THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1872. MONTHLY SUMMARY

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 164, 18 April 1872, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1872. MONTHLY SUMMARY

OUR GOLDFIELDS. The Mining News of the past month though not of a very sensational cliaractei in yet of some importance, and augurs well for lh« future prospects of different parts of the field. Last month we had to chronicle the fact that several of the outside minos wore coining into greater prominence, and there was little or no news of importance with regard to our old and leading mines. This time, however, the case is reversed, and as will be seen by a perusal of our report, several of the mines of longstanding have come into great repute, and are now in a most promising condition. During the month, too, a feeling of much greater confidence seems to have prevailed amongst the speculating and investing putilic, and tire sharemarket has/in consequence been much more active than for some time past. Business has been done to a good extent, hut in a very quiet manner, there not having been any great excitement,, such as we were accustomed to in days of yore, when the Caledonian was turning out gold in tons, j In this mine, the work of the month has j consisted of breaking down the main reef j in the blocks opened out from the 27J-feet j level, driving on the lode to the northeast, and, we are sorry to say, without an}’ success as far as finding gold is concerned. The winze going down on the j lode towards the next proposed level has 1 been making fair progress, and is now ; down about 25 iect. Crosscuts have been j entered from tho middle aud lower levels |

towards the No. 2 lode, which is in hand in botli places now. Nothing was seen when the lode was intersected, and a trial parcel is now going through at the company’s battery, and is making a fair show. Sinking tho main shaft has had to be suspended for some time, owing to the heavy inflow of water which took place when the No. 2 lode was penetrated. By steady pumping, however, they have broken the water, and the shaft is now drained. Sinking is to be resumed probably to-day, and the manager feels confide it that lie will be able to continue down for somo distance more. The yield for the month shows a decided improvement as compared with the previous one, being 3,91 loz. as against 1,4240 z. The company’s new battery, consisting of a well-finished plant of 40 head of stampers and eight berdans, was started on the 10th inst., and is now fully employed on stone from the mine. All the crushing for the company will in future be done at their own mill, which can easily put through as much as can he supplied from the mine. The Tookey Company have sunk their shaft some 11 feet only during the month, and have been obliged to discontinue owing to the very great increase in the quantity of water. The United Pumping Association have now got all their foundations complete, their boilers built in, and everything in rcadi-, ness for fixing their large plant as soon as it shall he required. Sinking the shaft has been proceeded with without interruption, save for a few hours at a time, and the progress has been very good, being at the rate of six or seven feet per week. It is now down for a depth of 290 feet, ami is thus within about sixty feet or so of where the survey places the reef in the shaft. It was thought that a drivo would he entered for the reef at"the 280 ft. level in order the sooner to drain tho Tookey mine, hut as the reef will he reached by sinking, perhaps in about the same length of time as it would tako to drive for it, it is not likely that this will now he done. Whilst in this neighbourhood v, • may as wall say that the sinking of the Albion shaft has had to ho discontinued for the present, pending tho erection of machinery for pumping and hoisting. Nearly the whole of this is now on the ground, and no long delay ncod he anticipated before work is again resumed. The principal feature of iinportauco during the month lias been the very great increase in the richness of the Moanataiari Company’s yields. No new find has taken place in the mine, tho good stone coming from the same lodes that have been worked for some time. Nothing of consequence was expected from the ground until their lower levels were opened up and worked from the Kuranui tunnel, but the upper levels have proved the richest where least expected. J They have given during the past four weeks the excellent return of 2,G060z. of gold, and from the present appearance of things there is every probability of the next return being also a very heavy one. They declared a dividend on the 9th instant of 5s per share, which absorbs £3,375, and there is no doubt hut that another will he declared at the end of the month. The communication of their low levels with the Kuranui tunnel is now on the eve of completion, and when this is done, and the reef opened out on, a rich block will he ready to break down, a block from which some very rich stone was taken before tho water interfered with the working of it. Tho company have also obtained a valuable machine site on the Beach, nearly opposite the tunnel, and are now filling it in with tho intention of erecting a battery, which we consider they are quite justified in doing, as they have a claim containing 99 men’s ground, with at least five known paying lodes, and several others not yet worked oil, and with the quantity of stone to he obtained from this area of ground, and a fine plant in a convenient position, the stone must he very poor indeed if it does not pay for crushing. The All Nations has been very quiet during the month, the stone not turning out quite as well as it had been doing some time previous. A dividend of 12s 6d was, however, paid on the 30th of March, amounting to £3,375, making a total of £7,425 paid during tnat month to the shareholders. The monthly return will he to hand in a couple of days, and will he a fair one. The manager is sinking his main shaft, and also putting down a winze on the main vein, with the intention of having another level ready to open up and work. Mr Walker, late of the Long Drive, is now in charge of the mine, and it is needless to say that the work will he carried out in an eflicient manner. The Inverness have not turned out much during the current month, and are sinking a winze from their lower level on the main vein, sloping being at the same time carried on. The Don Pedro between them and the Moanataiari have cut the lode in their cross cut from the main tunnel, and are now driving on it with excellent prospects, good gold being visible all through the reef as broken down. The Shotover are busily engaged driving from their main shaft in different directions in firstrate looking country. A trial crushing is now taking place from a leader cut at the bottom of the shaft, and also met with in the drive towards the main lode, and, from the show on tho plates, plainly shows that there is gold at this level of the mine, and something better may be looked for at any moment. Mr Hall, the manager, is working the ground energetically, and testing it thoroughly as he gets ahead. The main lode will be readied in a few feet further driving, and as soon as possible will he tested as to its value at the depth of 38G feet from the surface. The Cure claim has come very prominently into notice during the past few weeks. Wo last month reported that gold had been struck in the main reef, and a trial of 18 tons gave an average of nearly 2i ounces to tho ton. Since then a great deal of opening out work has haeu done, and they are now crushing again with excellent prospects, and during the last two days some very nice golden stone has been taken from the heart of the reef. Considering that this lode is an enormous one, very large quantities of stone can he sent to the mill, and a return of anything over twe ounces to the ton may he looked on as a firstclass return. The company’s stock have giadually advanced in price from a few shillings to £1 10s, at which price they now stand firm in the market. The Red Queen have been working on their large reef, and also on the small leader, from which some very good stone has been taken. Crushing will he commenced in a week or so, tiie paddock now containing over sixty tons of stuff, from which a good payable return is expected. The Golden Calf Company have been much delayed in their work, owing to an accident by which their tnnehin -house was burnt to the ground on the night of tie Blh of April. The house is low being rr - built, and work will he r -sinned in the coins • of a week or ten days. This accident happened most nufni tiinately, as just before it the No. 2 lode, which was being worked on had changed very much for

