THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1838, 4 December 1869, Page 5

THE GOLDFIELDS.

I THE OTAGO.—THE GOLDEN CROWN REEF STRUCK. The ground owned by the Otago Company, on the Golden Crown Spur, has been must industriously worked for upwards of two years, and if any men in the world can be said to deserve success it is the party by whom the claim was first taken up. We are glad to be able to record that success has attended their efforts, and that a veef, believed —and no doubt justly so, to be the Golden Crown reef—was found yesterday in the shaft that is now sinking in the Otago Company's claim. At a depth of 210 feet, the cap' of, the reef, composed of a mixture of casing and quartz, was met with, and on cutting through this the solid reef was found at the 2 It feet level. The shareholders are jubilant over their success, and there was a rush of sharebrokers and others to the ground yesterday. We are much pleased at the success that has ' attended the enterprise of the shareholders, especially the original ones, who had fought the battle and deserve the credit. The claim was taken up at a very early period by a party of six men, who up to the time the company was formed, worked the claim vigorously and with judgment. A tunuel was put in from the Moanatairi Creek to a length of about 300 feet through a very hard rock, and no success attending this the present shaft was started. When the Croldcn Crown reef began to bo developed these men commenced a systematic search for it, aud with what success and judgment was shown by the, result yesterday. Up to a short time ago the mine was worked as a claim, but on tin, formation of the company several interests were sold at the rate of about £300 per quarter share. This shows the estimation hi which the ground was held, even before anything payable was found in it. The find of yesterday will doubtless have a good effect i on I he whole field, but especially so on the other claims that have been working on this j line of reef. THE EUREKA.—RICH LEADER STRUCK. ] For some time past this company's property has had a downward tendency, which a find that took place yesterday, will have the effect of not only checking, but will doubtless send it up again in the market. In the- tunnel that has been entered through the Moanatairi company's ground into the Eureka, at a length of about 100 feet, and right under the i ridge of the hill, or about the centre of the | claim, a fine leader, from nine inches to a foot j thick, was cut yesterday. The presence of ! gold was at ouee discernable, and in cutting it through, a few rich specimens were taken out. One of these showed the gold in lar<>-e ilakey sheets of a rich colour. The leader will bo opened out on from the drive at both sides. At present the leader is believed to be entirely new, as far as can be seen, and appears to run along the ridge of tho hill. Scrip in this company was at the lowest ebb, and we hare heard of sales at, 10s. previous to tho striking of this leader, but they were eagerly looked for last evening at an advanced figure. This fine lode, if it holds according to its present bearings, will traverse the company's ground from end to end. It dips towards the Moanataiari, and ha- been cut through at a depth of about 00 feet from the surface. THE SIIOTOVER.—MONTHLY RETURNS. Within the last few days we have had occasion to call attention (o the advancing interests of the Shotover. Of course, as the pioneer mine of this goldfield, it has too often been taken as a criterion of the rest of the field, and this has been especially the vase since the enormous yields for which the claim was celebrated began to run short. There were many croakers to be found who were heard to say, "The Thames is a humbug;" "Hunt's claim is run out." Those best acquainted with the progress of mining interests all over the world are aware what trifles are sufficient to damp the market. We have heard of the appearance of a cloud that seemed to promise rain sending shares up at least 10-> percent, in Balhinit, so that, it is scarcely (o be wondered at that a falling off in the Shotover returns should throw a damper over the whole field. The returns obtained yesterday from the general retorting werj much richer than was expected by the rao«t sanguine, but the crushing during the last few days of the month turned the scale to an extraordinary degree. Grave fears were entertained that the returns would scarcely reach 300 ounces for the month's crushing, but on retorting the result was found to be 701 ounces 7dwts. of retorted gold. Tlii-, however, lost a heavy proportion in melting, and the total weight in ingots into which it was run is Gs7ozs. b'dwts. of good qualify gold, showing a loss of 10-iozs. Idwt. in melting. This heavy loss is mainly to be attributed to the dirty