MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 246, 23 July 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Nonpareil. —A clean up and retorting for this company took place, late on Saturday night, at the Manukau Battery, after about five days’ crushing with twenty head of stampers. For tlie first two days’ of the crushing the show was miserable, the take of plate amalgam being ridiculously small (only some 25 ounces for the two days’), but for the last three days’ a great change took place for the hptter, and picked the average up wonderfully. A parcel of picked stuff was put through in addition to the general stone, and a splendid return of two hundred and forty-one ounces ten pennyweights of gold is the r -sult. The stone put through during the first two days had been lying bye for a long time past, but that crush' d after it has only lately come from the mine, and proves most thoroughly the value of the quartz now being broken down. Moanataiari. —The 1-vel found in the cross-cut from the Reach tunnel has been followed for a distance of 5 or G feet, am 3eenis to run nearly with the drive. It showed fully 15 inches of stone yesterday in !daces, and gold was again to be Seen in the stone, 'i’he best stuff taken out has come from near the floor of the drive, and where exposed yesterday low down on the face it was looking very well indeed, and was showing signs of water for the first time since it has b en struck. No doubt the No 9 reef itself is close at hand. The country is very lough indeed, and the work of breaking down is lvavier in consequence. The main tunnel is again being carried on, and has pass-d through the slide, the face being now within less than twenty-five feet from opposite the shaft. The crosscuts going in alongside of the slide arc getting on as quickly as can be expected, and that being put in for the Don Pedro and other lodes, on the north side of the tunnel, is in good working ground, and within some twenty-five feet of the supposed line of strike of the Pedro lode. In the course of a few months, we expect to see large blocks of ground opened up and being worked from the Beach Tunnel level. The gold for the past fortnight's crushing lias been melted, and lias turned put one thousand three hundred and five ounces three pennyweights, losing twentyfive ounces in the process. Sunbeam.— Crushing is going ahead at Tararu with ten head. The stone being reduced conies from a slmt of gold not >same as was worked on in lie- upper level, but from one some one hundred ami thirty feet more to the sea war I strike of the reef. They are now testing its quality by crushing about one hundred tons of it, and should it prove payahl •, the manager will keep up a sulfi dent supply of stone for ten head from this part of the mine, and he will also keep other ten head going on rttooe from the old shot, which is known to he payable, lie calculates that anything over half an ounce will lie payable, as the reef is nine feet thick, and good working stuff. All Nations. —We are glad to he aide to report a considerable improvement in the prospects of this mine, both in the greatly increased quantity of amalgam now taken from the plates, and also in the frequent presence of the precious metal, which can be seen in good quantities in the hanging wall branch from the main vein being worked above the beach level, and also in a block of ground now being opened out on the Inverness leader, and Iving between the one .iiimlred and fitly and one hundred feet levels of the mine.

No less than one hundred pounds of good specimens have been taken out during the past day or two, and the good qualify of the general crushing dirl will serve to increase the month’s return, which will lie to hand on Saturday next, though it comes rather late to make any great difference this time. The old mine which has so long been worked successfully is, we trust, about to resume its position amongst the list of regular dividendpayers. Manukau Battery. —This fine battery is fully employed, twenty head going on Nonpareil stone with a 1 show, ten head on Bright Smile stuff with a good show, and ten are head at work on a pared of stuff from Corue’s Manukau tribute, wliieli promises to run over ail ounce to the too. There are about twenty or twenty-eight rous to go through. No less an amount than over eight hundred ounces of gold was turned out by this battery last week for the three companies it lias been at work for.

Herald Battery.— The All Nations occupy ten head as usual, with a wonderful improvement in the show, and the other ten head are crushing a parcel for Austin’s Junction tribute. Point Russell. —A clean up took place yesterday evening for this company after seven or cigiit days’ crushing at the Koranui old Battery. The stuff has been running rather poor lately, an I the manager purposes starting on another part of the reef and getting out stone for another crushing in a week or two. The result of the clean up will lie to hand this morning, as it was too late last night to retort

Goodall’s M/chine. This bath ry started yesterday morning with seven bead of stampers on stone from the low level workings of the Inverness mine, which may be expeeted to yieid well, and to be good payable dirt. ’lliere arc on hand now about one hundred tons of quartz, and at least two huudred tons will be put through before stopping, and perhaps a great deal more, if the supply and quality warrant it. Some nice gold lias been found within the last day or two, and some good specimens were bagged from the stupes. The Bendigo Independent are crushiug with five head at the battery. Bright Smile. —The gold from this company’s bite crushing was melted, .and lost eight ounces in the process, turning out four hundred and eighteen ounces sixteen pennyw fights of melted gold. Imperial Crown. —They have driven on the main lode for a distance of seventy feet beyond the slide, and a great improvement lias takeu place in the appearence of tiie lode. The drive is going along the footwall of the lone, taking a foot or two of it, so as to keep the run of it, and test its quality so far. In order to prove it right through, the manager is about at once to put a cross-cut into it, aud break down some stone.

Alburnia. —The news from this n i ie is not of a satisfactory nature at all. At present the manager has no payable stone at hand that can tie worked on. He is going to prospect various parts of the workings, in order to try and pick up something, but unless the Sons of Freedom lode, on which lie is driving eastward, improves, which it is expect' d to do as soon as a cross course supposed to be close at hand is reached, he (toes not expect anything until the main lode is rca -hed. by the low level going in for it. The quantity of water prevents him entirely working the. main lode in the old workings. Manukau. —The Manukau hav«* started to work on the boundary of their mine, next to the Cure. Not much stone lias iieeu knocked down as yet, but as iar as the lode is exposed it looks well. There is a nice looking vein af stone close to the hanging wall, showing quantities of base nn-tals lively. Tile stone cciiig from the Cure lias been better for the last few days, and the mating, r informs us that there has been an imp.ovemeiit at the battery in consequence.