Gold-fields Intelligence.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 585, 11 June 1868, Page 3

Gold-fields Intelligence.

MINING MATTERS

(?rOHi tISS Th£itlCs Arf t..—~ I

The Loch Earn claim-owners, we are happy to say, are continuing to turn out remarkably rich quartz, having on Saturday last struck another rich leader, or rather series of leaders of extraordinary richness. This is now we believe the seventh leader that has been struck, from all of which very rich gold has been got. This claim, j which has only been worked since the beginning of March last, contains six men’s ground, and judging from the rich quality of the stuff, already taken out, and also the first-rate gold bearing leaders that are being opened up, promises to equal, if not indeed to surpass, yet found on the Waiotahi Creek, We congratulate the fortunate shareholders on the golden prospects before them, and all the more so when we consider the short time the ground has been taken up, and the consequent small amount of work that has been got through. The gold found on this claim is also of a superior quality—the holders having, we understand, had a few specimens crushed (about 80tbs) at Spencer’s berdan, which yielded 12| ozs, of the value of .£3 17s 10jd oz. From the nature and number of the rich leaders running through the claim, the owners expect to come upon a reef ere long, when we fully believe that something truly astonishing will be the result. A sample of quartz from the Lucky Hit claim, on theKaraka, was crushed at Bull’s one-staraper machine on Friday last, with very satisfactory results The specimen comprised lOOlbs of quartz, and the yield was 7dwts 12 grains of retorted gold. The party have fifty tons of the quartz ready for the machine. The crushing was a rough sample from the heap, which had been lying at Bull’s for some two months. The claim is now worked by Sturgeon and party. The Democrat Claim, on the Karaka, comprises eight men’s ground. Several drives have been put into the ground, and several very thick leaders exposed. From one of these three hundred weight of quartz was crushed in their own machine (Smith’s patent,) about a month ago, and yielded eight and a half pennyweights—though the gold was invisible to the naked eye. They have likewise seen gold in other drives, but at present they have done no more crushing, as the machine has to be turned by a water-wheel now being made. The trial-crushing mentioned above was done by hand, and was so laborious that the shareholders decided to crush no more until the wheel is got ready. The names of the shareholders in this claim are Messrs Gunn, M* Andrew, Hill, Kirkwoods (2,) Smith, Kirk, and Harvey. Armstrong’s claim, Waiotohi, con-j tains six men’s ground, and has been worked for four months. The main j drive reaches a length of 70 feet, and| a shaft, has been put in drives 20 feet and 25 feet leading therefrom under the spur. A second drive has been put into a length of 30 feet, with cross drives from thence to the leaders in the main drive. One of the leaders consists of a solid body of quartz, from which a considerable quantity of stuff, has already been taken, A shaft in the main drive reaches 15 feet, with a drive from thence, in which leaders forming a continuation of those above, have been opened. The party are in expectation of striking the Rising Sun leader from the shaft drive. There five drives on the ground and from each good looking stone has been taken. The ground is of such a nature that no slabbing is required, and a great saving of labor and expense is consequently effected. A shaft has been commenced on the lower ground with a view of connecting the two drives. There are some 50 or 60 tons of stuff

in readiness for a crushsng but the want of machinery in the neighborhood prevents the nature of the yield being tested. It is reported that a machine is to be put up oh a claim near, so that the difficulty will then he obviated. From Tapu Creek some gratifying 'news has been received during thej iweek respecting the yield of the

Southern Cross Claim ; the ground is situate No. 1 north of MTsaacs’ Prospecting Claim, respecting which the public have heard so much of late. It was taken up shortly after the latter, but the dispute pending between the owners of that ground prevented its working in earnest until within the past few weeks. During the week the party have struck the Lord Nelson leader in a shaft they have sunk on the claim, Thev have obtained some

very rich specimens ol quartz, and have washed no less than 6 ounces to the dish out of a mullocky leader.

(New Zealand Herald, 2nd Juno.) Mr Christie has sold a quarter share in Aunt’s claim for .£2,200, Mr Hunt himself being the purchaser. We have been reliably informed that on the 21st ult., after the sale was made, quite one thousand ounces of gold were taken out of this claim in the space pf a couple of hour’s. The place where it was taken from was a patch where the leader was most extraordinarily rich the gold in some pieces of the stone forming veins of three-quarters of an inch in thickness.

