MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 249, 26 July 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Caledonian. —The find which we reported yesterday morning as having taken place in this mine did not, as stated by our morning contemporaiy, take place at the lower or two hundred and seventy feet level of the mine, but as wo stated, at the intermediate level, and just to the south of the old No. 1 winze. The manner in which it was discovered was thuswise. A small leader some four inches thick had been followed in a distance to the south side of the drive on the specimen leader originally put in. At a distance of about ten feet a pass was formed up to the stopes on the No. 2 block of the main reef. The quartz is now passed down tliis way, hut in order to obviate the necessity of shovelling the stone from the bottom of the pass into the winze they started to break down the reef to cut off the corner and so let the stone pass direct to the bottom level. As so m as they put a shot in and knocked down some stone, first-rate gold was obtained, the result being about two hundred pounds of specimens. After that again another parcel was brought out, and yesteiday morning between 400 and 500 pounds were crushed, and yielded a large quantity of amalgam. Yesterday evening again another lot of good stone was bagged for the strong box, some of the stone being very rich indeed. The vein which is yielding the specimens is hugging the hanging wall of the lode, which is five or six feet thick, all crushing dirt, and it seems as if it was the leader which we mentioned had been followed above, and which after its junction with the lode has become rich. This vein has been traced downwards for some distance in the winze, but where it is exactly at the lower level is not quite certain. From its lay it seems evident that it has not been worked on below except by being cut through in the cross-cut from the shaft. * It will be remembered that when this cross-cut was started for the specimen lender good gold was found in a small vein close to the chamber, near the floor of the drive. It may be that this vein and the one now yielding such good gold are one and the same, but this of course is only supposition. It seems pretty certain, however, that it yet remains to be opened up at the lower level. Where the drive is going in on the leader from the cross-cut, at the north-east side of the shaft from this level, they have been making good progress, and are in most excellent country, though no gold is visible in the face. Some twenty-five feet or so back, however, gold can be obtained from the lode in the side of the drive, in one of the small veins running through the reef. This is the spot where the precious metal was found when the) started to drive some days since. Some distance has, however, to be driven yet before the shot of gold worked on above can be reached. As regards the work going on on the reef at the north-eastern end of the intermediate level, they have a very large lode iu hand, which they are breaking down in large quantities. Through this reef arc running dark veins full of metal, in which a very fair show of gold can be seen from time to time, and the general stuff from which the battery manager reports to be yielding very well iudeed. L’be winze going down to the lower level has been started, and will be carried down as quickly as possible. Altogether the general appearance of this

lode where worked on is most satisfactory and encouraging, and it is uow undoubtedly the principal source of revenue to the company. We hope soon, now, to see the berdans and tailings plaut in full swing at the Battery, as no doubt these will make a great difference in the yield of gold from week to week, the quartz, at present being simply passed through the stamper boxes without undergoing any further treatment. When it is started it will certainly be a most complete plant. The gold which is on hand for the past four weeks’ crushing was melted yesterday. Before undergoing the process, it amounted to two thousand one hundred and twenty-seven ounces, which was reduced to two thousand seventy-five ounces fourteen pennyweights melted, thus losing fifty-two ounces in the process, or an average of 2J per cent. Manukau Tribute. —Corne and party have had a crushing of a parcel of twenty tons of stone at the company’s machine, which has yielded twenty-five ounces three pennyweights of melted gold, or at the rate of twenty-five pennyweights to the ton. The return is a satisfactory one. The company will shortly now have good quantities of stone from their own mine to crush, as they are breaking down the large reef next to the Cure boundary, and are also working on a cross leader above their old stopes.

Golden Spur. —The No. 2 tribute of this company have had a crushing of fire tons of stone at Grove’s Battery, which has yielded four ounces niueteeu pennyweights melted gold. Junotion Tribute.—A crushing of twenty-five tons of stone for this company was completed yesterday morning, but the result was not even payable, amounting only to five ounces eight pennyweights of melted gold. The stufE was from a block of ground which they have not tried before, and which lies next to that from which they had their last crushing, which was a very good one. Point Russell. —A lodgment of thirtyone ounces ten pennyweights of gold was made yesterday on behalf of this company by the manager from the last crushing, lie had last week sent in fifty-five ounces seven pennyweights, so that the total yield from the crushing is eightv-six ounces seventeen penny weights, for which amount one hundred and six tons of stone were put through, giving an average yield of sixteen pennyweights nine grains to the ton. Abraham Lincoln. —A crushing of fifteen tons of stone for this company has given the satisfactory return of twentytwo ounces of gold. There is a large parcel of the stone on hand, but owing to the muddy state of the roads no more could be sent down to the mill at present, so the crushing had to be stopped. Nonpareil. —Good reports are again to hand from this mine. Gold is got every shift from the new reef, and also frequently in other parts of tire mine. The crushing at the Manukau Battery is looking up well, and i.o doubt can be entertained that another very good return will he to hand at next clean up.