the better, and something good was looked for. However, when the engine is again at work, it will not take long to bail out the shaft, and resume work. The Central Italy have been sinking steadily, and are now down 320 feet altogether. They are coing to continue some little distance further, as the reef must be very close at baud ; in fact, they expected to have met it by this, but it is evidently laying ver flat, and is further off than they calculate! on. The Nonpareil have been busy getting their machinery ready, which is now nearlv ready for a start, and, are opening out their lower blocks for stoping. As soon as the engine is ready, crushing will he commenced, and, no doubt, good returns will lie to hand, as good gold has been seen and taken from tlie reef in the low level. Their lode seems to have been turned in its couise by'a large slide, and in consequence the Italian claim, next to it, lias boon brought into prominent notice, the chances of their getting the vein being considered very good by many. The Unicom Company, up tie Moanalaian Creek, have also started into life, partly through the splendid returns of gold obtained from some of the tribnters’ crusbings, and later on by the fact that a fine lode lias been cut through in their main adit level, which has turned out some excellent golden stone. A trial parcel is being broken down io be sent to the mill as a test, and is confidently expected to turn out very well indeed. Should it do so the company’s prospects will be very bright indeed, as they have a very large area of ground at (heir command—their lease containing 41 men’s ground. The Sons of Freedom are getting on very well, their last two or three crusbings having given good returns, and they are now cleaning up aficr about 150 tons have been put through, and the yield is expected to be better than any of the former ones. They have made a valuable addition to their property by the purchase of tho Flying Cloud Company’s ground, which was sold by auction and bought for the sum of £425." The Alburnia have had only one crushingduring the month,which gave 1750 z. from about 200 tons. Their low level tunnel is getting on quickly now —tho hard country having been passed and good working ground being in hand. When this tunnel is in a great improvement in their yields may bo looked for. Dixon’s No. 1 have at length got in to their reef in the low level, and have just commenced to work on it with excellent prospects good gold being visible, even though they are off the runs as worked on in the upper levels. They will shortly be able to commence crushing at the Ballarat and Clunes Battery, which is connected with the mine by a tramway. The PungaFlat district is very quiet just now, the returns from there being few. Tho El Dorado are crushing 200 tons, with an excellent show, and the Multum in-Parvo have had one of their usually good returns. The Blight Smile is also turning out first rate stone now, their prospects having been greatly brightened by the picking up of the main vein on the southwest side of the slide, and getting some splendid gold from it. The crushing, which is now nearly finished, at Vickery’s machine, will give about the best return they have bad as yet. The Queen of Beauty continue to get good returns from the same lode, and higher up tho City of London and Queen of the May are both working on it. The former is now crushing a large parcel of stone, which is giving a medium return, and the latter have had a first orushing of 40 tons, which gave nineteen ounces of gold. As tin y get down on the reef an improvement in quality may he looked for, and there seems little cause to doubt that they will soon rank amongst the regular gold producers. The Californian tribnters at Tararu have had another good return, and the company have declared a dividend of Is Gd out of the per contage, over and above the tribute. The Yankee Doodle, too, from the same district, declared their first dividend on the Dth inst, and will commence crushing again in a short time. From upper Tararu the news is unimportant, very little work being done there at present. Good accounts are to hand touching the prospects of the Vulcan, and they arc working vigorously putting in their low level tunnel, and at the. same time testing the large reef cut through in it, which is shaping for a payable return.

