LATEST THAMES NEWS. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Friday, 5 p.m.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3971, 14 May 1870, Page 4

LATEST THAMES NEWS. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Friday, 5 p.m.

MANITKAU. A TON of picked stuff, going through at th6 1 Prince Alfred machine, is hkely to turn out | very rich, no less than 300oz. of hard amal- , gam having been taken' from the tables. There i were a- few specimens in this lot, but the ' bulk was' from the immediate neighbourhood from where they came, and in which the ■ colour was. at times visiblei

KURANUI COMPANY. The contractors for the tunnel started on Wednesday, immediately in the rear of the machine-house, will carry it up to the far shaft, known as " Whitaker's," a distance of 600 ft., the whole length being taken at 9s. per foot." For the present the line will be a single one ; bub as soon as the contractors are oat of the way this will be removed, and a, double one permanently fixed in its place. The dimensions of the tunnel are large / necessary, if required, for the employment of horses, the height being 6ft. 4in. ; width on the floor, 6ft.; roof, sft. 4in.; all clear of the requisite timbering. At the mouth of the drive, a substantial tramway, with iron rails, 100 yards in length, is already laid ; and, without exception, is the most creditable piece of work on the field. It runs high over the machine doors, takes a curve, and in one span crosses the beach road, at a height of 13ft. , on to the sands, where all the mullock will be deposited. The trestle and stretcher work of this road is of a massive character, and so arranged as not to interfere with the paddocks at the back of the battery ; short shoots will be erected here, as the height is only some 14ft. or 16ft. The old tramway and shoots will be useless j also, the whims, as the whole of , the stuff taken out in future will be either sent to the machine or beach. To show the great saving which will accrue to the company, it is only necessary to say that 60 trucks, each containing ]2cwt. of quartz, are sent down to the mill, and these are to be drawn up by the whims, put on the upper team, run a considerable distance, and then shot down to the lower one, and conveyed another 200 yards into the paddock. All this immense labour will be avoided, as the tunnel is lower by 15ft. than the present deepest workings, and need no handling whatever, aa passes, &c, will be made, under which the truck will run, and the stuff be sent direct to the battery.

SEA LION. The engine shaft is now down 102 ft., or on a level with that of the Imperial Crown ; and at this depth it is intended to open out in a S.E. direction. By so doing, the probabilities aie that the rich lode of the Belfast will be cut. Other leaders, it; is expected, will be intersected, which have not yet been developed by any company. The machinery and all connected with the pumps are in first-class order, and it is very likely a start for the good will be made on Monday.

WAKATIP. The shareholders of this ground still hold on in the face of very adverse circumstances which have been encountered during the past three months. What with water and a hard country to dris^e through, the main or engine shaft is down 120 ft., and here they are forming another level, and have for a considerable time been driving in a northerly direction, to cut the lode found in the 70f fc. level ; but lor three months it has Leon hard ground m every foot of it, to be shot, but yesterday they came upon softer stuff, supposed to be the casing of the lode. In an easteily drive they are pushing on for the clip of the Long' Drive leaders, and the men are very sanguine that these famous lotbs will be found in their ground. The small vertical engiue is kept going night and day, heaviug iip water and mullock, and works wonderfully well.

SONS OF FREEDOM Ai enow crushing at Parfcington's machine, about 100 tons— quantity intended to be put through. The s>tuff is mainly from the drive at the 73ft. level, and here a rise from each side of this stoping is going on, and good stone is occasionally brought to grass. Within the last few days a good deal cf water has come in from the lode, a sign that they are near the Flying Cloud workings ; and these latter inform me they are almost clear of it. The manager, on my last visit, was afraid of this if the drive was cariied much further. Steps are now being taken to overcome this, which I think will be successful. The branch leader that has been followed for a few days by a drive is now stopped, aa it is found to make to the leef again.

CITY OF DUNEDIN. The horse whim which this company have been erecting over their shaft for \he last few weeks is now finished, and driving is resumed in the 108 ft. level. They tapped their famous reef here before, but had no sooner done so than they were flooded out, and on Sunday night, or rather Monday morning, there was 35ft. of water in the shaft, and 26ft. in the drive, and this has already been bailed out, the water being kept as before. A quantity of stuff ia now coming up the shaft, but this is principally casing. Crushing will be commenced m a week or two at Russell's machine. DIXON'S NO. 1 Ts eloasiing up at the Prince Alfred battery, and the Flymg Cloud at Souter's. This will be a veiy good return for 5 head, judging by the amount of amalgam in the bucket.

