MINING.

Evening Star, Issue 14634, 2 August 1911, Page 5

MINING.

Work at the tunnel in the Cromwell mine at Bendigo has been somewhat delayed during the month owing to the race being frozen, trat it is anticipated now that there will be no further delay, as a considerable fall of snow has taken place on the high levels. Up to the end of the month the tunnel had been driven a total distance of 440 ft. The rock has been extremely hard, and up to the present shows no indication of a change. A little water hah been coming through the face, and the mine manager states that this may bo an indication of a change for the better in the country, and the possibility of striking a reef at any time. A wire from the Saxon mine says:—ln breaking down reef to-day strong blotches of gold wcro seen; reef making stronger than ever. Electric No. 2 dredge worked 70ft ahead for last week. The bottom was soft up 'till Saturday. Prospects fell away until Wednesday, since when the bulk of the return was won. Considering the low state of the river, the ground is unusually deep, in some places being quite 45ft. The master of the Mystery Flat dredge reports that the great depth of stiff clay prevents much ground from being worked, but he thinks that the clay will shallow some little distance ahead. The directors have therefore instructed him to prospect the ground by means of shafts, with the object of ascertaining the depth of clay and the quality of the wash. The Rise and Shine No. 1 dredge worked a cut of 600 ft last week. The depth was from 42ft to 48ft, and the bottom of different clays, sandstone, and coal. The better ground is in the western part of the : cut. This was not worked last week, but will be in the present one. | The Olrig dredge had a steady run until Friday morning, when the water got. a I bit slack, owing to the frqst. The ground I was loose and poor. During the past week the Electric No. 1 i dredge worked 125 hours for a distance ! ahead of 21ft. The dredge got bottom on | Thursday, and the cut is now opened up j about halfway across the river to the Cromwell side, with moderate pnspects. The ground is again very rough, containing large bouldeTs with tight wash. lime is lost shifting numerous large ~.tt-ms. The ground is a little rougher this week at the Sailor's Bend claim. The dredge was stopped from Friday afternoon until Saturday afteruon owing to one of the screen rollers breaking. There will be a Wash-up on Friday. There is no change in the faoe or prospects at the Waikaia claim. All the main buckets have been i-ppaircd and bushed, and a new bottom tumbler was put in on Thursday. The faoe is now 116 yds from whore good gold was got last year on the up cut. At the Nokomai claim No. 1 is stopped owing to the frost. The fame trcubla is experienced at No. 2, which has had only three clays' work. The matter of the M'asterton dredge, in his weekly report, stated that there was .very little change to report in the nature of the working face. The wash looked fair in. places, but was inclined to bt patchy. There was a slight improvemeir on the western side towards the end of the week, though the centre was looking somewhat poorer. At the Lady Roxburgh claim the width, of the working free at the end of last week was about 1J ■& ins. The reef dips gradually from east to west, and is of an open, jointy nature. On the west side the bottom is about 47ft deep, and the overburden is heavy. The di-edge is opening in this direction, the gravel being heavy. The bar continues on the oast side, and it is difficult to work, but good once the crust is broken, 'ilio best gold is at the foot of the bar on the east side. After the recent big return the 909 dredge was on very rough ground for the greater part of last week, but on Wednesday night again picked up fair prospects on a soft bottom, and washed up 540z. The prospects continue very fair, and thero is every indication of another satisfactory return this week. At a meeting of directors held on Thursday a dividend of 5s per share (the fifth) was declared, making 25s returned to shareholders. Prospects at the Golden Sun claim were of a payable nature vp to Tnecday, when the wash cut out, and prospects thereafter were very poor, a complete change being encountered, and the return fell off considerably. There were again indications of a satisfactory change at the end of the week. The, recent discovery of a very extensive galena lede at Mount Owen, near Murchison. has caused renewed interest to be taken in the locality by Nelson capitalists. The galena outcrop, varying in width from 10ft to 45ft, has been traced for six miles in an unbroken line, and on one license held by the Mount Owen '" Rising Sun" Mineral Company upwards of 50,000 tons of nre arc iu sight. Mr ('. Maurice, of "Nelson, is now on the Coast actively engaged in the flotation of the company, the capital of which is to be £120.000. Nearly 7.000 shares wcro subscribed in Nelson in five days, while a Sydney speculator has taken up another 4,500 shares in the new venture. Mr Bishop, the Inspector of Mines for the West Coast, Nelson, and Marlborough district*, has been paying a visit to Nelson district. He has inspected the Wangapeka minas, for the purpose of furnishing a, report to the. Minister. This departmental report is, of course, not available for publication ; but it is understood that Mr Bishop Ls impressed by the possibilities of the Wangapeka district, and purposes spending a week there during the coming summer, prior to sending in his annual report in March next. The ucw Inspector of Mince for this part of the Dominion is a New Zealander, and received h:s eat ly schooling at the Bishop's School, Nei-on. Subsequently he euined practical experience by actually* working- in mines, principally iu Otago." and afterwards qu-Ju'icd as a mining engineer at the School of Mines, Otago University. For r-onie considerable time he followed his ptofession, as consulting and managing engineer for vat ions mining companies, and accepted his present position under Government some iew months ago. While he was in Nelson Mr Bishop ak> visited the Maoriland Copper Company's property in Aniseed Valley, where woik at the present time is suspended. The Waihi Company have declared a dividend of 2s per share, payable cat the Ist of September. During July of gold were reported from New Zealand, the value being £199.246, compared with 54,1650z, valued at £2i5,417, in July, 1910. The silver exported last month totalled 143,7C"-!oz, valued at £14,421. as compared with 88,50302, valued at £8,977, in July last year. The Karaunui d-redge had a good run Rathe past week. Prospects as far as can he judged are still keeping fair, but the dredge master does not anticipate as pood a return this week, for the dredge will have to turn round in the paddock to make more room, as it is getting into close quarters owing to the low statfl of the river. While the dredge is turning round it will only bo. able to work top stuff. The ground is still very deep in places, but the bottom is rising a little on the outside of the- cut. As already reported, the Good Chance dredge bottomed the deep ground on Tuesday last. Prospects were fair up till Friday, but since then a somewhat heavier sample of gokl has come in, which is not so promising for a large return. " No doubt," say 3 the. dredge master, "the ground will improve as we work ahead." The New Bi£ River i sturn is 6030z 9dwt from 600 tons at the battery, and from the cyanide 750z 17dwt from 300 tons, of an estimated total value of £2,570. RETURN. Paracale : 82oz, 180 hours. TRANSVAAL GOLD PRODUCTION. A RECORD RETURN. The latest figures of gold production in the Transvaal eclipse all previous records. According to the customary monthly returns issued by the Transvaal Chamber of Mines, 685,9510z of fine gold were produced during May, the total value amounting to £2,913,734, as compared with 667,7140z, valued at £2,836,267, produced during tta /vaaaiik e£ Ap r 'l AJ though the totals

