REEFTON MINING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 907, 19 July 1889, Page 15

REEFTON MINING.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Reefton, July 8. Progress.—Everything has at last been got ready for crushing. It has taken a long time to bring all tlie works to completion. Delays and difficulties have arisen that could not have been foreseen. Upon the whole, however, the shareholders have no reason to be dissatisfied, for they have at least the consolation that everything has been done well, and according to the old saw a good start is a long way on the journey. Globe.—The Company’s new winding engine was landed at Greymouth early in the past week, and already a portion has been delivered by the spirited ' contractor, Mr Mitchell. The engine is a powerful one and one of the best of its kind, and will be equal to every requirement for future workings of the Company. Preparations have been made for its erection.

Hard-to-Find. —The mine manager reports :—I have driven the level 14ft, making the total distance driven since striking the reef 20ft, For the list 6ft the reef was very thin, hut is now opening out again*. The stone w as very good up to where it got thin, and then it became poorer. I have, according to instructions, surveyed a line from the mouth of the tunnel to the Scotia tramway on a dead level, and finu that the tunnel is 2ft above the Scotia tramway. The distance is 15 chains. There will be 84ft of trestle work across the Scotia creek.- The height from the creek to tlie level of the tramway is 27ft. The point where the line strikes the Scotia tramway is where the latter goes through the spur to the battery creek. Multum in Parvo. —Information from this mine states that the track of the reef is being followed, and the mineralised stone having cut out, a clean body of auriferous quartz has come in. It is, however, as yet small; but as the country is good, there is every prospect of the lode widening out. A new body of goldhearing stone has also been discovered on

the surface in the direction of the Chicago boundary, aud this is now being prospected. Lone Star.—The tramway is working well, ‘and the quantity of stone in the machine paddock is growing in bulk. The date of starting the crushing has not, however, been fixed, but a very few days will suffice for the completion of the little odds and ends remaining to be done. The tender of Borlase and party has been accepted for extending the tunnel 150 ft, the price being 15s a foot. lnangahua, low level.-—-Tlie bonus prospectors are continuing their work in the direction of the run of stone found on the surfaces many years ago, but nothing has yet resulted from their labours. It is not known whether they have yet driven in the point where they expect to find the stone.

Keep-it-Dark.—The striking of the reef on the new low level has been duly announced. The interval that has since elapsed has not admitted of much work being done on the lode —the work of squaring up the drive and timbering up to the face occupying the time since. The reef lias, however, been broken into, and is reported to show gold quite equal to that of the level above. Further information will no doubt be furnished by Saturday next.

(from the lyell times. ) United Alpine.—The directors met on Friday, sth, and decided to discontinue the eastern crosscu", which has been driven a distance of 91ft without meeting the track of stone cut in the main tunnel, and which, if it lived, should have been intercepted at a distance of 40ft. It is now determined to continue the main d'ive on its original course north ; and it is the opinion of many that this course will disclose the reef at a distance of about 150 ft, and with anything like fair ground that length can be attained in five or six weeks. The contractors for the winze have made a start cutting out chamber. The ground is wet and hard, so that progress is but slow. The repairs and alterations are going ahead rapidly.

The Reefton Associated Brokers continue to issue their daily list of quotations, butthedullness of business gives very lit tie interest to the proceedings at present. Unlike ordinary exchange quofc-tions tho figures given are meaningless, thei’e being no assurance of either buyers or sellers at the prices men ioned, their only value being as representing approximately the price of stock. July 12.

An extra report from the mine manager of the Tnkerman was received last night. He states that the reef on the south face on the old lode is 3ft wide, and that the winze on the new reef had been sunk 6ft below the level, and shows the reef to be 4ft illicit, the faces at both places showing good gold. The Association quotations show a considerable fall in Progress shares. This cannot be from the crushing, from the fact that the Company has but just started crushing, and it would be an impossibility to form an opinion from the plates of what a week’s crushing is likely to be. But it is thought that some friction has been caused by the result of the election of the directorate, and the defeated candidates have placed their interests in the market. At the time when a claim is just starting to crush, a few shares rushed into the market will materially affect the state of the market or the value of shares, and although they are quoted at 355, there is every reason to believe that they will regain their former standard of 40s. July IS

Inglewood.—The stone obtained is not of a rich quality, but there is plenty of it in stopes. They will clean up at the end of the month.

Empress. —No work done during week. Are waiting for the shareholders to decide at the half-yearly meeting, which takes place on Tuesday next. Merrijigs. Contractors have completed their distance, and fresh tenders are called for another length of 150 ft. The level has been extended 50ft for month. Still in reefing country. Sir Francis Drake.—The mine manager reports—Since the directors visited the mine I have put up the set of timber in the north end, and tried the stone on the east side of the tunnel and found it no good. I commenced on Friday with two men to make ready to sink. The coal mine tunnel is driven in the hill 30ft; the seam of coal is about the same. Hard-to-Find.—The mine manager reports—l have driven the level a further distance of lift. I have been engaged for a portion of the week timbering up the drive up to the face. I have still got 15ft to drive before I am under the winze. At the present time there is a well-defined reef in the face, Ift thick, showing failgold. Scotia,— I Tlie mine manager reports The main level has been driven 10ft, which makes the tunnel about 3ft under the“north winze. The full distance of main level is now 158 ft. The reef in faco of main level at the present time is lOin to 12in wide, and fair gold is to be seen in the stone. The south level hay also been driven sft ; reef Ift wide and | fair gold in the stone. No. 1 stope is now 100 ft over main level; No. 2 stope, 60ft ; No. 3,30 ft, with a fair reef in all the stopes' and good gold in the stone, as good as any I have seen in the mine. Reef still going up over top of third stope to the battery, and everything will be ready to start crushing on Sunday night. Inkerman. —The mine manager reports —The drive going south from shaft has been driven 4jjdt for week. Total dis-

tance, 107 Ht. Stone in face of drive, 3ft wide, showing payable gold. I have stopped driving north for the present, as I could not get the dirt up with the present battery power. In the stopes 56ft of stoping has been done north and south. The reef on the north stopes are small, hut carrying very good gold. In the south stopes the reef is from 20in to 2ft sin wide, gold showing freely in each face. The new reefs have started to sink from bottom of rise. Winze down 10ft ; stone.3ft wide, yielding highly payable prospects. Scraped top plates to-day, with the following results : —1460z amalgam from 60 tons. Keep-it-Dark battery returns, 4120 z amalgam front 190 tons ; Globe, 2500 z from 185 tons ; Inglewood, 50oz from 56 tons ; Golden Treasure, 970 z from 35 tons.

Quotations. —Argosy, Is 2sd (sellers) ; Alpine, 13s ; Captain Cook, it-Dark, 35s 6d; Progress, 36s 6d; Globes, 22s ; Fiery Cross, 9s; Inkerman, 6s 3d ; Scotia, 6s 6d ; No. 2 South Dark, 2s 6d ; Pandora, Is ; Golden Treasure, 23 7d ; Supreme, 3s 7d ; Drake, Is 3d ; Big River, Is 3d.