MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1890, 9 November 1874, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Queen op Beauty.—Retorting for the Queen of Beauty took place on Saturday at both batteries, and the total yield amounted to 9140zs 'Idwts, which greatly exceeded the result which the most sanguine shareholders expected. From the company's own mill the result obtained was 4730z5, and from Bull's batterythe yield was 4410zs drlwts, thus making the total amount already referred to The crushing force employed by the company during the. last fortnight has been small in comparison with that which has been working during the previous fortnight, but the average is, we believe, better than has ever been obtained from ibis level previously. None of the stub 0, crushed was worth less than an ounco to the ton, and some of it, we believe, averaged as much as 2ozs. The return will give the shareholders a 'dividend ot about £200 per share, or a total of £1,400 .for the fortnight, so that they may well be congratulated upon tko continued richness of their mine. Moanataiabi.—The usual fortnightly retorting for the Moanataiari Company took place on Saturday after 750 tons of stuff had been reduced, but the yield was not quite so good as usual, only amounting to 3020zs of gold. ■ But although the average is low tile crushing leaves a fair profit over and above working expemos. Of course in working a mino lilco tha Monnataiari, to keep a large force of stampers at work it can only bo expected that some poor runs of gold will be met, although for several months past the manager has been singularly successful in obtaining good profitable crushing stuff from all sections of the mine. Long DBiVE.-Final retorting for the Long Drive as a distinct company took place on i" aturday for a yield of 54ozs of melted gold. This was the result of about 50 tons of stuff. In future all crushings from the 'Long Drivo, All Nations, and Junction mines will be for tko benefit of the three companies, which have amalgamated under the title of the Long Drive G.M.O. (Limited). All Nations.—'i he gold lodged on Friday was melted at the Bank of Neva Zealand on Saturday into a bar weighing 1390z3 3dwts, the loss in melting being less than an ounce. Bibd-in-Hand. — Retorting for the Bird-in-Hand Company too c place on Saturday, after a fortnight's irregular crushing, and a yield of 1090r,8 Mdwts gold was obtained as the result. The quantity of stuff crushed has not yet been ascertained, but the average is, we understand, superior to that obtained from previous crushings. There were only a few days' crushing at the Imperial Crown battery, and at the Una mill, where crushing for this company has also been progressing, there were only 15 head of siampers at work for some time, and then there were several stoppages, one of which was for a considerable time, having been caused by the breakage of the cam shaft. Exchange.—Wo are glad to have to report that the crushing for this company is fully answering expectations. There were to hand on Saturday, after fivedoys' run with G head of stampers, (during S which, ther:4 was a, stoppage; for serial

hours), 1480z9 of hard-squeezed clean amalgam from the plates. The last 24 hours' run' turned out 39ozs amalgam, and this was the highest obtained from any single crushing; so that although the show has been more remarkable for regularity than anything else, there has been a slight improvement. The stuff in the mine looks well. Gold is very frequently visible in the stopes of the No. 1 reef, and in the No. 2, where it is being opened from the upper level of the Crown Prince, there is a very encouraging prospect. Of course, none of the stuff from this section of the mine has yet been treated or raised to the surftce at all. There is a good parcel of picked stuff to hand which will help to swell the produce of the general crushing, and no doubt when cleaning and retorting takes place at the close of this week, there will be a very handsome total return as the result of the first crushing for this company. Old What;.—Crushing for this compang will be started to-day at the Herald battery, with a force of 10 head of stampers, the stuff comprising proportions from the Black Angel reef, which has been sunk below tho adit level, and from the right-hand branch reef, upon which the manager has put up a rise from the adit level and made ready for stoping. The latter stuff, as wo previously stated, has been tested at the company's battery, and proved payable, and the former has averaged better than an ounce to the ton. There has been a considerable quantity put through at the company's mill in the way of tests, but there has been no regular cleaning up for some time past, nor will there be for another fortnight. ALBOENiA.—Although the crushing for the Alburnia has not shown much amalgam on the plates since starting, there is reason to believe that the greater portion of the gold is inconsequence of the large quantity of mineral contained in the quartz retained in the blanket tailings, from which it will have to be extracted by berdan treatment. The stuff may prove payable notwithstanding its present poor bliow, and so it ought, for in the mino gold has been frequently visible, and there is a very fine reef opened for working to advantage. The block between the Whau adit-level and that of Dixon's will afford 100 feet of backs for stopiHg, and these levels, as our readers are aware, have been connected by a winze from which stoping is now carried on, and should the stuff prove payable there will be a very large supply available for the crushing mill.

Cube.—The quartz stripped in the bottom of the Cure winze was broken down on Saturday, and a fair show of gold was noticeable in it. It would appear as if the gold was again making at the bottom. There was a sort of hard head at the foot-wall side of the reef which appeared to disturb the lode to some extent, and while it lasted there was not much gold showing, but this head is now dying out, and the quartz of the lode is improving. There was a good rich, show on Saturday in the face of the reef, which is being broken down in the extension of the winze some distance above its present depth.