MINING NEWS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXIX, Issue 9496, 25 November 1899, Page 1

MINING NEWS.

MAY QUEEN* EXTENDED. Very good headway is being made with the sinking of the shaft on the Hokianga section, which work is being earned out by contract., The shaft is down to a depth of 33ft, and is timbered up to within a few feet of .the bottom. Operations were somewhat retarded, by water, so the. contractor (Mr. J. Mounce) has.had .a tpgye pump erected. This is worked by means of an overshot water-wheel, which has been greeted for the purpose. - The wheel is Bft in diameter and 16in wideband is equal to;l horsepower, while, the pump, is driven at the rate "of about 30 strokes, pier minute. It is., a 150... intended to use this, water, wheel as the power fpr winding the ore from the shaft, asja good supply of; water is obtainable from; the creek for driving the wheel. The shaft is to be sunk to a depth of about 170 ft, the object being to drive upon the Creek and Hokianga reefs. At the Adelaide section operations are in: progress on : the Cross lode, both in . the. stopes and in the face, and it is gratifying to state that the prospects of the company for getting on to a run of payable gold here have somewliat improved during the past couple of days.' The improvement, however, is as yet only in its early stage, and requires further development' before Jany.idefinite conclusion can be arrived > at. ,i In the face the lode is very much split up, and tlje quartz would average from Ift to lfyn in width. The quartz being broketn-, out is of a much better grade than was previously the. case, and-the prospects are indeed encouraging, as % reef carries nic&,; quartz stringers, in which colors of coarse gold are visible

to the naked ,eye.There .is, in fact, every indication of a.payable run of gold being met. with, and this will be lof much more rimportances •here, as there is a considerable > amount .of backs to ..work upon. Stoping on the Cross lode is also being, proceeded with, and some jiic'e-looking quartz showing gold is ;j being : .brf|lten out, while the manager"(Mb Jenkin);,selected a couple "of-pounds of picked itone from here yesterday | fhe 1 e here is also split upj but the average width of the; quaytz y is about, 3ft, and the block opened up for stoping is 110 ft in ; length, .with, about, 300 ft' of ;bftcks. A trial parcel of ore is being broken , out from the lode both in the face and in the stopes, and the result of the 9rußhing .will ,be looked forward to with< interest. i-. : - *■, r ■