MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 156, 30 June 1914, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

WAIHI GRAND JUNCTION.

NEW STAMPS IN COMMISSION. [BY TELEGIUriI. - -OWN" COIUtESFON-DENT.]

W.uirr, Monday. An important stage in the history of the Waihi Grand Junction Gold Company, Limited, was reached this afternoon, when the 20 new stamps recently added to the Crushing plant were placed in commission, thus raising the number of stamps available to 60. An informal ceremony was performed by Mrs. Grace Wood, who turned on the electric current. From now on it is the intention of the company to increase the output to at least 10,000 tons per month, and this will mean a gold production of not less than £19.000 to £20,000 monthly.

SEARCHING FOR OIL

EXPLOITING TOE ROMA FIELD.

[FBOM OUR OWN - CORRESPONDENT.]

FfD.VET, June 24,

Believing that a gioat oil field exists at Roma, in Queensland Mr. B. J. Weger, who was recently in New Zealand, is putting down prospecting bores there. Jttoffia is famed tor its na ural gas. There are several bores, but they have never touched oil. One of them secured a flow of 75,000tt of gas per day, and the second tapped a supply 0 t 1,250,00011. On October 27, 190/, the boro caught lire, and burnt fiercely until the blaze was extinguished on .December 12, having, it has been computed, consumed in the time, 57,500,000 ft of ga6. Since that time tho Held has practically been neglected. Certain geologist* «*seri that this gas was the product of coal stams; but the analyse of gas, made in tho Queensland chemical laboratory, shows, Mr. Weger says, tho presence of 82.4 per cent. of tho paraffin series (including ethane, 9.8 per cent.).

" It is my opinion that had the bores been carried a few feet deeper, a big flow of petroleum would have been struck," Mr, VVegei' told an interviewer the other day. "Tho analysis proves that the gas is a production of petroleum and is not, a coal gas. This gas was discovered in two bores 234 ft apart. The first produced 75,000 cubic feet, and the second 1,250,000 cubic feet a day. In making a survey of the Roma district I found fossils and conglomerate which are exactly like tlmw found in tho Kern River oilfield in Californiaa field that produces millions of gallons of oil a day. Tim red conglomerate is a particularly striking feature., but tho formation of the country generally is practically the same. "Another important point is the comparison of borings. The various strata passed through are liko those found in the oil countries of California, Galicia, and Roumania, and identical tho strata of tho Pennsylvania oil wells, only in Pennsylvania many more seams of coal are met with. Undoubtedly tho gas is of petroleum origin. It has managed to <rork its way through the strata covering tho oil flow. Sometimes this covering strata is very thick. I havo known the gas to bo found 300 ft above the oil; but only on one occasion, in a bore in the Stale- of Kansas. As a rule the gas is only a few feet above the 'oil. According to the accumulations of paraffin sand on the top of tho bores after the gas had been struck at Roma, tho oil should be within a few feet. Yes, I am going to prove it. The system I am going to introduce) i» tho rotary combination boring plant. This machine gets through tho work in a third of tho time of that of tho old fitvle boring plant, which has boon used in Queensland in tho past. Tho depth is 3709 ft. If there aro no accidents I anticipate being abio to put the boro down 4000 ft in something under five months."

NEW SYLVIA. A fair amount of quart was won from the north end of No. 1 level, Now Sylvia mine, Thames, last week. Crosscutting was romimed in tho hangingwa.il side of the break, No. 3 level. Four stopes were going over tho level, and wero producing good ore. Tho drivo on tho footwall rib was advanced 6ft in the intermediate level. The reef looked promising. Gold was occasionally seen in the ore broken from tho stopes going over the level. In No, 4 level, tho reef was 4ft wide, and was well mineralised. Tire north drivo was in 378 ft in No. 5 level, and the reef was as wide as the drive,'with no hangingwall showing. Tho reef wa3 payable, and i there wero two very nice seams running i through it. In tho sc-ith end tho reef was j getting more defined and compact.

MONOWAI. For tho fortnight ended Juno 20, tho lode in the stopes off No. 2 rise, No. 4 level, Monowai mine, Waiomio, was broken down for an average width of l2in, and produced approximately 40 tons of high-graded ore. The average assay of 45 tons of oro crushed at the mill during the fortnight ended June 6, was £11 Is 4d per ton. GOLDEN CROSS. The intermediate level on the footwall lode, Golden Cross mine, Waitekauri, was in 65ft last week. Four feet of ore was being carried with the drive, and its value was about £2 per ton. Only one wall had been exposed. The lode was in unexplored country. Payable ore had been carried for the past 35ft of driving. Thirty tons of oro sent to the mill produced 69Joz of amalgam, worth about £32. The tailings which wero under treatment averaged 25s per ton MOANATAIAm. Work during the early part of last week was confined to cleaning up and timbering the crosscut at. No. 3 level, Moanataiari mine, Thame*. A start wa.s made to extend the crosscut, When this work was previously stopped to prospect the lode 100 ft back from the faee, a large Iwdy of quartz, about 4ft wide, was met with, and as it was underlying very hat in tho bottom, it was cut through near the back, of the level. The bottom part is now being cut out. Some of the quartz looked well last week, and carried very good minerals. GOLDEN BELT. The reef in the intermediate level. Golden Bolt mine, Neresville, looked well in the south end last week. It was 3ft wide, and was being saved for treatment, flic battery is to be started crushing with 10 stamps this week. MAY QUEEN. Better progress was beinc made with the sinking of the Waiotahi shaft, May Queen mine, Thames, la-st week. It is expected that work will be resumed at tho 1000 ft level in two or thrco weeks. |

CARTHAGE RETURN*. [bt TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Monday. ]>Ast week's return from the Carthago Mine was 38oz 13dwt.