MINING NOTES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1078, 22 December 1882, Page 2

MINING NOTES.

In the Bannockburn aud Garrick division of the district mining is in anything but a a healthy state ; the late distressingly poor yields from the quartz crushings throwing quite a damper on the place. The very general opinion, however, is that the late yields are no criterion as to what will lie got in the future, and other paddocks of stone are being raised from all the claims ; gold is freely to be seen in the stone, and' a revival may fairly be expected. The alluvial miners are all at work and every available drop of water is being used, but the ground is generally very poor, and afior tbs water is paid for and other expenses liquidated not too much is left to represent the time occupied. The price paid for water, six shillings per head, is very high, but whether the water race owner* can afford to sell for less it is not in our province to say ; hut until water is more plentiful, and at the same time cheaper,, it is inuch to be feared the Bannockburn miners will no be able to be classed amongst the very successful. The two main tail races that are being constructed, the one in Pipeclay Gully, the other in Smith’s Gully, are not making much headway; if these were but completed the water could be better utilized than now, and as more ground could be washed away, more gold would be obtained. The Antimony Mine Company have stopped smelting operations, but in the mine they are working, —sinking a shaft—-to see if the lode is to ho found at a greater depth. From what we could learn, the vein or ore run out at a short distance below the surface, but there is any quantity on the surface ; it is deemed the betterto seek for fresh deposits. We don’t question the policy of this ; but so long as it paid (if only) the baie expenses we should think it would have been better to keep the thing moving. Up to the present time the amount of crude metal obtained is about 9 tons.