OUR MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XX, Issue 6130, 28 November 1888, Page 2

OUR MINES.

SAXON.

The manager reports for the past week as follows :—" No. 5 level: This drive ii at present passing through a splendid class of country. Although tight, still good headway is being made, and it hat now been extended 30ft past the winze. 25ft of the reef stripped daring the week was broken down to-day. The lode is rally 18 inches thick, and carries fair minerals, with colors of gold, while 21 bs of fair picked stone were saved. No. 3 level: The drive on the hangiogwall reef has been extended a further distanoe of 16ft since my last report. The reef still averages about 18 inches in thickness, and colors of gold are seen at each breaking down. The country is exceedingly tight, but still kindly for gold. At the same level, the No. 1 footwall leader is being driven on both sides of the crosscut. There are only three men at work here at present, owing to the scarcity of powder. The leader averages from 6 to 8 inches, and a little gold is seen occasionally. The stopes in progress on.the footwall lode above No. 3 level are Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. No. 5 stope has just been carried home to the Trenton boundary, so, in consequence, the new stope (No. 10) has been started this morning. In Nos. 6 and 7 the reef is fully 2ft thick, and about SOlbs of picked stone have been obtained from them during the week. In Nos. 8 and 9 stopes the lode is much smaller, averaging from Bto 12 inches. Two stopes are proceeding on the bangingwali reef—Nos. S and 9. Both are turning out good supplies of payable quartz, heavily mineralised, and showing gold occasionally. I have started a drive from the top of the stopea (or on a line with No. 10 stope) near the junction, with the object of driving west over the top of the stopes of the block carried up by the old tributen to connect the No. 2 level at a point near the Exhange crosscut. This will have to be driven 130 ft., and will give sufficient ventilation to work on both the footwall and hangingwall reefs up to a considerable height above the present stopes. The deficiency of ventilation in the stopes at present necessitates my doing this, and it will also prove this portion of the reef going west twards the Exchange crosscut. There are 801 bs of picked stone on hand. —T. A. Dtjniop." TBENTON.

The country in the bottom of the shaft continues hard, and consequently progress is still slow. A depth of 486 ft haß now been attained.