MINING- MATTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1434, 22 June 1868, Page 3

MINING- MATTERS.

From the Thames Advertiser, June 20. The Kuranui Company's ground is situate above the famous Shotover (or Hunt's) claim, and beneath the claim knownas the Deep Lead —on the Kuranui -range—and was, we believe, the second claim pegged off on the : gold-field. It is under the active management of Mr. William Bowe, who has been resident on the claim since he took over its" superintendence • some months ago. During this period the ground has been systematically worked and has- borne a golden harvest to the influential shareholders. It is worked by a private company, who obtained possession of the shares held by the original owners on payment of handsome sums. The claim extends over a large area of highly aniifeVous ground, and from appearances, will be workable a much longer period than any claim in the immediate neighbourhood of the Kuranui.•: As a proof of the exceeding richness of the ground, we may state that almost as soon as the first shaft was opened' by the company proprietors 200 ounces of gold were taken out. The shaft was sunk close on the boundary of the Shotover claim with a view of opening the reef extending from that ground, and running along the Kuranui Company's ; claim in several irregular -veins, riehly impregnated with gold. • After' sinking on this boundary with the success indicated, several shafts were put down- on the opposite side, and from these, between 800 and 1,000 ozs. loi gold were taken out. The ; leaders: running from the Shotover claims on the opposite-side of the creek to the boundary shaft, where afterwards worked, and about 150 tons of: stuff taken out per month, yielding from eight to ten ounces of retorted gold per ton at the machine. At the time of our visit there were four shafts sunk in two different leaders, the -shafts having also been put in with a view of intersecting other leaders, and so opening up the ■■ many auriferous veins running through the ground. The Deep Lead reef had been opened in this way, but was not found' so profitable as a little leader which had been opened- at an intersection of the -workings. A considerable yield of gold had been- obtained from this smell'rich leader. On the opposite side of the ground three drives had been put in on the Shotover leaders which, with : very little variation, had proved regular and well-defined, and gave promise of an excellent.yield-.Some of the leaders were found to run Worth and South and others East and West, but on;the whole there was a marked regularity in the general run of the auriferous veins. At the time of our visit there were some 150 tons of: .quartz stacked on the ground in readiness for the machine, the yield of each leader having been kept separate with a view of testing its richness. The first machine on the field was-erected by Messrs. Fraser and Tinne, at the foot of this and the Shotover Claim,, and purchased by the Kuranui Company. Arrangements have since been made, however, to erect another and more powerful battery, to be fitted with all the latest improvements, on a site on tne Company's ground. The splendid plant and machinery of the Aotea Copper Mining Company, imported at great expense from England.has been purchased for this purpose, and is now. in course of erection on the ground. The engine is a condensing one, of 35 horse power nominal, working up to 40 horse power, and from Harvey and Co.'s, Hayle Foundry. The boiler is 28 feet long, of Cornish make. The battery, .will comprise 20 head of stampers to commence with, capable of being enlarged to 40 at a future day. A substantial drain has been carried along the centre of the claim at a considerable outlay of capital and labour, in order to facilitate the working of the ground, and prevent the washing away of quartz with every fresh. The gully was cleared of trees and roots, and the drain timbered at the bottom and sides to a width ot three and a half feet by five feet. A tramway from the Kurunui beach is now being laid down to the claim for the conveyance of the boiler and machinery, and a large flat-bottomed punt is in course of construction on the beach to be used in the conveyance of coals, &c, from vessels lying off the place to the tramway. The battery will be supplied with a Chilian mill, rollers, and all the latest processes for securing an adequate return from the quartz. It is also intended to fix a patent buddle for dressmg i the tailings of the machine, together with .a calcining oven, in order to abstract the sulphur, ana economise the yield by every modern improvement available for use on this gold-field.

We understand that the claim on the Waiotahi, known as Armstrong's, is about ;o be formed into a Company .under the * Mining Company's Limited Liability Act, irith. 100 shareholders. The greater portion of the shares have already been allotted. The claim is situate in the neighbourhood of Messrs. Du Moulin and Johnson s machine, and has already been fully noticed in these columns. . _. , The Liverpool Boys', Beehive, and Digger s Friend claims, have struck gold-bearing leaders during the week. We understand that several tons ot quartz may be expected up from the Puriri next week, the yield of which is anxiously looked forward to by a number of claimholders. having ground along the line of reef at that place. The reef, of which this stone may be taken as a sample, runs through seven claims on the ground. The heavy rains this week have flooded some of the shafts to a great depth, one having no less than 50 feet of water in it. The Golden Crown, Puriri, (Penn and party), comprises eight men's ground, and has been worked for twelve week's past with satisfactory results. A drive has been put m some 38 teet, and a chamber from thence to a depth of 65 feet, on the crown of the hill. Three leaders of a promising appearance have been .uncovered on the ground. The shaft has been heavily timbered, and presents a workmanlike appearance. The late heavy rains have proved disastrous to the claims in this vicinity. _ Ihe Golden Crown has been flooded to a depth ot 18 feet, and others, we hear, have a much greater depth of water in them. ■• .: • We were yesterday shown a sample ot blue quartz from the Dawn of Hope Claim, which had been left with Mr. D. J. OKeeffe.:; Tho stone is as fine a sample as we have seen for some time past, weighing about 401b5., and on. being broken disclosed large patches of gold running through it. There was also a Tern ot crystallised stone running .through the piece, making the sample a very attractive .. The Golden Crown (late Prospectors),, the shareholders of which have been sinking-: tor and are reported to have struck the Manukau leader, are said to have turned out good stone during the week from a solid body ot quartz, which has been broken to a depth ot three feet. The result is, however, doubtful. The leader is being followed in an easterly direction, with a prospect of something turning UP The Dauntless and Montezuma Claims at Tapu Creek have opened good looking; leaders during the week, which appear tocome.rrom the direction of Quinn and Cashel * .claiovand are believed to be portions of the leader running through their, ground. .• • ' ■■ The Inverness Claim, Waiotahi, which was, we believe, formerly a portion of the Little Angel Claim, :have had a satisfactory crushing 1 this week at the Victoria machine. . ■ ■ The Bendigo Claim, Moanatarra, a crushing of five tons this week .at the Victoria machine, the result of which turned out nil. This claim, as we have already mentioned in these columns, has been worked since September last and the result is consequently very unsatisfactory to the shareholders.-, .... . ■■ . Two sleeping thirds in the Prospectors Llaim, Puriri, changed hands yesterday for £75 escn, and another to-day for £52.