MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 239, 15 July 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Caledonian. —The j'iehl for the past week far surpasses that of any for some long time. In all about one hundred and eighty tons of stone were crushed, which gave the excellent return of six hundred and thirty -seven ounces of gold, or over three and a-half ounces to the ton. The best of the stone came from the old specimen leader where worked in the intermediate level, and on Saturday afternoon a tine patch of stone was come on in this lode, and three or four hags of good specimens were brought up. This, together with the weeks good return, caused quite a flutter in the '-'arket, and there was a good

demand for shares which rose from £l6 ss, at which they were sold in the morning, to £2l 10s. a fail amount of business being done during the evening. As business was over on ’Change, in Auckland, we expect that there was not much done with town, the buying and selling being confined to the Thames. We trust that we shall have further good news to report tomorrow from this celebrated mine.

; Point Bussell. —A clean up took place J at theKurauui old battery on Saturday for ; this company, after sixty tons of stone had been put through, and the retun was even better than was expected, being at the rate of eighteen pennyweights ten grains to the ton, the parcel having given fifty-five ounces seven pennyweights of ! melted gold for the ten days’ crushing. This is very satisfactory, as the supply of stone is large, and can lie easily obtained, j Crushing is going on again and will be i kept up constantly with the seven head at the battery. I Otunui Block.— A small parcel of one ounce seventeen pennyweights of melted gold was lodged on Saturday from this claim. The men are engaged in working a reef close to the Phoenix Battery, which , is some three feet thick, and yields stone | worth about an ounce to the ton, the last * parcel of three tons having given three ounces five pennyweights of gold. The reef is rather broken in parts, and requires to he picked for crushing. The owners of the ground crush at the Phoenix machine, and if they had a better supply of wat< r, could keep it going constantly, hut they are at pres-nt only able to work it for a portion of the week. This seems to he the only claim on the south-western side

of the Hape Creek, which is at present being worked and it shows that gold does run down in that direction where very little prospecting has as yet been done. Una.— The low level lias been carried in for a distance of thirty-five feet along the reef from the point of intersection, and the lode seems to lie gradually getting better, though no great improvement is looked for until they get nearer to the Prid~ of Kara It a shot of gold, which is

calculated to be still some eighty feet away from the face of the drive. The batteiy was at work for nine days during the past fortnight, and the yield of gold amounts to one hundred and twenty-four ounces, which is about the usual average of late—that is, half an ounce to the ton. Nonpareil.— Crushing for thiscompatty will he resumed this morning, at the Mannkau Battery, with twenty head of stamps, and is likely to continue for some time, as the manager has now got his blocks ready for working on and ripping out stuff. The new reef intersected in the cross-cut from the forty-feet level proves to he a fine looking lode, three feet thick, and lias given some very fine specimens already. It would seem as if this lode was going to he of importance to the. mine, as it ought to yield a good quantity of stone from its size. There is a good parcel of picked stone in the strong box, some of which is very rich, and all of i+ will crush well. The well lias been completed at the bottom of the shaft, which lias been thoroughly repaired, and the guides fixed in the second compartment as far as the one hundred feet level.

They will be continued at once down to I he bottom, and, as soon as this is done, a tank and cage will be worked in the shaft. The mine generally is looking well, and turning'out very fair stone all over. Alburnia. —The works of this mine have been a good deal retarded for the past few weeks, in consequence of some accidents which have happened. An increase in the inflow of water from the Whan side of the mine necessitated constant and heavy bailing, and the consequence was that the whim rope, which was an old one, broke twice, the second time a new one being fixed in its place. This has delayed considerably the raising of quartz from the low level, from which the best of the stone is now taken, and has consequently much reduced the amount of the amalgam returns. Up to Thursday only one hundred and thirtysix ounces of amalgam had been obtained for nearly three weeks’ work, but the last day gave twenty-four ounces, this being attributable to the fact of good stone again being brought up from the bottom.

The fines of the boi’er at the battery are also getting shaky, and a stoppage will have to be made shortly to put them in order, in the meantime the speed having to be reduced. Most of the stone put through lately coints from the Star of th'e South reef, and the manager is now working on the Sons of Freedom lode. The low level progresses well. It is now within about one hundred and twenty feet of the specimen leader, and the main reef lies about sixty feet beyond that again. When these are reached large blocks of ground will be available for working, which are expected to yield v< ry richly, as tin- lode above lias improved all the way down the deeper it lias been worked. It would be the best thing, only for the water, not to work in the upper levels at all until the tunnel is in, but the manager is compelled to keep the mine aa dry as possible, as, if the water was allowed to rise, it would seriously injure the workings. Bright Smile.—The crushing for this company keeps up its appearance at the battery, there being now one thousand ounces of amalgam on hand, after a fortnight’s run. A clean up and retorting will take place on Satnrdav m-xt, when a good return may be looked for. City of London. —Sinking the shaft is being proceeded with satisfacto ily. It is now down seven feet below the old level, and the manager fully expects that the contract will be finished in about five weeks’ time. South Devon. —The tributers of this company are working on the old Excelsior lode, some forty feet below the original workings. The last crushing which tuey had ran at the rate of two and a half ounces to the ton, and more good stone is now to hand. They have in paddock some twelve or fifteen tons of quartz, together with a nice parcel of fifty pounds of specimens. Iu the drive at present worked there are two branches of the lode in baud, one on each side, that to the westward being tho best, and the one

from which the s'''’fi'npns are obtain When tlry get a ftw feet further in with the drive they expect to reach a lone some two feet thick, from which something good is looked for, more especially as the leaders now worked running into it carry good stone. They have a fine large area of ground to work, even above the pesent level, and, as gold has been followed from above to the floor of the level, it may naturally be looked for I elow. The South Devon includes the old Excelsior, Armstrong’s, am! Little Gibraltar claims, which have all given fair ret ui us at different times.

Bm WRY and Co.— I This party, who have the old Commercial claim have been working it in such a manner as to obtain first-class returns from it, such as were never obtained by the company. Since we last re| orted on this mine the crushing we then mentioned has been finished, and justified our opinion that it would yieldjone ami a half ounces to the ton. They are now preparing for another crushing at their battery, and have on band about twenty tons of quartz. They are driving along the lode, and the reef being eighteen inches thick gives a fair quantity of stone, in which gold can be seen every now and then.

Geelong. —This mine (late Mclsaac’s) is now being worked, the low level tunnel being in the bands of the contractors, and it is making gook progress. Quebec. —Work has been started again, in. this mine, on the flat. They are driving on the first leader which was passed through in the cross-cut, and have opened out for a distance of thirty feet to the south-east, and fifty feet to the north-west of the shaft. The lode, where worked on, has been much nipped, but is now making out again, and is eighteen inches thick in the face, but does not show gold. Crown Prince.— Work on the leader in this mine has been but slow lately, on account of the intensely hard nature of tiie ground, both in the drive and also in the stopes. Junction Tribute.— The No, 2 tribute (Goldsworthy’s) of this mine finished a crusiiing on Saturday night, at the Herald Battery, but too late to clean up and retort. Ten head have been at work for a week, so that we estimate about sixty or sixty-five tons have Ik en put through. A good payable return may be looked for.