Our Mining Reporter.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1777, 12 September 1874, Page 2

Our Mining Reporter.

THE WEEK. For the week the general mining news on the Thames bears not a kind of coloured improvement, but something absolutely encouraging and tangible. In the first place I can but revert to the Caledonian mine ; there has always been great faith attached by the shareholders in this mine to this particular block of ground, and well there may be from its past singular richness, Expectation is now on its utmost stretch to know where; the gold led from that was found in the three hundred and sixty feet level yesterday.;lt was found in ahitherto unexplored part of the mine, and bearing towards a part of the goldfield that at the depth the Caledonian Company cut the lode that has been proved gold-bearing, has nerer yet been tried. I should like to see the lode driven on ; I think it will carry the gold with it. The Hand and Band —or rather the Ural, have &t last taken action,* having cleared out, their old shaft preparatory to more extensive work-! ing than was; exhibited in the working of the old Hand and Sand Company; at all events from the men now in office, I think that the ground will be well proved. I was up in the Hape district during the week, and certainly for plucky speculations the South British Company carry the palm for mining ventures on this field. They have not funked two thousand four hundred feet of driving, and sinking an engine-shaft, also placing an engine on their ground. Should success attend this company the works will be calculated to prove nearly half a mile of ground between the Karaka and the Hape Creeks that has been these last six years, so far as anything like deep working is concerned, a very terra incognita in the Thames mining annals. The tunnel runs through some splendidly promising country. The mine itself, although at present of course only a progressive one, promises well for the future. The old Hack Forest has given signs of vitality. Ido ntt think that any district on the field,

with the exception of that of Tararu, has been so unproven as the Ilape. It Was almost the first that gave gold, yet it is left out in the cold ; people'don't seem, to like tho district, yet if is sure to make a noise some day. The fact is the Thames folks concentrate their energies in too few spots, but whisper that gold has been found in some claim/ and plonty of money is found to work the ground for a time, but our folks seem to want results too soon. JSTot tbe least promising feature during the week has been the cutting of a new reef in the Bright Smile Company's ground. The Waio-Karaka flat ia a wonderful part of our district. ."Every two or three months some new discovery ia sure to be made. Depression is sometimes felt, but whoever knew a goldfield where that was not the case. The Queen of Beauty shareholders are makinp rapid progress with the alteration of their shr.it. The owners seem perfectly satisfied witli the future prospects before them, grudging no money to make the mine safe, and their crushing plant efficient. The Long Drive has made another sign at a lower level than that on which the ground has previously been worked. I should like to see this old favourite come to the fore again. The Moanatairi is giving enormous quantities of stuff for the mill, and with very fair results. The Crown Prince is being worked with skill and energy, and I hope soon to have to record something good placed on the credit side of the Company's ledger. Th** Old Whau hat cleaned up for a moderate yield, more moderate than I thought for, but still there are great hopes that the low value the shares are at present quoted will be more than realised. The Bendigo Independent works are progressive, and should before long 'come to the fore in mining notice, it was thought that the Dauntless tributers were quite up to, if not past'their boundary; it seems they are not within many feet of it. The gold v*ein still holds its own, and some splendid stone continues to come to hand from it. There are almost fifteen tons of general stuff in the paddock and a good parcel of specimens on hand ; but- there somehow seems to be a long blank between the Dauntless, and the next payable piece of ground up the Moanatairi. A parcel of stone came in during the week from one of the gum-diggings ; the finders seemed much elated with the find, but a severe test of the' stone by Mr. Denby, only proved a blank ; but it proved this much, that our back country sadly wants prospecting. On other fields I have always seen that most of the miners would put by part of their week's earnings for the support of mates out prospecting, with a.view to becoming copartners in a reef themselves. Here our men seem to sit down and content themselves with wages; it ought not to be so, as most goldfields have been not only discovered, but developed by the mining community itself. lam glad to see that some energetic action has. been at last taken relative to our coal supply ; it was nearly time when such evidence as Captain Souter tendered His Honor the Superintendent yesterday was necessary. The deputation seemed to me to throw a new light on the question; hitherto it appeared to me to be the wish of the Auckland men to kind of " crab" the Thames local movements that were understood to thwart the Auckland interests. Now it appears that Auckland interests wish to combine with the Thames people to assert themselves in these matters. Well, Auckland gets a pretty good share of Thames cream, and if it wants more of it Auckland must lend a hand to help the Thames to better supply Thames wants, or others will surely slip in and cut the Auckland trade out. The Auckland merchants must recollect that the direction the Thames gold lodes are running in is clean away from the mines they are most interested in, not as merchants but as shareholders. The brokers complain very much about the dullness of business, very few transactions taking place. This may last only fpr a week or two. He would be the veriest new chum on a reefing field that did not expect seasons of depression in the stock market.