MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1864, 22 September 1874, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Bright SuiLE.-The gold lodged on behalf of the Bright Smile Company on Saturday as the result of their fortnight's crushing was melted yesterday into a bar weighing 7580zs 6dwts, the loss in melting being only Bozs 14dwts, or a little better than 1 per cent. Biack Anqei..—This company's Bmall deposit was melted yesterday into a bar weighing Bozs 6dwts.

Caledonian.—ln the drive north on the course of the No. 3 reef the slide to which we made reference ;last week has been out through. It shows a width of 9 feet at the bottom of the drive, but is narrower on the top, for although its south wall is as vertical and clean as tho side of a house, the north wall underlies to the northward, evidently showing an increasing thickness in the slide downwards. Both walls are clean olay, but the centre is like, a jumblo of mullock and rubble pitched into a cavity without order or selection. In fact, it is a thorough slide, and the first that has ever been found in the Caledonian nine. The reef has not been recovered at tho other side of it yet, but tho drive will bo continued in search of it. It is quito possible that this slide may prove an important feature in the mine. It very often happens that while the reefs are barren elsewhere, they form gold against suoh a slide as this, especially when lying against it; bat there would, perhaps, be more reison to hope for this if any gold at all was found in that portion which has been driven on. Time only will demonstrato what possible discoveries may bo made to the northward of this slide, but it is certain now that so far as the reef south of it has been tried it is worthless. The 15 tons crushed last week produced as tho total result about an ounce of stuff which is just as like silver as gold, and which may or may not have come from this stuff at all. In fact, it is just as likely as not that what gold it contains came from the stamper-shoes and beds of the battery as from the quartz put through tho mill. In other respects there is little new to roport. There are miny works going on in various parts of tho mine, in order to explore it further; but they have not yot led to any important results. At the No. 2 level a drive is being carriod west to the boundary of the Albion (at [present at the expense of the Albion Company), and farther, north beyond tho

No. 4 winze a cross-cut is being driven east. At the bottom level the No. 3 reef —as we have already stated-is being driven on north through the slide, and south towards the Golden Crown boundary. The No. 2 and No. 1 reefs are being driven on south, and from tho Hazelbank shaft operations are also being carried on to prospect that portion of tho mine. There was no crushing for the Company, except the trial parcel already alluded to, for the past fortnight. There was consequently no gold return yesterday.

4MION.—In this mine tho west crosscut is still being driven, and is now in 262 feet beyond the boundary. Drives are also being extended north and south along tho course of two of the leaders intersected in tho cross-cut, and although no gold has been visible in either, the stone looks promising and the stuff is in each instance being saved for crushing. Italian.—There was a much bettor show of gold in the Italian reef yesterday than on the previous day, and as tho lode is two feet thick and the prospects very encouraging it is quite probable that a valuable and extensive block of ground will be opened in this mine. • The lode was intersected in a cross-cut driven 31 feet from the shaft along the boundary of the Nonpareil, and the course of the reef is now being drivon on in tho company's own ground. The present level would afford backs for sloping 200 feet in depth, and should the reef maintain its present strike it will extend from boundary to boundary in tho Italian mino. Alburnia. — Crushing was resumed yesterday at the Alburnia battery, the repairs to tho Moanataiari Water race flume having been completed on Saturday night. There is no change of importance in the mine. The manager is pushing ahead progressive and exploring works at tho same time that ho is working those reefs which are already to hand. The crushing up to the time the stoppage took place was showing up well on the plates, and the result of the month's crushing would have been a very satisfactory one only for those annoying stoppagos which have occurred.

Bendiqo Independent.—The only work now going on iu the Bendigo Independent mine is driving a low level crosscut. This has been started from tho platform in front of the Alburnia battery, and the first section of it goes through the Alburnia ground, but it has now reached to within 25 feet of the boundary, and is going through moderately good country. This new level is about 100 feet deeper than the old one, from which'the mine was previously worked. Oro WHiu.-The rise from the adit level is up 30 feet, and the winze to meet it is down 18 feet, leaving a distance of about 40 feet between the top of the one and the bottom of the other. The rise is being carried up exclusively on the footwall of the reef. None of the lode stuff is being broken down, the whole being left standing on the hanging-wall, but the winze is sunk on the reef, and the prospects are very satisfactory. The lode stuff is 6 feet wide, and gold has shown daily, almost hourly, during the last week or ten days. Tho object in carrying up the rise on the foot-wall is to secure solid foundation for the timbers, and it will be carried in this way to the surface, enabliug tho manager to work all the lodes in front without interfering with or endangering the rise. The Black Angel reef is also being opened up. The winze formerly sunk on it to a depth of 43 feet has been cleared out and timbered up, and the reef in the bottom is

6 feet thick. The former manager alleged that the stuff taken out of it averaged 15dwts to the ton. If this iB true, and there is cert .inly little reason to doubt it, better results may be looked for when the stuff is taken out clean instead of being mixed up with mullock and rubbish as it was when the winze was being sunk. This winze will be carried through to the 116-feet level of the Black Angel, and should the block turnout as well as is expected, there will be extra facilities for working it advantageously. At the main level a cross-cut is being driven for the back reef. It is not yet to hand, but is now very near, and judging from the indications it might be expected any moment. This cross-cut, it is scarcely necessary to add, is driven into the foot-wall, but when the main rise is carried through to the surface, and this is intended, the whole of the reefs will be left onthe hanging-wall side of it. Coußequently it will not miss that which it is now being driven for. This back reef, as it is called, was one of the mam gold producers in the upper levels, and will, in all likelihood, prove of some importance in this one. ,:

Bibd-in-Hand.—There was a nice show of gold yesterday amongst the stuff taken out of tho east drive on the reef in the bottom level of the Bird-in-Hand mine. It was, in fact, the best show obtained since the new level was opened, and promises well for the reef. About Saturday next, the drives at both sides of the cross-cut will reach tho winzes, and nostoping wiil be started until .that is accomplished.