THE LODES. 17 



where it has been extensively developed and has yielded a valuable 

 supply of pay-quartz. There are two other chutes opened in this 

 section of the mine, but they are of no great length, and the width of 

 the ore-body is seldom above 3 feet. In the southern section which 

 has been opened by McTaggart's and Shaw's shafts, there is an 

 irregular patch of pay-ore some 300 to 400 feet in length, but the ore- 

 body is of small width and the quartz is not of high grade. These 

 two sections of the mine are at present not contributing more than 

 ■i- of the ore sent to the mill. 



The main-stay of the Mysore Mine is the central section which 

 has been developed by Crocker's, Rouse's, Plummets, Taylor's and 

 Ribblesdale's shafts. In this section are situated the main chutes 

 from which has been derived the rich ore which has made the 

 Mysore Mine famous. They are three in number and are known as 

 Crocker's, Champion and South or Rouse's chutes. It was this part 

 of the mine that first attracted attention on account of the very 

 extensive old workings that existed at the surface. Taylor's shaft 

 was started in 1881 to unbottom these old workings and it was 

 found that they extended to a depth of 236 feet, thus proving that 

 the ancients had been working on a chute of exceptional value. 

 Four years after the commencement of sinking, a level driven from 

 Taylor's shaft at a depth of 300 feet opened up a vein of ore which 

 was reported to have a width of from 3 to 7 feet and a value of 4 oz. 

 to the ton. This was the commencement of the Champion chute ; 

 Crocker's chute was not discovered till much later. These two chutes 

 are in reality one, for although on the upper levels there was a poor 

 zone of ground between the two which extended to about the 

 1,620 foot level, in the lower levels they are only separated by the 

 big north and south dyke ; and below the 1,620-foot level they have 

 come together. 



If therefore the two chutes be taken together, the ore-body has a 

 length along the strike of some 700 to 800 feet and has had a width 

 in the best places of from 30 to 35 feet (e.g., on the stopes above 

 the 1,160-foot level). Moreover, it has yielded rich ore, as shown by 

 mill and cyanide returns which for several years have shown an 



