14
especially
in the slate layers. It also contains iron in the form of rust and
sulphides. Mr. Dill, of Ballarat, is the general manager.
To
the east, and half-a-mile north from this, are old mining works on the
Staffordshire Reef. Here in early times, there was great activity in
mining. The lodes belong to a system, running parallel to the Birthday
system, and about 25 chains to the east of it. The operations of the
various parties concerned were confined to quartz formations in a high
part of the main range known as The Reef. It is said that more than 10
tons of gold were mined from shallow levels. The deepest works were not
lower than 500 feet, and at this level a comÂpany known as the
Hopewell, is said to have done a little prospecting, which tailed to
uncover anything payable. The rock layers in this region are composed,:
as usual, of gold-slate and sandstone, which have been corrugated and
fractured in the manner noted throughout this district. An intense
local twist to the rock beds has resulted in the creation of a system
of compound fracture, which has! favoured the storing of quartz as
irregular-walled "makes." There is much of the wing- and fin-vein
extension for these enlargements, and the system is very wide. Two
companies, the south one known as the Birthday Tunnel Extended, and the
north as the Birthday Consols, have commenced operations lately on The
Reef The Extended has a shaft down 500 feet, a little to the west of
the old works, andj is cross-cutting east and west at'the 400-ft. level
in gold-slate country. West it has passed through a main lode line, the
formations in which are worth sampling. East, it has not met with
anything yet. I have been informed that in the level below this a drive
has been taken east far enough to cut the extension of the old
Staffordshire Reef in its descent, without meeting with quartz. If so,
the drive went through the "keel" blade of the line of
formations. By driving in the direc-tion of the pitch of this line it
ought to be cut. The present cross-cut to the east in the 400-ft. level
must go through the line, but driving in the direction of its pitch
will be found necessary in any case. Mr. W. M. Acheson, of Ballarat is
the general manager, and Mr. N. Chancillor, the mining manager. There
is a steam winding plant, and a 10-head mill on the mine. North of this
the Birthday Consols Company is erecting a steam top-gear over the old
Hopewell shaft, which has been repaired Great things are expected, for
the oldest inhabitant never tires of telling about the 10 tons of gold
said to have been mined from the reef within the areas of these two
companies. As soon as the old works in the Hopewell shaft have been
repaired something can be learnt concerning the pitch of the formations
from which this gold was mined. A survey of structure would do good,
both here and in the Consols, and it would favour economy in the cost
of general prospecting work Mr. J. H. Dill, of Ballarat, is the general
manager, and Mr. W. Hill is the mining manager.
Two
miles to the north-west of The Reef the Jubilee group of mines is
situated. The Jubilee is the big mine of the group; the others, viz.,
the East Jubilee, North Jubilee, and Jubilee No. 1, being prospecting
ventures. All the gold won to date has been mined by the Jubilee
Company, and was taken from a formation known as a " cross-lode." As
mentioned earlier, this field contains three classes of quartz
lodes.* The degree of twist in the force that produced the Jubilee
class of fracture was too intense and powerful to allow of its effects
being retained in a trough of the corrugated rock I avers, as with the
Birthday line of fracture. Its force tore out from it, and spent itself
in fracturing the rock Layers of its region somewhat as in Fig. 12.