character of the the stoue from' the new leader, which although exceedingly rich, in gold, is so to speak, almost composed of other minerals. It appears to improve as it becomes more opened on, and yesterday morning a parcel weighing about 100 lbs were taken out. >n each of the stones gold was distinctly visible, and some of them wore especially rich, ft is calculated that in the small bag in which the specimens were placed there were at least 150 ounces of gold. The company's battery will now be idle for a few days for general overhaul and repairs. Some of the stumper boxes are to be replaced by new ones. The tables will be reset, and the boiler and engine will be cleaned up and overhauled. Wc arc informed that the next month's returns will be a near approach to those for which the claim was once famous. Wc can quite believe this, judging by the changes that have taken place within the last few days. In the drive that was entered to cut Harry's leader from the seventy-feet level in the shaft, n body of stone was met with last evening, but it is not yet known whether it is the leader for which they were searching. If it should be so, and it turns Old, as rich as formerly, it will make a material difference in the value of the company's properly. Wo have not heard of any sales having been effected for the la*t, few days, and holders are chary of parting at the proportionately advanced prices that now rule the market. BATTERY RETURNS. The Una Company's battery is still fully employed on the company's stuff, which is looking very well. The usual fortnightly cleaning up will take place to-day. There are about, 500 ounces of amalgam on hand which have been obtained from the plates and ripples alone, for the stamper-boxes have not yet been cleaned out. A ten ton lot for the Vaugli-a-Uallagh, that has been crushed at this machine, did not turn out payable. The new battery of five head will bo set to woik one of these days, when ten head will be set apart to crush a lot of 100 tons for the Pride of i he Karaka. Bull's machine has not been doing much of late. A parcel of nine hundredweight from some claims on the Hape, has beeu crushed at the two-shunper test battery, but the result is not yet retorted. It is expected to turn out one and a half ounces of gold from the amalgam on hand. The retorting takes place this morning. Vickery's machine crushed twenty tons of stuff from the Mount Macedon Company's new reef, but the result was not payable. Wo are informed that the parcel crushed was much mixed, and that the greater portion of it was sandstone and mullock. The Waiotahi battery has crushed a trial lot of ten and three-quarter tons of stone from the Nonpareil, but the result was not retorted at th > time of our visit. The full force of the machine is now at work on the Mamikau stuff. Souter's machine finished up the United Company's crushing on Monday, and the amount of gold obtained from the last lot of 54 tons put through was 28 ozs. 13 dwts. 12

grains of gold. This was an improvement on the last retorting. The batterv is now undergoing extensive repairs, and a general overhaul. A new stamper box is being fitted in, and the tables reset. The llauraki battery lias started to work on a five-ton lot for the Union Company, Waiotahi (Sweeney's claim). Only two stampers are at work, and the stuff is showing up well on the plates. The vest of tl o machine was idle yesterday. The 25 tons irom the Kawau yielded lozs. lOdwts. of "old, and a trace of copper. ° The Thames Crushing Company's fine battery is, we arc glad to see, again at work. The stuff it is employed on is from the Shooting Star, and lias been sent down by the wire tramway to the main Hue on the Moaualaiari. The Tramway battery, since finishing up the Imperial Crown Stall', has been employed on a quantity from the New May Moon, (rape Creek. This shows up for a good yield, -the crushing will bo finished up to day', ami, the Dauntless will then occupy Die batterv. There is every prospect of tins useful little battery being now kept fully employed, and we are informed that its force will be doubled Jin a few days. The plant is already to hand, I and the engine is sufficiently powerful to drive the increased force. The Victoria battery is fully employed on the Moanalaiari Company's stuff with half the battery, and for the Point Russell with the other half. There lias been no retorting for either since last report. Croodall's Prince Alfred battery has completed the Young American crushing. About 5G tons were put through, but the result is not yet to hand. The retorting took place to-day, and is expected to turn out about 2 ozs to the ton. The .Kuranui Company's battery is still employed for the company with 30 head, and for the Long Drive with 16 head. The singlestamper is engaged on a test crushing fromthe