COROMANDEL. This field lias come into prominent notice, so much so as to draw away numbers from our own district. The only claims which, up to the present, have produced gold in large quantities, however, are the Tokatea, Pride of Tokatea, and the Bismarck, which latter declared their first dividend of 8s per share on the 13th inst. Several other claims have had small returns, and the prospects obtained all over the place are reported as firstclass. Time will tell whether they will be realised or not. The Green Harp on the beach is reported to be turning out fabulously rich stuff, but no crushing has as yet taken place, the batteries at work being too far away from them. However, the New Zealand company’s battery, which is being erected close to them, will soon be finished, and then the reef can he tested. One thing seems to be a fact, and that is that they cannot work to .any depth without pumping machinery, but that of course can be easily obtained. The Golconda, too, is highly spoken of, but most of the others being as yet in their infancy we cannot say much about them. A very large number of companies are being formed, too many it seems to us when we look lack and think that exactly the same thing happened in our [ own district a year or two ago, and the natural result was then, as it will most 1 probably be at Coromandel, a regular smash up, and consequent depression, out of which the really genuine claims will I come clear, and the others will die out of | memory, except to those who will not be I permitted by the Official Liquidator—that I dread functionary—to forget them, much I ns they might wish to do so. We append I our usual list of gold returns, and, in doing so, are happy to be in a position to state that they show an increase of 2,104 ; ounces over thoso for the previous month.

CRUSHINGS AND RETURNS OF GOLD FROM MARCH 20, TO APRIL 17, 1572, INCLUSIVE.

* Represents Melted Gold

Company. | -g •/ | 2 H 6 4-5 o a O Albion Tribute ... 15 0 0 *135 10 0 “ *• 33 0 0 *116 6 17 Albumin 200 0 0 175 0 0 “ Tribute ... .15 0 0 31 15 0 All Notions 250 0 0 GOO 0 0 Abraham Lincoln 50 0 0 *83 10 18 Britannia 5 0 0 *5 3 0 Bismarck 0 0 1237 0 0 Caledonian 380 0 0 17 50 0 0 44 300 0 0 080 0 0 2 SO 0 0 337 0 0 44 300 0 0 lilt 0 0 Californian Trib.... 250 0 0 *175 6 0 Cable City of London 3 0 0 *5 1 0 (partial return) 137 0 0 *93 10 12 Crown Prince 7 0 0 4 0 0

