MINING NEWS. GRAHAMSTOWN, Wednesday. OLD WHAU.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5135, 5 February 1874, Page 3

MINING NEWS. GRAHAMSTOWN, Wednesday. OLD WHAU.

This company's new engine has been placed iu position, aud was started to work to-day. It appears to be well adapted for the wok which it has to perform, driving the* company's battery, and it works smoothly and stoadily. It is a portable engiue, one of lioby's doable cylinder, and is far more powerful than the eugiu6 recently in u-.e. Crushing was faiily btarted to-day, with ten heads of stampers, for there is not sufficient water in the creek to aqpply the fall force. The stoppage of the crushing for each a length of time has, in a great measure, stopped the operations in the mine also, for it was uecles- to break down the lode stuff when there waa no paddock room in which to store it. But, in the meantime, the manager opened out a lower block from the mam winze, opening out at a level 40ft. below the former one. In this place the reef is 3ft. thick, contains a rich show of gold, and although there has not been any very largo quantity of specimens yet to hand from this level, the shpflr is sufficient to justify expectations of rich returns. Now that the battery is at work the men will be started to work to contmue stoping in the upper block, and in the meantime tho new level will be further opened right and left up the winze, so as to be ready for breaking down the quartz when it is required.

BLACK AXOEL. Yesterday evening and to-day there was a richer show of gold in the Black. Angel than there has been for some time paat, and fully 401 ba. of very rich specimens came to hand, besides a quantity of picked stuff of fair quality. The golJ, as usual, is priucip»Uy confined to the haugiug wall portion of the reef ; but a width of from 2ft to 3fb of crushing stuff is being taken out, and the general crushing, which ii now going ou :it the Manukau battery, is making large quantities of amalgam. Thtre will be a retortiug for the company at the end of the week and the total return will I Lave no doubt be a very handsome one.

SONS OF FKEEUOM. In this mine the show of gold during the last week has been very good but yesterday it wa9 unusually rich and fully 2501 us of rich picked atufl and specimens came to hand from the stopes at the North East side of tho main winze. This with what has previously come to hand -will very largely increase the result of the next retorting which is to take place at the end of the week, uud I have no doubt the yield which will then be obtained in addition to result of tho previous retorting will pkco the directors in a position to \.ay a very handsome dividend.

BIRD IN HANI). Tfao sbaf of tbia company's mine is now almost down to the depth afc which it is intended to open out on the reef and the directors are now about to purchase a suitable engine for winding, so as to diepence with the whim. Another fortnight should be sufficient to complete the sinking of the shaft. The distance to drive from this new shaft to intersect the reef is not more tLan about 20 feet. [Correspondent.]