MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 160, 13 April 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Otago. —After driving on the No. 1 lode, towards the Golden Calf, for a distance of one hundred and ninety feet, they have ceased for the present. During the time they have been at work on this lode gold has several times been found, but has always proved very patchy; and was not what was considered as payable enough to crush the stone. Mr \Y. C. Wright, the company’s engineer, has advised them to open out on the No. 2 lode, and to drive some fifty or a hundred feet, in order to prospect and test it more thoroughly than lias been done up to the present. What is called the No. 1 lode in the Otago claim is not so by right, as the two lodes have crossed one another in the Caledonian

claim, and so as it were changed places. Mr Wright thinks it probable that at this crossing the No. 1 lode may have robbed the No. 2 of the gold, and for this reason it is that he recommends a more thorough prospecting of the lode. The main crosscut towards the north-east is being pushed ahead through very good working ground, and there is no telling at what moment a body of stone may he met with. Sunbeam. —The work on the reef is going ahead well and satisfactory. The show has much improved lately, and from what can be seen, and from prospects washed out of the reef, there is not much doubt that they have come under the old shot of gold which was worked above head to such advantage in days past. They will soon now bo underneath where the winze is coming down, and, when this is done, a vise will be put up. From the appearance of things, they expect to have communication perfected between the upper and lower levels by the middle of next month, when crushing can be started without delay. Cici.t. —The directors of the Celt have held a meeting, and have determined to drive on the reef opened out, for a distance of sixty feet, and have called for tenders to that effect. The work will be started without delay. Siiotover. —A leader has been cut in

the drive which is being entered for the main lode towards the northern part of the ground from the bottom level. It has proved to he about a foot thick, and is very well defined and likely looking. The manager is breaking down a parcel of five or six tons of it, which he is going to crush on Monday as a trial. The lode strikes diagonally from the shaft towards the course iff the main reef, and will in all probability prove to be the same leader that was cut in the drive opined out at the very bottom of the shaft, and in which tho colour lies been seen. It will likely prove to be a large feeder of tire main lode. The distance from the shaft lo where the leader was cut is forty-five feet, and the distance' from there, to where the main lode is expected to be met with is about twelve or fifteen feet.

Vulcan. —Tire large reef which was cut in the low level is now being tested, a large parcel having been sent to the mill, where the show of amalgam on the plates is indicative of a highly payable yield, taking into consideration the large size of the reef. The directors have had a meeting, and have decided to continue tire low-level drive in further, in order to cut the old lode worked on, called the specimen leader. They expect, according to the survey made, to cut it in about sixty feet more driving. The road from the flat up to tliis claim is now in first-rate order, and is very well finished indeed. Felix. —This company hare employed five head of stampers at Russell’s Battery from Monday last up to yesterday. From the conimciiceme.it there was no show at all. but they continued crushing, hoping against hope, until at last they found that it was useless, as the stuff turns out to be almost, if not entirely, barren. This must lie a severe blow to the shareholders, who have spent so much time and money in opening up and developing the ground, and spared no expense to put everything about the claim into perfect order before starting to crush. Tire present result is all the more remarkable that several trial crushings which took place, gave such extremely satisfactory prospects that they Knocked off working the ground from above, as being too expensive, and went in at a low level to get good hacks. From what Wo have been aide to glean regarding tire matter, things look very bad for some parties, and we have been informed that all the original shareholders in the ground have sold completely out of it. We Know that those gentlemen who bold the largest interests were very sanguine ail along that the reef was highly auriferous, and have refused to part with any portion of it.

Kuranui. —Yesterday the Ivuranui Company put about one cwt. of specimens through preparatory to the clean-up today, when a good fortnight’s return may be expected. All Nations. —About forty lbs. of specimens were taken out of the All Nations, No. 3 lode, yesterday morning. Moanataiari. —The balance of the gold for the fortnight’s crushing will be in this morning, and will most probably bring the total up to fourteen hundred ounces, if not more. The shareholders are to be congratulated upon the very great improvement in their mine, more especially as nothing very rich was expected to be got before the lower block on the No. 3 lode, which is uow flooded, was opened out and worked on. Caledonian. —A parcel of specimens were crushed yesterday for the company, and the general clean-up, which will lake place to-day, will be a very good one, very probably amounting to nine hundred ounces, if not more. Manukau Battery. —This fine plant has, wc are sorry to say, been idle for the greater part of the week, not from any fault of the machine, but from the want of the wherewithal to feed the stampers. We regret to state that this is not the only battery in tlie same fix, the tramway having been closed for some time past, and several of tlie others nut being fully employed. A short time back the owners of claims were crying out for water to crush their stone, and now that the supply is ample it cannot be utilised.