MINING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10035, 28 April 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

MINING.

the maoetown reefs. (By Our Special Repoeteb.)

THE TirPERART MINE.

At the timo when the Macetown reefs were at the boomiDg period oE their existence the Tipperary mine occupied a foremost rank aa a favourite investment. Taking the short time during which this mine was worked, it was, psrhaps with tho ex ception. oE tha Gladstone, the most prolific rnino in this district, but owing to the heavy nature o£ the ground the cost of timbering consumed large portions o£ the yield of gold, which, added to tho dividends, would have m?.de things much more pleasant for ths shareholders. Speaking from memory, I think I am within the mark when I say that £15,000 was spent on mining timber alone. By way of digression tbi3 IHtle item may bo pointed to aa illustrating the value of. timber in this part oE the world, and tha money there is in its cultivation. ; However, in tho case of the Tipperary the j cost of timber and draining the mine of i water became so great that the shareholders decided to call in the aid o£ foreign capital. Arrangements to that effect were completed about a year ago, and extensive prospecting exploitations havo been carried oa since then on a well-considered plan, leading to the discovery of what is known as the New Find and the Dublin United, both of which will be fully and separately dealt with in their proper places. In addition a new low lev«l adit ia being pushed ahead with all possible speed. The total length of this adit before any known payable stona can be reached will ba in round numbere 1800 ft, tappiag the old Tipperary main lode about 35fc below the lowest workings. Such being the case, the advisability of tho work may well be qoestioned, ihe ouiy real advantage bc-iug that, should it be found desirable to work the mine tit levels below that of the new adit, it would save some 3QOEG in the raising of water and quartz. However, with the discovery of the New Find and the Dublin United a new phase has been put upon the whole matter, and both combined may turn into a success what without these discoveries would have spelt failure. In saying thi3 it is not intended to criticise the designer of thß work—for which I learn the present manager Is in no way responsible—so much as to Doint in a general way to the fallacy of adits "in preference to &ha£ts ia mining exploitations.

THE OLD MAIN ADIT

which served tb.9 defunct company bo wellthat is, including the aid of the shaft—baa recently been repaired, and, indeed, in consequence of the heavy nature of the ground, repairs are constantly goirjg on. Whoa the present manager, Mt \V. J. Stanford, who superintends this as well as the Premier mine as general managsr, took charge the Old Adit was driven for a distance of 000 ft. To thia 400 ft have now been added, aad though a large block of promising stono w«s worked on trial crashirga takon from it, it did not yield returns that justified farther working. For the greater part of the 400 ft, though a formation well defined by both hanging and foot walls was followed" in the wholu distance, no Btone or lode was met with. Observations, plainly indicate that somo violent disturbances have been at work here, as both the course of the formation and its underlie are twisted about, and change very much. However, at tbo vary faca thero nre signs of the walU straightening again cad the underlie assuming a more normal angle, changes that might be read as favourable indications, induciag Mr Stanford to drive 200 ft further ahead to see whit these chat;ge3 will lead to, Tho ground through which the Old Adit passes has also been exploited by cross drives and uprisa?, which tot at rest; tho question of parallel runs or blocks of quari z by proving their absence, so that this portion — tbat is, tho last 400ft—is worthless.

rf THE NEW 3TISD, which caassd asaae escitoaient a few inoaths ago, was made a faw fest beyond the end of an old cross drive entered about 1001 c from the month of the Old Main Adit. Mr Stanford, considering tho indications at tho fuce of tbe drive favourable, pushed it ahead a few feet farther, with the result that stone was struck that eclipied anything that was over seen at Macetswo. Kich aa the stone was, it did not rise overhead, nor did it extend for any distance, aa thera wera goal grounds for supposing it would do when it wa9 first Btrack. However, the lode was found to go down tradeifoot, and as it has carried good and uniform walls for tho distance it has beau worked, thero is every reason to suppose that it will live to a considerable depth below the Old Maia Adif, which is at present the lowest working level of the mine. As the New Low Lovol Adic will tap tho Now Kind 330 ft, below tho point where it wai first strock, the farther workIng of the New Find has been, 1 thick wisely poitponsd until it can be approachsd from the New Low Lsvtl Adit, as unfortunately the riew lods occurs ia very rotk-n and wet conntry requiring a heavy outlay in timber, which oven i-,z per too—tho assay valua of tho stone—would scarcely justify, and certainly not in the face of thu satisfactory progress that Is now being mace with the Low Level Adit. To attempt to work the New Ifind under present difficulties would mean to kill a good thing.

