THE RAND MINES.

Thames Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 7499, 16 August 1893, Page 3

THE RAND MINES.

% Result of Diamond Drill Boring-

0011 Struck at Eepth of 2400

Pee*.

OTHER REFS'S PASSED

THROUGH,

GREAT EXCITEMENT IN SOUTH

AFRICA;

DESCRIPTION OF THE MINE.

DETAILS OF THE DISCOVERY.

It is only a few months ago—in October last—that the South African inrestors got it into their heads to have a peep into futurity, and try and ascertain how deep their wonderful main reef lived, j While we on the Thames have been talking for years, on the Rand they have "gone and done it," and, according to late papers, the whole of the Transvaal and Cape Colony are seething with excitement in consequence of the main reef having been drilled into at a depth of i 2400 ft, disclosing when the core was I drawn a fine body of stone 5f feet j wide and still in the reef. The reef is of a highly pyritic nature, and is showing visible gold, assaying lOozs fold per ton. Other reefs have also een passed through at 300 ft and 1585 ft, the latter being known as the South reef, 13 inches wide, and the hangingwall or top portion of this assayed 3ozs JBdwts; the middle floor and the under -■' or footwall portion, 3dwts 12grs, an average of 23dwts 12grs to the ton. How i precise in their measurements, and conclusions "therefrom the. engineers hare been is evident from the fact that th* whole of the .reefs have been patsed through within a few feet of the depths marked on their sketch plans, the last being on y 80 feet deeper. Competent mining engineers state , that the cost of a shaft alone will be

£40,000, and the machinery for such deep level workings will also necessarily be heavy and of an expensive character. But with such a prospect ' underneath, the " South Africa" says, - the money will be cheerfully expended. The whole of the Press in Che various South African colonies is unanimous in stating that nothing bo important to the Band mines has taken place mrice the discovery of the field, and it foreshadows an almost unlimited area for the extension of the goldmining industry, which will provide employment for thousands of men for generations to come, as the present levels, which are, proving bo wonderfully profitable, are comparatively shallow. The following details regarding the discovery are taken from the " South Africa," which came to hand by last night's mail :— Messrs Tracey and Beatty started " boring operations in October last. The diamond dril 1. need was a Bullock's " Dauntless," giving a one and seven-sixteenth inch core. The machine itself is small, and was not guaranteed beyond a depth of 1600 ft. The exact situation of the bore-hole on the Rand Victoria Mines property is 1800 ft south of the northern boundary of the ground, or a little over 4000 ft south of the Simmer and Jack outcrop. An analysis of the core shows that the great mass of the strata passed through are' sandstones and quartzites, with here and there shales and schists. There are a very lerge number of banket beds, varying in width from a few inches to several feet, lhe core proves that the reefs are flattening at a lower depth. The-dip at the start was estimated at 60 degrees, whilst at the bottom it would appear to be something like 16 degrees. The south jteef, 13 incties wide where struck, *"- a |g3yg in the top portion 3ozs Bdwts, the central portion gives traces, and the bottom portion shows 3dwts 12grs to the ton, or an average of 23dwts ISgrs to the ton. In the course of an interview with Mr Beatty on June 13, we learn (says the Standard and Diggers' News) that he, Mr Tracey, and Mr English hold 230 claims, not 156 as originally stated, and that these 230 claims have been amalgamated with other 177 belonging to the , Salmon Prospecting Syndicate, and lying between the Simmer and Jack and the claims . of Messrs'Beatty, Tracey, and English who^thus own a handsome block of .407 claims. This united block has »Van sent Home for flotation, and the capital will be £100,000; the nom^ai capital, will be in proportion. ' Attached v*» *ne«e claims is a splendid nanv The bore-hole w almost exactly Si the middle of the property The following report supplies? additional interesting facts, which together go to make up,a news item of unpaid »elea importance in the history of the Band:—

to A. ADAIR'S REPORT. . The deep prospecting"Bore od Messis Tracey and>Beatty's claims on ElandsfonteiD, and which is 4000 ft distant from the outcrop on the Main Reef, h*6- 3 U8* Pasae * through the.-south beds of the Main Reef seiies, at the ' depth of a little over 2300 ft, thus con- * firiDing the general opinion so ably nut forward by Mr Hamilton Smith, ': IL a t the Main Reef beds are persistent 'to a g'«at dePtb; The' claims on *■.. which' the bore is situated lie south of /'*|jfofc section on the Main Reef taken */ *; Sby the Stoohope Company, Gelden"i^iß Main' Reef, Simmer and Jack, ' And Primrose Companies, where the s;; Sj' o f the strata is. very considerably ■- {2L than the general inclination of ST Main Beef outcrop. It might -" haws been expected thatihe Main Reef aeries, "would have been struck in Se bora at a much shallower depth

than elsewhere in the same line, but

owing to the shallow depth of the outcrop, it" is pretty certain there has iteen a local vertical tilt of the strata otf the above flection of the Main

