Notes from Reefton. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2086, 15 February 1894, Page 12

Notes from Reefton. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Reefton, February 11. The following are the mining returns for the past week :— Cumberland, 78oz of amalgam from 80 tons; Hercules, 171o?i of amalgam from 60 tons-; Wealth of Nations, 7!)oz of amalgam from 135 tons.

The following are the midday quotations : — Big River, 12s ; Cumberland, 4s fid to 5s ; Exchange, 9d to Is ; Globe, 4s 6'd ; Hercules, Is 9d ; Keep-it-Dark, Is to Is 6d ; Lyell Creek. 2s to 2s 4d ; No. 2 Dark, 2s 4d to 2s 9d ; Progress, 13s ; Sir C. Russell, la 6d ; Alpine, 21s 6d to 22a 6d ; Welcome-United,

Is to Is 9d ; Wealth of Nationß, 2s ; Alexander dredge, Is. The following is a synopsis of the mine managers' reports to hand for the past week : — Big River.— ln the stopes above No. 4 level the reef will average 6ft. The winze below No. 4 level has been sunk 6ft, making in all 27ft. There is stone left in each wall. Gold is showing through the stone broken from this winze. The winze below No. 2 level has been sunk 6ft for the week ; total, 26ft. This winze is sinking on the track. So far there is no stone. The plates were not scraped, as the battery had only been running four days. Cumberland.— The No. 3 level has been timbered up to the face and extended 10ft for the week; total distance driven on stone, 36ft. At present there is 2ft of payable stone in the face of the drive in the crosscut. The stone is 3ft thick in No. 2 level, but we have not got any payable prospects from it. The winze from No. 1 intermediate level has been sunk 10ft since starting. At the bottom there is 2ft 6in of stone, from which good prospects are obtained. Progress —The winze on the footwall block has been sunk a further distance of 10ft. The stone is 3ft wide, and of the usual quality. We opened a leading stope over the intermediate, and have carried it west a distance of 20ft. The stone averaged 6ft wide. The winze below No. 4 level has been sunk 6ft for the week, making the total depth sunk 139 ft. The stone in the bottom of the winze is 2ft 6in wide, and carries fair gold. The main shaft has been sunk 7ft for the week. The ground has been very unfavourable for sinking. There are 180 tons of stone in the paddock. The battery will commence crushing on Monday. Hercules.— Stoping has been carried on as usual and 56 tons have been sent to the battery for the week. The contractors have driven 15ft, making the total distance driven since the commencement 23ft.

Welcome United. — During the week 9ft has been driven. The country is changing, getting harder, and on the footwall side of the reef there is about 2ft of black slate quartz. All the rails and pipes are out of the Homeward Bound tunnel, and the rings and driving wheel half-way out. Wealth of Nations.— There is no change to report from the stopes. The winze in the 350 ft is down 20ft, with no hanging wall showing. A trial crushing of 10 tons from the Sir Charles Russell was made at the Dark battery, yielding lloz lldwt of retorted gold. The stone was taken from wall to wall to make a fair test, and a considerable quantity of mullock was in consequence mixed with the stone. The reef is 3ft wide, with 200 ft of backs above the intermediate level, and probably the Inkerman battery will be bought and erected with all speed.