181 
2. Murray, R. A. F.—Report on the Geology and Mineral Re¬ 
sources of South-western Gippsland. Geol. Surv. Viet., 
Prog. Rept. No. III. 
3. Scanlon, E.—History of the Foster Gold-field. Quart. Rept., 
Dept. Mines, Viet., 30th June, 1891. 
4. Stirling, J.—Notes on the Foster Gold-field and District. 
Geol. Surv., Vi’ct., Prog. Rept. No. VIII. 
\R_eftort sent in 28.8.05 •] 
PIONEER MINE, BRIGHT. 
By E. J. Dunn, F.G.S., Director , Geological Survey. 
This mine is situate about half-a-mile eastward from Bright. It was 
the first one opened up in this district. The country rock consists of 
coarse and fine sandstone and slaty beds, very much crushed and faulted. 
The principal line of fault is known as the E. wall, and from this wall 
westerly several faults extend into the country at varying angles. The 
rocks are of grey, pink, and yellow colour, and the soil from them ranges 
from yellow to red. Extensive bodies of auriferous spurs occur on the 
E. wall, and on those that branch from it. These bodies have been 
worked at the surface up the slope of the hill for 200 feet above the 
level of the lowest tunnel. The width of the spurrv country worked was 
in some cases over 40 feet, so that a considerable bulk of crushing material 
has been removed from the mine. 
The lowest or main tunnel has been driven at a bearing of S. 15 deg. W. 
for 15,000 feet into the hill, along the course of the E. wall. At the 
extreme S. end of the tunnel an inclined shaft has been sunk 98 feet at 
an angle of 32 degrees to the horizon, which is about the pitch southward 
of the shoots of auriferous quartz. The bottom of this inclined shaft 
is the deepest point reached in the mine, so that practically all below 
the main tunnel remains to be explored and worked. From the bottom 
of the shaft, the Manager informs me a trial crushing of 1,000 tons of 
quartz was taken, and the return was 7 dwts. of gold per ton. The 
width of the face from .which the quartz was broken out at the bottom 
of the shaft is stated to be 24 feet. 
The main wall is strongly marked at the bottom of the shaft. 
At the top of the inclined shaft, and to the S.W. of it, a great 
deal of quartz has, been s,toped. The faults from the E. wall intersect 
one another in a most irregular manner, and at such places auriferous 
spurs appear to have formed. A great deal of prospecting is required 
to discover the position of such ore bodies. 
The spurs on the E. wall appear to occur in a more regular fashion, 
and by driving along this Avail the spurry country can scarcely be missed. 
So far as the work has proceeded, the auriferous shoots show a southerly 
pitch at an angle of about 32 deg., and this is about the pitch of the 
country rock. 
Judging from the quantity of crushing material taken out of the mine, 
along 'the main tunnel, there should be a considerable quantity a\ 7 ailabie 
below that level, and the best way to test this would be by continuing 
the present inclined tunnel, at any rate for 100 feet or so below the 
present bottom workings. After that the advisability of a vertical shaft 
would have to be considered. 
