Mining News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 994, 20 March 1891, Page 25

Mining News.

OUR REEF lON MINING REPORT. (FROM our own correspondent.) Belfton, March 15. Quotations —Cumberland, 7s 6d to 8a ; Exchange, 6d to 7d ; Hercules, 2a to 2s 6d ; Low Level, 2d to 3d ; Merrijigs, 5d to 7d ; No. 2 Dark, 5a 9d to 6s ; Russell, Is to Is 2d. Buyers —Blue Sky (adjoining Cumberland), sd; Drake, 6d. Sellers—Durham (near Cumberland), 7d ; Fiery Cross, 7s ; Golden Treasure, Is 7a ; Gallant, 9d ; Globe, 21s 3d ; Happy Valley, 4d; Lord Edward, 6d; Alpine, 19a; Wealth, 4s; United Devonshire, 6J. Returns —Alpine, 4550 z amalgam from 327 tons; No. 2 Keep-it-Dark, J9loz amalgam from 87 tons; Keep-it-Dark, 106 oz amalgam from 90 tons ; Inkerman, 86oz amalgam from 120 tons; Gallant, 61oz amalgam from 42 tons; Progress, 3680 z amalgam from eight days’ crushing; A 1 Lease, 1240 z retorted gold from 6£ tons. Alpine.—Since last report the two leading stopes above No. 7 level have been extended further north 10 feet, with only two men in each stops. The reef is between sft and 6ft wide The contractors for the uprise from No. 7 level have risen 7ft, the full width of reef, Bft, being taken out. The contractors for extending No. 7 level north started on Wednesday, and are making fair headway. There is no change. In driving above the upper intermediate level the usual amount of stoping has been done. There is no change except that the small reef in the extreme north end has widened out to Bft, It is clean stone, and appears to be running back south. The contractors for the south uprise have risen 18ft for ten days. The reef continues small, from two to four feet wide.

The Cumberland Mine Manager reports for the week that the bottom drive has been driven west from the flat sheet 15ft, and east 14ft, making a total distance on the trend of the reef of 100 ft. The reef in the west end of the drive is 4ft 6in wide, and 2ft at the east end, and carrying fair prospects, both drives indicating a widening in the bottom of the level. In the upper level about eight fathoms of stoping has been done. The reef here continues about 3ft 6in wide, and 13 stoping sets are in. The length of the face is 52ft. A start, has been made to open out, and the stone is of exceptional good quality, equal to any stone sent to battery. They will start taking stone to battery on Monday. _

Big River. —The manager reports for the wtelc as follows;—The contractors have extended the main level a total distance of 49ft. The crosscut is extended a total distance of 56ft. Three feet back they met with quartz leaders, and believe they will lead On to lode, as they came in in likely country. ~ The manager remarks that the prospects of the Devonshire are brightening. Stone showing gold has been picked up 60fd away from the recent find. This affects the Inangahua Low Level Tunnel Company, whose shareholders should watch developments. Alluvial gold of good quality is reported as being worked on Courteney’s leasehold at the Junction of Buffer and Inangahua rivers. The gold is said to be coarse and nuggetty. It is reported that an application has already been made to the Minister of Mines for resumption of lands for gold mining purposes. The banks have raised the price of gold. Quartz gold averages L 4 Is, alluvial L 3 18s per ounce. Market duff. ReeftON, March 16. The Inkernoau manager reports for the week —ll6ft of stoping done. There is no chaDge in

the utopes. The main Bhaft is now down below No. 2 level 49ft, of which 44ft is timbered. In the new find south they have got the drive into quartz, and start driving along it next week. In the new find north the drive from the road is in 32ft. There are a lot of quartz leaders in the face, and he expects to be into solid stone about the end of next week. A 1 Lease Tributors had a crushing of 65 tons at the Drake battery. They cleaned up on Saturday, with a result of 1240 z of retorted gold. The country Is of peculiar nature, the lode being well defined, and averages, say, half an inch thick. It has been worked 700 ft in a continuous line. At the deepest part worked so far it was 27ft deep. The west side of the lode is of sandstone formation, and the east is slate. The Globe Mine Manager reports for the week. —The reef in the face is 9ft wide, showing payable gold. The winze is down 116 ft on * a large body of stone. The race is being retimbered, and will be finished in a few days, and crushing will be resumed at the end of the month. The Scotia Mine Manager reports for the week as follows: —The level has been extended sft. The ground is very hard, with very little quartz in the face. The cross-cut has been extended a total of 24ft from the level, and tha ground has got very hard. Venus.—For the week the total distance sunk from the top of the rise is 18ft. The stone averages Ift 3in, and shews gold. The drive is nowin a total of 27ft north of rise. The stone for the last 20ft has averaged one foot in width. We start the stope over the main drive on Monday. Hercules.—The contractors start on Monday to put in an uprise of 100 ft and to extend the level 250 ft. Blue Sky.—Three men are at work. _ Two leaders shewing gold have been met within the the tunnel driven towards the Cumberland reef. (ERR PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Dunedin, March 16. The Dunedin Gold Dredging Company obtained 42 ounces of gold for five days last week. From the Sunrise Reef, Maoetown, has been obtained a cake of 183 oz, retorted from 147 tons. Gold returns from eight companies (siuicing and dredging with one quartz) reported to-day and Saturday amount to over 500 oz.