42 On the Fungi Growing in Mines. 



Geologically speaking, it is all of upper silurian formation, 

 the stratification showing shales, sandstones, alternating 

 with layers of hard diorite and quartz. During a trip with 

 Mr. Reginald Murray, he pointed out the horizontal layers 

 of basalt overl^dng the almost vertical rocks, Mount Useful, 

 Mount Aberfeldy, Fullarton's Spur ; in fact, nearly all the 

 higher mountains in the district are covered in this manner, 

 while the lower hills show no trace of later volcanic action. 

 Masses of orthocerate limestone are found in the basin of the 

 River Thompson. One enormous mass, over 200 feet thick, 

 rises out of the Deep Creek. 



Veins of quartz abound everywhere, and in some places 

 it becomes auriferous. Cohen's reef is a splendid specimen 

 of these auriferous veins ; like the rest of the rocks in the 

 district, the strike of this reef trends 20° west of north, and 

 it has a westerly underlie. The lode itself is very rich in 

 minerals, iron and arsenical p}T.ites abound, and for years 

 it yielded an average of 2 ozs. to the ton. The total 

 quantity of gold obtained has already reached nine tons. 

 When first discovered, the gold-bearing stone was at the 

 surface, but northwards it dips so much that long tunnels 

 had to be driven, and shafts sunk in order to follow its 

 coui'se. In the Long Tunnel, for instance, the adit level was 

 commenced about 1 00 feet above Stringer's Creek ; it is 

 driven in about 800 feet, principally through hard diorites 

 intersected with occasional veins of quartz ; at the end of the 

 tunnel a large chamber was excavated about 100 feet long 

 by 40 feet wide. Here are placed the pumping and winding 

 engines, worked entirely by compressed air, obtained through 

 iron pipes fi:om an immense pneumatic engine outside. The 

 shaft is sunk in the middle of the chamber, and has been 

 opened out at every hundred feet in order to catch the ever- 

 dipping lode. They are opening out now at the nine hundred 

 feet level. The plan adopted for opening a level is to drive 

 a tunnel from the shaft until it cuts the lode, then work 

 upwards to the next level, removing everything between the 

 hanging wall and the other side. This varies in thickness 

 from five to fifty feet, the empty space is then filled up with 

 mullock. The tunnels in the various levels are lined with 

 round timber, about two feet in diameter, placed vertically 

 a few feet asunder. The logs on each side of the tunnel are 

 kept apart by cap pieces of the same size, heavy slabs, placed 

 horizontally, reach from one set of timber to the next, thus 

 covering both walls and ceiling with wood. In the older 



