MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 270, 20 August 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Caledonian. —There is no change of any importance to chronicle in this mine since last week. A plentiful supply of stone for the battery is being brought out, and the machine will, we expect, be fully employed again this week. All the stone from the Otago stopes is now sent down the new rise to the lower level, so that a great deal of labor is saved in trucking. The winding engine is again at work after its much required overhaul, and works as well as ever. Golden Crown. —The quantity of stone crushed for the yield of 440 z lldwts of gold last fortnight was only 80 tons, and not 180 as published by our morning contemporary yesterday. The average return is about lldwts to the ton. Bendigo Independent. —The tributers of this company are again crushing away at Goodall’s battery, with a good show. They have now got 16 head of stampers at work, and will continue for some time yet with every prospect of a first-class yield. Dauntless Tribute. The tributers who are working the Dauntless reef are sending down another parcel of stone to the Tramway battery to bo crushed. There are about 30 or 40 tons on hand, and work will be started to-day or to-mor-row. Multum-in-Parvo. —The late crushing of 37 tons of stone for this company gave a return of 340 z lldwt of melted gold. The manager is at present engaged in opening out in the winze on the reef at a depth of 35 feet below the present main working. They will thus have a good block of ground to work out, whilst waiting for the low level tunnel to reacli the reef at a great depth. The present block of ground is about worked out, or nearly so, as far as the run of good gold can be traced, but the new block may be expected to give some good returns. The low level adit is now in for a distance of 210 feet, and is still some 90 feet from the reef. During the fine weather work in the mine is attended with little difficulty, and if it continues as at present the services of a horse can be done away with, but in wet weather water, which of course has to be bailed out again, renders the working expenses all the greater. Waiotahi Machine. This battery started to work yesterday for the Prince Imperial Company and also for their own tributers. The latter stuff is shaping very well for a good return, but the Prince Imperial stone is not making much of a show at present. West Coast. —A parcel of 50 tons of stone is being crushed now at SoiiUt’s battery, where 10 head of stampers are at work on it. The stuff is not very rich, and not much is expected from it. A lot of 13 tons from the Bed White and Blue tribute is also being put through. Missouri. The manager yesterday lodg' d a parcel of 89oz Gdwts 12grs of molted gold on behalf of the Missouri Company. This was the result of one month’s crushing with 15 head of stampers at their own battery, and is an average of sdwts to the ton. ihe stone was all from the upper level workings, and has given the best return which lias been obtained for a long time, the expense of crushing being very small indeed. Bed Queen. —Tbe chamber at the bottom of the shaft lias been completed. It is 12 feet by 12 feet, and is a really excellent piece of work, and does credit to the manager, Mr Wood. He has now started to put up a rise about 200 feet away from the shaft iu order to cut the No. 1 reef a long way above the present level, and has also started to drive again on the No. 2 level. Long Drive. —Work lias already been

started from the main tunnel to open out for the purpose of putting up the proposed rises to the surface. They will be a little distance away from the tunnel itself, and will be connected with it by rail. A small parcel of gold weighing 7oz. 4dwt. was lodged in the Bank of New Zealand yesterday on behalf of the company. Moanataiari. — The first cross-cut entered for the No. 9 lode, and which intersected a lode which has since turned out very well, is being now pushed ahead again with the intention of finding the No. 9. Driving on the loae passed is being pushed ahead towards the northeast, but has been discontinued towards the Inverness for the time being. In the other cross-cut on the same side of the tunnel the branch vein is being followed, and with good results, gold being knocked out every shift. The leader has made larger, and } esterday showed as much as ten inches or a foot of most excellent looking quartz. The old workings on the No. 9 lode have been passed through, and in a short time now everything will be in readiness to set to work on the reef again, when something good is expected. In the drive going in to get under the shaft on the north-west side of the tunnel a fine-looking lode has been cut through, which is as much as 18 inches and more

thick. It looks very good, but no gold has as yet been found in it. The strike is different from that of all the other lodes in the mine, and it seems to be a cross vein. The stuff taken out has been kept for crushing. In the No. 3 cross-cut another vein of quartz has been met with in the face. It is from two to three inches thick, white in colour, and not very good-looking. No other changes have taken place lately, and crushing is still being carried on at the Kuranui Coinpanv’s old battery as well as at the company’s. The stone crushed at the former is all from the tunnel level workings. The gold obtained on Saturday was melted yesterday, and turned out 1,0910 z.

sdwt., losing 18oz. in the process. All Nations. —A winze is being sunk from the tunnel level to meet the drive going in along the reef at the bottom level of the mine. This winze is started just at the point where the lode branches in the level, and is now down to a depth of 30 feet, and a good lode is in hand, though gold cannot be seen. About 70 feet will carry it down to the lower level, and a fine section of the reef will then be available for working, if it will only prove to be auriferous. North Star Tribute. —The tributers of this company have now started to repair the Tc Papa wire tramway, with a view to sending down stone to the machine to be crushed. Now that they have communicated with the winze they will be able to get out a good quantity of stone, which is expected to pay them well for all the trouble and expense they have been to lately. Ruby. —The country through which the crosscut from the main adit is now passing is much softer than has been met with for a long time, and progress is in consequence much accelerated. A soft mundic leader has been met with and passed through, which may be considered

03 a most favourable indication of tinnear presence ot a reef, when taken in conjunction with the improvement in the character of the ground. A fresh contract has just been let for driving 20 feet, at the rate of 25s a foot, and this it is expected will carry them in to the lode sought for.

v Cure. —Yesterday, none of the golden vein was shot down, the men* being engaged on other portions of the reef, and in putting in timbers. A good show of gold, however, still remained in the face since Saturlay, and a portion of the latter upon being broken down showed that the gold continued deeper in first-rate quantities. In fact the show yesterday evening was very excellent, and when the vein is again broken down, a good haul of specimens may safely be looked for. The extent of the auriferous stone seems to be increasing, and from present appearances there seems to be every likelihood of its continuing for some distance further. We are informed that the crushing at Tararu is looking very well indeed since the good part of the reef has been going through.