(FROM YESTERDAY'S " rHASIES ADVERTISER..") The Batteries : We we well pleasedto notice that the batteries are kept steadily employed, and there is every likelihood of a continuance, and even an improvement, on this healthy appearance of things to be expected. The crushings from the out-dristrict3 continue to flow in, and, although in small lots, yet they materially help in swelling the gold return, and also in keeping grist to the mills. In this respect the Karaka Creek has, within the last weeks, made a rapid advance. A greater number of claims are in work than formerly, and we hear of old ground being taken' up under new names daily.. The great change that has occurred in the place by the destruction of the bush has had the effect of lessening the water supply in the creek, so that even when rain does fall it ntns off in such a short time that it is not of much advantage beyond a day or two after the rain ceases. Vickery's machine, on the Karaka, has for the past week been fully employed 1 on a large lot of stone from the Queen of Sheba Claim. Bull's machine has nine stampers at work this week on a large lot from the Pride of the Karaka, and a lot for the Atlantic has also been crushed. The Una Company's fine machine is as usual fully employed on stone from the company's mine. Perry's machine has five stampers at work crushing a fine lot of stone for the Prosperity. Yesterday a lot of stone from the Wade, that has for some time occupied this mill, was finished, and the result retorted. There is a trial lot of ten tons from the Conqueror in the paddock. The Onehunga Company's machine is the only other mill at present working on the Karaka, and that is fully employed on stone from the company's own mine. Souters battery is crushing a lot of stone from the -Young American. A trial parcel for' the Mamikau Extended occupies five head of stampers, and yesterday a crushing for the Flying Cloud was washed up, but has not yet been retorted. The Hauraki machine has finished a crush'ingforthe Manukau, and is now employed on a large crushing for Kellys claim. ■ The vv aip'tahi Company's machine has ten stampers still employed on a crushing for the Waitensata, and the remaining five is crushiau^m'io^Ke company. ' ' The battery is crushing for the', th 4 Golden .Age, , and the Shamrock' occupies a -ppi lion*. ' - ■' ' - -- ' ' ' Tghe !_- Australasian Company's battery 'has been on Vcriisbing for the Candle- - - Wesson's is .kept well employed^ on jfche/Pri&e" of < tie "Weft quartz. - A crusbV irigj for" tHe^ Multmn J in Parvb is' also being nfot i&pjugh laff' ting ' machine'; teitti r j?very^ i prospe'dt,o:F a lßg)3y satisfactory seturiir" J ljbe' uropnexors na.v,e, constructed- a goon, inotlft ot for the Bnde^ot j^e^tyes£j^|r.tz., { < r '

The Whfctt Company's machine is employed on a crushing for the tnbuters of the Eoyal Blue Claim. , The Victoria battery is still crushing for the, Moansbtaiati Company. "~ The Morning Slat Company's machine liaa been at work'all this week, and the plates , have their'usual rich' appearance. The Tramway battery ia at present employed crushing' a ,lot of siorie from the, i-hotover, and'^lso a parcel f roitt the Union Claim; Moahataiari. A crushing of 110 tons from the Belfast was finished, and the result < is given above. As soon as the Union stuff ia finished, the Just in Time will occupy six head at the machine. The Thames Crushing Company's battery has only 20 head of stampers at work this ' week brushing for the TJallarat Star as a trial j and for the Shooting Star. Goodall's battery has had 12 head of stampers, since the 6th instant, crushing for Dixon's No. 1. The remaining 10 head are still engaged on the Manukau stuff. The Kuranui's Company's mill has 30 head employed for the company, and 10 head for the Long Drive. The remaining six head are employed on stone from the All Nations "Claim. The Shotover and the Deep Lead batteries are crushing for their respective companies. Specimen from the Harbour View : A piece of stone was brought up yesterday from the Harbour View Claim, Coromandel, for Mr. D. Tookey, who is one of the shareholders. It is only a piece of the block, which must carry the gold through. Mr. Smith, of the Bank of New Zealand, weighed the specimen, and found that it was 5602. 15dwt., and contained Boz. 15dwt. of gold. The Manukau : The Manukau crushing, at Goodall's battery, is still going on, and no retorting will take place this week. (