MINING NEWS.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 38, 23 February 1884, Page 2

MINING NEWS.

A party,, subsidised by. a*nnniber of residents in Te Aroha, is now out prospecting the township side of the moun.tain. Their present sphere of operations is on the range above the old Morning Btar claim. Although much, money and labour has been expended unsuccessfully in various attempts to discover permanently paying reels on this side of the hill, there is yet ample encouragement for fresh efforts being made. The men now out are old and experienced quarts miners, and as there is a large area of untried and likely country before them, there is fair reason to hope that their exertions in trying to open up a new field, or resuscitate the old one, will yet be crowned with success. Tjie Battery. — The dry weather which prevailed in the early part of the week, auc-l for some time previously, had begun to affect the water supply. For two or three days before the rainfall of Thursday the want of power began to be felt, aiul it was found necessary to hang up ten head of stampers. This circumstance will ' largely affect the week's return of amalgam, which otherwise would have been fully up to the average of previous yields. The recent rains,* however, have again filled the races, and the whole strength of the battery is now going at full speed. The following are the returns for the week ending Saturday, the 16th inst. :—: —

I New Find— From Platea . . . . 663 0 Blanketings . . 117 0 Colonist— From Plates 160 0 Tailings .. 31 10 Total 871 10 New Find. — The various workings continue to look well. A winze has been started in fche No. 2 drive to connect with the new low level. Gold still going down and reef of average size. Tenders for the extension of the low level have been received, and the work will be proceeded with early next week. A full report on this mine will be given in our next issue. Colonist — It is gratifying to have to chronicle further good news from this claim. A marked impiovement has taken place within the last day or two in the south end of the low level. The reef there has increased in size from 4ft to nearly 7ft, and is now yielding stone quite equal to that recently got in the north end of the level, the gold being also of a slightly coarser quality. In the face northward things have still a very promising appearance. Since the improvement set in in this direction ten days ago. the drive has been extended 25ft, for which distance there has been a irood show of golil at oncli breaking down, anil theiv are no symptoms yet of any falling off. The reef is still from 3 to 4ft wide, which has been its average size for the last 20ft or so. There is a Urge stock of quartz on hand at the mine, and the manager would have no trouble in keeping a greater number of stamps going t.ian have recently been at Uis disposal. The stuff treated at the battery during the week has, as was to be expected, shown a decided improvement upon fo imer crushings from the mine, and when the poorer stone (some of which is still in the hoppers) gives place to the richer sort just found in the south end of the low level a still further improvement may be looked for. Euheka. — This claim has not hitherto held that place in public estimation which it deserves The principal reason, and indeed the only one, to which this can be attributed is its isolated position. Situ ated in an out-of-the-way corner of the Held, some 700 or 800 feet above the tramway, is has not had those facilities for working that have brought into prominence other mines of perhaps less importance ; but this drawback will shortly be overcome, and there is every probability that before many weeks have passed the mine will take rank as a large gold producer. A wire tramway to connect the claim with the County line is now in coarse of erection, and is being pushed on as fast ns the rough character of the ground will allow. Twelve men are at present employed on the work, and it is calculated that in less than two months everything will bo in readiness for the transit of quartz. At the mine everything is in a forward state, nnd a commencement can at any time bo made to get out quartz in lnr#e quantities. From the low level to the outcrop there is a block of 120 feet ready to be operated on. Midway down the winze that connects the low level with the surface-, an intermediate drive is being put in from both ends. The one going south is now in about 20 feet, the reef in the face being full four feet in width, with gold showing through the quartz. In the opposite direction the vein has been followed about 8 feet, and is 3 feet 6 inches wide, the stone looking equally well. The systematic way in which the mine is being opened up will give every facility for carrying on operations "cheaply, and the manage! will have no difficulty in keeping up a steady supply of stuff for the JO head of stampers for which arrangements have been made with the 1 Battery Company. Perhaps in.no other claim ou the field has work been carried on more steadily and under greater difficulties than in this ; nnd to all who desire to see patient industry and unflagging energy duly rewarded, the news at an early date of satisfactory returns from the battery will be, as well as to the shareholders, a cause of much gratification. Army. — A large amount of prospecting work has been done in this claim, chiefly on the No. 3 reef,- which is a fine ■compact body of stone, vnryincf from 2 feet ,6 inches to 4 feet in thiokness., Iv pi{e Opart -the cap. has been stripped 40 or '50 m feCt; thp vein beiijg 4 feet winY/ ahil ; ; giving very, fair mortar prospects

with :an 'occasional, colour vjsible^fhvthestono. v A little, to the\. north war<Kthe> same reef, r thqugh shi aller , in - siz%ii as been cut at a lower level with a similar show of gold, an.l 200 feet still further northward a drive has been put in,along the lode for more, than 130 feet, and about 100 feet below the surface workings. A trial of a few tons from the cap of the reef is about to be made, and the stuff is now being got down to the tramway ; but this involves some heavy labour, for the whole has to be pickaue J, the ground being so steep and rugged as to be impassable for horses. Should this parcel prove payable a large block of ground can quickly be made available, as the northern drive could in a short time be carried in under the surface workings, and a block 100 feet in depth ba thus opened up. It may be mentioned that the reef bears many favour- | able indications. The hard footwall and ! soft hanging wall characteristic of the New Find mine are also observable here, and much of the quartz is of that curly ! texture held in such high estimation in some of the principal claims on the field. With cheap crushing power, and an easy means of access to the main line of tramway, there can be little doubt that this claim might soon be classed amongst those which have already been proved to he payable. Moa No. 2. — Fair progress is being made by the contractors in the cross-cut ; the country has for some distance been rather hard, but is now showing signs jof improving. This drive is being put in to cut the No. 3 reef, from which such excellent prospects of gold and silver were got some time ago. The face is now in 70 feet, but a further distance of 70 or 80 feet has yet to be driven before the line of the reef is reached. | Alphabet Company. — Men are em- j ployed prospecting the F claim, and other portions of this company's ground. Inverness.— The contractors have finished driving. A frosh start will be immediately made to pick up the reef, which is supposed to be still a little distance ahead. Arizona. — The low level is now in IGO feet, the last '26 being thro ugli good working country in which several stringers of quartz have been crossed, indicating the probable existence of a larger body in the near neighbourhood. This drive is also expected to intersect two good sized veins that were cut in the Arizona level of the New Find claim, as well as other offshoots of the main ; reef. It is probable that another leader, j which crosses the New Find low level, and is supposed to be identical with the Diamond Gully reef, may also be met with, but this is only surmise. The company's surveyor lias been on the 'ground during the week laying off the strike of the more important of the loaders discovered in the claim and in the adjoining properties. ' This work when completed will be of much value to shareholders in enabling them to judge of. the value of their claim, and will greatly assist the manager in the satisfactory working of the mine.