MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 12, 20 October 1871, Page 3

MINING.

The Caleodnian. —The water continued to rise yesterday very slowly indeed, and was up in No. 3 winze. Tiie general crushing stuff looks well at the ma .fines, and some very good stone has been brought up from the leader in No. 2 winze. Siiotover. —Last night a shot was to be put in to knock down some of the lode which has been laid bare, and the manager reports that it looks very fine. There is a good deal of water coming in from the reef. The country is of the best description, and it is fully expected that the lode will turn out to be of some 4 feet through or so. Should it be found to contain gold in anything like good payable quantities, mining will receive a fresh impetus on this field, and we may expect to see many other claims follow the exam pie, and prove the value of their property at a far greater depth than has hitherto been done. Gold not having been seen in the stone already taken out is no crito rion of -what may be in the reef, as the run, if one exist, may be on or near either wall of the lode, so that till the stone has been driven through, no correct estimation of the value of the find can be made. The quantities of base metals in the stone already seen, though it may be looked on as a healty sign, yet it is not a certainty that gold is mixed with it, even though in most instances such may be the case. There was a large quantity of the same thing in the reef at the Higher levels where it was tested, and though gold was found there it did not exist in any large quantities. It is to be sincerely hoped that the water will not prevent the lode being thoroughly tested. Cyclops. —The low level adit being put in to drain the winze and open up the reef for working on, is progressing favorably, the country being kindly and easily worked. They expect before reaching the reef on which they sank the winze, to cut through what is called the Vulcan No. 1 reef, that in hand at present being No. 2 worked in that claim. Moanataiara Union. —The tributers in this claim are still driving and stoping on the Union leader, and getting a good quantity of stone to grass, which continues to show up for a retu n equal to the last, which ran four ounces to the ton, including their specimens. Of these there are some 201bs already on hand, and by the end of the month a crushing will take place when the quantity put through will be much moro than last time.

Goldfinch. —The tramway from the mouth of the drive and the shoot and hopper are now very nearly ready for working, and very shortly the manager will be sending down stone to be crushed. The show continues good and work is still being carried on with vigor. Flying Cloud— The flow of water from their low level drive has very much diminished, and work was gone on with yesterday. There are now about seven feet to be driven to reach the old workings, and that will not take any length of time now that the fear of the water coming in on them is over. Some very good goldbearing stone was again taken from the leader in the face of the drive, which still continues to look as well as ever. It seems that the Sons of Freedom and Flying Cloud workings arc not joined, but that a block of reef some 25 feet bioad remains to be dr. von through before communication is effected throughout. Bendigo Independent. —A low level drive to meet their upper workings and open good backs on the reef is progressing, their being only about 40 feet farther to drive, and that through pretty good country. Most of the stone to be crushed is already at Weston’s battery and the remainder will be sent immediately, and with the specimens on hand a good' return ought to be the result. El Dorado. —The tributers arc working away driving on a reef which is now very large. Gold is to be seen, and some of the stones contain a very large quantity of base metal. There is a small quantity of stone in the paddock, but the manager will shortly increase it and get ready for a crushing. North "Devon.— At the 200 foot level the tributers have two rises up, and are stoping out the reef which is very large near the shaft, at the same time they are driving towards the Ruby cpmpany’s ground. In this direction the reef has come in again from the blow out and is looking very well, being about three feet fiom wall to wall. Though no specimens have been found gold can be seen occasionally, and there is such a large quantity of stone that a small return ought to be payable. The lowest return from former crushings was half an ounce to the ton, and this is expected to yield much better. The tributers are sending down some lif.y tons or more to Weston’s battery, and will commence crushing next week. As soon as that lot is finished the tribnters intend continuing a drive which they have already commenced to cut, the leader from which the Alburnia’s tributers got sucli good returns, and which was cut on the surfaee. This they would have done before but the inflow of water was so great that they left it, and went to work on the reef, but now the flow has decreased enough to enable them to work.

