MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1910, 4 December 1874, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Centuai Italy.—Yesterday the drive on the reef at the adit level broke through to the rise which has beeen carried up from the Wo. 2 level on the same lode, with a view to making a connection, and subsequently opening up for working the extensive blocks of ground above the adit level.'' The reef in the adit is considerably broken up, and contains very little quartz, but there are gold ■ bearing stringers striking into it from the walls, and there is a prospect that, when traced into more solid country, the lode will become more compact, and perhaps richer. At ,all events, tho connection.is made and ventilation secured. Tho manager will immediately proceed to open out oh the leader a detached section of the reef, which was cut through in the adit some distance back from tho main body. The rise, we may add, is about 25; ' feet -above , the adit level, so that there is ample room for opening up the workings ou this lode, and continue operations on the main reef at the same time. The leader, as we before stated, is by far the most promising of the two lodes, and from the indications which it contains there is every reason to believe that it is auriferous, and may prove rich.

Albubnia.—What may prove to be quite an important find occurred yesterday in the iilburnia mine at the Whau adit level at the hanging-wall side of the main reef. Many of our readers are aware of the sudden bend which the reef took at this level into the foot-wall side. From this bend the manager recently started a cross-cut into the hanging-wall side, and yesterday, at a distance of from 24 to 30 feet from the main reef, the lode to which we have alluded was discovered in the roof. The course of the leader nearly corresponds with that of the drive, or at least it crosses it at a very'acute _ angle. Consequently, little is known with regard to the lode further than that- it exists there, and that it ib gold-bearing. Its size is not yet discovered, and last night the men were only started to strip it, but from amongst the small quantity of quartz taker out of it there were five pieces selected which" contained gold in good fair quantity. The prospect therefore is a good one so far, especially as from the course which the lode traverses it will strike through the main portion of the company's mine. A. portion of it will also be found in the Whau mine, into which it will overlap above the adit level. The manager has now a good lot of stuff on hand from the main workings of the mine, and will start crushing again next week.

< Ild Whau.—lt was expected that the 116-feet level drive and the winze from the adit on the black Angel reef would have been completed this week, but in consrquence of ihe falling in of the'flue of the iilack Angel engine, whioh, as our readers are aware, was through a nutflber of old workings, the work will be retarded for a few days longer, inasmuch as tho stixff cannot now be raised out of the drive until steam is got up again. However repairs will be completed to-day or to-morrow at furthest; and probably about Wednesday next the communicaI tion alluded to will be effected. v\ hen this is done the mamger will at once start breaking out quartz for the crushing m'll. In fact there is a considerable quantity of rock in paddock from the winze and drive; but as soon as the opening is fairly made, a force of twenty head of stampers at the Imperial Crown battery will be started to work. This Black Angel lode will, of course, be the main source from which quartz will be obtained, fcfr some time to come at least; but in the meantime the manager has got his rises all opened from the adit-level to the surface, and there is now a clear run for timber or quartz to any or all the levels in the mine. These rises are now being timbered up, and the manager will start driving at different levels into the hang-ing-wall. Considerable blocks of the main reef above the 70-feet level, and below the 113-feet level, remain intact, and there is every reason to believe that good gold will be found not only in theso blocks, but in branch leaders. At all events,' now that the heavy and expensive dead work necessary for_ reducing the mine to systematic working order has-been finished, tho manager will be able to fairly test all portions of the mine, and work the payable isections in the most economic! manner'. There is no doubt crushing will be started some time next week, and although the Black Angel reef so far has not yielded a very high average yield for the Old Wlwu Company. The returns from it were payable, and will be more so in proportion to the increased quantity treated. Golden Calf. — Ketorting for the Golden Calf Company took place yesterday, and although the return is under the expectations of the more sanguine shareholders it is nevertheless a very handsome one.. There lyere only 1.2;-tons'.: put through, and the total yield was '51ozs retorted gold, or an averago of 4£ozs to the ton. The speoimeus did not produce so largely as llioy were expected to do, In flict tUe stuff on hand mice fairly ba callcd jncksd, tlsn, apcQiowa sUll

Loyalty. — The retorting for the Loyalty his at length taken place, and produced sozs eold, for which there were 25 tons of stuff treated. The retorting was kept back in order to have some specimens which were sent to Auckland included in the crushing, but these did not arrive. There is no doubt but lhat had they been treated and the result included, the crushing would have met:expectation and averaged 6dwtsto the ton. In sinking on the reef yesterday morning water was struck, but this is not considered a bad feature. The manager is now about to start a drive from the Karaka fload level, which will strike the reef in about 60 feet of driving and by the time the course of the lode is' followed up to the lino of the shaft, an additional depth of 130 feet or thereabouts will be obtained. Thus, besides draining the reef, the new level will give high backs for stoping and egress to the liaraka tramway, from which quartz can bo forwarded to any of the crushing mills on the fiat. Aibiok—Kruy's Tbibutb.—Another crushing ot 30 tons of stone was completed yesterday at the Prince Alfred battery for Oatran and party, tributers ; of Kelly's old claim, under the Albion Company; but they only on this occasion obtained a moderate yield of lOozs 15'Uvts, They hope for better luck next time.

. ,V"anouaud. —The reef intersected by. the "Vanguard Company, to which we alluded yesterday, proves not only not to' be in the Vanguard ground at all, but, from'the result of a survey made by Messrs Wright and Bayldon, we learn that it is very unlikely ever to enter that, company's ground at'all; but tHe find is a l, highly important one for the Bird-in-Hand and Queen of the Thames Companies, but it just between.those two claims, under the corner pep of the Vanguard. The shaft of the Vanguard is sunk -14 feet inside the Bird-in-Hand boundary; and after driving a total digtance of 76 feet, the whole of which, except the 14 feet, was through the Queen of the . Thames ground, the reef came to hand as previously stated. Its course is about 70 degrees east of north. The Queen of the Thames and Bird-ia- > Hand Companies intend jointly to crush' a trial of 5 tons of it, and should the lode prove payable it will prove highly important'to both, for the Queen of the Thames will have a length ot from 600 to 700 feet: of it striking ahrough their ground, and the Bird-in-Hand from 800 to 900 feet of it> Another important point in connection with this lode is that, it has been struck at the seaward side of j the cross-cut, and is, in fact, the first reef lhat has ever been opened on- that, side.But although this lode will be' of no benefit to the Vanguard Company there are others ahead which may prove of still greater importance There is no doubt this reef .is the same which was cut through near the mouth of the South British tunnel. There were other lodes of greater promise intersected further in (one at a distance of 130 feet), and these will all Btrike through the Vangaard ground. _______ ■