TELEGRAPHIC

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 15 September 1880, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC

! [BY KLECTRIC TELEGRAPH.] [PUR PRKS3 ASSOCIATrOX.] WjiLL'NG-ton, September 12. A frightful accident occurred on the Wellington- drevtown railway jester--iliv. It appears that the train h'ff F.".t!ierston as ii-'.ml ypstorr'ny mornine t'lfro bcinc; two carriai^ps atul a v.m in f: o t of the cng'ne and two loaded "■argons and a brake van 1" ■ 1 1 i n -1 . T-'ie tca : n renc'iod Iri'f way up (lie JJimu'akn incline in safety but irr.mi'diatcly after emerging from the Cipep pu'ting a torI i-,fie |:u«t of wind' (vni'.'ht the fir-it cars j riaer, with fii'st and scmrl clans p.irsengers and th-e\v it over thr> prnhar.k.ment. The second carria ■.•e Cllowed nuA the weight of r'.f t-.vo di-cw the van over. ForlunaU'ly (.lie couplings of V-,o enrriagp'' nvid van held nr-1 thin prevented the train from going to the hot'om of the emlv-inkmen', which i^ stated to lie 100 ft in clop'h. lir.>nfdiately that the accident was notic-d. 0w brake van in the rear of the train ran down the line by its own momentum to Cross' Creek for apsisfanr*. Almosl in«tar ; tiuieou4y after the nVt cnrri.Mgc left tho line, the body w:is carried mw;iv from t'np bed nnd literally smasl ed — the passengers being thrown to the hottorn among the debris. It was at first feared that '.he vhole of the pn^e»grrs, about 15 in number, were killert. In the s-cond carriage it was foind that wtf o r twelve occupant? one lad named Qu : , n was killed. Two othor c)ii!dren v; n< also killed and all the other pa^cn^n: more or less badly ir.jurpd.

'GOLDEN" FLEECE EXTENDED COiIPAN V, MURRAY CiiiSEK. ■ 4The vicissilni'ips of qn:irlz Mining are many and vnrir>u B , and there pro few un« diM'toikiniis in the Innngaliua vrliicli have i'tijoyeil nilcrntitively a fuller measure of , the shade and sunshine of foriune than the one under nolieo. One of the first : mines oj ened in the field, if indeed not the very first, it vras also tho flr-t to brave the difficulties in tho way of introducing crushing machinery. In those day3 the obstacles to be surmounted in an undertaking of this nature were hardly les* than stupendous, and cancot be adequately realised by those unacquainted with (he district. However, the wnrlc was in the hands of those who had vrell ealen* latcd their chniifcs of ulumale sucoosp, and nil considerations were subordinated to the one nim Mid end of placing a bat-!ei-r "po» <he reof. and afier much deUy and cost the olij ot was event nnlly oehieved, and liow fur tho find jusHuVd the means tho subsequent lii?fory of the mine has pb.mdnntly demonstrated. We are not able at the moment to give the precise prr fit returned by the mine, but we find from statistics furnished Jo the Government Hint up to March. 1879, (he G'lden Fleeer Company had disbursed £30.000 in dividends, nnd to this ia to lie nd-.lod nearly £3000 divided by the Ayix C.impnny P' I '^ to its union with the Ploeoo, nnd to the total of tho-e sums'is to Le added tho profit divided einc-e these statistics were compiled. It will thus be seen that the mine amply justified the confidence which the promoters had in it. The bulk of this productiveness was drawn from what is known a* the Golden Fleece block, n splendid run of stnno in the northern portion of the mine. It wos of colossal proportion?, and giivc anflTer* n#o yield throughout of something botween two nnd three ounces per ton. In (he course of time, however, the stone pinched cut, and eUrJcJ the efforis Kuhsequ n(!y m'ido to pick it up. Howrrer, as there s/ill remained v/liat is known ss the A'y\K block of stone to be operated upon, prospecting for (he Fleece block wns not proceeded uiih with that ihorou»hne«s which would be the enstf in the ins'ance of a company pesscssinrj hut one string to