MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14926, 26 February 1912, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

MOUNT WELCOME.

GOLD WON TO DATE.

The directors of the Mount Welcome Gold Mining Company, in their halfyearly report, state that tho main drive is now in 661 ft. The country is a fine grained rock, fairly mineralised. Work hero was discontinued after the holidays, and operations confined to sinking the winze on the run of gold, with the satisfactory result that up to the end of January last four tons of general ore and 1751b of picked stone was won and treated for a return of 930z.' lOdwt of bullion, valued at £270, which brings the total value of bullion secured by the company up to £1600 lis 3d. The sinking of the winze on the shute of gold is still being carried on to ascertain the extent and value of this lead of gold. THAMES DEEP LEVELS. CROSSCUT IN WAIOTAHI GROUND [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Saturday. Tho main crosscut at tho 1000 ft. level was extended a further 35ft last week, through a firm class of sandstone country. The face has now passed tho boundary of the Moanataiari claim and entered into tho Waiotahi, the total distance driven from the shaft to date being 1630 ft. Another 27ft. will complete the present contract of 500 ft. The supervision of the work was to-day handed over by Mr. W. Baker (manager of the May Queen and Moanataiari mines) to Mr. G. Warne (manager of the Waiotahi mine), in whose charge it will remain for the next 860 ft of driving, that being the distance for which the crosscut will traverse the Waiotahi Company's ground. SILVER STREAM. The half-yearly report issued by the directors of the Silver Stream Mines, Ltd., states that the low-level tunnel has been driven 730 ft, but for the present its further ex:ensiou has been stopped. The drive from tho tunnel along the Julia reef has been carried northward a distance of 245 ft, where further driving was discontinued, and all work at present is confined to putting in a crosscut from this level to intersect the Silver Queen re?f, which is known to contain ore of good value. The estimated length of this level is 240 ft, of which 165 ft has been driven. So far some 8| tons of ore has been sold, for a return of £312 7s Bd. GRAND JUNCTION. [FROM OUR. own* CORRESPONDENT.] London l January 19. Commenting on the uso of the geological expert in mining, a contributor to tho Financial Times writes: —" Dr. Bell, the Now Zealand Government Geologist, has made an exhaustive geological report on thu Waihi goldfield. He finds that, although the ores from both the Waihi and Waihi Grand Junction are indistinguishable to the naked eye, they are quite different i when examined under the microscope, the i former being an andesito, the latter a dacite. The andesite is formed from an ! overflow from the —that is, the dacite is the original volcanic magina of deepseated origin, for which reason Dr. Bell maintains that the Waihi Grand Junction's ore veins will bo found of better value at lower levels. This view is certainly being borne out by the greater quantity and better values" of the veins encountered as depth is reached."