MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 16, 25 October 1871, Page 3

MINING.

Brighton. —The stuff going through the machine has been showing well on the plates, better than was anticipated. From appearances and after; careful watching, the manager thinks the stuff from the footwall of the reef carries most of the gold, and as soon as the lot on hand is finished, he intends to keep the stone from the footwall separate from the hanging wall, and crush them in different boxes, so as to make sure. A gentleman, who is a veiy large shareholder, was fossicking ’on the heap; yesterday and, on breaking a stone, found a splendid show of gold inside it. This looks well for a reef which has been left unworked for such a long time.. Should the present stuff pay sufficiently well to avoid further calls being made, and enable the manager to carry out all the opening-up work of the mine, a first rateff uture can confidently be looked forward to. Cock-a-Doodle. —The stone met with in the drive from the Yankee Doddle turns out tp be a leader not expected, about eighteen inches thick on one side of the drive running out to only a couple of inches on the other. The manager drove a-head a few feet after cutting this, and yesterday a body of stone was met with supposed to he the reef sought for. This is in all probability the correct idea, as the winze on the reef in the upper drive which was stopped on account of the inflow has been drained. Work can now be commenced immediately, and the value of the reef at the low level thoroughly tested.

Bright Smile. —The final cleaning up from about 200 tons put through for this company was completed yesterday morning, and the yield was 4020z5. retorted geld. Although this is less than a great many people anticipated, yet it may be looked on as a, really good one, and the shareholders have no cause to be dissatisfied with the value of their property. Crushing is still going on, and plenty of stuff can be. got out, and if it continues to fail 2ozs. to the ton it will prove a valuable addition to the gold-returning claims on the field. New Caledonia. —The directors held a meeting on Monday last, at which a call of one shilling per share was made. From the present appearance of the mine, and and the prospects before it, they feel pretty confident that this will be the last call they will have to make. Imperial Crown. Good progress is being made with the excavations for the erection of the pumping machinery, and also with the filling-in of the site on the beach, where their large battery and crushing plant is to be erected. Shotover. —The reef struck in the low level drive had not been cut through yesterday afternoon. They were six feet into the stone, and it showed no sign of the other wall. When the reef is broken through, it is intended to drive towards the Kuranui to test the value of the reef, It is fully expected that some good stuff will be met with. Waiotahi Battery. —At this machine five head are at work for the Goldfinch Company, and there is a good show on the plates, it looks like over 2oz. stuff. The Evening Star have five head, and the company’s tribute the remaining five. The Evening Star stuff looks well for a payable return, though not perhaps equal to the last. Golden Calf. —The machinery having been re-erected, is now almost ready for work, and a start will be made perhaps to-morrow. Nonpareil. —'Rising on and stopiug out the large block of ground between the two winzes is going ahead, and the reef shows a - splendid body of crushing stuff, good gold being visible in mauy places through the small quartz veins which run through the lode. The reef in the chamber at the bottom of the main winze, within a few feet of the Waitemata boundarjq is looking better than when the drive was first put in, and shows gold plainly throughout in the quartz. The picked stuff on hand, amounting to about 15cwt., will be crushed to-day, and to-morrow the general monthly cleaning up will take place, preparatory to the directors’ meeting, to be held at the end of the week. There will probably be about l,oooozs for the months return. Stopiug is still carried on on all the branch leaders towards the Italian and Central Italy ground, and good stuff is coming out. Golden Lion. —They are driving East and West from the chamber at 100 feet from the surface. They are about 15 feet in with both drives, and expect to catch the reef under the creek in about 20 feet more. The country they are going through is excellent working ground, and very good looking. Yesterday a small stringer was met with, and water made its appearance in the face, which shows every indication of some leader being near. The company have over 600 feet on the line of reef, and when they cut the reef at this level will have a splendid block of ground to work out. Their prospects are just now very bright. Standard. —Excellent stone is being taken from the reefs in this claim every shift. About 51b more of excellent specimens were brought out yesterday, which can be seen at the office of the Company.

Best Wrinkle.—About 701 b stone from this claim, crushed at Spencer and Hall’s test battery, yielded lloz of melted gold. Caledonian.—The shaft and wheel were placed in position yesterday, and the engine having undergone a thorough cleaning, everything will be in readiness to make a start to-day, and pumping will at once commence. The crushing is looking excellent, and this week’s yield ought to be quite equal to, if not greater, than .-—-a biilSH 1 leua^fr - who eat m this claim yesterday morning. The manager has started to drive on it, and according to present appearances the stone will turn out well. Flagship Golden Anchor.—A meeting of the shareholders was held last night at the Governor Bowen Hotel, when rules were passed, five directors were elected, and the appointment of Mr H. G. Collett as legal manager confirmed. The directors meet to-morrow, and it is intended to continue working the mine. They also contemplate erecting a battery of their own at an early date, which the present appearance of the mine fully warrants.