its bow, and after a time attention wns devoted exclusively to the opening up of the mine southwards, and fur a time it appeared as though the company could be equally happy with its present possession. The stone throughout wns not so pood as that in the Fleece ground, but siiffi'.'iVutly so to make the mine hardly second to any in the field. But another rnistor'une was m si or?, for in the course of time tho .Ajax block also gjjve out. This happened «(; a time when the depression on the West Coast was at its height, an 1 cansr-q-ienlly when shareholders were ill-prepared to bear up against the loss, and fiie market value of shares fell away to nothing, were in fact relinquished for the small c ills which it became necessary to make. Prospecting but ncceesarily on » limited scale, was cor" vied on the Ajax block, ! -ufc for a time no trace could be found of the stone Just, however, when matters wore their bluest hue there came a rent in the cloud. The store was apain picked up, at first thin, and almost indiscernible, hut eventually swellins oufc 'o its original proportions, and maintaining its former gold-bearing qualities Since then the lode has been well opened up. nnd as far a<? the work* ings po disclose an irul übtrdly line nnd enduiing run of sLone. As [i\r ns it has yet been followed Rnnirnv-vds it shows n uniform thickness of 3"t 6h>, and at the time of my visit vras fully 4ft at ihe face, and as the lode takes ils course into the hill, assuming that it is fontinumis the company has still SiGTt along i'.s course to the sonthern boundary, with ot course the corresponding backs abnee, and levelunderfoot. As to the probability of the stone livinr; ri-jht up to No. 1 level, il may be mentioned that on No. 1 level near tho surface, the company some timo pon took vnt two crn«liin^s of stone ■ unning on thn rime course and clr» eftly over tlie reef now ; -ring vro'-ked at thn dee-.) h-v?\ fus Taivly mak-inii room for ill" b'iiff th-- 1 stopp nboro and below form" o-o holy. Tlu' cli-;* t:\hc.fi lie! ween tie !wo hoiies of st^n" i<; SRnfr. so th"f should the- I}'1 }' prorp to he identical of which there is sonv^himr more than a bare proS!>i!i ; y, th<>v> won' 1 he the rnnrmmis qnanlity of SSO ft of I backs. T ! 'C whr,l!> of ih'S hir-rc rrrn is unc:c;i''"!'fi'J. hey^nd the \vor!nr>c'S abr.ve aid )'n'n-,v. f.s already cvplrtincf l , «;i<l s'lnu'rl cnvre^t r x^C 1 ' nt io ft bo veil-;!] !'.i« p-->v' ; o!i of M'.e roii:' 1 a'^JH" 1 will n '!■,";< p'v food fc:r ih» bat'rvy f v nanv years (n en i. !f«. T'iir:j« nr" !■".;•'''>.' ve 1 : '1 ,"!" vrnv!:)'!? nv^'i 1 , I- I.'"1 .'" i v . =l ' iMp, Ihe c<~.al fur 'ho v.'in^inii oi'^'n" It an at prf^^nt <o '.111 ■ I pvrro •-•^verf'l !)a'.vlii-".V5 to 'T!V' 1 l i: .Irslii.a'ir-n. T'-c co;:i tiv ;i? .v.-,, y r : . o^ Mi<> nil to f ; o hf.ttevy ]iMS«rs !•' <:nil (' ■" 7* ■1 T soni" di-i' i!iii | H a-vay from tui- 1 site of (ho whvHh'..' PTitrino, p.nA at n "Mifh !ov,-.-.v 1,5V e1, and th™ f;;el L.t; tV- ivfwiv In hr (a!.- en from t't" mnin H n f « on <h ' h ; !u -i-le, truck.d into *N N o. 1 !fvc! «nd 'lenclianlfd to the surface by tin w:iv.'imf encine. T.his ui'cess.irily entrenches to n crcfit extent upon the lime of ihe on::h;e, nnd braceman. besides oecipying a hand below. This drawback w ; i!, however, bo remedied in ihp c.on« i ?o of a voolf or «/-, as shoot p and paiUTr.cks n-.-e ti-v,- hrir.j. constructed an! thr old di-jcarded w,-o ! tramway is beinr: li'iv/'hr-ned so ns 'o tnp the main coul tratii'.Vi.j at a point,