Venus, Waiolahi. Bleazard's machine is still fully employed on Dixon's No. 1 stuff, but there have beeu no rctortings since last report. The tables show well, aod there is a good lot of amalgam on baud ready for the next retorting. Weston's machine finished up the El Dorado crushing, and the result obtained was 114 ozs 10 dwls of gold. A small lot for the Pride of the West has also been put through, but we have not learned the result further than that it was vsry satisfactory, and the crushing will be continued on Monday, when the machine will start to work for this claim and the Vide of Avoca. The crushing for the latter has been delayed in consequence of the difficulty in getting'drays to work to bring down the stufl'.— Advertiser. The Tutuf.ye Castle.—The leader that Was cut in the main shaft is now being driven for from the 00 foot level, and sinking is discontinued for the present, owing to the rush of water in the shaft, and we believe it will be necessary to erect a pumping engine before the shaft can be put down to a sufficient depth to cut the Waitomata leader, the main object for which the shaft, was intended. The leader that is now being driven for is of a very pro mising character, aud some good specimen stones were brought to grass from it, when the leader was cut through in the shaft. When first cut at the 45 feet level it was a narrow vein about 4 inches thick, but on being followed down it was found to swell into a fine lode 12 inches through. The drive will be in the underlay in a few days, although there are

only three men at present working the ground. The Imperial Crown crushing at the Tramway machine did not turn out sufficiently remunerative to continue putting it through. The stuff which has been crushed was merely the sandstone that is being taken out, of the shaft, and through which a few small goldbearing leaders were found to run. The proportion of tho quartz in the stuff put through was exceedingly small. The Yor.vo Rei-:ki-:us.—The drive from the shaft towards the Armstrong is now in about 50 feet, but nothing payable has yet been met with. Although the level at present working is a long distance under the creek, the shaft makes very little water, no more than about four buckets per hour. The driving is very hard and the progress slow. Considering the small size oi' the claim— three men's ground—the shareholders of the Island Home—formerly Hnnd-in-Ucirt— displayed much pluck in undertaking to drive the low level tunnel that is now going in to prospect the ground, and also to test the vn ue of a lode of some promise that runs through it. The City of Adelaide adjoins the Lucky Hit, and is a private claim containing five men's ground. The main drive has reached a depth of three hundred feet, and is of fair workmanship and good dimensions. Three leaders have been met with aud worked upon, and about thirty tons of splendid looking quartz, showing gold in many places, have been got out ready for crushing. Specimens have frequently been picked out, and the stone is expected to go fully three ounces per ton. COEOAIANDEL. (from our own correspondent.) November 30, 18G9. CoBOJtAXUEti, like most other places, partakes of the prevailing duluess incidental to the approach of Christmas aud the new year. A large number of leases have been applied for, and a great many claims have been protected for loiiger or shorter periods, and this adds still more to the dulness of the place. Still Coromaudel is slowly progressing, and new buildings are being erected every day. Two new tracks up the ranges have been just surveyed by Mr. Druinniond, one taking the line of the old Maori track to the Tokatca claim, and the other up Paul's creek, coming on to the crest of the range about half a mile from the Tokafea. Men are busily engaged in scrubbing and cleaning the roads, and a few days more will see it completed. These roads will be a great convenience to visitors as well as the miners. Mr. Cadman's tender for the repair of tho road to the upper township lias beeu accepted and in a few days the bridge over Kapanga, washed away some time ago by a Hood, will be restored to its original site. The crushing for the Scotia claim at Ring's machine yielded very close to three ounces to the ton —an excellent yield, aud very encouraging to the shareholders. A crushing of a small quantity of stone, as a test, is to take place at Ring's machine on Wednesday for the Middle Star claim. I shall send you the results. Tho Specimen Hill Gold Mining Company held a meeting of the shareholders at the oilicc of Messrs. Nuttall and Co. this afternoon. Directors were appointed, rules adopted, and other business transacted. Six men arc to be employed on the claim until "old is struck. A reef of considerable thickness was struck last week, but the stone has not yet been tested.