Notes from Reefton. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Reefton, March 15

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 20

Notes from Reefton. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Reefton, March 15

The Buller dredge yielded a lecurn cf 270z 17Jtt h gold for 102 hours. Bis River —The manager reports for tbe week f "The crosscut from No. 6 level has been extended' a further distance of 13ft. The ground has been very bard. but is now softer. 10-day we got a * s-mall leader in the face containing gu'd, so I intend extending the drive a few feet to see if it will lead on to anything. "In the winze below tha intermediate level four mea.are engaged breaking ' stoDe. The reef is 2ft in thickness and of f lir quality." March 19 Quotations. — Alpine Extended, 63 to 7s ; Big River, S3 to 9s'; Buller dredge, 6s to 73 ; Eoatmatis Kxplora f ion, 6d to P'.l ; Cumberland Extended. 1- 3d to Is 9d ; Dillon Extended, Is to Is (5.1 ; Goldeu Lead, 6d to 91 ; Hercules, Is Mtols 9d ; Keep it-Dark, 13s to 15s; Kirvran's Reward, 4». to ss ; Lord Edward, 6d to !M ; t'rogrees Minas, 25s to 30s ; Welcome, 3s 6d to 4s. Tbe Bulltr dredge return is 490z 14d\vt for 132 hours — which is a very satisfactoiy otic. The CDn.pmy is erecting a new dredge, which will work on a more extensive scale and will probably be at work in Jui.e. The i'rogresM mines, New Zealand, have been quietly bub effectively at work develop'ng the Ulobe mine. They ha.ye practically completed a new mill of 40 stampers, and crushing will commence at ths end of the month, but the treatment of concentrates by the chloriuation process cannot commence for. several weeks subsequently. The mill will be by far the largest in tha ?outh Island. There is stone enough on hand in the mine to last nearly five yeai'3. One span of aerial, 19C0fc— the total length of the line being 6S,ooort,— is capable of carrying 30 toes per hour, but of course this maximum will not be reached for practical work. Th.2 new fchaffc ia down 100 ft, and the machinery is capable of lifting ore from a total depth of 2000 ft. Big River. — Ihe mine manager reports for the week : —The crosscut from the north level has been extended a further distat.es of 14ft, making i the total distance 152 ft. I have taken the men out of -his diive for the pivsent aud started them to drive east from the chamber at the shaft with the winze. Be'ow the invermedia'e level the leef has widened out to 4ft. Theie will be a good deal mose ' atone taken out than w* expected. A further svm of £200 has been authorised tp extena the road to th^ Victoria Range, whereat present tbe Avglo-' 'outinent.il hss about SO men < omployed driving tunnels to intersect, if possible, the lodes whence the rich quartz on the bUifacii b«s come. Altogether about 50 men ate at work. I paid a visit to this district last week, aad entered most of the mentis. The cot.ntry is very' promising, and several good lories can be easily seen on the surface, but ttiere is not much gold in' them so far. There are huge masses of quartz — some of it in l^rge blocks— strewn over the 1 ord Brass"y lease, and gold is plainly visible in all of it. There is al-o gold io the quartz rubble for a I considerable depth. One di=h which I saw panned. i from difch siulf taken iudi.se --iminately from a depth of 20ft, goiDg to 4ft, gave a good p:o-pcct, although it was not crushed. It is difficult to understand how tbe present lode has uot been found, but it cannot be far off if &pjearancea are I anj thing to go by.