MINING NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1589, 19 August 1885, Page 2

MINING NEWS.

[Fkom our Mining It po.itkr] VENUS EXTENDED. Monday, August 17. The prominence whieli this mine !i!is attained during the past few months, and tin* fact that before very long it will rank amongst the productive ventures of the field, aiv circumstances which suggested the advisability of giving the public some fuller information of the history and prospects of the undertaking. Om mining reporter accordingly paid a special visit to the mine on Monday last, and the result of his trip will he found detailed below. Early residents are aware that ten years ago a visit to Murmy Creek was a big undertaking, [t meant an early start, from Reei'ton in the morning with tho indispi-Msabla requisites of ii tine day, a bag of sandwiches, a hillhook and a pocket compass. If the townsman got hack to Iteef^on by 8 or 10 o'clock p.m. on the same day he considered he had established his reputation for good bushmanship. The loss of a boot, or a pair of pants reduced to a total wreck, and abandoned to the underwriters, wen: trivial incidents which in no way detracted from the merit of the achievement. But all this is now changed. Murray Creek may now bo said to he a suburb of Black's Point, if not of lleefton. A capital metal road, fib almost for a bicycle, runs from Broadway to the head of Murray Creek. The journey which fifteen years ago occupied half a day, may now bo comfortably accom plislied in half anyhow. Wu K fi K*"f ton at 10.80 on Monday morning. Tb<j wealln.'i' v/ua not exactly " aij

that could he desired," for in fact it Mined bayonets, double pointed, but | there were even some good points in this, for the whole country on the route was musical with rippling rivulets [ and roaring catavaufclrts, and added rauoh to the pictures.'jueness of die 1 viewlttt We did not visit the [nan gahiiii Low Level T.innol, but the great "height of backs" at the tiphead afforded evidence of the large I amount of work done in tin's tunnel, j which I believe is now i»«any 2OOOt't. j in. The old Anderson's battery, which i in the parly days of lleefto-.i ndded its j £38,000 worth of gold to the world's store j is still in repose, while rust and decay areWorkinguponifcatconinruindiMterest j The striking of the reef in the Low Level tunnel would, however, soon j cause a shaking in this valley of dry i Imne?. — Let us hope we shall live to j see the shake and feel it too. A (pa/tor j of a mil« or so from Black's Point we reach the Energetic li.itt.ify, anoMi:)/ silent memorial of the put. For years this Company employed fifty or sixty hands, and when tlit- thirty stampers ] were poi-ig this was a .s.-ene of much activity. But a reverse of fortune came upon the undertaking, and for j years past it has been either worked ] unprofitable or lain dormant. Twenty j miuutes walk from here we come to j the site of the old Bind of Hope battery, and up the hill, ten chains away, is the Venus tunnel. The /enns ' Company is not a new venture, the ground having been held continuously for about ten ) r ears by the present con pany. The ground is situate west of and adjoining the Golden Flec-e lease, and consists of two leases, comprising 26 acres, with a length of 2000 ft. along the course of the reef. Ifc was originally pegged off liy Mr J. Trennery, who has throughout held a considerable interest in till* property, and is no\ v one of the largest share-holders. The outcrop of the reef was first discovered I on the hill aide, and the prospects being good, a tunnel was put in 100 ft. ' below the outcrop and at a distance of: about 380 ft. the reef was met with, and driven on for a continuous length of 233 ft. The average thickness oi the lode w<s from 2ft. 6>.n. to Bft., tho stone being^f gond quality as instanced by tV fact that, from the block taken out two dividends of sixpence each were declared. Owing however to ihe angle of the underlie, of the rer-f t!ii> level gave no height of hacks, but the stone being string underfoot ail ihe way, it w.is d cidid to pit down a winze. This was starte I and carried down on the re »f to a depth of sow 40 ft ; the reef still holding strong and oi the same qurJi'y it was next resolved to start another tunnol at a perpen , dicu'ar d-pth of 165 ft. below the upper ( level. This work was begun and j carried in 780 ft, and at this point, j according to the underlie in the winze, j the reef ought to have been met with. ! Failing this however, it was de- ! cided to discontinue driving and start • another winze, further north on tic reef. ; This was done audit was carried down ! to a depth of 74ft., the reef still hold- i ing croo-'. A ft^sb calculation of the underlie then showed that tho low ; level was not far enough in by 25?t. ' This distance wis accordingly d-iwu, when the reef was met with, withri a : couple of feet of the point given. The i reef whero cut sho'.?^ p, th'ck'jess of 3ft., the stone being of the same nic seamy nature as that on the level, j 165 ft. pornondicular above. This level ' gives 190 ft. of backs on the underlie, j and when it is remembered that the reef was worked fora length of 233 ft. on the upper level, it will be seen that | the block of stone thus opened up is of ; very large extent. There is a singular I characteristic about the roof in each ' level which sorvps to vender its Hent.i- , fication b'vond doubt. The lode has ; a thin layr>r or soam of black pug — about an eighth of an inch thick, j running right through th" centre of it, ! completely snndwitching the lode ; longitudinally. This characteristic was, j T am told, visible evervwiiere on the j upper level, was met, with in each of the winz'-s, and is still present in the low level, thus affording the strongest pvidonce of the continuity of the reef from level to level. Since intersected on the low levol the reef lms been I driven on for a distance *>f 30ft. At ! the north fw quite 3ft. of stono j shows. At the south face, at, the tiny ' of my visit, it was rather loss. Thf ! opinion is however, that tins is merely ' due to the hardness of the foot-wall, the reef being thus pushed slightly out j of its course, and it was fully expected i to widen out in a few feet. Between ■ 80 and 40 tons of stone have been obtained from thp space worked, and is stacked at tho tunnel mouth. Tito \ stone as it lios in the pnddnek is undoubtedly of splenhd quality. : The gold is coarse an el well dis- I tribnted in tho solid mitrix. and can be safely estimated at' from 20 ' to 25c wts. per ton. The stone is clean, j and white, and, therefore, shows tho j gold well, hut for nil this I should be ! inclined to think T am undor rnfh-T than over the mark, and I n-n told *hn stone carried down i:i bo*!i w! r,.^ showed the same coarso gol-l. With i the stone obtained from the winzes ! above there should he about 100 tons j ready to be operated upon as soon ;ts it can bo got to tho stampers. As to the intention of the company regarding crushing power, nothing is yot settled The mine could be connected with th" i Energetic battery '>y means of an n»»»-r>l ; tramway, at no groat cost, thuv boing a tolerably straight run and oa«y descent, the dishinco being only some 25 chains. Or a biWe>-v could bo reerected on tho Band of Hope site, which would be only ten chains from the mine, the ascent being quite uniform, with an elevation of 450 ft., and weli adapted for an incline tr-innviy. Which of these courses will he aHooted bus now lo he determined. It will, how ovor, be npivuent that no tine should I be lost in coming to a con ;lu.j:ou on

this head. In the course of a couple of months the two levels in the mins : will b^ connected, the distance to ris<? beini? only about 11 -if:. The mine will tlmn be in readiness for l»r««akm ( .» ont stone, with a good supply already to "i'ass. With 1"c;is."»ji:iI»Ih exnoilition' thfii t!n j conipiny should lie crushing before thi' year is out.