Macfarlane on the Acton Copper Mine, 459 



six and a half feet. In March and April it was further sunk 

 twenty-seven and a half feet, and at the depth of fifty-four feet 

 it broke through into No. 2 drift. The last six feet sunk was in 

 poor rock, but, previous to this, twelve feet had been sunk through 

 cupriferous limestone, permeated by veins of calcspar and 

 quartz, containing purple copper. One of these veins seemed, in 

 the southeast corner of the shaft, to have a dip of about 45° to 

 the N. W., but on the opposite side it became very much flatter 

 This circumstance seemed to confirm the opinion that No. 2. 

 drift had been carried along underneath the copper, so that it 

 was determined to stope back from No. 3 shaft, overhead in the 

 drift. In a short time the few feet of poor rock constituting the 

 roof of the drift were removed, and a bed of limestone exposed, con- 

 taining numerous veins consisting of purple copper and silicious 

 matter, and presenting an appearance similar to that described as 

 occurring in the bottom of Williams's pit. The following sketch 

 is a section along a line running from No. 2 shaft to No. 3, and 

 thence across Williams's pit : 



Section from i to ^, and thence to I, on the general plan. 

 S.E. N.w. 



A, hill limestone; B, underlying shale; C, cupriferous limestone; 

 D, hanging shale ; E, greenstone ; C2, dark coloured silicious lime- 

 stone, distinctly stratified, with impregnating copper pyrites. 



It will be observed that a jog or bend of the footwall occurs in 

 No. 2 drift, similar to those occurring at the surface in Harvey's 

 pit and Flowers's pit ; and that it was in the basin thus formed, and 

 a little from the bottom of the same, that the rich ore at a was 

 discovered. The excavation of ore at this point, by widening the 

 drift and stoping overhead, commenced on the 1st of June. From 

 that date until the 8th of August, 573 cubic yards = 71.6 cubio 

 fathoms were excavated. These produced : 



