THE THAMES.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 594, 6 November 1869, Page 4

THE THAMES.

(From the Southern Cross, Oct 28.) We are informed, on reliable authority, that the Lord Raglan claim, Tararu, lists turned out a lot of rich specimens this week. The Inverness claim has turned out some stone of remarkable richness during the week. ...... The Morning Star has also turned out a number of rich specimens during the last few day 3. The Just in Time leader, which was opened at the 150-feet level on Saturday last, has continued to yield rich specimens since. The total amount received from the late crushing for the Golden Crown claim, at the Hanraki battery, was 3250zs of gold. A parcel of 548(>zs of retorted gold was melted yesterday, and gave a result of 5270zs 17dwts of pure metal, only losing 20oza 3dwts, which shows us a very little per centage. The Berkeley Castle Company's crushing of 70 tons of stone at the Prince Alfred Biittery has yielded 730z of gold, some of which was taken out before the formation of the company,' which has only been in existence a short time. A part of the stone gave . au average of 2oz, but the general average 1 was reduced by a parcel of stone froiivaiiother leader. : A small trial- test of stone from the. new leader in the Golden Gate shaft lias given a good 'yield. A ton of stone from the saiue clairtr; crushed at the Hauraki Battery, gave l.ioz of gold. We are informed that on Thursday last a large quantity of very rich specimens, about a hundredweight, it is said, were taken out pf the reef in the Earl of Erin Company's ground, Upper Karaka, and that similar stone was still being met with. As n^any pounds were asked yesterday for the. Earl of Erin scrip as it was worth shillings a day or two before The richest stoves yet obtained from the Loyalty claim were taken out yeslcrday morning, at a distance (\{ alijout 3JO

feet in the drive. The drive cannot be carried any further at present for want of air, and a shaft has now to be sunk from the surface for the purpose of carrying it into the drive. We were shown a few specimens taken out of a small vein found in the Liverpool • : -B.oys claim last evening by Mr Sigley. They were composed of white crystal quarts, and the gold was of a rich color, but leafy. The vein, of course, is only useful as far as showing the presence of the precious metal, as this is evidently only a feeder from ,some larger reef or leader, which is expected to be met with shortly. The Gladstone is a claim of three men's ground, peg and peg with the Peep o' Day and Golden Age claims, Waiotahi. A reef, upwards of 20 feet in thickness, has been exposed near the surface, and good prospects have been obtained from the blue mullogk overlayin the reef. Five or six tona of this stuff, together with some of the casing, were run through Souter's battery some time ago, with a return of nearly \oz. to the ton. A half ton of stone taken from the reef itself was crushed in the single stamper and yielded as much as 16^dwts to the half ton. The New May Moon claim has long been known as one of the very best claims on the Karaka hill, and we are glad to see it is keeping up its character, and is if anything improving in richness as it is worked on to greater depths. The leader is four feet thick, and the men are now blocking it out at a level of 200 feet from the surface. A lot of sixty tons is now being crushed from it at the Hape Gold Mining Company's battery, and is making a very excellent show. About twenty pounds of amalgam have been taken off the plates since Saturday last, and there is not only a good show on the plates again, but the amalgam can be observed plainly sticking in the stamper boxes. Another batch of magnificent specimens were taken out of the Long Drive mine yesterday moruing. There were altogfcher about 1001 b taken out this time of the same rich character of those lately crushed, so that it is very probable that another specimen crushing will take place in the course of the coming week, as there is now about 1201 bon hand. A great many of thft specimens taken out yesterday were in large blocks, and there appears to be a change in the leader, for the stones are not of the same blue character as those crushed Last week, although they are taken out at the same level. The Sons of Freedom shareholders have be6n successful in striking the Flying Cloud leader, for which they have been sinking for some time past, in conjunction with the White Star, with which claim they have, I am informed, effected an amalgamation. About lewt of fine, specimens were taken out to-day, aud from the size and appearance of the reef, and the specimens themselves, there is no doubt that the reef is the same as that which gave such a splendid yield in the Flying Cloud's late crushing. The shareholders of the Sons of Freedom intend having a ton of the stone crushed at Son ter's battery, at once. We were favored yesterday with an inspection of the splendid specimen taken a few days ago from the Shotover claim. It is a piece of stone nearly six inches square, of. a dark brown color, and so thickly impregnated with the precious metal that iv some parts of the specimen the gold predominates over the stone. Mr Muir, assayer to the Union Bank of Australia, has tested the stone by the specific gravity process, and found that, whilst it weighed 113oz, it contained 220z of gold, or a fraction over 36z to the pound. On Tuesday evening, however, anothfer specimen was taken out at a depth of 22 , feet in the shaft lately put down, the original leader, we are informed, having been struck. This specimen is considerably larger than the former and is equally rich. Twenty-four pounds weight of specimens from M'Leod's claim, Coromandel, were crushed at Spencer's berdan last week, and gave the splendid yield of 60oz BJwt of gold. From the number of specimens lately received from this district, there is every prospect of its being a valuable gold held. The famous Manukau claim, although little talked of, is still showing up as. prosperous as ever. The Waiotahi Company's battery has, we are informed, been engaged for a period of six months, and the crushing going on promises to be equal to any former one from the Manukau reef. The crushing, which wa3 finished on Friday last at the Kuranui Company's battery, for the Shooting Star Company, has given a yield of gold that will compare favorably with any yield yet obtained from any claim on the Thames. The total yield from the six tons crushed amounts to 1770z 19dwt in all, or an average of 290z 13dwt to the ton. This gold was deposited Jo the credit of the company in the Grahainstown branch bank Of New Zealand on Friday night. We- are informed that arrangements have been made for crushing 100 tons from this nune at Bleazard's machine, and that operations are to be commenced to-day. The stone is already on hand, so that no delay need take place for want of stuff to crush, i There is very little doubt that when the ! Shooting Star mine is properly opoued up it will rank amongst the best gold producers on the Thames, and, with the accommodation which will be afforded by the wire tramway now in course of construction, there will be no difficulty for the future in sending as much stone as they like to the mill. The crushing for the Prido of the Karaka at the Una mill was completed late on Saturday night, but the result is not yet cleaned up or retorted. A parcel of specimens, weighing about 801 b, was crushed in the single stamper, and the re^suit, as retorted on Saturday, was 750z 6dwt of rich-quality gold. The general crushing has yielded a large lot of amalgam, and the retorting, which takes place to-day,- ■•■ will doubtless be a rich one! There were altogether- about 90 tons of stone put through at this crushing, and preparations are now going on for taking* out another lot as soon as possible. ; The specimens from the Tokatea claim,; Coromandel, which were to be seen a f jwi days ago at Mr Hogg's^ office, were, on Saturday, crushed by Mr Spencer, of! Grahainstown. There were 241 bof stonej which yielded ,60oz of gold, being at the' rate of 2|oz to the pound. COROMANDEL. The Scotia Claim, which is peg and peg with the Now n huin and Great Nugget, took out on Friday last Borne very good auriferous stone from the leader they are at wqvH un, <\nd the H_ibernia. Cla,iin lias

