the robert emmett cross course, page-11

Bernard,

Your question about ground conditions is a worthy one. Underground mining is a hazardous operation and the ground does change over time. The ground needs to be checked every shift. Mining at Hill End operates via an alliance with the privately owned Mancala group of companies. They take work safety very seriously. http://www.mancala.com.au/OHS.htm

Harba,

I think I may have covered your question in my other post. The time needed to cover the 40 odd metres to the cross course depends very largely on mining priorities. I expect high grade stoping operations to be the highest priority with underground drilling and drive development coming a bit further down the list.

Maplelegion.

The p6 mine section has stylised, elongated ellipses illustrating sections through the veinsets. The actual shapes are more irregular but each ellipse does give a sense of width and depth; up to 200m deep and 10m wide in the illustration of the Frenchmans for example. The positioning of the names has no significance.

My guess about the colour coding of the "drive" on the 780 level is that it identifies an upward slope connecting with old workings. This makes it an incline rather than a drive.

The numbers at the top of the page are almost certainly the Northing coordinates of the shafts colour coded purple, yellow and blue on the diagram. The positions of the different shafts have been projected onto the one drawing.

A better diagram to use to locate the 640 level workings is the plan view on page 8. This diagram has appeared in a number of publications and doesn't actually show newer workings. A label on the right hand side of the drawing shows where current development started.

The company quite properly keeps a tight lid on when announcements are being made. Sometimes I email them with a few suggestions but the company keeps a close eye on these threads anyway. They would be aware that shareholders are anticipating news.