Beef which has flattened the surface I outcrop, without disturbing the ground to the Bouth. Consequently the Main Beef series had to be sought for m a -position agreeing with the general dip of Mr Baa* .strata. .Generally speak-. ikg] ihe inclination; of the strata on vthe Witwatersrand Bange gradually^ decreases from the Main Beef,l^o-i ceeding southwards, or to put it approximately in figures,: the outcrop of "the Main Beef series is 45degs. to 85degs., the outcrop of the Bird reef series 40degs. to 45degs.,

the outorop of the Kimberley series

::.. 30degs. to 35deg8., and the outcrop of ?f- the |Bas eeries 20degs. to 25degs. # Taking a section of the strata, south from the Simmer and Jack through the bore, the outcrop dips are:—-Main reef series 26degs., Bird reef series 49degs., Kimberley reef

series 32degs., Ras reef series SOdegs. The dip on the Main Beef series here y7 alone 1 differs sensibly from the general rale, and it may be fairly attributed to a local flattening of the outcrop which extends but a short distance south. According to calculations based on the surface distances between,the put-, crops on neighboring ground E. and W. of the local disturbance referred to, and commencing from the line of the bore, the BirdTeef ishotild have been struck at a vertical depth of 280 ft; the Livingtone reef at 1580 ft; and the Main Beef series at 2300 ft. These distances agree very well with those actually ascertained.

The journal of the bore shows the Bird reef at 300 ft,-' the Livingstone beds at 1585 ft, and the south leader of the Main Beef series at 2343 ft, the present depth of the hole. The boring is now attended with very considerable risk/ as the machine is not guaranteed 'v toJgo' below 1700ft;a But it is hoped that Mr Mclntyre, to whom t c - greatest oredit is -duefor the care, a d skill with which he has succeeded in getting down nearly 700 ft beyond the scope of the drill, may succeed in piercing and bringing up the cores of the remaining banket beds. The importance of this deep bore, the deepest in South Africa, by the way, in the development of the Witwatersrand fields can scarcely be over-estimated. Besides proving the Main Beef on the 9th deep level claims, or a distance measured cm the reef of over 400 ft, it foreshadows an almost, unlimited area for the extension of pur goldmining industry. The whole talk in Johannesberg on that memorable Saturday amongst the mining section of the community •was the " 2400 ft strike." There was a unanimous opinion that nothing so —important tp the Band had taken place since the opening of these fields. The value of deep level property, it is estimated, has gone up 100 per cent. It * (has giveh. a decided fillip to deep level boring. At Booysen's, where Mr E. — Jones has four drills at work, one of which it is intended to go down to a dftpth of 3000 ft if necessary, a feeling of renewed confidence, has been given. The 407 claims belonging to Messrs English, Tracey, and others, in which this strike has been effected, may be considered to already be practically floated. Mr John Stroyan, who has a knack of being.in the nick of it when anything good is to be got, is largely interested. Competent mining engineers state that the cost of a shaft alone will be somewhere about £40,000. The machinery for such deep level workings will also necessarily^ be heavy and of an expensive oharacter. But .with a certainty underneath, the money.will be cheerfully expended. In one or two mines in Australia they are already working at a depth of about 3000 ft. Latee. Those who visited the scene of operations with Sir Henry Loch and party on June 13 were greatly struck with the immense area of known payable ground which such a strike opens up. Mr Beatty, in a rough sketchy plan which he presented to His Excellency, showed what \the strike meant. "The sketch clearly indicated the area hitherto proved by other boreholes to a'depth of 1100 ft, and the increased area of ground which tbisf bore-hole showed by the reef befog" struck at 2400 ft, Sir Henry was quic ~ to grasp the value of suoh a plan which simplified to the eye whjat is; now a solid fact. Mr Beatty stated that he and those with him had determined, to prove by this bore-held the permanence of the main reef, and thus really " make the Band of the.' future." * That this has now been accomplished is due to the indomitable perseverance of Messrs Beatty and Tracey. These two gentlemen are: determined to cut the entire main reef series. JjATBSX. On Thursday, June 15, the excitement m Johannesburg in connection Vith the ironderful strike had jo no m. ' '

wise abated. It was krjown to a few at the;time Sir Henry visited the drill hole on the previous Monday that the drill was in "reef," at about 50ft below where the south reef had been struck. On Tuesday afternoon the core was drawn and showed sft Binof what is evidently main reef. The entire width of the Main Beef is still unknown at this level, as the drill was still in "reef" when the core .was drawn. This core shows the banket to be very good. It is highly pyritic, and in places shows visible gold. The core was on view at the Chamber of Mines for about half-an-hour, when quite a rush was made to view it.