MINING MATTERS AT THE THAMES. (FROM YESTERDAY'S "THAMES ADVERTISER.")

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3893, 12 February 1870, Page 4

MINING MATTERS AT THE THAMES. (FROM YESTERDAY'S "THAMES ADVERTISER.")

Thk Scandinavian • The energy displayed by the manager and shareholders of the Scandinavian (beach) Claim is something 1 emarkable. They have sunk a shaft thiough the soft sludge on the beach, and ■\\ ci c successful in coming on to the bed lock yesterday, at a depth of 20 feet. To accomplish this extremely difficult piece of woik, the managei set to work in an extremely cautious manner. Piles were driven to the bed rock in the form of a square. Inside this square another row of piles were driven, thus forming a compartment between, The outsides of these squaies were boarded up with heavy planking, made water-tight by caulking, thus keeping out the tide water. Insida the innei of those squares the proposed shaft had to be sunk, and this was accomplished in a most thoughtful manner, although in the face of groat difficulties. Iron plates were bolted on firmly to the lower planks of A\hat was intended for the inner compartment, which is composed of 3-inch planking, tongued and grooved, so as to make close joints; Heavy tiansverse beams were then firmly bolted, to the piles, and by the aid of six powerful screw-jacks the first section of the box, to which were attached the iron plates previously mentioned, and which projected about tin cc feet below the timber, was duvon down into the mud. So it ■u as bent down section by section, until at length the lock was reached. All this time men weie hard at work on the two windlasses in the mud underneath, baling out the sludge and water, and at length the welcome bed-iock has been come on to, after heavy expense and almost superhuman labour. The whole of the hard work is not finished, however, for the shaft proper is to be inside the inner compartment of the present portion, thus forming four separate compartments. Of course, the spaces between, each of which is from two to three feefc, will be filled in by the stuff taken from the bed-rock, thus foiming a solid embankment, and the work of sinking through the lock can then be carried on with safety. The lock does not appear to bo very hard, and as far as it at present shows it can be worked with the pick and gad. The Ladybnd and Hand of Friendship : A cinshmg for the Ladybird and Hand of Fnendship is at piesent going on at Russell's battery, wheie it employs ton head of stampeis, lented by the week. The stone 13 taken from the same black reef that is turning out ,so advantageously in the City of Duuedii), and is showing up for a payable letnin, although not quite &o rich as the City of Dunedm stuff. William the Conqueror: A crushing for the William the Conqueror, another Tararu claim in which the black leef has been opened, is now going on at the Flora Macdonald batteiy. Several trials from this claim have given payable results, and a large paicel ciushed at Russell's batteiy some time ago gave a return of upwards of lioz. to the ton, although the parcel was of inferior quality, and much, mixed with portions of the field rock. The Little Nell: Preparations are now almost completed for sending down a large quantity of stone from the Little Nell to Russell's battery, and we understand that crushing will be commenced in the course of the eommg week. The immense body of stone that composes the Little Nell reef, and the great facility for quarrying out great quantities of stone, will make it payable with a comparatively low average. The City of Dunedin; This claim has stopped crushing for the present, there being no more stone to grass, but it will commence again next week, when it will again occupy ten head of stampers. If the shaft which they are at present sinking- was down to a sufficient depth, they would have no difficulty in keeping the ten head constantly employed. The Tramway Batteiy: The additions and alterations to this batteiy are in such a forward state that steam will be got up today, and one battery of six stampers set going. A lot of mullock and rubbish from the Imperial Crown will be put through for the purpose of putting the battery in working order, and then it will start to crush a lot of atone from the Dauntless, which has now been waiting the completion of this battery for some time. The Inverness : The manager of this claim is taking out stone for another crushing. There is now about 50 tons of stone on hand, and about 701b. specimens. A parcel of 20 tons from the large black leader will be crushed separately for the purpose of ascertaining its value, and the other lot from the main leader will be put through shortly, Tookey's Company : We are pleased to notice the progress that is made with the erection of the machinery and pumping gear in this company's mine. The legs for the poppet heads were erected yesterday. They are four splendid spars 38 feet apart at the bottom. There is 60 feet from the ground and the landing-plat, and 60 feet to the poppet-heads. The bed for the engine is also in a very forward state, and the boiler is placed in its position. Judging by the progress already made by the contractors, Messrs, Bignall and Co., the plant will soon be in working order if timber can be obtained. We understand that some difficulty in procui'ing the latter is anticipated. GroodalTs Battery: Goodall's battery ia again at work, crushing for the Poverty and Charleston and the Young American Companies. The Belfast: The reef has now been followed down in a winze to a depth, of 50 feet, and gold has been found the -whole way down. The Lucky Hit Machine: After a considerable period of inactivity, the Lucky Hit machine started to work yesterday oil a crushing for the President Lincoln Claim. The Sir William Wallace : The Sir William Wallace machine, Collarbone Creek, will commence a crushing to-day for the Bank of Now Zealand. *