241 
From the Guiding Star rich shoot of gold just below the 720-ft. level 
the black slate band rises to the surface of the bed-rock; the great anti¬ 
cline to the west of the shaft has been worn down by denudation, and 
the gold so derived has gone to enrich the alluvial gravels that have 
been so extensively worked over the bed-rock of the Sebastopol Plateau. 
Water. 
The South Star mine, like all the others on the Sebastopol Plateau, 
has to grapple with a serious water difficulty, for the top of the bed-rock 
in which the lodes occur is from 300 feet to 400 feet below the present 
surface, and resting on this bed-rock are gravels, sand, clay and basalt 
for the above thickness. 
Extensive alluvial miming has removed the gravels, and the whole 
of the alluvial beds are water-logged; the result is that the water under 
high pressure is forced into the underlying slate and sandstone beds, 
and mining for quartz reefs in these beds entails heavy expenditure in 
pumping from the bottom of the shafts water which gets into the work¬ 
ings from the overlying alluvial deposits. In some cases nearly one- 
half of the total expenditure is for pumping water. The whole group 
of mines on the Plateau is troubled with this expense, and the total amount 
spent for this purpose amounts to a very large sum per annum. The 
question arises wiiether some co-operative method of dealing with the 
water—perhaps on the plan adopted at the Thames, New Zealand— 
could not be adopted to lighten the burden. 
At the Thames there is one big pump, and all the mines are connected 
with it. Each company benefited is assessed for its share of the cost, 
and the Government subsidizes the pump to the extent of £1 for £r 
contributed by the mining companies. 
Two salient features have to be recognised, the mining problem and 
the water problem. The latter should be first dealt with, so as to 
minimise the costs of mining. 
As regards the mining problem there is the whole of the country be¬ 
tween the Consols lode and the Ballarat East indicators to be explored, 
as well as the deeper beds below the black band, also the whole of the 
country to the west of the Albion lode. The work so far accomplished 
by the Geological Survey has rendered it possible to understand the con¬ 
ditions under which these western lodes occur, but still further research 
is needed before the whole problem will be solved. 
[22.7.0 s} 
THE BRITANNIA UNITED MINE. BALLARAT EAST. 
% 
By TF. Baragwanath. 
The mine is situated on the southern side of Victoria-street, Ballarat 
East, and comprises an area of nearly 70 acres, held under lease from the 
Crown. North of the property, the Victoria United Company has its 
mine workings, while to the south are the East Chance United Company 
and a line of workings which extends over a distance of 4 miles and 
includes the Llanberris, Speedwell, North Normanby, New Normanby, 
North Woiah Hawp, Woah Hawp Canton, and several other mines. 
The detailed plans of this mine will be published in the Memoir on 
Ballarat.* 
* Now being prepared for publication. 14.7.14. 
