C.—3c. 
6 
After stoping out the stone from the adit levels on the eastern lode the Just-in-Time, 
Imperial, and Eeform Companies arranged to sink a shaft conjointly on the boundary of their 
respective claims. This shaft is down to a depth of 200ft., and on opening out from the bottom of 
the shaft another lode, known as Thomson’s, was cut at about 90ft. further to the eastward than 
the eastern lode, where some good stone was obtained. An uprise was made by the Just-in-Time 
Company to strike the bottom of a winze which had previously been sunk in the lowest adit-level, 
and workings were carried on fronr this towards their northern boundary. A cross-cut was 
commenced to the westward, to cut the western lode, for a distance of 90tt., but it required to be 
carried for a further distance of 210ft. before it would cut this lode. 
It is likely that a large quantity of stone will be got out of this ground at comparatively 
shallow depths, and the western lode being left intact below the adit-level, there is a high proba¬ 
bility of rich stone being obtained from this lode when a lower level is constructed. A reversible 
overshot water-wheel is erected at the shaft, with poppet-heads and winding-gear, so that with 
very little outlay the cross-cut already commenced in a westerly direction can be extended to cut 
the western lode at least 400ft. under the old workings. 
The mines in Boatman’s district are well situated for timber and coal. The whole of the 
country in close proximity to the mihes is covered with timber suitable for mining purposes, and 
water can be obtained from Boatman’s main creek capable of producing considerable motive-power, 
while large coal areas exist within a mile of the workings, with dray-roads for transit, makes 
the cost of working steam machinery comparatively small. 
Murkay Creek. 
Golden Fleece. 
This is a special claim of 66 acres, including the ground formerly held by the Ajax and Golden 
Fleece Companies. At the present time the mine is let to a party of six tributers. There has been 
33,437 tons of stone crushed from this claim, which yielded 38,758oz of gold, representing a value 
of £160,285, thus showing the average value of the stone to be about £4 10s. per ton; while 
dividends have been paid to the shareholders to the extent of £57,504. 
The mine is situated about 1,900ft. above sea-level. The workings are carried on from a shaft, 
which has been sunk to a depth of 640ft., and the lode has been worked in blocks here and there 
for a length of about 1,000ft., that is about 700ft. to the north of the shaft and 300ft. towards the 
south. There is a very large body of stone intact in this mine. At the place where the tributers 
are working they have 300ft. of the lode intact for a height of about 500ft. from this level to the 
surface. 
This lode is from 2ft. to 2ft. 6in. in width, with the foot- and hanging-wall extremely well defined, 
and underlying to the west at almost a uniform angle of about 72 degrees from the horizon. The lode 
is far more clearly defined than in any other mine in the district, and gives indications that it will 
live down to a considerable depth. On the northern workings a slide was met with which cut the 
lode out. Very rich stone was obtained on the southern side of this slide, and, judging from 
its character, an angle that it made with the horizon, a considerable displacement has taken place 
downwards to the north,, which will not only throw down the lode, but is likely to shift it a 
considerable distance to the westward. 
The place where prospecting operations should be carried on, with a view of striking the lode 
to the northwards of this slide, is from the lowest level and cross-cutting to the westward. There 
is a high probability of this rich stone being again found in this direction. 
The stone contains a good deal of pyrites, which is very rich in gold. 1 ton lAcwt. of 
blanketings was forwarded to the Clyde Smelting and Chlorination Works near Granville, New 
South Wales, and from the returns that came back in January last it contained over 6oz. 4dwt. of 
gold, and by the treatment it yielded 5oz. 18dwt., having a value of £23 12s. The smelting and 
other charges came to about £4 7s., leaving a net profit of £19 5s. The battery returns of gold 
from the stone that the tributers are crushing gives an average yield of about 8dwt. per ton, while 
the tailings from the battery that is running to waste gives an assay of lOdwt. per ton, thus showing 
that only about 40 per cent, of the gold is being extracted. 
A low-level adit is being constructed from Black’s Point to come into this ground. This adit, 
when completed to the Golden Fleece shaft, will cut the lode about 600ft. below the lowest workings, 
and greatly enhance ti^ value of this property, as it will not onlv open up this mine at greater 
depths, but it will also be a highway whereby all the quartz can be taken at a minimum cost to a 
good site where a laige crushing battery can be erected, alongside the main road from Reefton to 
Crushington, with all the modern appliances for saving gold. This is the place where all the 
crushing machinery will have to be placed to crush the whole of the quartz from the Royal, Venus, 
Golden Treasure, Salisbury, and other claims on this range. 
Lillie. 
This is a ^edal of 50 acres, adjoining the Inangahua Low Level Tunnel reserve to 
the north, the Golden Timsme to the east, and is bounded by the Beaconsfield on the west. It 
includes ground formerly held in claims known as the Perseverance, Republic, and Adonis. The 
only record of gold-returns from this ground is from the Perseverance Claim, where 57 tons of stone 
yielded 19oz. gold, representing a value of £74. 
Very little can be said respecting this ground. There are lodes running through the claim, 
but very little prospecting was ever carried on; the only work done was in the early days of the 
field. 
