MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 214, 15 June 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Cure* —The contractors who aro breaking down the reef are getting on- favourably, and have opened on the lode a face forty feet in length from the Manukau boundary. As far as they have gone there is no change in the general appearance of the lode, unless, indeed, it be for the better, though the ground on the hanging wall of the reef is a little more mullocky than it was a little way back. All this is most satisfactory, inasmuch as there is a large run of the reef yet in the body of the mine to drive through. The lode is from eight to nine feet thick of solid quartz, and there are large patches of antimony all over it, together with any amount of copper, both good signs. There are seven head of stampers going on the stone at Goodall’s Battery, where it is

making an excellent show on the plates, and last night crushing with ten head was started at Tararu. There is some talk of employing the Tiamway Battery of twelve head as soon as the repaiis to it are completed, and this certainly would be the most convenient to the paddock. As soon as stoping blocks can be started the manager expects to be able to keep twenty head of stampers going constantly, and indeed, with the size of the reef at his command, we think that he will not have the slightest difficulty in doing so. We anticipate a return from this crushing about equal to the last, that being close upon two ounces to the ton. Nonpareil.— A clean up took place yesterday at the Manukau Battery for this mine, after four days’ run, and tbe result was about one hundred and twenty-five ounces of retorted gold. This was lodged in tbe bank and melted, together with the parcel lodged on Monday last, the whole turning out a bar weighing two hundred and Bi::ty-one ounces nineteen pennyweights twelve grains. The total quantity of stone reduced for this yield was about two hundred and ten tons, which would give an average return of a trifle under twenty-five pennyweights to the ton. Ciusbing with twenty head is still going on, and will be kept up for a time at least.

City of London.—The crushing still shapes well, in fact it seems to be improving, as yesterday more amalgam was taken from the plates than the day before, although the battery was stopped for four hours owing to the want of water. The carteus have great difficulty in getting the stone to the mill, owing to the wretched state of the roads, which, however, we are happy to state, are now being put in a state of repair. Prince Imperial.—A. crushing of a large paicel of stone for the Prince Imperial is now going on at the Waiotahi Battery with the ten head of stampers. The stone is from the same lode that the

last was taken from, and promises to give about the usual average return. At the Waiotahi Battery a parcel of about nine tons for the company’s tributers was cr.’shed, and gave a return of about half-an-ounce to the ton. Great Surprise.— The shareholders are working this mine steadily and well. They commenced by opening oat on a reef on tlie surface, which they have worked for a depth of twenty-five feet, and from which several crusliings have taken place, averaging from eighteen pennyweights to two and a half ounces to the ton, the best returns having been obtained from the lowest level worked. They have gone into 9. drive which the Dayspring people formerly put in at a low level, and in which they drove along the reef for about one hundred feet, but, strange to say, do not seem to have prospected it at all. Now, however, the Surprise men have gone through it, and found it to be about two feet wide, and have seen gold in the stone. They purpose driving on it, and also putting up a rise to the surface workings, and opening out stoping blocks. The section of reef that will be commanded by this tunnel is about twenty-five feet in height, and no doubt good yields will be obtaiued from it. There is another lode branching from this one, and running towards the Unicorn ground, about a foot thick, which has been tested, a crushing of three tons giving twelve pennyweights to the ton. Oriental. —The contractors have passed through the large reef which was in hand when they took up driving in the old Gladstone tunnel, and have got into nice soft country, in which they have cut a leader lying on the back of another lode. The la.ge reef alluded to, which was very bard indeed, was, we believe, tested in the olden days, when it was passed through but did not pay at all. However, that is no proof that the lode is valueless, as by opening out on it and driving a little something good may be found. Another thing, in days of yore on the field trial crushings were not what thev now are, rot being veiy caiefully carried out, and in many instances where a rich show was not obtained the whole thing was at once duffered. Vale of Avoca.— This iniue, which is now the propeity of Mr Waiwick Weston, has, we understand, been let on tribute on good terms, to a good party of men. They have the whole of the ground at their command, and will have to give about oO per cent, of the gross yield to the proprietor. Considering the manner in which the mine has been opened up, and that everything is handy for sending stone to the mill, the tributors ought to make a good thing out of it as well as the proprietor. Coliban. —Yesterday some very nice specimen stone was takeij from the winze and an improvement generally took place in the appearance of the reef, which caused a good demand for the company’s stock during the afternoon.

Cyclops. —At the date of our last report ie low level tunnel was within a few

feet of the reef and in very good country. Since then the lode has been met with and croBS-cut, and looks very well. A drive has been carried along the footwall up to a point below where the winze has been sunk from above. Here a chamber

has been cut out, and a rise is now going up to meet the winze down to the bottom of which some very excellent prospects were obtained, good gold being seen in the stone. The reef is four feet thick where in hand, and although no gold is visible in the stone, yet very good prospects can be washed from the drill borings taken out. This level gives splendid backs on the lode, which runs through the whole length of the lease, a distance of over one thousaud feet haviug been traced up the h>ll as far as the upper boundary. Sons of Freedom. —Good golden stone has been again taken from both the stopes and the winze in this mine, and there seems every prospect of another good return coming to hand, though, perhaps, not one equal to the last. Another Prospecting Tunnel. —Another of those enterprises which will prove of the utmost utility in the future working of our mines at a great depth below the surface is, we are glad to state, about to be started on the field. The proposed scene of operations will be the dividing range between the Kuranui and Shellback Creeks, and the undertaking is

to be carried out by a company. This tunnel is going in with the idea, we understand, of working the line of reef which has lately come into such good repute, extending from the Windsor Castle up through the Middle Star, Sons of Freedom, and so on, and by the time it reaches as far as these mines, an immense depth of ground will be at command for working on. To such undertakings as this, we must look for the future welfare of the field, and we trust that the scheme will be successfully carried out. The mouth of the tunnel will abut just above the Tararn road, a little beyond tho site of the new powder magazine, and application has already been made to the Government for permission to carry the necessary tramway across the road, which, of course, will be duly granted.