THE BENDIGO REEFS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 28, 25 May 1870, Page 5

THE BENDIGO REEFS.

o—l ! . (From our man Gorratpondeni) •' Ji ~i May The Cromwell and Bendigo Company are busily engaged erecting their second set of stampers. The wheel is being re* paired, and crushing operations at this battery will be resumed with ten stamp-heads, in place of live as heretofore. This will necessitate the employment of double the number of hands formerly, engaged. The men at work are bringing stone to grass, and a large quantity will be ready for crushing when the battery is again set in motion.

The Aurora battery is still crushing stone.from the Golden Link, and the wash-ing-up and the amalgamating will probably take place this week. I am constrained to remark that an error has been committed in some of the trial crushings in consequence of so much mullock being mixed with the quartz operated upon. The mullock or casing contains gold whicli would be payable under more favourable circumstances ; but when it is put through along withithe stone, the average returns from undoubtedly good quartz do not leave so much to the credit of shareholders as they otherwise would ; for it must be remembered that cartage is 12s, and the cost of crushing, 30s to 35s per ton. If quartz only were put through, the results of the various tjial crushings would b§ nearly doubled. From Messrs Loughnan arid Oo.'s (late Stewart Bichrnond's) claim, the ' trial crushing has yielded over an ounce and a half to the ton. - H ■'" >,.

The trial crushing from the Victoria Company, which was completed last week, gave a satisfactory return ; but we have not been able to ascertain the result. The half of the quantity put through the mill from these two'claims was a mixture of gold-bearing mullock and quartz. The stone from No. 4 west on the Aurora lino (Messrs Fendison and Duiis') is the next to be crushed; then the stone from the Alto reef (Sam Williams' line); and afterwards, a large quantity brought to grass by the Aurora Company will be. put through the battery, should King Frost not withhold the water fiUpply.