During the past week upwards of 1,600 ounces of gold have been brought up by the steamers Tauranga and Midge from the Thames. The Bank of New Zealand received 860 ounces, 660 being from the Kurunui, 160 from the Long Drive, and 40 in small parcels and about 100 ounces from the All Nations claim. The Bank of Australasia has received between 700 and 800 ounces from the Middle Star, Tookey’s and various other claims. The Earl of Pembroke, who is at present on a yachting excursion through the provinces, paid a visit to Shortland (Thames gold field,) on the 18th ult., in the chartered schooner Albatross. The Albatross, Captain Braund, anchored off Tararu Point during the morning, and the young Earl landed soon afterwards in order to visit the Shotover and Kurunui Company’s claim together with the machinery in the neighborhood. A handsome building has been erected at Shortland for the Union Bank of Australia. There is ample accommodation afforded for the usual departments; also for gold-buying and smelting. The Bank of New South Wales is about to erect banking premises at Shortland.

A thirty-roomed house is about to be erected at Shortland, which indicates not only the prosperity of the place, but the want of extended house accommodation. The various iron foundries in Auckland are unusually brisk, owing to the demand for the erection of quartzcrushing machinery at the Thames gold-fields.

The amateurs of Otahuhu celebrated the Queen’s Birthday by holding a concert and ball in aid of the Diggers’ Hospital at the Thames. After the concert the hall was cleared, and dancing was kept up until an early hour.

The quantity of gold exported from the Province of Auckland during the quarter ended March 31st, was 8,405 ozs, value, £2G,47G ; of which 6.050 ozs was exported to Great Britain, and 2,355 ozs to New South Wales. Three tenders were received for the construction of the wharf at Kaueranga, on the 22nd ult., by the Provincial Governent, and we believe the lowest tender, that of Mr Cadman, has been accepted ; so that the people of Shortland will soon have the necessary accommodation for their shipping.

IMPORTANT MINING DISCOVERY.—NEW PROCESS,OF AMALGAMATION.

(From the New Zealand Herald, 6th June.) Odb difficulties at the Thames lie less in the cost of crushing of stone than with the difficulty of extracting the gold from the quartz when crushed.

It is needless to remark that one of the most important questions of the day is, how are we to catch our fine gold? Our extensive quartz reefs teem with the finest gold ; our sturdy, and enterprising miners have it as it were within their grasp; they see it they know it is there, when, alas ! after using the best means at their disposal for separating it from its matrix, it but too frequently vanishes away, and leaves but faint traces behind. When we reflect that in so many instances one or two ounces per ton are (obtained from quartz which promised more than double, aye, and ten times

that amount, and when moreover we observe the finest particles of gold to float away upon the surface of the water, it must be obvious to every thinking mind that the ordinary process of amalgamation is not suitable for the Thames gold, which is of so fine a quality as to elude as it were the grasp of the mercury as now employed, and to float away over its surface. Science and art would seem to have failed hitherto in devising the best moans e*’ opmiwnu tßfo Bno .mid **"6 & —’ at least m quantities sufficient to remunerate the miner. We are happy to observe, however, that experimental inquiry into this important subject is being zealously prosecuted, and we have strong grounds for believing that a perfectly new system of amalgamation will very soon be introduced to the notice of our mining population, and one which seems, so far as it has been tried, to grapple successfully with the difficulty. We have been informed that the new system is likely to prove less expensive than the old method, whilst, at the same time, it affords the greatest possible certainty of securing the finest particles of gold. It may be gratifying to our fellowcolonists to know that the discovery has originated amongst ourselves, and that the greatest difficulty hitherto encountered on our Thames gold-fields is likely to be overcome by the ingenious discovery of au old fellow colonist. We allude to a discovery recently made by Dr Aiken. Experiments have proved that the whole of the gold contained in the stone can be saved, and we may further state that the expense will not increase in proportion to the amount of quartz operated upon. Indeed, as stated above, the new process of amalgamation will be less costly than the old one.