Long Tunnel. —Crushing will be commenced to-day at Partington’s battery, where 20 tons will be put through from the reef worked on lately. In their small shaft they have cut the leader running up the hill from the Eureka ground, but aie unable to work owing to a fall. They now intend to go into the main shaft formerly worked by the old shareholders. This will enable them to drive to the leader at a depth of 100 feet, and open out for working on backs of 100 feet to their upper level. There are some 50 or OOlbs of specimens on hand which will materially swell the return from the present mashing. Eureka Hill. —The manager made a start yesterday and get all the gear fixed for getting the shaft bailed out. Of course there was a slight mishap or two before the buckets were in thorough order, but all worked well at last. It is impossible to say what progress will be made until some time to-daj\ Ruby. —The low level adit now going in is progressing well, the country beingpretty good. It is now in about 200 feet, and when complete will drain the old workings of the Nil Desperanduin claim, in which is a winze from which good gold has been got. The present company’s ground con: rises the old Ruby, Papakura, Punga Fir. and Powers Comet claims, besides other ground pegged in for the two ler 3s. The drive is expected to be fiuishad in about four weeks from tins, and then the nnpanp will be able to open and get some grist to mill. At the Criterion Battery' the crushing which has beeu going on for soma time past for the Golden Age claim, was finished, and the machine cleaned up. No retorting will take place till to-d y, as the berdans have yet to be cleaned n. Messenger’s Company now occupy the battery vacated by them, and as they have a large quantity of stone in their paddocks, crushing will be continued for some time.

The remainder of the battery is stifl crushing for the Nonpareil; and it is still looking as well as ever. As soon as Messenger’s crushing is completed the Orien. tal have got the use of the battery. New Caledonia. —Driving is still continued, and they are now up to the timbers of the old workings. In about a week’s time thG manager will be able to continue stoping, and it will take a very short time for him to be in readiness to crush. We saw some very good looking stone to-day thickly impregnated with gold from the reef, which is some three feet wide, and some very good prospects can be obtained from any of the stone. This reef runa right through the lehgth of the mine, which has an area of 10 acres

Scandinavian, Upper Tararu. A directors’ meeting was held yesterday at the office of the company, Owen-street, and it was decided to caU at once for tenders for putting in a drive with a view of opening up the ground in order to be able to have a large trial crushing as soon as possible. As soon as the weather becomes settled they intend to statt men to work at their water race and get it done as soon as possible. Tin's mine consists of the Nightingale and Scandinavian claims amalgamated, and will eventually prove a valuable properly if worked in a proper manner and with machinery close at hand. The whole of this far away gold-bearing district seems as if it was now going to have a chance of being well prospected, many of the companies having stalled to work in earnest in spite of the numerous difficulties In their way. Golden Lion. —A meeting of the directors of tins company was held at the company’s office, Grahamstown, yesterday, when a contract was let for driving both cast and west from the chamber at the botioin of their shaft, to intersect the leaders known to exist, and which were formerly worked on, and proved payable. It will not take long to open some of them, as they are quite close to the shaft. Nolan’s Candlelight. —The result of the crushing of about 30 tons at the Brighton Company’s Battery for this claim was 42|oz, of melted gold, very nearly one and a half ounce to the ton. Cremorne. —This is the name of aleace on the Karaka Hill, Shor'd and. formerly known as the New Zealand lease. The latter company sunk a shaft 200 feet deep and a drive 40 feet to the reef, but as soon as they reached it they were flooded out, and were compelled to abandon their workings. Their surveyor recommends their entering a main adit from the level and close to the Una Company’s Battery. This, at a distance of nearly 700 feet, would drain the shaft, and enable them to get to work on the reef and open out. The reef in hand when they were compelled to stop work has been proved by survey to be the Piide of Karaka Reef. It is intended to start woik in a few weeks from this time.

Shooting Star. —The result of the crushing for this claim at Souter’s Battery was 20ozs. of melted gold. The exact quantity of stone put through we were uuable to ascertain last night. Bright Smile. —Upon proceeding to (lie mine yesterday onr reporter fouud the working in a sttffce of gaiety, quite out of the usual course of events, and upon enquiry ho learned that this was in honor of the marriage of a gentlemen who has from the first taken a leading part in the development of this mine. We allude to Mr R. Keunan, who was married with great eclat at St. George’s Church in the presence of a number of his friends. If course under the circumstances reporting on the mine was out of the question, so the intended report is postponed to another day.