MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1851, 7 September 1874, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Bkight Smile,—Oa Saturday forenoon a new lode was struck in the bottom level of the Bright Smile mine, at a distance of 35 feet south of the No. 2 reef. It is 18 inches thick, and shows a little gold, besides which it has a good formation and is enclosed iu a splendid channel, of country. At present the lode has only been driven through, and from its position it is quite evident that it has never been worked in uny of the upper levels, although tho manager is of opinion thatsome trace of it was mot with at one time in the foot-wall of the No. 2 reef in the upper stopes. This, however, is only conjecture so far, and it is quite possible that this new reef may hold good to the surface. At all events, if it does junction with tho' No. 2 reef, it will be at a very considerable height above the present level. In other respects there is nothing fresh to report from the min?. lietorting took place for the company on Saturday, and the result of tho fortnight's crushing, amounting to 5890zs 10d»vts, fully met expectations, in fact exceeded the amount calculated on by the management. It was obtained as follows The company's own battery of 22 head of stampers produced 2<Mbzs lOdwts; and the Imperial Grown battery, where 25 head of stampers were working during the fortnight, produced 3430z5. The total crushing force at present employed by tho company is 47 head of stampers.

Qum op Beauty. — The dividend paid to the shareholders of the Queen of Beauty out of the last fortnight's crushing is £185 per full seventh share, or a total of £1,295,. Ample provision was made for existing liabilities, and funds were kept in hand to liquidate the cost of tho dead-work noiv going on in stripping down the shaft and filling up tho stopes. In regard to tho former very good progress is being made, and should nothing occur to cause delay it will he completed in the course of about three weeks.

Point Eussell Teibotjb.—A crushing of 35 tons of stone was completed on Saturday for the tributers of the Point Eussell Company, It was a trial lot from the large reef, and was not expected to prove rich, especially after the crushing was commenced,for tho show on the plates was poor. But as the result has proved, there was a good deal of amalgam in tho boxes, and tho yield turnod out a good payable one of 3Gozs gold. When melted it was reduced to 35ozs lOdwts, so that tho average is rather bettor than an ounce to the ton.

Ibvebness — Sohofield's Tribute.— A parcel of 85 tons of stuff lias beeu crushed for Schofield's tribute of the Inverness mine at the Prince Alfred battery, It was completed on Saturday, and a handsome return of 58ozs gold was obtained as the result. A small parcel of 2 tons has been crushed iu the single stamper battery, as a trial from the section of the claim upon which it is proposed to carry on operations on behalf of the company, but the result will not be known until to-day, as the cleaning up has beeu postponed until this morning, although the crushing was finished on Saturday night.

Chows Pbinoe.—lu brcalciug down the section of tlio .No. 2 reef which was stripped iu tko tropes on Saturday, there was, a* we anticipated, a good rich show of gold visible generally iu the quartz, and a few pounds of good specimens also came to hand. There was no further change of importance to report on Saturday, further than that the crushing which is now going on for the company is skowiug well for a good payable uvorugo,

and as the result of the last week's crushing there were 27Gozs hard amalgam on hand. .Retorting does not take place before next Saturday.

Aiburnia — The reef struck in the bottom level (the Whau adit), to which we alluded in Saturday's issue as having been struck justat tho boundary of the two claims were cut into for a depth of 18 inches on Saturday, and is apparently cut through. Thoro is about a foot of excellent quartz, and at the back of that 6 inches of bastard quartz, which is intersected by numerous black veins. It may be that there is quartz still at the back, and there is every likelihood of it; but at present the width of the lode may be accepted as a foot. Besides very encouraging indications in the shape of minorals, there was some gold visible in the stone broken out on Saturday, so that the find is one which is likely to prove of great importance not only to this compauy but to the Old Whau also. The Alburnia will have a portion of its strike at this level and the whole of its dip, but the Old Whau ground will contain the whole of the lode above the present level.

Old Whau—Besides the find alluded to in the last paragraph, which so nearly affccts the prospects of the Old Whau mine, there have been no discoveries made since our last report; but the manager has now fairly started tho rise on the reef, to connect the adit level with tho upper workings, in such a way as to best develop tho shot of gold and the reefs of the mine generally, ihe first portion of the rise will be of large size, as besides the ladderway it will comprise two capacious hoppers, one for quartz and the other for mullock. The reef at tho bottom is very large, fully 12 feet thick at present, but the stuff from it is only crushing for a very moderate average. There is, however, good reason to believo that as the rise progresses into the junction of tho reefs the shot of gold will be recovered.

o doubt, also, attention will be devoted to the development of the new reef which is supposed to be.entirely intact to the surface.

Moakataiari, — Crushing for the Moauataiari was resumed this morning after a week of idleness to the stampers, while the reservoir was being cleaned out and necessary repairs to tho plaut were being effected. In order to inako up for lost time the wholo forco of 40 head of stampers were started to work, and will be kept going during the week, bat the customary retorting at the end of the fortnight will take place next Saturday, notwithstanding the delay which has ensued.

Cal'edonian'.—-A contract was let on Saturday for driving on the new reef intersected in the east cross-cut last week. Tho first drive on its course will be started south towards the Golden Crown boundary, but as soon as that progresses a few feet, a drive will also be started on it in the opposite direction. Meanwhile the cross-cut towards the Cure boundary is being contiuued, a distance of 15 or 18 feet having been driven since the reef was intersected. With regard to the reef itself we have nothing to add to previous reports, for no further work has been done on it, but no doubt its further development will be watched with a great deal of interest. It has been discovered in an excellent channel of country, and the lode contains somo promising indications, but so far it has not shown any goW.