MINING MATTERS AT THE THAMES. (FROM THE " THAMES ADVERTISER," JUNE 13.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3406, 16 June 1868, Page 3

MINING MATTERS AT THE THAMES. (FROM THE " THAMES ADVERTISER," JUNE 13.)

Thb rCpsom Independent Claim includes eight meu's and adjoins the Happy-go-lucky and Lord Nelson Claims Ihe ground has been got luto good working order, and several well-defined gold bearing leaders have been opened. A reef some seven or eight feeb in width, which is I elieved to be goldbearing, has likewise been opened, and the men are n w engaged in sinking a. ehaft upon, it, with every prospect of a profitable retnrn. One of the shareholders inform* us that it is their intention to erect a six- stamper machine ou the ground in the courae of a short time, when the only obstacle to the progress of the claim will have been removed. The Columbia Claim, Moanataiari.has been worked for two months by the present shareholders as sir men's ground, having been previously takeu up and abandoned as worthless by several parlies. The main drive has been put in to a depth of 100 feet, and some good blue stone obtained, which ii expected to yield well. The stone is largely mixed with crystallised quartz a? it is taken out of the leaders, and in some pieces its auriferous character is fully developed. The main drive carries the leader with it, and the men have put a shaft down t<> » depth of 15 feefc, with a vie* of working upou the leader. Another drive on the ground has reached a length of 40 feeb, and several leaders hare been uncovered during the work. This drive has been carried through a reef the summit of which has been uncovered at a spot higher up the range on the same ground. There is a cross drive of five feet, and a shaft of a similar depth ou the ground, whilst there are some 30 tons of stuff in readiness for a cruxhing. The nearest machinery is that in coarse of erection by the Homeward-Bound Gold-mining Company on the ground of the Deep Lead Claim, which will prove very serviceable to surrounding claims when the complement of stamp-heads hare been fixed. The Towney Claim is a name given to two men's ground situate between the Homeward-Bound and flobson's Park boundary pegs on the Kuranui ranges. The grouud was taped off the former claim about three months ago l>y two ex-members of the A uckland police force, who ara to be found industriously plying their new avocatiOD. The men have struck the Hobson's Park leader, which is two feet in thickness, and have consequently a good show for the nhorc time they have been on the ground. A shaft has been carried to a depth of 100 feet, and a drive put in to a d'Stance of 80 feet. Leaders have been opened at a depth of 60 feet, and tome seven or <-ight tons of quartz have been taken out in readiness for a crushing. 'I he Deep Lead is a claim of seven men's ground on the Kuranui hill, and adjuiuiug the boundary pegs of the Kuranui Company's mines and the Homeward- Bound Gold Mining Company. The ground was opened on the 27th of September last, and the main reef has been cut at a distance of 60 fe-t, exhibiting a width of some eighb or nine feeb. A drive to the left has likewise been carried to a distance of 77 feet, and a shaft p'lt in upon the leader to \ depth of 40 feet. On the hill above a drive has been carried to an extent of 100 feat, opening on a shaft put into the ground at a higher point. There is also another shaft in the ceutre of the claim, which has been sunk on to the cap of the main leader at a depth of 15 feet The main levder is expected to be opened in the lower drive, at a depth of 100 feet. Some good specimens were procured from the lower drive at the time of our-risifc. A crushing of ten tons of rough «tone and mullock, from which the most likely-looking stuff had been taken, yielded five ounces to the too. There are ■urns 70 tons of quartz on the ground in readiness to he crushed on the eompletioa of thft Homeward* B-'imd machinery, a site for which has been supplied by the shareholders of this claim, One of Mason's patent quartz-crusking machines has been temporarily erected at the rear of the Bank of Australasia's premises. Pollen street, where it is available for miners desirous of testing its capa-b-1 tie I*.1 *. The shareholders of the Comet Claim, Tapu Or ok, brought up 9ewfc. of itone from the reef jon their claim this week, to be crushed jat Shortland. The sample of stuff did not contain a I Eingle specimen, but was selected as a sample of the | genera) yield of the reef. The result of the crushing was a yield of 14 >z 17dwt. 2lgr. of retorted gold. The Comet is a claim of six men's ground, and has been worked for some three months past. There are four or five drive 3 on the grouud from 50 to 90 feet iv length, and several good-looking leaders of a mnllocky description have been opened, from which the stone brought to Shorlland fjr crashing was taken. We are requested to explain that the ton of stuff crushed by the shareholders of the Golden Cup (late New-Found Out) Claim, at McLeods machine, which yielded » little over two ounces to the ton, was scarcely a fair sample of the general yield of the ciaira, as the stuff had been on the ground for several mouth?, and was takeu out of the claim lon before the leaders were discovered to be so highly auriferous. Fresh patches of rich stone have been opened, and some splendid spejimens *re being got out of the ground. The Bank of Ireland Claim, Waiotahi, struck a very promising leader on their ground yesterday, and exhibit some splendid specimens of quartz taken from it. This claim was only taken up as seven men's ground about six weeks ago, and gold was struck before the expiration of a month. An equal half-share in the Dawn of Hope Claim changed hands yesterday for £385. Messrs. Graham's and Goodall'a crushing machines were at a standstill yesterday owing to the state of the roads preventing the claimholders getting down their quartz. The Forest Bang r is a claim of four men's ground on the Waiotahi, situate four claims from Sweeney's, on the road to the Bunga Flat. The claim has only l>eea opened about two month", and a drive extending to 70 feet has been put in, crossing a leader nearly 34 feet wide. A specimen of 2cwt. from this dnve was taken to Bull's machine foe crushing, and the result was a yield of nearly three ounces to the ton. The sample was taken from the top of the reef, and was of a mullocky description. The owners are now putting down a shaft on the spur near the top, with a view of driving on a lower portion of the reef. The leader exposed is supposed to be the one running from Sweeney's Claim, and on a line with those in the Harp of Eiin, Rough-and-Ready, and Golden Age Claims. A specimen crushing of stone from the HomewardBound has been made this week. Sixty-seven pounds of stone yielded l^oz. to the lib., or 970z.