MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, 29 June 1914, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

THAMES DEEP LEVELS. GAS STILL TROUBLESOME. RELIEF EXPECTED SHORTLY. [bt telegraph,— correspondent] Thames. Saturday. Tiii:i:e is a,s yet no improvement in tlx condition of the air at the 1000 ft level and it, is evident that there is still a larg( volume of gas coming in at the faro of tli< crosscut from the main slide, There i: sufficient gas to keep the current of ail from the blower thoroughly impregnate with it in tho return to tho shaft. Tin sinking of the Waiotahi shaft to the 1000 ft level is, however, now nearing com pletion, and when this connection is made there should not bo any great difficult) in securing good ventilation so as to enablo tho work in the main crosscut to be resumed. The Waiotahi shaft is down tc within about 37ft from tho floor of th< IOOQft level, or 27ft to the back of the level, and another fortnight should about see it down.

TALISMAN CONSOLIDATED. DEVELOPMENTS AT DEPTH. (BY TELEGRAPH. CORRESPONDENT.] Waiiii, Saturday. The most important development works in progress at the Talisman mine am the drives north and south on tho Maria reef from the bottom of No. 12 winze, which is now down to the random of the 15th level. The lirst round of holes fired in both directions disclosed & strong body of quartz, but the values wero low. A second cut taken out- of tho north drive, now in Bft, proved the lode to be wider than the drive, with no walls showing and values still low, bid on the south aide, where the drive has been advanced to Oft, payable values havo come in again, the reef being wider than the drive with only the footwall exposed. The winze will be tarried down a few feet further to provide for the sump, and when this work has been completed, driving both north and south on the lodo will be resumed. At No. 14 level the main south drive is about under tho point where the second run of pay ore cumo in on the Dubbo section of the Maria reef at No. 13 level, and for the last few feet the drive has been in country rock. In order to determine whether the reef lias died out or gone away into the east wall, a crosscut is being projected east some little distance back from the south face. The country rock in the face is heavily mineralised, and shows littlo seams of quartz indications which point to the reef being close to hand. That the reef ha? died out seems quite improbable, as it lived some distance further south at the 13th level, and was followed down by No, 17 winze, from No. 13 level.

lmost immediately over the spot whera he south drive at the 14th level, which 5 bearing away to the west, ran out f quartz. On the west vein a winze, s'o, 7, has been sunk about 40ft on payble ore, and the reef, which was dipping rest, has changed its underlie gmng down, laving evidently come back and joined ho main lode. At No. 13 level the No. I crosscut to intersect the Welcome reef s out about the distance where the lod« hould be encountered, provided its dip s the Fame as at No.. 12 level. Thu ;onntry rock in the Taw is of the right lescription, and should the Wclcomo bo ntcrsected in this class of rock, the ore lody should carry values. The crosscut west from the Woodstock haft, which passed through the Maria «of at aboiik 100 ft, is now out 235 ft, and a traversing a good class of country. Provided they lire down, this crosscut vill cut Shepherd's, the Woodstock, and jomes's reefs, the first-mentioned ore jody probably being met with in from 00ft to 150 ft from the present face. In •ho old workings overhead, pay ore vas won from Shepherd's reef, but the odo was somewhat erratic. The Maria •oef is being followed both north and outh from tne Woodstock crosscut, about 00ft having been driven each way. The Irives are being carricd along in the langingwall country, and arc hugging lie hangingw.ill of the lode, through vhich crosscuts are being projected at ntervals of 500 ft. The reef runs from Ift to 6ft in width, and is a niceooking body of stone; but, though the sampling has disclosed values, no payable ire has so far been met. A fair quantity if water i.' coming from the Maria, reef md tho country in the crosscut. and this i being lifted 'by the big Cornish pump, vhich has just been placed in commission, uid is running smoothly. GRAND JUNCTION. [BY TEX.EOIUTH. —OWN - COBHESrONDK.VT.] Wathi, Sunday. Tho drive east on the Empire reef, intersected beyond (ho broken country at \ T o. 6 level, is being advanced in ore vhich, from its appearance, should give setter values than at the point (1100 ft iast) where a crosscut through the lode proved it to be 28ft wide, with 7ft on the hangingwall portion, worth over 20s per lon. In view of the fact that the report if the Government Geological Survey Department on the Waihi field suggested that payable ore was not likely to bo found in tho bedded dacit<- cast of tho fault in the Grand Junction, tho development is regarded by mining authorities as ino of considerable importance ;is far .is the extension of pay ore on the eastern 3nd of tho field is concerned. Tho Junction Company has yet 1900 ft of country I bo explore before the lioundary of the propertv is reached, and if developments in the Empire in this direct ion give satis- | factorv results money, it is expected, will bo forthcoming to exploit other claims on the eastern portion of the field. MOANATAIARI.