also struck some good gold in a leader which was cropping out on the surface. The Earl of Erin, adjoining the Little Angel and Indian Maid, struck gold last week in a reef which the shareholders had sunk upon. They are now putting in a drive to cut it. The selling price in this claim is L4OO a share. The Harbor View Claim still continues to yield rich specimens, and the result of last week's blasting was that some very good specimens were obtained from the reef at the end of the upper drive, thus proving that the reef carries gold on the western as well as on the eastern side of the range. During the past week shares in the following claims have changed hands : — Kapanga, No. 5, at L 8 0; Erin's Hope, half, L4O ; Sons of Freedom, quarter, L2O ; and Hidden Treasure, at L2O. The litigation as to M'Leod's (the prospectors' claim, as it is called) is still going on. There is still employment for gentlemen of the long robe, but now they have something to fight about. Four hundred pounds of stone were crushed yesterday at the 4-s tamper battery of Mr Charles King, from the claim called indifferently M'Leod's, the Prospectors', or the Tokatea claim ; the result was 800oz of gold. Of the character of the stone little more need be said than that it is very like the stone first taken out of Hunt's claim, namely, a light-brownish quartz. Some of the specimens shown to me were so full of gold that I ventured to predict a result of 3oz to the pound weight ; but I was afterwards told that the stone was not really picked stone, but taken as it came. I think my guess was so far right, had all the stone been anything like what I saw. The stone was calcined or burnt, a course that I think is a mistake in dealing with stuff of the kind that this is, as there is very little or no pyrites in the stone. In any case it must be most satisfactory to all interested in these gold fields to kuow that so large a yield has been got from a place of which so many hard things have been said. The Shotover No. 2 claim has also had a trial test. The stone was crushed at the Kuranui Battery, Grahainstnvvn. One lot of 971 b gave 2£oz to the ton. A second lot, from a second and distinct leader, gave 12oz to the ton. All, or neaiiy all, the claims report having struck gold.