Macfarlane on the Acton Copper Mine. 451 



to sink this shaft. The ground gradually improved, and at a 

 depth of fifty-four feet presented an appearance exactly similar to 

 the rich deposits previously excavated on the surface. This ap- 

 pearance has been most suitably and accurately described by Sir 

 W. E. Logan as " a breccia or conglomerate, with a paste com- 

 " posed of variegated and vitreous sulphurets of copper, mingled 

 " with fine grained silicious matter, enclosing fragments of lime- 

 " stone, some angular and some rounded, some of them almost 

 " wholly calcareous and others largely silicious."* The avera^-e 

 thickness of the bed in the ten feet thus sunk, was nine feet, the 

 length of the shaft on the strike of the limestone, twelve feet. 

 From the five cubic fathoms thus excavated, there were produced 



^23 1 2 ^^^^ fi^s* quality ore of 22.0 per cent. 

 SSfj " crush " 4.5 " 



These quantities, after allowing for the loss, correspond to 23.1 tons 

 of 12 per cent ore, or 4.6 tons to the cubic fathom. The costs of 

 raining the above five cubic fathoms, and bringing them to the 

 surface, amounted to $133.33, which is equal to $26.66 per cubic 

 fathom, and to 86.03 per ton of 12 per cent ore. Calculated at 

 the above mentioned thickness of Ij- fathoms, a square fathom of 

 the bed yielded 6.9 tons of 12 per cent ore, and cost 840. The 

 sinking of No. 5 shaft was discontinued during the winter, but re- 

 sumed during the summer, and at the end of July attained a depth 

 of seventy-six feet on the incline. From it, at a depth of sixty feet 

 a gallery was carried towards the west, 30f feet; at which distance 

 from the shaft the limestone was cut off by the hanging wall, every 

 indication seeming to point out the presence here of a left-hand 

 throw. This fault had a direction of N. 10° W. Some stoping 

 was done both above and below this gallery. Up to the end of 

 July there were excavated in shaft, drift and stopes, 65j- cubic 

 fathoms of ground. These yielded 



53|fi2 tons first quality ore of 19.1 per cent. 



4|i|| « second " " 9.0 " 



316f||^ " crush " 3.95 « 



which quantities correspond to ISSfif^ tons of 12 per cent, ore, 

 or 2.38 tons per cubic fathom. The total expense of mining 

 and raising this quantity was $1512.04; or $23.17 per cubic 



• Report of Progress for 1858, p. 59. 