Emily (Coromandl.) 10 2 0 *54 14 12 Even’ng Star tri bute 4 Flower of the Mills 0 0 3 02 0 0 0 0 21 0 0 G'noeii Crown ... 00 0 0 *49 15 0 “ •* ... 100 0 0 *02 4 12 Golden Crown tri9 0 buds ... ... 40 0 0 *182 “ “ ... 80 0 0 *89 12 0 Golden Spur No 1 *20 18 Tiibule ... 12 0 0 G Golden Point 0 ( Coromandel) 44 0 0 35 0 <• “ ... 11 0 0 4 10 0 Golden Anchor 0 No. 2, Tapu ... 50 0 0 *17 16 Great Surprise ... 40 0 0 12 0 0 George Stevenson 10 0 0 43 16 0 Glove’s Bank ... 20 0 0 *5 16 12 Inverness ... 02 0 0 *30 6 0 “ Tribute ... 00 0 0 *108 12 0 Ivanlioe ... 23 linjie'lal Crown 0 0 7 0 0 Tribute ... 18 0 0 *81 13 0 Junction Tribute... 00 0 0 *57 17 0 *• ... 25 0 0 *l>; 2 12 Kmnnui ... ... 200 0 0 *255 0 0 “ “ ... 250 0 0 *211 4 0 do. scrapings ... Ladvbird Tribute *17 15 12 No. 1 20 0 0 *10 7 12 do. do. No. 2... JO 0 0 *4 9 12 do. do. do. ... 30 0 0 15 17 0 Maimkau tribute... 00 0 0 23 10 0 Moanataiari ... O'K) 0 0 *1005 11 0 « ... GOO 0 0 *1000 11 0 Moanataiari Union 3 0 0 *3 12 12 Multum-in Pa two ... 04 0 0 *140 0 0 New Year’s Gift ... 1 0 0 2 0 0 Nonpareil ... 10 0 0 9 15 0 Prince Imperial ... 17 0 0 13 0 0 “ “ ... 52 0 0 *52 0 0 Pride of York ... 22 0 0 21 0 0 Queen of Beauty... 100 0 0 *147 17 0 “ ... 150 0 0 *156 1 11 Queen of the May... 40 0 0 *19 1 11 0 Queensland ... 10 ltoyal Oak. C'oro0 0 10 *41 0 1 mandel ... 40 0 0 0 Red. White, k Blue 20 0 0 *20 0 6 do. Tribute ... 15 0 0 10 0 0 Shamrock... ... 5 0 0 17 16 Standard tribute... 10 0 0 *G 13 0 “ “ ... 11 10 0 >: 7 14 0 Sons of Freedom ... 220 0 0 16 0 Shotovcv ... 30 0 0 IS 0 0 tribute ... 14 0 0 12 0 0 Star of the Thames 22 Sundries (from tail0 0 16 10 0 ings, specimens, and unknown quarters) say 1.000 0 0 Tokatea SO 0 0 171 0 0 “ ... 1)5 0 0 140 0 0 “ (i ... 75 0 0 200 0 0 “ ... 50 6 0 414 0 0 Twccdside Tribute 3 0 0 *10 16 6 Tookey Tribute ... 0 0 0 2 7 0 “ “ ... 20 0 0 *62 6 0 Una 120 0 0 *92 16 0 “ ... 100 0 0 *112 0 0 Unicorn Tribute ... 5 0 0 *56 16 0 ValeofAvoca tribute 00 0 0 19 0 0 Waiternata ... 70 0 0 *28 14 0 “ 40 0 0 *72 12 0 Waiotalii Tribute... 200 0 0 48 6 0 “ ... 75 0 0 #21) 18 18 West Const ... 5 0 0 31 15 0 Yankee Doodle ... 190 0 0 178 0 0 Total 7,131 4 0 14.338 7 20 Previous month .12,144 7 12 Increase , 2,194 0 8