as
depth is reached in the vicinity of the winze. The present works in the
winze could be carried on from the main shaft, which should be sunk 500
feet at least, well into the next series of lode formations that will
be found associated with the main indicator channel which, in all the
higher levels, is so closely identified with rich gold deposits. In
addition, cross-cuts should be driven east and west to intersect other
lines of gold drainage known to exist in the system of lode
structure. Drives have been put out, in one or two places, at shallow
levels in the Black Horse, and lodes have been cut which are reported
as gold-bearing. These works were conducted more than 30 years since,
and at a time when the gutting of rich parts on the centre line of
formations was in progress. Nothing would do then but ounce-stone, and
they received little attention. No doubt there are many situations of
dividend stone in the " flank " lines, and I have heard that a fear of
cutting more water has kept the picks from sampling them even at low
levels.
In
the late Egerton Company's area a drive should be going south from the
1,700-ft. level towards and under the Rose workings, in the hope of
meeting with the downward extension of the big wing formation, or
others below it, of the same series. I believe there is a lot of gold
to come out from between this level and the old works up in the 850-ft.
level of the Sister Hose. There is much country east and west of the
main line in this late Egerton Company's area to be sampled, but the
water again appears to be the deterrent. There is a drive going east
from the Sister Rose workings for 300 feet, and into a body of stone,
the width of which is not known. When cut into, more than twenty years
ago, this stone discharged a stream of water that has continued to run
with the same force ever since. This is the water that now keeps the
old Egerton Company's pump hauling it from the 1,700-ft. level. In all
the levels, especially near the main shaft, extensive masses of low
grade ore remain, all of which may come out some day. A tribute party
is at present at work at the 650-ft. level on a wing from one of these
masses. It droops to the east, and is one of the series of wing " makes
" of which the main one from the Rose workings is a member. So far the
returns have been equal to about 1/2-oz. to the ton from stone
averaging about 3 feet in width. It was near the junction of this wing
with the vertical, above and a little north of the present party's
works, that perhaps the richest patch of golden quartz ever met with in
the State was found. In a mass of stone associated with decomposed dyke
material, on the eastern side of " the vertical" (or the " indicator,"
as it is called in the Black Horse), a layer, or floor, of golden stone
was found having a length of about 60 feet, a width of 6 or 7 feet, and
a thickness of about 2 feet, the whole of which, it is said, was hung
together with gold. The " make '" of quartz it was in came down in
V-shape from a wide extent of stone overhead, and not far below the
floor of deposition its width narrowed to about 3 feet. It evidently
represented the focussing point of an extensive system of drainage, the
greater part of which has been removed by surface wear. Numerous lines
of drainage belonging to this system are to be seen in the quarry of
the original opening works of Egerton, all of which are inclining
towards the point below where this patch was stored. All structure in
the quarry goes to indicate that great masses of the higher extensions
of this wide bulging lode structure have been removed by surface wear,
and that in its very wide parts, where it permeated the country for
greater widths, its deposition was of the "patch" order, on account of
there being many floors of obstruction, horizontal or nearly so, in it.
As depth was reached, the lode structure became less erratic, having
lines of obstruction of drainage more continuous. Hence the line of
gold met with at deep levels ; and deeper still "the lode structure
will be found more nearly vertical, and its gold will be
