours of gold by the dish. 1 "