MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 36, 17 November 1871, Page 3

MINING.

Caledonian. —Yesterday the opening was effected between No. 3 winze and the low level of the mine. By this, the manager will be now enabled to work the mine in a far more expeditious and economical manner than he has been able to do for some time past. Breaking down the reef has already been commenced, and a fine haul of 1 cwt of rich specimens was made yesterday morning from the main vein, near to No. 3 winze, which is still very rich, better than it has been for many weeks past, and a further quantity of specimens were to be brought up during the night. Stoping will he carried on at once, all the stone being passed down the winze, and trucked thence to the shaft, and so directly landed at the surface without any second handling. Besides the large quantity of stone they will be enabled to break down from the main reef, the remainder of the block between Nos. 1 and 2 winze, will soon be knocked down, and as good gold was left on the bottom of the upper drive, what remains to be taken out is expected to be very rich. The report flying about town, yesterday evening, that good gold had been got in the low level, must have originated in the fact of the specimens having been taken from the main face, as nothing has yet been proved with regard to the value of the reef below. Respecting the letter which was published in two of the Auckland morning papers of the 15th, about the Caledonian mine, the opinions expressed as regards the price of the shares being a fancy one, and and that the market should decide what was a fair price, are likely to be soon put to the test. From the present appearance of things it seems to be. very unlikely that the price of stock will reeede any more ; on the contrary, it looks as if it were going the other way again.. Regarding the late heavy fall in the price of the stock, it is easily accounted for in more ways than one. People in general seemed to have made up their minds that the last month’s yield was to have been a very heavv one, and consequently the price held up. Then again, when the month’s yield was found to be GOOOozs., they said, “ Oh, then that makes 10,000 on hand ; they can easily declare a £lO dividend,’ seemingly quite oblivious of the fact that eight week’s work had to be paid for and during part of that time a very heavy expense had been incurred, in addition to the usual weekly expenses, which are no small amount. The natural result of the £5 dividend was a great and immediate downfall, from which, however, they now seem to be rallying slightly. The great increase in the quantity of stone will, of course, greatly increase the yield, even though the specimen part of the mine should not come up to what is expected, but we fully expect to see a far larger yield for the next month than we have had during the past one.

Brack Angel. —The crushing of 20 tons for this company at Partington’s battery gave a yield of 13ozs. 18dwts. of retorted gold. This is not as much as was expected, the least looked for being an ounce to the ton, for although there was a large quantity of mullock put through, the prospects obtained from the stuff fully warranted the manager in saying that there would be a better yield than it has turned out. However, they intend to get the winze down and open out on tho reef, as the only means of proving really what the value of it is. The Pukehinau are now crushing at the battery vacated by the Black Angel Company, and a payable return is looked for. Californian. —Ten head _ of stampers are crushing away for this company’s tributers at the Flora Macdonald battery, and making a fair show on the plates. The principal part of the stone taken down is from the winze. The reef where driven on is improving in appearance, though it is a little pinched in the faee, but nothing of any consequence. Cock-a-Doodle. —The manager has commenced to rise on the reef just where tho good specimens were taken from a short time since, and yesterday a few more pieces of stone containing gold were taken from just above the same spot, showing that the reef still carries the gold upwards. Driving on the reef is being continued and in the face a horse has come in and split the reef in two, each branch being ten inches or a foot thick. The horse is some two feet wide as far as they have gone, and does not yet show any signs of running out. As the drive is put in, stoping out will be carried ahead, and by the time the winze is reached, the manager expects to be up forty feet or so. There are a few tons of stone at the machine, but no start will be made until the work is sufficiently forward to enable them to keep ten head constantly going. No difficulty in doing this is anticipated, as everything is in readiness for putting plenty of hands to work on the reef. Missouri. —The manager is putting in a drive from the level of the Californian tramway, to cut a reef formally worked on from the surface called the white reef. The drive has cut through a reef about 5 feet wide, a fine compact body of brown quartz, whereas the reef sought for is white and very much broken up indeed — no part of it having been found to be at all solid. This white reef is, according to the manager’s calculation, 12 feet away from the one now in hsnd, and what proves that he is likely to be right is the fact that a shaft on the reef, which is full of water, only 14 feet above the toDof the drive, has not been drained at all. The tunnel will bo pushed ahead to see what the reef cut really is, and a trial crushing will take place from it as soon as the stuff can be sent down to the mill. Tramway arrangements have been made by which the trucks can be loaded at the face, and the stone sent down the shoot and delivered at the stamper boxes without any second handling. Besides these reefs there is a large quantity of surface stuff, evidently slips from the caps of the reefs, which has been tested, and yielded at the rate of 7dwts to the ton. This would do to keep the battery going, as it is more than payable, there being a very large quantity of it close to the tramway. The new tunnel will eventually be carried on to cut their main reef at a lower level than

it has been worked hitherto, and to prospect the ground between that reef and the Eveline lode, a distance of 150 feet hitherto unprospected. Altogether there seems to be a chance now' of the battery being kept constantly employed on payable quartz, which has been allowed to remain almost totally untried for such a length of time. Felix. —The low level drive is in 175 feet, and yesterday a body of stone was touched, but it is not yet known whether it is their reef or another leader. This tunnel is not put in to cut the Highland Chief reef as our morning contemporary stated a few days since, the Highland Chief lode being fully a quarter of a mile away down the creek, and running almost parallel to the Felix. The manager has started to cut out a paddock and prepare for putting up a shoot, and as soon as ever the reef is opened up he will be able to keep 20 head of stampers going, if the stuff is only payable, and from the prospects obtained, the owners are very confident of success. Queen of May.—Queen of the May.— We have been requested to make the following statement respecting these, two mines. The Queen of May is a claim of three men’s ground situated next the Shamrock, and now amalgamated with the Best Wrinkle, under the name of the Queensland. The Queen of the May is a lease of eighteen men’s ground situated next to the City of London, or the Waiohaika spur. Much doubt has oi curred in consequence of the similarity ot the two names, and many persons are anxious to have tho thing explained to the public. City of Dunedin. —A mining survey has been made by Mr R. McFarland, C.E., from which it appears that they have still some twenty-five feet to drive on their present level before getting under where the best of their gold was formerly got. This will partly account for the rather poor returns wdiich have come to hand lately.