[by Tf.LKCllArn — CORIIFiPON'DKNT.'] Thames. Saturday. The cleaning tip and repairing of tho crosscut along the foot wall of the main slide at No. 3 lo\e| in tho Jloanatui.ui mine has boon completed, and tie extension of (lift crosscut northward was re snmed during t-hes week. The face of this crosscut is in a total distance of about 400 ft northward from the point where I ho slid* was passed through, and although several quartz leaders have boon passed nothing has yet. been met with that corresponds with the reel.- worked eastward of the slide. It is intended to continue tho crosscut, still further northward in the expectation of intersecting them beyond the slide. WAITANHT. [NT TKLEGRAPII.OWN' COEBESPOSDENT.] Thamks, Saturday. Operations in t.lio Waitang: mine are at present confined to proving and further opening up the main reef at Nos. 3 and 2 levels as, owing to all the hoppers and paddocks being filled with ore. fur ther development at the No. 4 level has been suspended for the present pending the completion of the arrangements for the battery. At the No. 3 level a new main rise is being put. up to connect with No. 2 level, and in the western section a block of ground is being sloped westward of the main rise. In these stupes about sft or 6ft of the reef is being taken out, the ore from which looks well and shows a little freo gold when broken. At No. 2 level tho principal work- on hand is that of driving a series or crosscuts through tho reef from tho main drive, which was driven along the hangingwall for a considerable distance. These crosscuts are being now driven through the reef to test the values through to the foot wall, and so far the result has been satisfactory. In tie &wo crosscuts driven .tho rejjf has

proved to bo fully 20ft through from wall to wall, and the quartz has given a satisfactory average value right through. The reef is also being driven on from these crosscuts along the footwall so as to thoroughly prove the values and open up blocks ready for sloping when the batlevy is available. SAXON, [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Saturday. Operations in tho Saxon mine are being carried 011 under the management of Mr. I '. Shepherd, of Coromandel, who has replaced the funnel 1 manager, and is continu--0 ing the scheme of development work pre- , viously in hand. This comprises the open--8 inr; in> of Inn Cardigan lodes at the new 0 low level from the company's main shaft, which is lOOit below the old No. 6 level. The Cardigan lode has been driven on r eastward from the crosscut a total dis--1 la nee of 173 ft, and lor the whole distance ) the Quartz broken has been of a promising > description, ca. ying good minerals and showing occasional colours of gold. A leadinc stope is also being carried along 3 over the drive, and this has now been ' driven along for about 50ft eastward from the junction. In this colours of gold arc 3 also seen through tho quartz broken, ' which is all being saved for treatment, 3 and of which there is now a considerable ' tonnage on hand. It is intended to crush the quartz on hand as soon as the battery is available, so as to arrive at. a correct estimate of its value. DREDGING RETURNS. (BY TKLF/iRAPH. —PJIESS ASSOCIATION.] Drs'EiHN', Sunday. 11,0 following dredpins; returns havo coin?, to hand Rising Sun. 560z 17dwt-; Rise and Shine No. 1., 45oz8dwt; Electric No. 1., 40oz 18dwt; Electric No. 11., I 1507, 12dwt: Olrig soz Bdwt; Rise and ' ! Shino No. 11., 15oz; Golden Bed, 13oz.