create a record, the daily average output during May "was lower than the previous month, being returned at 2,1270z, but tho difference is only a matter of 130oz. The total production for the first five months of the current year amounts to 13,981,7610z, while that for the same period of last year was 12,901,7360z, so that the gold industry maintains an excellent record of progress. The increase in the number of natives employed on the Rand has received a check, the total being nearly 4,000 short of the previous month. For this fall the number employed at too gold mines are mainly responsible. SKIPPERS SLUICING COMPANY. In presenting their third annual report the directors of the Skippers Sluicing Company state that the paddock taken out proved unpayable, and that early diggers had been, able to clean the bottom exposed by this company's operations during the pa«t year. Miners who knew the ground in the early days state that another paddock should reach improved ground, and your directors, after fully considering the matter, have decided to ask shareholders to give the property a further trial. To enable this to be done present debentnreholders will be asked to renew their debentures, allow interest to remain unpaid in the meantime, and to consent to a further issue of debentures, or such other financial arrangements as will enable the work to be prosecuted. The proposals on this point are still under consideration, but will be submitted as soon as possible. The retiring directors aTe Messrs Bathgate and Brown. THE SHARE MARKET. DrWEOTN EXCHANGE. Sales on 'Change: Rising Sun, 40s; Saxon, 2s 6Ad, 2s 7d ; Junction, 27s 7d. Sales reported : N.Z. Paper Milk, 21e 3d : Junctions, 27s 6d; Saxon, 2s 6d. Quotations : —Dredging.— Electric—Buv 2/6. Golden Bed—Buy 12/9, eel 15/. Hartley and Riley—Buy 10/, eel 14/. Koputai—Sel 15/6. No Town Creek—Buv 6/. Rise and Shine—Sel 38/. Sailor's Bend—Buy 5/, eel 7/3. —Quartz. — Consolidate*! Goldfields—Sel 20/. Kuranui Caledonian—Sol 1/4. May Queen—Buy 2/2, sel 2/5. New Svlvia —Sel 3/8. Old Hauraki—Sel 2/2. Talisman Consolidated—Buy 50/6, sel 52/6. Saxon—Buy 2/6£, sel 2/7. Waihi—Buy 60/. Waihi Grand Junction—Buy 27/3, sel 27/9. —lnvestments. National Insurance Co.—Bny 37/. Standard I nstsrance Co.—Buv 31 /. Union Steam Ship Co.—Sel 42/3. Westport Coal Co.—Sel 29/6. D.I.C. (pre/.)—Buy 22/9. Milburn Limo and Cement (£1) —Buy 40/, f.el 40/6. ' Otago Daily Times'—Buy 50/. Auckland Ga6—Buy 71/.