THE THAMES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1920, 1 October 1874, Page 2

THE THAMES.

Oar latest advice^ r frdra A the Thames Groldlield: give: but au-, indifferent,., account of mining matters, and further state that theshare.market.was singularly inactive, or to, tHat effect! Only two or three 'mines were' yielding at all up 'to- expectations, chief of which were the BrightoSmile, its yield for the previous fortnight being 13010z.. This very haridsomS return is said/'W have liquidated i the')odmpany's. liabilities, of the existence r pf which-^e were entirely; in : the dark,, the, subject having evidently been kept secret,,in the North; : However, we; are very glad indeed to hear that the Company is in a fair way of paying dividends • again. , -It is j about to erect a powerf hi crushing 'plant on its own, accpuHt, the cost of outside/orjishing having been .exceedingly neav3£J,dn?&l the twelve/; months.- ; ->lil lj6b,o ewere*~expended under that head "and 'carting combined. The.-iaadg|iining Queen of Beauty mine <wrijiriue3iHo maintain its enviable reputatiori^of£|>eing the best paying property on.the Thames gold-field. The latest return J from" 'it 1 date r^ls 1089oz, •jthe.'product .pf^about 16 days' work. At the annual 'meeting ''of i:I tne Bird' in;'VJßand- Company— an..,adjoining mine— it was demonstrated :thatsince,',the commencement of crushing at tie latter end of last year,.. 2325 loads of stuff, averaging, say 25cwt to the load, had been milled to a return !of . 16140z jof gold. The Company- was not in the best of ;po§itidns, its liabilities being LIOOO; whilst in ■one .direction the n lode had ran very-poor indeed. ;Of the progressive mines of the Waipkaraka ' district, - theT City : of 3Fbrk Company „shaft,h as' been, sunk to a; depth of 150 ft, arid that of the Queen r 'o'f the Thames to 216 ft deep. Both mines are stUL sinking. . The Vanguard's shaft is down 'l24ft. These mines are prospecting as' 'well : as progressing, and we shall be very glad indeed to hear of their having struck paying gold, because in that case the,T very large extent of comparatively untested country atthe back of theinwould. in" all .probability prove remuneratively auriferous also. The old QoldenC^owijtpine is once more in commission, 'operations ; having -been resumed with the object of finding the continuation of thai . Iqde which is paying so handsomely in the next mine— the Manukau.;- -The latter continues to yield handsomely above the -main level, but below that the lode does riot se^iri' to be ! .so rich, ari'd 'that it^will lose in qualify is; depth is gained isSnext to a certainty, such being the characteristics- ,of, every ; ' lode that has T ..been ioperied . in- ; the .locality. ;. 'That^'ijße^ very important fiad in. thia mine, we allizdo to the new lode r iß-exerciaing,-berieficial'^ flue'nce' ; is evidenced "in r a - ? iepa'rkable -manrie'r by the fact of the 6]sL .Hidden Treasure mine, alias the Hand.and Band, fetching at public auction the handsome sumof LI2OO. Nothing ■■■> of ..* the" slightest consequence had' found-'iri ,the mine, and, .its value, is therefore entirely prospective,;' arid .at present, reflected from tKe find; in the Mahukau, the next mine' but one to it. There is a very extensive mmmg /company at the^Thames known as the South BritishVAssociaJion, which was organised- for. the purpose of ; prospecting >a- large area of. : ground, through r which : it was assumed., .the strike of the Una . . and. Murpby's Hill and Hape Creek lodes; would ; pasß. Operations were commenced by driving a tunnel through a hill upon which a section of the town "of Shortland, designated "block XXVII," stands. It would appear that the, tunnel failed to, /intersect any paying parts of thelodesin' question, inasmuch that ttle company is now engaged in sinking a shaft to test the deeper ground, arid -has reached the> - depth of 246 ft .: Steam machinery., to, facilitate operations is being erected. The Coliban Company, .on the Mountain Creek Hange "which lately obtained a paying Crashing from the lode that was struck in tMe : deep ground" is now driving on the lodtf through hard country., The , lode is rather 1 small, but shows gold :freeiy,;and Itj'is'inoijghit will-pa^ ,~~ We append a; few ; of th^principal! gold /.returns during the, fprinight > ending i the - 27th ult :— Queen of Beauty, I089oz; Alburriia, 281o2},;: .Albipn^Company Poverty Tribute^ 55 tons, 178oz ; Moriataiari Co. 750 < toris^ i 3160z ; Eose arid Shimrock, 200:tons,:106ozjuWatchmari,po: Tribute^ 30 toris, 260z ; > Red, White, arid J Blue ;.Tribute, ( 45 ttvrisj 370z : Long^^ Dri^e o Co, . ..mqniiiiV;:*'ieJiitffl'' for ; August,.42o2i^. AU Nations Co.] month's 16^^101:^.11^9^9202.