MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 223, 26 June 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Cure. —Retorting took place at the Prince Alfred Battery yesterday, after fifty tons of stone had been reduced, and the return amounted only to lii’ly-six ounces of retorted gold. This certainly w s much less than had been expected, being only just a little over an ounce to the ton. and it is hard to account for, as whilst the crushing was going on it certainly looked better than that. A further lodgment of fifteen ounces was also made from the late crushing at Tararu, making the total from the fifty-five tons crushed up to ninety-six ounces of gold, or an average of very nearly one and three quarter ounces to the ton. We arc informed that the manager lias received instructions to send more stone to the Tararu battery at once, where crushing will be continued it is expected for some time. The transfer books of the company will be closed to-day, and on Monday a dividend will be paid to (lie shareholders. Ilalf-a-crown a share, we understand, is to be the amount which will absorb ,21000, and this will leave a

good balance on handle continue working bosid s, which the crushing will be kept up continuously. The gold already banked amounts to about £1448, worth, and when the return is in from the

Tramway Battery, and added to the one hundred and fifty-two mines to hand from Tararu and GoodalPs, the value will be increased to about £2OOO, so that the dilectors are well able to pay £IOOO as a dividend. The glorious uncertainty of goldmining has never been more clearly shown than in the case of this mine which has now been worked for over four years and a half, and which some few months ago was thought so little of that many wmihl not apply for their shares when the new company was formed, and now they are paying away £IOOO to the shareholders. “Nil JJesperandum ” seems alter all to be a good motto in goldmining and we recommend it to such of our readers as may have shares in any likely local it y.

Windsor Castle. —The gold resulting from the late crushing of a hundred tons of stone from the company’s mine was melted yesterday at the Bank of New Zealand, and turned out a bar weighing seventy-two ounces twelve penny weights twelve grains. Crushing is again going on and will be kept up regularly. A better return may be expected at next clean-up. ns the reef has improved in quality as it has been opened on. Bright Smile. —The crushing which is going on at the Manukau Battery for this

company with ten head is so far shaping well, and if the quality of the balance of the stone to be put through is as good as that already crushed, a satisfactory return may be looked for from the large parcel to be put through.

Black Angel. —The winze is down now to a depth of sixty-five feet, and a very nice lode is in hand over three feet thick. Two feet of this is of a brownish nature, being evidently discoloured by the oxidising qualities of the water, of which the lode carries a great deal. On top of this is a layer of blue quartz, which carries very good gold, and from which some nice .specimens have I ecu taken. As they sink deeper, the quantity of water incieases very much, ami, without the help of an engine of some sort, they will not he able to get down to a very much greater depth. The present blocks of ground available, however, for taking out are of a good size, and will yield a large quantity of stone.

Kgranui Tunnel. —This tunnel is now in for a total distance of about u.:e thousand live hundred and si:;tv feet, and they are working in the best ground they have ever had since the tunnel was started. When we last reported, a few days since, there was a heavy inflow of water in the face of the drive, and now a nice looking lode has been cut into, between two and three foot thick. It runs across the tunnel, and conies in at the roof dipping inwards, and is now about halfway up the face. The quartz taken out is being saved, as the manager of the Moamnaiari intends to crush it, in order to test the value of Lhc lode, which seems to be a cross-vein, and is probably connected with some of the reefs already opened up in the mine. The cross drives going in from each side of the tunnel are

getting on very '.veil. That towards the No. 9 lode is in for a distance of seventy feel, and in the course of a week or so may he expected to strike it. The. opposite (hive is in forty feet, and is making good headway. iSuoi'ov Kit. —The manager is stilldriving at I he three hundred feet and lower levels without much change of any sort having taken place. lie is tiying some of the stone from the lode on the three hundred feet level, but it is not shaping for anything like a heavy return. lie is also putting through a lot of mullock at the battery. Sink to Risk Tuibutk. —As soon as the Tramway Battery was linishod for the Cure Company, it was started on a parcel of stone from the Sink to Rise Tribute, and, from the appearance of the plates, a payable return may be expected.