A
field may receive a thrust from the north, or south, or east, or west,
but it is always subject to gravity, and gravity is no doubt
responsible for a lot of the bulging of fractures.
The
non-continuity of all quartz " makes," and their more or less echelon
relationship to each other, perplexed miners, who did not understand
the effect of the thrust to which the field had been subject. In this
mine the lode occurrences occupy positions on the western side of the,
say, 50 or 60 feet of width of fracture, known as the main channel, at
one point, and on the other side, further to the north or south in the
same channel. There is no apparent connexion between these " makes" of
quartz beyond the minor fracture lines in the country due to the local
twist.
The
" spur " type of lode channel, coming as usual down from the west and
going through the " plum " channel down to the east, appears to be in
evidence in this mine. A rich make of quartz, which evidently belongs
to one of these " spur " lines, was met with in a drive put west, at a
point about 130 feet north of the main shaft, and above the " floor."
This line is no doubt identical with that to be seen crossing the "
plum " formation in one of the lower levels of this mine (the 700-feet,
I think).
More
than one " magpie " position at the angles in the " plum " channel is
associated with a " spur " channel. The east and west country of the
main " plum " line is to be all sampled in due course. It is full of
gold-slate drains, and may contain many rich positions.
Great
quantities of low-grade milling ore have been left in all the levels.
There are two main shafts equipped with steam winding gear. The
northern one is down to a depth of 1,500 feet, and the southern one,
which is the main shaft, to a depth of 1,050 feet. Both are on the same
line of lode and within about 1,000 feet of each other. Their works are
connected below, and the present operations are being conducted from
the southern one. The company's area extends about three-quarters of a
mile north-and-south, with a width of about 25 chains. All the works to
the present time have been confined to'the quarter of a mile on its
northern end. The gold output from this part of the area totals 330,000
ozs., principally from high-grade material chosen from the rich masses
of quartz met with in the shallow levels. A long extent of gold-slate
country, containing dozens of main drains, remains unworked along the
eastern side of the company's-area. A little surface work was done on
it many
