INANGAHUA MINING ITEMS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1602, 23 September 1873, Page 3

INANGAHUA MINING ITEMS.

{HERALD, SEPTEMBER. 3T A.TSD 20.] On Friday another segment of the crown wheel gave way at Anderson's battery, which will necessitate the suspension . of crushing operations for fully a week. Tenders close on Thursday evening for , sinking the shaft in Anderson's 80ft, and the lowest, that of Norman M'Lean, was accepted at L 2 9s 6d per foot. , Golden Fleece. — All hands are still em- ' ployed getting out stone and preparing! timber. By Monday next there will be] 300 tons of stone stored in the paddocks ; ready for crashing. \ Ajax. — At the machine house order has j been restored, and the plant is now in' splendid condition, and will start crushing \ for the Golden Fleece on Monday. > Independent. — Two interests have re-; cently changed hands at fair prices. The prospecting shaft is being sunk as expedi- ; tiously as possible, and there is good! ' grounds for hope that the search for the i reef, on this occasion, will be crowned; i with success. Band of Hope.— Rumor has it, that it ] is projected to form a company to arrange \ terms with Mr M. Levy, the owner, to s move the plant to the right bank of the 1 ' Inangahua, above the Wealth of Nations. I do not vouch for the truth of the report. ; . Anderson's.— The gratifying intelligence ; reached Reefton on Monday that the reef ; in the shaft now being sunk in Anderson's' was showing some splendid gold, one of the men getting it out stating that even at the Little Wonder paddock at the ■ Lyell he had witnessed no stone to surpass \ ■ it in quality. On© little lot, got out the same night, at the end of the shift, and. . weighing about a hundredweight, was! ! estimated to contain five ounces of gold, ' : and there were not wanting persons willing to wager that a not smaller result < would be obtained from the stone if crushed by itself. The reef is thickening considerably, and this fact, together with its extraordinary richness, is rendering the prospects of shareholders satisfactory in the extreme. Energetic. — A plentiful supply of water has enabled the entire battery to operate at full speed during the week. On Wed-; , nesday last, the workmen employed in the shaft broke through into the middle tunnel, 153 ft below the surface. This accomplished, the fan and pipes recently erected for the purpose of ventilating the workings are now no longer required, and have been removed from the mine ; it is probable, however, that in the "distant future," they will again be brought into use. A shoot and draw have been prepared at the foot of the shaft, and the ladders are now being drawn previous to sending <Jown the atone raised during the

(For continuation ofAewssee ithpage.)

progress of sinking. All told, there are 215 tons of stone ready for crushing. Assuming that a plentiful supply of water is to be had, there is sufficient stone easily available to keep the machine employed for months, and that too without the labor of so many men as have recently been employed ; ten men, only, are now at work on the claim. This state of affairs is certainly a most cheering one, and is likely to be productive of good results. Boatman's. — -A fortnight is the time stated for crushing operations to be commenced at Bba't'maii's. It ; is generally understood that the Just-in-Time Company will crush first at the new'y-erected batteries. The Fiery Cross will follow, and according to the show of stone will probably keep the batteries employed for two months. It is quite expected that the first crushing from the Just-in-Tirae will yield a return sufficient, after deducting working expenses, to discharge that company's proportion of liability for the erection of machinery.