MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 33, 14 November 1871, Page 3

MINING.

George Stevenson. —The leader worked in this claim is still turning out well, as it is worked on.- Going towards the Pretty Nelly, (now the CaledonianCrown), it was thrown abont five feet out of its course, but is now in hand again, and is about one foot wide, gold being visible in the face. Towards the Black Forest it ran in very narrow, but is now making again and carries good gold with it all along. The stopes, too,-on this side <>f ihc mine are looking very well, and turning out good stone. Since the last crushing about 401bs -of specimens have accumulated, besides the general stuff, and another turn out of gold will soon take place. Their lower boundary line ran right across the mouth of the drive, and last week a man’s ground or so was pegged out, taking in their tramway, tip, etc., and the peggers out set to work making a cutting right at the mouth of the tunnel, and throwing the dirt on the tramway, thus completely stopping all the work during the day, in consequence of which work has been greatly delayed. An injunction has now been laid on the excavation, and a law-suit will be the result, the manager of the George Stevenson alleging that they themselves pegged out the ground previously. If they did not •do so, it was a great oversight, as all their tramway shoots, etc., arc on the ground in question.

Black Forest. —The shareholders have left off working in their lower level, .and have put in a drive some feet higher than the George Stevenson, and at some forty feet in cut the leader within a few feet of surface and got a very good show of gold. Tiiey are sinking a winze on the boundary, and the leader looks well as far as they have at present gone, some lbs of good golden stone having been taken out. They intend to sink this winze down to their lower level, which will give them backs backs of about fifty feet to work out the whole length of their ground, and in some places a good deal more than the fifty feet, as the leader runs through a high spur in the upper portion of their ground. They have a few tons of quartz in the paddock taken from the winze, but will not crush until they have got down to their level. The leader wherein hand in the winze, is about nine inches wide and very well defined. Cable. —The tributers who are working the upper portion of this company’s ground are getting out’some 10 tons of stone from the same leaders worked on in the Golden Anchor and Flagship claim, which they are going to have crushed next week. They are working at a great disadvantage, having to haul all the stuff up a shaft 80 feet deep. In this shaft they have opened out on one leader at a depth of 47 feet, and from this were taken the specimens exhibited some time since. The other leader at the bottom of the shaft is the one from which the main portion of the stone crushed by the Flagship lately was taken. These leaders could be worked to much greater advantage from the Flagship and Golden Anchor tunnel, which is at present unused, but we believe that arrangements could not be come to, though some offer was made by the Cable men. The low level drive going in from the creek for the company is making good progress. A reef 12 feet wide was cut through, but no good prospect was obtained from it. Caledonian Crown (late Pretty Nelly). —Work is being carried on on the reef in the’main tunnel, and stone is being brought to grass for an immediate crushing. In their drive they have cut two small leaders, dipping the same way as the reef, and the shareholders are much in doubt ns to which of them is the George Stephenson leader, which passes through their ground. From bearings taken, and from the appearance of the reef itself, which closely resembles the George Stephenson lode, except that it is a little larger in most places. There can be very little doubt that the Pretty Nelly reef and the George Stephenson are one and the same lode, and this lode, from present appearances, promises to be a valuable one for the district in -general. A great deal of work has been done in this claim by former holders, but from the bad way in which it was done, the present manager finds it quite unsafe to go.into the old workings, which, in three different places, fell in, in one instance locking up a block of the reef from which the best crushings that ever took place were turned out. Some 60 feet from the reef at present worked, another dipping towards it was wrought on, and a winze sunk to catch the junction, but owing to bad timbering, it fell in, and a great deal of work will be necessary before it can b<s got at again. These leaders could all be worked most advantageously from a low level tunnel, which no doubt will be done when the reef is proved up above. A proper survey will take place shortly, in order to determine which really is the George Stephenson leader. HorEFUL. —This is the name of a claim of one man’s ground, taken up between the George Stephenson and Pretty Nelly by an old prospector on the creek, who evidently knew the run of the place, as both the former claims were unaware that such a thing existed. He has gone some 40 feet into an old drive, and has got the George Stephenson leader, from which he has already got a very fair prospect, although he has only just commenced to open out on it. He is rather far up the hill at present, and intends to put in a drive at a much lower level, in order to get a good back to work on. Golden Stur. —A good deal of work has been done in this mine, and a large quantity of stone taken out since it was first opened, and, according to the present appearance of the reef, they never had better prospects than they now have before them. In the drive opened up from the bottom of their winze the reef going up the spur lias improved in appearance, and the country looks much more kindly than it did some way back. In the stopes above this level gold is frequently seen, especially in the numerous stringers or feeders coming into the hanging wall of the reef. In the upper drive the reef has split, and both branches have been followed. Near where the split occurred a good prospect was obtained from the black mullock alongside the reef, and a quantity of it was sent to the machine with the other stone, but it yielded really nothing, which will greatly reduce the yield from the present crushing. When the company get their rvinze down to the low level, which is in from the Hape Creek, they will be able to work their mine in a much more economical manner than they are now doing. This ought to be done as soon as possible, and we believe that it is the intention of the management to set to work at it immediately. At Bull’s machine the crushing is looking about the same as usual. A retorting of pait of the amalgam took place yesterday, which yielded 48ozs. 2dwts. Another retort was on the fire yesterday evening. Grove’s Bank. —The drift beingworked in this claim has improved very much lately, and is from four to seven feet deep, 1 containing much more quartz than it has

done before. The show on the plates is also very good. The large specimen taken out on Friday last was a magnificent piece of stone, and turned out a very large quantity of gold—far more than was expected from the size of it. Flagship Golden Anchor. —It is a pity to see this fine piece of ground lying idle now that the adjoining claims are doing so much work, and have such good prospects before them. Up to the time of its formation into a company, and for a very short time after, it was well worked, but now there is no sign of anything having been done for some weeks. Surely there must be something wrong somewhere when a payable claim is left to itself as this one is.

At Bull’s machine the crushing for the Moa will be finished, and cleaned up today. The Green Isle have sent down about 15 or 20 tons as a trial from their leader, which will be started this morning. The Golden spur still occupy three head, which they intend to keep going constantly for some time.

Windsor Castle. —The crushing for the tributers of the company of 17 tons at Partington’s battery gave a return of 17ozs of melted gold—exactly one ounce to the ton. This was far more than was expected the show on the plates, the major portion of the amalgam being taken from the boxes. The Black Angel is crushing a parcel of some 15 or 20 tons, and the Pukehinau will probably start to crush to day at the same battery. Whau. —The cleaning up for this company at the Manakau battery gave a return of 35ozs 15dwts melted gold. The quatity of stone crushed is not to hand. The following returns of gold were banked yesterday Waiotahi (tribute) 56ozs lOdwts; Whau 35ozs lodwts; Windsor Castle (tribute) 17ozs; Prido of York Bozs 4dwts; Golden Spur 48ozs 2dwts ; Herald 22ozs lGdwts.