To make this assertion clear, it may ba mentioned that a set of timber with laths costs 25a. That ia for drives. For wiozos the cost would be ranch greater, leaving out of consideration the outlay for repairs. Then there ia the qnostion of keeping tbe winzo free of water, which would require pumpiug machinery or some similar appliance, the outlay for which would be money thrown away as Boon as tho Low Level Adit reaches iis termtaaton.

THE DUBLIN UNITED,

Thil lods WA3 fonnd ia October la?t year In its outcrop near Caledonian Gully, a tributary to Soanlau's Creek, showing very rich stone, from which 30 tons were taken, and as it was found not desirable to atop the mill and clean up the proceeds of tho stone then being treated, the quartz from tho Dublin United was put through with the poorer stuff. An adit wdß pat in on the course of the lode and driven for COff, nod though the walls and formation continued no stone was met with. As the Low Level, then in course of progress, would intercept; the lode, which was duo at 160 ft from the mouth oE the adit, it was decided to stop for the exploitations. At lG2ft from the month of tho Low Lwel Adit the Dublin United was struck. Tbe difference of tbe 2Et is of course due to the variation in the underlie o£ the lode. The stone yielded by assay lOdwt to the ton, but being driven upon it was found to give out almost immediately beyond too walk of the adit. This experionca is not uncommon in lode mining, though a second repetition of it upon tho Batna Ldo Is rather unasual, The loda runs east and wast, or nearly bo, which is the course of all gold-bearing lodes at Hacetown and in fact in Otago, so that tbe ocenrrence of its sudden and abrupt disappearance is all tho more pnzzUng to the mine mansger, and would even baffle the best geologist.

However, Mr Stanford is not g ling to be beaten by such a contretemps, and intends later on to prosecute prospecting for the lost lodn in tho diraction of Caledonian Gaily, wbich was known to be rich in alluvial gold and quartz npecimens up to the point where tho course of tho Dublin United crosses tbe gully, and above whiob course no gold cionld be tracad.

THE NEW LOW LEVEL ADIT,

At the time of my visit tho adic waa in 33Gft, and is now nearly in 400 ft, and a contract was let to push it ahead 300 ft more. The adif-, bo fur as completed, is finished in the most workmanlike manner, the sets oE timber presenting that magic of perspective seen in so striking a manner in avenues, locg corridor?, and mining work?, and in tho last instance delights the vision of the practical miner with a charm known to him only.

Tho total length of the adit when completed will be 1800 ft, at or near which point it will intercept the Old Tippevary ree*1, and beyond ifc reach the locale o£ the New Find. The ground is not hard, and good progress io thorufore being raado. The average cost of tho completed portion is 25s Cd per toot. Steel rails ara laid for the coveyance of Ihe debris, fcr the discharge of which there is a good tip. a THE TKA.MWAY ,!,;. ** connecting tho O'd Main (High) Level Adit with the battery is deserving of a paaaisig note, chiefly because wonld-ba local mining critics have publicly but in an underhand manner de-oanted upon it. Tho tramway was laid when it became necessary to bring tho stone from the large block struck above tho Old Main Adit, and which yielded upon assay payable returns, but when put through the mill failed to come up to the prospects. It was not laid ou spec, as has been asserted. Then fault was found with the manner in which it was levelled, when in point of fact the grade was taken and fixed by the theodolite and all the carves laid oS to their proper radii, and the practical work of Jaying the rails wa3 done under the supervision of one of the best railway gangers in Otago; and yet hero are men who, I am prepared to wager, would not be able to

properly bevel a key for a wooden tramway finding fault with work of which tbey kuow absolutely nothing. Anyone capable of reading between the nnes of their effusions c?.n plainly see that their experience and knowledge of mining does not extend beyond the fossicking stage. The tramway has answered well for the time it waa used, ana the only slight accident that took place was through the lever ot a break giving way.

THE TirPERAKY BATTERY has during the regims of the present manager undergone a thorough overhaul, and a rmtnber of. innovations have bsan effected bringing up its actual working capacity to 110 tons per week. Everything in and about the machine house, the furnace, and the workshops is kept in first-class order.

At present the future of; tho Tipperary mine depends obit fly upon such discoveries as way be made in its progress. The course of theaditcrosslngthecountrj jstoallintonts and purposes a prospestiup: drive, as well as serving a defiuite end, ar.d it raay bs anticipated that fresh discoveries will be made reviving tho fame of the eld Tipperary mine when the Macstowa reef.-; were iv their boom.