MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 243, 19 July 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Caledonian. —The general appearance of the lode yesterday was very satisfactory, gold being visible in good quantities. Up to yesterday morning, twenty-nine bags of picked stuff were to hand, and more was to come up during the evening. At the battery tnere were between fifteen bundled and sixteen hundred ounces of amalgam to hand, aud the crushing was looki ig very well. Our report of yesterday that the week’s yield would be probably' from one thousand to twelve hundred ounces of gold still holds gold. The only change in the appearance ot the lode was that a band or vein of muudic was coming .u about three feet from the hanging wall, and was three inches or

nearly so in thickness. What makes the present find of more importance is that the stone comes from about the least ex-,, pensively worked part of the mine, and consequently the profits on raising the stone are greater. Yesterday morning the market again became unduly excited, and shar.-s rushed up to about £4O, sales being effected at £39. They however, quickly rcce led a;aiu . s low as £3O, recovering a little., and the latest sale quotation is £3O, as will be seen by our sharemarket report.

Golden Calf. —The find which was reported in this mine promises to prove of importar.ee to the shareholders. In order to explain its nature we will give a slight sketch of the work tint has beeu done on the No. 2 vein at the lo.v level. It was driven along from the chamber for a distance of seventy feet with very indifferei t results. At this point the lode seem dto take a great slue into the hill. The driv • was continued straight ahead for a further distance of twenty feet, at which it came on to the No. 1 lode running diagonally across tlie drive. This lode was then cut through, and they went hack to search f< r tho lust No. 2 lode. A small vein was picked up and followed, and made into what was thought to he the lode, good quartz containing gold being taken from tbe right band side of the drive. It, however, gradually dwindled down until it became simply a hand of mullock. This was still followed on, and on Tuesday a fine strong looking body of stone came in, in the centre of the bottom of the drive. A shot was put into this, and some excellent stone brought out, in which gold was seen in good quantities. In all, up to yesterday morning, some three or four hundred pounds of stone had been knocked out. and about half a caudle-box ot good specimens were picked out of this. More stone was to he broken down last night, which would prove tile lode still further. The stain of mullock followed did not run out, hut now runs along the lode, separating it from a fine clear looking country. Judging by this and the general appearance of the country passed thiougli, it seems as if a cross course or slide lias broken the reef in two, and where it is now picked up is on the far side of this slide. Gold being found in good quantities, too, close up to this point, whilst, the reef between there and the shaft was, as we said before, hut indifferent in quality, leads to the belief that a new channel of country has been reached of a more solid nature, and in all probability a run of gold has been found whicii may he of greater or less extent. The present is undoubtedly the best show that has as yet been obtained in the mine Prince Imperial. —A crushing of about sixly tons ot quartz from tbe Prince Imperial was finished yesterday, and the result will be to band this morning, as it was too late for retorting last night. The crushing took place at the Waiotalii Battery, and a clean up for the company’s own tribute will also be completed this morning.

Manukau Battery.—This machine is still fully employed. The crushing for the Nonpareil, for which the first day or two did not show up very well, has improved very much, and yesterday was looking well. Borne very good specimens were also gotfrmn this mine on Wednesday night, and again yesterday. The Bright .Smile will clean up and have a retorting to-morrow, and crushing will he suspended fora week in order to let the stone accumulate a little. Nelly’s Albion tribute will also probably finis and cl. an up to-morrow.

Moanataiaui. —In the cross-cut going in for the No. 9 lode a strong stringer was yesterday cut through near the bottom of the drive. It carries no water with it, and it is not yet known whether tile reef is close at hand or not. The cross-cut along the slide is going in well, and the continuation of the tunnel has been suspended for the present. To-morrow the usual fortnightly return will bo in. A good parcel of picked stone had accumulated, and was sent to the battery yesterday to he reduced. Don Pedro. —The contractors are putting up a rise on the lode on the southwest side of the slide, and are making good pi ogress. Not much quartz is being sent out at present, but there are some fifty tons or.so on hand in the paddock. Inverness. —The appearance of the lode in the workings below the Kuranuie tunnel level is most satisfactory, and a good show of gold was obtained from the upper stupes. Crushing will he started early next week at Goodall’s Battery. KoranL’l. —The manager reports that the drive on the lode in the intermediate level, between the twenty and thirty fathom level, is going through very hard country, and the lode is consequently a little nipped, hut gold is seen now and then as it is broken down. He calculates that lie has some fifty or sixty feet yet to drive to reach the slide. The winze that is going down from the twenty-fathom level carries a fine strong lode with it, in which gold can also he seen. This is most encouraging, and a run of gold is fully expected to he contained in this block of ground. Muanataiari Union.—Two more tributes have been let in ttiis mine, and yesterday started to work on the Dawn of Hope leader, and on the Sink to Rise lode. There are now six tribute parties at work altogether in this mine above the main level tunnel of the company. No crusliings will likely take place for a fortnight or so yet. * Tramway. Battery.—This battery will he started lu work on Monday on a parcel of t'onie forty tons of stone, which is being sent down by tram from the Dauntless tribute.

Italian. —The drive from the bottom of the shaft has been put in for a distance of forty-nit.e feet, and as fifty feet completes the contract a fresh one will he at once let for continuing the drive. Belter country lias been reached, and the shareholders are in hopes of soon having something belter than mullock to bring out of their workings. BLack Angel. —The chamber which has been cut out for the reception of the engine at the end of the main adit level is now all but finished, there being only one set of timbers to fix yesterday. As soon as this was done the erection of the engine was to be proceeded with at once. The rise which is going up from this chamber to give escape to the smoke has got to be put through much further than was at lirst anticipated. A shaft, which was thought to be thirty feet deep, aud into which it was going to run, proving when bailed out to he only six feet below the surface. Otago. —The main cross-cut from the shaft is still being pushed ahead, but up to the present no change has taken place. The drive on the JS’o. 2 lode seems to be coming on to a change of country, looking as if a slide were coming m. Should such be the case something favourable may be anticipated.