MINING.

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

MINING.

New Caledonia. —A parcel of stone is being sent down from the mine to be crushed on the flat immediately. In the mine the reef is looking very healthy, and gold is still visible, the country through which it runs having improved very much in appearance, and running much softer than it has done for some distance back. < Lion. —A small parcel, as a trial from their reef, is to be sent down to the Manukau battery, as soon as crushing acco nmodation can be obtained. If this should turn out well, they can break out a very large quantity of stone as the reef is a good size. The reef is not the one they went in for, that worked on by the Red White and Blue, being the principal _ object of their search. They will continue driving ahead for the purpose of reaching it, and in the meantime have determined to try the stone they have in hand. British. —We yesterday stated that this claim was crushing at Vickery’s machine on the Ivaraka Creek. It should have been at Bull’s No. 1 battery. Black Angel. —The manager is at present driving both ways from the bottom of the winze, and gold is seen in the face as they go on. lie will commence to stope out as soon as the drives are far enough in to enablo him to do so, and intends to start crushing with 5 head for a time. As soon as he gets farther opened up.he calculates that 10 head can be kept going for some time to come with good results, the prospects of the mine being very good. Caledonian. —No change of any moment has taken place in the mine for the last day or two. Everything below is going on Avell, and plenty of work is being done. Gold is visible on the shaft side of the No. 3 winze in fair quantities, and the general stone continues to look well. Willis’s Tribute (Tookey Co.) —A crushing of 25 tons of stone for this tribute was finished yesterday, at the Mauukau battery, and gave the very satisfactory return of 42ozs. 13dwts. of gold, or at the rate of loz. 14dwts. to the ton. Low and party cleaned up yesterday evening, after about the same quantity of stone had been put through, besides some specimens. The return will be to hand to-day. Lincoln Castee.— The parcel of stone crushed for this company at Vickery’s machine was finished on Thursday. 74 tons put through gave a return of 17ozs. of gold. The stone crushed was taken from the lode which runs into their ground from the 23rd of June, and which is in hand in their shaft. Some nice specimens were taken from it a short time since, and this together with the present good return proves that there is some good stone in the leader. Moanataiari Battery.— A great number of applications have been made for crushing accommodation at this battery lately, amongst others from the Dauntless and Sink to Rise, Lion, and Red White and Blue. This is a healthy sign, and speaks well for the progress of this part of the field.—Communicated. Californian. —This claim, it seems, is likely to turn out some very good crushing stone, and large quantities of it for some time to come. When the low level tunnel was put in, communication was opened with the level 100 feet above. At a distance of 00 feet down the winze they drove on the reef some 40 feet, and came on to a body of stone varying from 7 to 12 feet wide, and containing many signs of being a good gold-bearing lode. Black oxide of manganese -in large quantities exist, besides many other signs leading to the belief that gold was near them. Crushing is going on with 20 head of stampers at the Flora Macdonald battery, and the manager anticipates being able easily to keep them going. Hitherto the stuff crushed from the mine in these workings has not proved very rich, but there seems to be a decided improvement in that now going through, 211ozs. of amalgam having been lifted from the plates since Monday last. The tributers now feel content, as they can see a chance of getting a return for their large outlay in the opening up of the mine. A contract has been let for breaking down 2,000 tons at once. Besides this reef, the company have in their ground the reef at present worked on by the Cock-a-Doodle people close up to their boundary, and which has been proved to be payable. Cook-a-Doodle. —They have driven on the main reef since they struck it about 70 feet. The vein followed in from the Yankee Doodle tunnel was a cross course on this reef, and will run right through the Yankee Doodle ground. The main reef is of a mullocky nature, containing patches of hard stone, from ■which the specimens are obtained. They are now quite close up to the Californian boundary and when this is reached they will have a block of ground to work out 70 feet by about 80, which ought to yield well. Besides this they have a -whole sweep of ground to work in on the reef in the other direction. Crushing with 10 head at the Missouri battery is going on and is shaping pretty well for a payable return. There is a fine parcel of specimens on hand as well. Yankee Doodle. —A company is about to be formed for the working of this ground. The are to commence immediately to open out on the lode from the Cock-a-Doodle which runs right into their ground, and connected with their upper workings, in which there arc several blocks of ground still left in which gold is kuown to exist, and which will pay them well to work, A large quantity of gold was taken out of this by the first shareholders, and the ground was not by any means worked out. With proper management, which, no doubt, it will get, we have no doubt but that this ground will pay well for being worked, and we soon expect to see something in the shape of returns of gold from the Yankee Doodle. City of Dunedin. —The manager is now working out two blocks of stone above the level of the main adit, one of which he calculates to contain about 150 tons, and the other about 400. There is a quantity of stone now out, and now being broken down on which he intends to commence crushing on Monday next. In the main drive the reef is not looking so well but the manager calculates that he has got some 20 or 25 feet to go in before he gets under the shot of gold worked on in the upper levels of the mine.