MINING NEWS. Mercury Bay, January 23.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 338, 30 January 1889, Page 4

MINING NEWS. Mercury Bay, January 23.

Messrs J. Campbell ' antt mate, and, ,T. Johnßtone and y mat'e, n who are camped respectively at the Sailors' Gcaveand Te Karo, , are 4 doing, remarkably welljusfc now in the black sand.. The , iron, circle^with which* some ''of the gold is covered < still causes trouble by preventing amalgamation. Of course, the gold is not actually ; rusted ; it is simply covered with an oxidised 'slime which is ea&ily-j removed .by friction^ or probably might be'» satisfactorily dealt with by chemicals. ,■- . i • '" he J -* All those interested in the recent dis-, coveries towards Wangapoa are satisfied with the way matters are pi-oceeding'., •In the prospectors at Matarangi, the; gold id holding as they go ,down with" ,the> winze, and a large quantity of good stone is ready for shipment. Mr Frazer recently paid a visit bo Matarangi. Mr Fraser recently paid a visit to Matarangi, and expressed a very favourable opinion of thejfieid. . ; The latest strike of importance is at Otama, about four miles from Matarangi. I have not'been to this "rush," but- there are favourable reports in circulation concerning it. Thompson and party have completed arrangements necessary to enable them to prosecute operations in the black sand afc Horseshoe Bay (about an hour and a-half's walk from Mercury Bay), and probably by this? time are getting gold. Altogether mining matters are looking bright down this way. Thames, January 26. Crown G.M. Company (Karangahake). — The four representatives of the Cassell gold extraction process, which is to be used in connection with this Company, are now at Karangahake. They will at once commence operations. The Big Pump.— At a meeting of the Borough Council last night it was unanimously resolved to increase the monthly contribution to the Thames Drainage Board from £10 to £15. Marototo G. and S.M. Co. — Mr J. H. Moore, mine manager, left for Auckland last night, where three tons of secondgrade ore are now in course of treatment at Fraser and Sons' plant. The' parcels are expected to be all through by to-day. Coromandel, January 26. Royal Oak. — The manager reports :—: — Since last report there has been a decided change for the better in the mine. The rise has been broken into from the crosscut. In the breaking-down of the reef gold was showing freefy. About 1201bs of specimens .were obtained, still leaving: gold showing in the face. At .present thereof is large and well-defined, and the ground showing fine mineral veins running into the reef from the footwall. The ti'ibuters are working on different reefs, not doing much. During the week they got about 21bs of picked stone from a cross level on No. 2 reef. Tokatea. — Jno. Larkins is working alone on the Excelsior reef, No. 4 block. It is 2, inches thick, but nothing so far payable. No. 5 block : Dick and Cowan are in 200 feet with the low level, the ground at the face is fairly good to break, and 50 feet more of driving will reach the leader from which came their previous good crushings. No. 7 block : Wilson and party are driving aloner McHalpin's reef in the hope of picking up a second run of gold.— Jno. Benney.