THAMES DEEP LEVELS.

Thames Star, Volume XLV, Issue 10617, 18 January 1909, Page 2

THAMES DEEP LEVELS.

AjXD THEIiR FUTITRB PROSPBCI'S

A2^, I^rEREISTpfG ARTICLE.

(By Ghas. E. Storie, Mining and Metallurgical Engineer.)

/Continued-)

—Barren Zone.—

Owing to the relatively grej.t thickness oi' the second- or "bane 1 zone that was passed, through in tha tunnel, and Its low dip towards th.----f ore/shore, the greater portion of tlio gi-ound passed through by the tunuil was quite unproductive^ and it was not until'the third zone was encountered in the tuniiel that any farouiable countiy wa«V Ihterseoted, -witlitlie exception of that portion, that was passed through in. the first stages; of the undertaking, mainly before this slid© was intersected. ! This particular zone of country wb'.ch was so extensivßiy prospected by the Moanataiari tunnel in an. ea>t and west direction, has also been extensively prospected 'by^ thei Nos. :' and -t levels frotn/the Galedonian and Big Pump ihafts,. asid im an oppos'.t-j direction, viz;, north and south.\ The. whole of the evidence that has; been, gamed 1 by this work has prove*that this large sect'on of the goldfield is 'from a mining point of view' barren, amd it is also apparently the san:e zone that has been penetrated by the lower, or No. 7, level of tlu»' Victor a at 560 ft; amd the country at this point is still of the same negative character as that further north. This same zone contiinui^i jt further south is again penetrated by the Quieen of Beauty shaft, and nrn img opeirations^ had to bei^arrjed dowmiw'ai^ds tlhVough it wifor© any kindly oorantny was again encountered, nearly at 1000 ft. „ The zon© underlying tnis Is the ont thai kis been pentnated by the lowest w!ott*kings of the ■ Quieeo of Beauty shaft, and the whole of -the future hopes of the companies conoerned mi the presfent lo^wef level, ai-e oenitired inita active e^>loitat'on. —The Tfeird or-Richest.Zone.—

The IMb. 6 level of tKe Saxou,

which is in the thJrd zone (or the

most prolific of thle igoldfleld) has noc yet been; cairrieidi through inorte than two-thirds of the vertical thickness of the productive zone, and th'.s'com-

pony has the,largest area of unpro-

speoted girowrid in the richest zone tc the north of the Queeni of Beauty shlaft. ■ • ■ ■■■■- r : ■'• . . . ;''

The' Victoria, Waiotahi, Kuranm, have lesser areas and'all of these extend seaward fr^nu their present workings, and it is "probable that, ow-

'.ng to tlhe steeply dipping conditions '. of the original, surface prior to th* occuffmaoeof the slide, these areas will not ■extend beyond the foreshore to any great distance.

There is nothing in the known history of the field to justify the skS'umptibn. that, because good country is found in the 747 ft level of the May Queen, arid at the 1000 ft...level of tihie Queen of 'Beauty ..shaft, this block of country is of the same high grade and character for the full distateycie and 'depth.

0!n the contrary, at a point not miucth. lower than the 747fifc level of the May Queen, a poor "zone" «^f country will foe enoounitered, and this zone was passed through by fch* Queen' of Beauty shaft before tht1000ft of depth was attained ;

The conditions in driving from, the Quean; of Beauty shaft to the May Queen will be precisely the same and identical wi.th\ t>hos6j that would bs met; in drmns£ directly to the Saxon shaft, tihie sanie zone of country being passed through, in eacih case, with this difference: The crossout to tha Saxon would be at right angles to

the reefs,-the crosscut to the May Queen would be aipproximately par allel with them

There is a greater depth, of unprospected aountnr fromV the bottom of the Saxon shaft dowWairds, and before passing through,' the rich zone, than that existing from, the louver workings of the' May Queen within the. same zone, and further, the particularly rich zone that has been re? spooSafbile for tfaie greatest yields of the goldfield is dipping from: the May Queen section... tow^rdls Shiortland, and the absolutely ooosiatency with ■which the ri«h, runs of: stone from the extreme north of tihii zone of andiesite at the Shotdrer, thence to the hong Drive, Caledonian, Waiotaibi, Prince Imperial, Saxon, and May Queen, all at increasing; depths towards the south (and confirmed strictly to this zone of country) prova condueively that the richest section of the ximtestei goldfield will; be found probably at 850-900 feet in the Shorfcland'Flat STS.C. '""'"

—^Provem Dip of Zones and

Bonanzas is to South.—

A's before started in this article, th* 'dp of these zone© or l«iVa sheets are westerly ass w©ll as southerly, and 'the argument to lie diraiwn from this fact is, that- the deep level a* KKJOft. should be driTeni at such a distanc? 'westwards and northerly from th<* Queen of Beauty shaft, as would give I the companies interested, ai reaso'iable chancie of initerSeotiiigl this very rich and productive zone- "^on. its .dip." . : Ib follows that the rich, stone (and the Jrtin of country oontalofliig it) ir thf May Queen., 'ais aipping towarl'. tiie QueWi! of Beftuiiy simb, amd that if the 'Majf iQueeui working, are car:rieo dowit to any great dtotance bellow tihlei lowest work Sings, ttuegr will enjooninter' tJnei barren zonfel ihkt was px;ploited by the MoamJaitJaiapri tunnel |and the Nloe. 3 and 4 levels of the lOaledomda and Big Ptanip, before thsv Would readb the present zone of counitry that has 'been opened up by the :Queen, of Beauty sluift at 1000 feet.

—Cnnd tioiis Unfavourable on the

Hillward -Side of Fault at This Level.—;

It will probably be found when driving eastwards and northwards «r this depth or greater depth, that this zone will be found to be the "lowest of the mining series, amd that it will be found to wettiie the shales which outcrop at Rocky Point, and that It* continuation! on the Eillward side «1

the "slide" w 11 be found to corre-i----pend to that particular zone of country that underlies what . is now being exploited by the fc lvia. and Waitangi mines further north. The country n tlie bottom of the IOOOit shaft is in all probability identical with the countiy containing the Waitiaug'. and Sylvia iieefs, alter making due allowance for the drop caused by the slide.

Any proposal to drive eastward towards the slide, and thenjee northerly under it, would 'be for prospecting ground thait Avould occupy a position, re'ativ© •'to ■ the other countiry already tested, at a point, as many feet lower down in-the^ series as that caused l.y the disturbance that causes the fault and the down throw.

That is to aw,, 'f the amount of displacement caused by tbe , sl.de' is 800 feet, them a> crosscut from the 1000 feet level beyond the slide, would be testing country tha* is-jje-latively 1800 feet below the collar of the Queen of Beauty shaft. (To be continued.)