MIXING STATISTICS AND REPORTS.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 172, 27 April 1872, Page 3

MIXING STATISTICS AND REPORTS.

Tin: gold-mining statistics of the colony for (lie quarter ending 3lst December, which are compiled from the reports of the mining surveyors and registrars, have been recently published. It appears from them that the number of miners employed on the goldfields during the quarter was 38,279, of whom 'JG,IGO Europeans and lb,odd Chinese were engaged in alluvial mining, and 10,-IbO Europeans and 8 i Chinese in quartz mining. The miners were employed in the various districts in (he following proportions: lb,Sit'd ; Beechwortii, B,lid; Sandhurst, 8,828 ; Maryborough, 12,040 ; Gastlemaine, 9,137 • Ararat, .‘J.IGI ; and Gipps Land, 3,000. The machinery employed in alluvi d mining was as lollows : —404 shani-engim s of 0.870-horse power; 320 steam middling machines, 30 huddles, 1,40 b horse puddling machines, 274 whims, 200 wiiips or pulleys, 18,4n0 sluice toms, and sluice boxes, 12 hydraulic hoses, 097 pumps, 277 waterwheels, 270 quicksilver and compound cradles, bO'i stampheads for crushing cement, and 22 boring machines. The machinery cinploycd in puartz mining comprised 70b steam-engines of 13,273-horse power, 09 crushing-machines driven by other than j steam-power, G,b9o stampheads, 37 bud- ! dies, lb winding, washing, or other maj chines moved hy water power, bß7.whims, 1 bs'J whips or pulleys, and 9 boring ma-c-bines used in blasting. The approxii mate value of all the mining plant was j £2,000,88b. The number of miles of j auriferous country actually worked upon ! was 9840 f which 1341 was in the Ballaj rat district, 248.4 Castlemaine district, 1404 j Beechwortii district 77:;, Maryborough dis- [ trict 824 Ararat district,and 135 Gipps Land

dLtrict. The number of quartz reefs proved to he auriferous was 3,130, divided amongst the district as follows :—Ballarat--189 ; Beech worth, 779 ; Sandhurst, 710 ; Castlemaine, 390; Maryborough, 5‘24; Ararat, 73 ; and Gipps Land, 465. The estimated yield of gold, computed from such information as the surveyors and registrars could obtain, was 352,69 S oz. ldwt. 14gi\, 178,3300 z. ldwt. 7gr. of that being from alluvial mining, and 174,3620 z. Odwt. 7gr. from quartz mining. The following table, omitting fractions, is published respecting a certain quantity of quartz crushed, of which the survey os and registrars had obtained positive information :

It will be seen from the table that more gold is credited to Ballarat than to Sandhurst, and that Ararat also conics near in returns to Sandhurst, hut the returns in the. table do not compose quite two-thirds of the amount of gold supposed to be realised from quartz. The quartz tailings cement, and mullock operated upon, of which positive accounts were obtained,' amounted to 33,961 tons, yielding 5,7890 z. gold, and 906 tons of pyrites and blankets operated on gave 2,5800 z. of gold. The average of gold per ton of quartz in the different districts was as follows : Ballarat, sdwt. 19 - 42 gr. ; Bcechworth, lOdwt. 9 50gr.: Sandhurst, lldwt. 16.55 gr.; Maryborough, lldwt. 3'7ogr. ; Uastlemaine, 9dwt. 4'lOgr. ; Ararat, lGdwt. G'24gr. ; and Gipps Land, loz. sdwt. o"77gr.

Milling Quartz Total yield Districts. crushed. of gold. Quartz. Tons. Oz. Ballarat ... 78,502 22,798 Bceclnvortli ... 20,260 13,049 Sandhurst ... 38,210 22,333 Maryborough ... 11,061 0,503 Castleinaiue ... 33,974 ... 20,009 15,578 Ararat 21,877 Gipps Land ... 11,728 14,080 Totals ... 227.244 117,421