OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4331, 17 November 1882, Page 2

OUR MINES.

NEW PEINCE IMPERIAL/

The manager «wired this morning to Auckland to learn when he could break down, and received as a reply—" Wot until instrnciions are sent you to do so." He received another telegram this afternoon as follows:—" Start to break down; all settled." The reef in the seaward drive will be broken early to-morrow morning. THAMES DEEP LEVEL TRIBUTE.

The contractors for extending the southdrive at, the 640 ft level are making good progress,"having up to the present driven 6 or 7 feet. There is no perceptible change in the country, the sandstone continuing of a favorable class for gold- The drive is not yet away from the influence of the big reef, as quartz stringers are still met with, showing a percentage of a good class of mineral. When the drive is clear of these much better progress will be made.

SOUTHERN CROSS. The winze on the boundary from No. 3 level of the New Prince Imperial is down fully 80ft. The reef has in the last foot or two decreased in size, and is now about 18 inches wide. In .breaking down this morning lolbs of fair picked stone were obtained from it, a good show being still left. Some of the stone came from the hanging, and some from the foot wall portion.

QUEEN[;OF BEAUTY. The mine manager, George Black, under date 13th November, reports as follows :— In the No. 9 level the drive for main reef east has been extended 17 feet during last week. : There has been no change in the character of the reef for the last 30 feet driven, and the end at present is just as last described. The Queen of the May reef has been driven 15 feet during last week. . There is nothing special to report on this reef. I expect to get the stone crushed at the battery; next week. The reef continues the same thickness, viz., 18 inches. In the No. 9 west drive on reef the end has only been extended a few feet during the past week, the contractors being I employed in taking the reef out to the width. For the last 20 feet back from the face the j reef is 12 feet wide in the floor of the i drive, and is about 9 feet thick over-head. The reef is crossed in several places with small veins of white quartz, the same as it was to the east of the shaft, since it became wider, and the reef is improving in appearance as it is driven upon. After repeated trials to get at the Piako shaft from below, we have at last succeeded in gettiug up to No. 5 by way of the Bird-; in Hand shaft. All the loose and hanging timber at No. 5 chamber has been cleared away, and the men are now' 26 feet up above No. 4 rising in the mullock, and are making good progress, the stuff being quite dry, and only requiring to be cut away with the pick. It was reported that the shaft was covered over at No. 5, but such was not the case. The shaft was entirely choked up at No. 5 chamber with lining boards and all sorts of timber that was in the shaft, and was then completely filled up close with drift from No. 5 to 30 feet above No. 4. The shaft is now cleared above to 4 feet below No. 4 chamber, and I expect to get close up to that within the next three or four days. We are getting well on with the sinking of the shaft, and will put in a frame set to-morrow. The yield of amalgam from the stopes has increased during the last three days.