UPPER THAMES MINING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 78, 1 April 1892, Page 3

UPPER THAMES MINING.

Wathi.— The splendid plant of the Waihi G. and S.M. Company is now kept running steadily night and day with a full complement of sixty head of stampers, and a finer sight is not to be seen in any part of the goldfields of the peninsula. Thirty head are going on the original dry-crushing process, and ,i new thirty hoad on tho wet. From results so far, ifc seems quite likely that I his latter process may prove an even greater success than was anticipated, and fb probably will ere long supersede the dry process altogether. In the matter of economy and applicability, the points are largely in its favour. In the construction of the new apartments, great ingenuity and skill have beon exercised, with the happy result that from a start being made everything has run smoothly and well. The immense settling vats, which are capable of carrying some eight hundred tons of pulp and "constitute by far the most conspicuous part of the wet-crushing department, have been constructed after the plans of Mr E. M. Corbett, of Waitekauri, and reflect the greatest credit upon that gentleman's engineering skill. Another striking feature is tho immense circular elevator for lifting the pulp to tho vats, which i 3 different in structure from other machines serving the same purpose in other parts of the Held, but does its work admirably, and is capable of lifting a tremendous quantity per diem. The Silverton Company's battery has not yet gob to work, bub quartz is being brought down to the hopper, and a start at crushing cannot be far ol . Waitekauri.—ln the Jubilee special claim considerable work is being done, and it is intended nob to continue sending the quartz Home for treatment, but to get the local battery to work forthwith. A tramway over some forty or fifty chains of ground, to connect what ia known as the low level with the mill, is now being laid down, and ns soon as completed, this mine and mill will be ready to starb steady work. The making of the tram should no's occupy moro than about three weeks. Tho show of quartz broken out up to date is very good. In the Mangakira (Ralph's) claim, which has been efcanding idle for some time, work has this week been resumed, but, so far only a few hands, some four or five in fact, have been put on. In the Russell property the work of connecting the new find with the battery by tram is being busilypushed on. Some thirty men have been at work already on thn job, but whether ib will be possible to complete it in the short time that was at first reckoned is exceedingly doubtful. The length of tramway will be about three miles,' and it will go through very rough country. Meantime the reduction plant haa been running steadily and well upon tho quartz brought down by sledge, and according to report the quality of stuff is holding very good.