The 126 ft. 10 in. Level.—The eastern leg of a trough-reef was worked for 300 feet to the north of the shaft.
The 186 ft. 1 in. Level.—At
180 feet to the north of the shaft, is the famous Russell's Reef, which
was worked for a considerable distance, and which gave excellent
returns. It was worked right to the surface, near the No, 1 shaft.
The 245 ft. p in. Level.—The
Russell Brothers had their principal workings. About 300 feet of this
trough reef was worked further to the north, on the pitch from the 447
ft. 2 in. level. These workings are accessible from the 706 ft. n in.
level of the No. 2 shaft.
The 673 ft. Sin. I^evel.—A trough reef was worked for 100 feet to the south of the shaft.
The 882 ft. 2 in. Level.—At 40 feet to the west of the shaft, a trough leef was cut, but not worked.
The 1,034 ft. 11 in. L.evel.—At
150 feet to the west of the shaft, a trough-reef was worked down the
pitch for 400 feet to the north of the »haft. The pitch of this reef is
25 deg. 35 min. to the north. It has been worked t6 feet
to the south of the shaft, leaving a block further to the south, to the
boundary of the lease, not worked. It was highly payable.
No. 2 Shaft.
The 242 ft. 6 in. L.evel.—In
a cross-cut at 408 feet' to the west of the shaft, centre-country, on
the Energetic line, was cut, but very little work has been done to
explore for saddle-reefs or for legs. Recently a little work has been
done in a rise, and auriferous quartz obtained, but not of payable
character. On the surface, at centre-country, right above this, Mr.
Barker informs me that auriferous spurs have been discovered.
The 447 ft. 6 in. Level.—At
40 feet to the east, is a trough-reef, worked for 155 feet to the north
from the shaft, and 55 feet to the south from the shaft. A rise was
made in the eastern leg, but very little work was done. This same leg
forms the western leg of a saddle-reef, on the eastern line of
saddle-reefs.
The 706 ft. 11 in. Level.—At 270
feet to the south, and 35 feet to the east of the shaft, the same
trough-reef as occurs at 306 feet in the No. 1 shaft has been worked.
The 776 ft. 3 in. Level.—The synclina is at the shaft, and at 185 feet to the east from the shaft is the eastern anticline.
Altogether,
a great amount of work has been done in this mine, but not to the best
advantage. The No. 1 shaft has been sunk for part of its depth through
a syncline. Owing to faulting, the syncline is in places to the east of
the shaft or, again, to the west of it. In sinking on this field, it is
not necessary to place the shaft to the east of the axial line, as it
is at Bendigo, for at Lauriston the axial plane has no definite tilt to
the east or the west, and, therefore, a shaft should be sunk in, or
Bear, centre-country. It is better to have the shaft in the anticline
than in the syncline, but the No. 1 shaft serves for both, as there is
a distance of only about 150 feet between them. The two shafts are
suitable for working the eastern anticline and the syncline, but they
are not well placed for working tilt Energetic line, because such big
cross-cuts are involved. To open up the Energetic line to advantage, a
new shaft would be required, and, if such be undertaken, ample room
should be allowed for all purposes, and a shaft constructed that could
be sunk to a depth of 5,000 feet. At Lauriston the work so far done
has been in a zone of country that appears to cor-tespond with the
middle zone of Bendigo; therefore, it is to be expected that more
favorable results will be obtained as greater depths are reached. Even
in this higher and poorer zone excellent returns have been obtained,
considering the work done.
