0,-6.

follow the stone down to a lower level. The stone is about 3ft. in width, and is very rich. A couple of tons from the surface were taken out and crushed, and gave a return of 3oz. to the ton. Immediate steps are to be taken for getting out and crushing 200 tons, to give the stone a fair trial. Just in Time. —Stone has been plentiful, and crushings have been continuous for some months past, and dividends have been declared. It is thought that there is still twelve months' work on the present love], so that, the mine being in good order, regular dividends may be expected for some time to come. Eureka. —Before the term of protection granted to this company had expired the shareholders determined to start work again. The tunnel was driven a considerable distance and other works done, without, however, meeting with the reef. Prospecting for the reef is still being carried on, and if success is to be attained in the direction of the present workings it should be an accomplished fact very soon. The company are certainly deserving of success. Fiery Gross. —Crushing was maintained for a lengthened period during the past year, from which good results have been obtained, enabling dividends to be declared to the extent of ss. 6d. per share. At present the works being carried on are of a progressive character, and with the view of developing the deep ground in the mine. A winze has been sunk on the reef to a depth of 70ft :in this, stone of a highly payable character has been followed the entire distance. An uprise has been constructed to connect with the chamber at the 450 ft. level, and sinking an incline on the reef is now being carried on. The works in connection with the opening of this level, it is estimated, will be completed in about nine weeks, when regular crushing may be relied on for a long time to come. The dividends would have been large, but the directors, profiting by past experience, deemed it advisable to purchase a winding-engine for the shaft, and to largely augment the tailings plant. This, of course, entailed a large outlay ; but everything is now complete, and in good working order. Lone Star. —A trial-crushing of 20 tons from this claim gave a return of 330z. of gold. A company was floated to work this ground, the original owners retaining a large interest. The company have been sinking a winze and driving a tunnel to strike the reef. Other stone has been discovered on the surface in a different portion of the lease, upon which some prospecting has been done. A large number of claims have been taken up on the supposed line of the Lone Star reef, and prospecting is being done upon several of them. Keep It Dark. —The sinking of the main shaft for the purpose of opening a new level has been completed. A tunnel has been driven from the bottom of the shaft a distance of 470 ft., and 30ft. remains to be driven to strike the reef, which, when met with, will be driven on 20ft.; from which point an uprise of 50ft. will be constructed to connect with the winze sunk on the stone from the present level. These works will occupy about five weeks. The company has been crushing and declaring regular monthly dividends throughout the year. The old overshot wheel, giving signs of weakness, was taken down and two Pelton wheels erected, which work very easily and smoothly. The total value of gold obtained from this mine is £180,464, out of which dividends to the amount of £87,083 have been declared, £13,000 of which is the result of the past year. Wealth of Nations. —The erection of the winding-machinery being completed, the sinking of the main shaft was recommenced, and it is now down 190 ft. After sinking another 10ft. a cross-cut will be driven to strike the reef, which it is expected will be met with in 30ft. or 40ft. The progress of this work is being watched with much interest, and should the company be successful in picking up payable stone at this low level it will do much towards establishing confidence in the permanency of the district. From the time the company started crushing the tailings from the battery have been stacked. The manager some time since proved that these tailings could be profitably treated by putting them through the berdan. There are eight berdans now so employed, from which gold is collected to the value of £100 per month. The stone from which these tailings were obtained averaged about lldwt. to the ton. Nil Dcsperanduni. —This company has been in existence for many years, and small crushings were taken out from time to time. About eighteen months or two years ago it was determined to place the mine in proper working order : accordingly, winding-machinery was erected, and the winze was baled and straightened and converted into a main shaft. The company intended sinking this shaft 150 ft.: before doing so, however, they prospected near the old workings, and discovered the block of stone now being worked, which has been driven on over 100 ft. The company have now been crushing about three weeks at the Wealth of Nations battery, the stone yielding about Bdwt. to the ton. It is proposed to continue sinking the main shaft at an early date, and, as there is 300 ft. (in length) of stone underfoot, it only needs a small improvement in the yield to make the mine a prosperous one. Pandora. —This claim was taken up some five years ago; nothing, however, was done upon it, owing to difficulties in connection with the title, and other causes, until the end of last year. The Keep It Dark Company, in cutting their race through this ground, bared some quartz, upon which the company started sinking a winze : the stone, however, proved to be only quartz-boulders. After sinking the winze some 70ft., stone carrying good gold was struck, and this has now been sunk upon a distance of 39ft., and it averages 2ft. in width and is estimated to yield 1-Joz. to the ton. A trialcrushing will shortly take place at the Wealth of Nations battery. The prospects of the mine are encouraging. No. 2 South Keep It Dark. —This claim adjoins the Pandora. As soon as the contract for driving is finished, steps wilLbe taken to pick up the stone now being worked by the Pandora, and the work will not be of any great magnitude. This claim is well situated, being between the Nil Desperandum and the Pandora. Venus. —Stoping stone between No. 1 and* No. 2 Levels and crushing-operations have been carried on for some months during the year. The reef has been driven on 325 ft., 175 ft. of which was done during the past year. A winze has been sunk 100 ft. on the reef, the stone from which was recently crushed, and turned out very well, yielding about 25dwt. per ton. The width of the

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