which will nllo'V the coal trucks to run direct to the winding engine, ihus affecting a considerable saving of labor. Immediotcly thaS this connection is coins pi etc* the labor thus released will be used in e\"plon(ory works below. At* Irnlion will first be £>ivpn to the seek for the Fleece lode in the norl hern portion of the mine, the fir.^t step in this direction being driving to the foot of the Golden Fleece winze which is down to No. 5 level ; the nest work will be the further opening up of the south workings of the Ay\x block on the same level. For a length, of time past Mr Trennery lias kept a record map, upon which is rare-' fully plotted week by week the course- of the workings in the mm?, together wish the varying lines taken by the reef, strike, underlay &c , thus Riving a complex pictovial representation of the wl.ole underground aspect. The experience thus registered will be of immense service in gu'diig the operations now (o be undertaken for the recovery cf the Fleece reef, as the variations of the lode in the Ajix ground are all accurately noted, and therefore afford a reliable clue 'o the whereabouts of the errant northern reef. What effect upon the value of the mine the recovery of the Fleec reef would have, added (o its present possession?, I leave to tho imagination of others, but that it will be found \a a conclusion to mo irrisistiblo. As it may be of inrerest to ijive sc>mo specific information regarding the actual rcope of operations v.\ liie Ajiis ground, I give the following facts .— In sinking the Ajax main winze the load was lost at 130 ft, but the wirza was continued to a distance of 200 \ and connee ted with Uie main shaft a! tb t depth, an intermediate ltvel was then opened out at the 133-foot level, or at the point where the reef was lost. This level was carried foulh on stona fov 30fr, when ihe lode pinched. Sloping was commenced from this levjl and two crushing* taken out, which yielded sixteen and eighteen pennyweight s per ton, respectively. This brought ihe workings up to within 3i"t o 1 No. 4 level, when No. 2 intermediate level was staged with the object of pros* peeling the south portion of the mine. At GOft from the Aj <x wivzn a lit'!' 1 s^ne was met. which was followed, and after a further distance of 20ft it developed into a well-formed lode. Fron this drive and iwo stones abov», 30-1 tons of stone was taken out, which yielded 611 ozs. melted gold, or a little over 2 ozs. per ton. This drive was continued 160 ft from the Ajas wirze, and stoping was still going on, and a further crushing taken on! of 620 tons, which yielded 9G7 ozs. 15 dwfc. melted gold, or an average of a little over 30 dwt. per ton. The distance between the end of this drire and the company's southern boundary is about 346 ft. So that there is this great extent of ground yot to be worked, for there is no reasonable ground for doubting that it carries the lode throughout. This brought the workings close tip to the height of the floor of No. 4 main level, which has sinre been driven ; thirty feet of No. 4 level had been driven some time previously, but the stone pinching out. it was dis* continued, but in the face of subsequent discoveries it wis decided to continue it, and after going 4Ofi the stone made as:a'n, and has con:inued up to the present face, with the exception of a short break of about 4ft. The total length of this level from the Ajax winz* to the present face is 240 fee', and the thickness of the lode at the face at present is 3ft Gin. Forty feet back from the face an uprise has been continued 18ft on stone, and sloping southwards has been commenced. At 126 ft from Ihe Aj;ix main winze on No. 2 intermediate level, a wirze has been FiK.k and connected with Wo. 1 interracrlia'e level, and it is here upward?, and from No. 4 upwards that stone is now being obtained, From the flior of Mo. 1 infer* mediate level to No. 5 level is 74ft. but : hs worliinr^ have not yi t been cjirnVd far enoutrli so:».fclr or west to strike the line oT stone above. ITavin-r now prolonged my report over llie limi's prescribed, my reference to f.lin norl m'lie, bntf.'iy, and general surface wi v-kp, must be deferred far an* other h'.su'. 1 .