MINING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3890, 12 August 1875, Page 3

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

(From our Exchanges.)

At the Cardrona the weather is very changeable, but keeps favorable for mining; although some have been knocked off through hard frosts, others continue work and are earning fair wages. The majority of claims are at a standstill. A good many hands are at work on other jobs, but they are certain to resume their mining as soon as the weather permits them to work to advantage. The various companies are all sanguine of good returns next spring, and the long-talked of track from Cardrona to Airow is looked upon as the greatest boon in the Wakutip district. It will be the means of conveying many requirements into its midst, and cause living and all things used to be had much cheaper than at pre-ent. It is believed the new track in course of construction across the Crown Range will be open for traffic before December next.

Several claims in the Arrow River are making good headway; in fact there seems to be a bright future before the miners and speculators in that district. The Universal Gold Mining Company, on the flat, is making good headway. Mr O’Keeffe, the manager, is now sinking for the mouth of their tail-race, and is of opinion that, when the pumping commences, they will not be long in bottoming. Mr Lectcher’s tender for the erection of the water-wheel has been accepted, 'ihe Rule Britannia claim is still showing well. The prospectors of tho Cornish Reef,. Crown Terrace, have come upon stone which it is said will pay, and four tons will be sent to Cromwell as a trial crushing. The German Reef and the Criterion have been taken up, and active operations in both cases will shortly be com meuced.

The Upper Shotover correspondent of the * Mail ’ writes; —“ I believe I shall be wrong in my estimate of the first crushing of the Phoenix tributers, and I hope I shall. In my last 1 put it down at 1,000 ounces, but since then they have struck richer stone than ever From the appearance of it, and the width of tho lode] (five feet),gl should say that 2,000 ounces would he nearer the mark. The long discussed question relative to allowing reporters i -t the mine was finally set at rest by the ‘ Daily Times’ reporter, Mr H. J. Cope, appearing on the scene armed with a letter fiom Mr Fred. Evans, authorising his admittance to the mine, and to report thereon. Mr Cope is an experienced quartz miner, and the face of stone he examined fairly surprised him. He brought away some stone with him to forward to Dunedin ; none of your picked stone, hut, as he assured me, what he knocked off hap-hazard from * five ,fe ;t wide lode. From its apptarance it should yield at least from eight to ten ounces per ton. Of course all the stone is not so rich as what they have been getting for some time back; but I am sure the poorest of it will yield an ounce to the ton. Considei’able excitement exists up here through these rich finds, and m my of the reefs prospected for ten years ago have again been taken up. It is to be hoped that they will be worked this time by their owners, and not, as was the case previously, be taken up tor speculation by the forming of joint-stock companies, which in reality have been the curse of this district ; for what with bad management, the gross ignorance, and the hampering proc ivities usually displayed by a Dunedin directory, a ban has been placed upon the]district which nothing but vigorous work and steady payable crushings will ever remove.”

The Arrow ‘Observer’ says:—“ What has become of the subsidy fund for quartz reef prospecting,” is a question asked by many. Echo answers “ What ?” The Town Council seem to have forgotten all about it, and we therefore wish to sharpen their thoughts by telling them that it is now greatly needed. We are aware that a great many people in this district who promised great things at the outsf-t, cooled down considerably when Mr Smith, who was appointed to collect, called on them. Nevertheless we believe there are still many people who would give towards it, the more especially as there have been some very good discoveries lately of rich reefs, and if the fund for prospecting them was at people’s disposal, there would be some work done.