44

0,-3

engine. 293 tons of quartz was treated for 262 oz. 2 dwt. of gold, valued at £763 6s. lid. Six men were employed during the year. Ballarat. —This mine has been worked continuously during the year with four men. No rich finds were discovered, but good ore was obtained, although not in sufficiently large quantities to pay more than expenses of working. Seventy-two tons of general dirt and 18 lb. of picked stone were treated for 75 oz. 19 dwt. of gold, valued at £210 19s. 4d. West Coast Mine. —This mine is owned by Mr. John'Northey, who has held and worked it continuously for a number of years. It is nearly surrounded by the Moanataiari company's mine, and being well situated it has always been expected that something of importance would be discovered. Unfortunately these expectations have not been realised, but still the owner holds on to the property and is sanguine that an important find will yet be made which will pay him for his outlay. Twenty tons of ore was treated for 43 oz. 18 dwt. of gold, valued at £109 15s. Two men were employed. Arundel Mine. —The syndicate owning this mine has incurred a considerable expense in the erection of a crushing plant and in the depelopment of their property; but so far only a very small quantity of gold has been obtained, a result which must be very disappointing to the shareholders. Fifty-eight tons of ore was treated during the year for 36 oz. 4 dwt. of gold, valued at £104 3s. 10d. An average of four men were employed. Golden Drop. —This ground is held by G. Fisher and party, whose operations have been confined to driving a low level to intersect the leader they have been working for some time past at the upper levels. They consider this will give a sufficient height of backs over the low levels to keep them working for twelve months. One ton of ore was stoped out of the leader for the year, which yielded 17 oz. 18 dwt. of gold, valued at £47 Bs. Bd. Two men were employed during the year. Claremont Claim. —This property is owned by George Bryant, who treated 118 lb. of stone for 137 oz. of gold, valued at £371 os. 9d. One man employed." New Dart (Fortuna Mine). —A company was formed in the early part of the year to work what was then known as the Fortuna Mine, the scheme of operations being the extension of the low level from near D. Stewart's property, on the south side of the Hape Creek. This low level would unwater the mine some distance below the collar of the Dart shaft; and should it then be found advisable to work the lower levels below this tunnel level, water could be procured from the Hape Creek to drive machinery at the level named at little expense. This low level is being driven with all possible speed, and the work will soon be accomplished. Four men are employed. Mascotte Mine. —Early in the year the owners of this mine commenced to increase the size of their shaft; and just as the work was commenced a fatal accident happened to a miner named H. J. Peploe, which appeared to upset their decision, and protection was applied for. They have since made another start, and are engaged in placing a small pumping plant on the shaft to cope with the water. Tararu Creek Mine. —Work in this mine has been directed to the development of the Sunbeam Reef and the reopening of a block of ground on the Dunedin Eeef below the Charter level. A main rise has been put up from the end of the battery level and connected with the old rise to the Sunbeam Reef at a point 156 ft. above that level. Ladder-road and shoots have been put in this rise; and what is known as No. 2 level, Sunbeam, has been driven 356 ft., the last 150 ft. being on the reef. The Charter level has been repaired and a block of ground below that level opened up for stoping. It is intended to connect No. 2 level, Sunbeam, with No. 1 level by a rise ; this has been put up 40 ft., leaving about 80 ft. further to rise to make the connection. This work will open up a good block of ground for stoping. No. 2 level will be extended and No. 3 level opened out 100 ft. lower down the winze. Negotiations are now proceeding for raising a sum of £5,000 to open up the Norfolk section from the Day Dawn crosscut battery level. The proposed level will give from 260 ft. to 300 ft. of backs to work on that reef. 956 tons of ore was crushed for 363 oz. 6 dwt. of gold, valued at £1,064 16s. Twelve men were employed. New Eclipse Gold-mining Company (Limited).— Operations in this company's mine for the period ending December, 1905, have been confined principally to the Vulcan Lode, on which 300 fathoms have been stoped out. Starting at the low level north from No. 1 winze, the stopes have been carried along to the main junction of the Eclipse and Vulcan Lodes. At this point the end of the ground has been carried up vertical and holed through to No. 2 winze, which has been sunk 15 ft. below No. 7 level, making the block a total height of 80 ft. . The intermediate level has been extended 16 ft. north from the end of the ground. The lode in the present face is a strong ore-body 6 ft. wide, encased in a favourable class of mineralised country. Although no gold has been seen at this point, the ore has a favourable appearance and is expected to improve in value as the drivs is extended on the lode. A crosscut has been driven at right angles into the hanging-wall and the Eclipse Lode intersected, showing a width of 5 ft. of solid quartz. This lode is intact from the low level to the surface and is well worthy of further development. In surface works the upper terminal of the aerial tram-line (with hoppers and buildings) has been removed and re-erected on a site west of the low level, and a self-acting tramway constructed to connect. By this means the ore is hoisted from the low level to the aerial tram-line with a water-balance, which is working satisfactorily and has reduced the cost of haulage to one-half the former cost by steam-power. During the year 1,338 tons of ore was treated for a return of 1,153 oz. of gold, valued at £3,193 ss. 4d. An average of twelve men were employed. New Waiotahi Mine. —Towards the end of the year a company was formed called the New Waiotahi (formerly called the New Caledonian). The ground is situated on the south side of the Waiotahi Creek and near the old Australasia Battery-site. The owners are sanguine of meeting with payable ore, as good crushing-dirt was obtained in former years from leaders which traversed the property. The fresh work will be the opening-up of an adit level above the level of the creek. Occidental Mine. —A company was lately formed to work this mine. The first work undertaken was to clean up and repair the main adit level, four men being employed..