THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 3944, 3 July 1874, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[from oik own correspondents.] Thames, Thursday. Manukar. —The manager reports that some line specimen stone were broken out yesterday from the north face, and from what I saw during my visit in the afternoon, there is every appearance of more coming to grass when the vein is broken down again. This applies more especially to the hanging-wall portion of the leader, while the foot-wall lead appears to have undergone little change since my former report. At the south end there was also a nice show of gold, and here the lode appears to be as strong as ever, with that profusion of base minerals which, as long as it continues, is a sure index of the presence of gold. The lode at this end appears to be pitching more than it did, and this is easily accounted for by it having reached close to the edge of the hills, and necessarily the lode will drop, in conformity with the. country, and make' down wards as tfcey approach where the hills drop into the fiat. Yesterday the richness of the mine was ~een to perfection, as Mr. Severn and other = eutlemen visited the works, and had a magnesium light, which illuminated the mine from end to end, and the thick bands of gold could be traced distinctly. As the United Pumping Association commenced to pump last night, the manager this morning would commence to reduce about 2J tons of picked stone, so that on Saturday I anticipate that the first instalment of gold will be lodged. The present crushing of specimens is only what has accumulated in the driving, and the best of the gold is yet standing in the roof, which will be taken out by the stopes as soon as the present lot of rich stuff is got rid of. Cuke. —The present erushing of this company is not shaping so well as could be desired, and I am afraid that it will scarcely pay for the carting and crushing. The stone now being reduced is from the foot-wall portion of the reef at the intermediate level. The manager will at once commence to rise from this level to the main one, so as to break through in the neighbourhood of where the late crushing of over an oz. per ton came from. The cross-cut beyond the foot-wall still proceeds, but nothing of any moment has be«n discovered. Should it not discover the Manukau lode the work wiU not be superfluous, as there are several leaders that have been worked by the Red Queen and Mary Ann companies that have not yet been wrought in this mine. Old Whau.— T he remarks tliat have recently appeared h the papers resisting the management of mine induced the directors to pay a visit yesterday, and the result ■of their inspection was the appointment of Mr. F. Daykin as general manager. Mr. Day kin has long been the respected manager of the Back Angel Company, and he will have the charge of both mines. His appointment has given general satisfaction, and with Mr. Scott, the late temporary manager, as underground boss,' the public and shareholders ought to b* well served. According to instructions, I visited the above company's mice yesterday ; and, unless under compulsion, J do not wish to go over it a second time while the access to the main workings is in the.present state. The mine manager, Mr. Scott, was most courteous, willingly shewing everythJHg that could be seen in the mine. First of all, he shewed me a long tunnel, reaching for hundreds of feet into the hill. The tunnel, as far as eyes could see and feet could feel, had been cut in without j the least regard to drainage or laying of foot-boaxds for the truckers. After much splashing we came to what the Wliau authori- I ties call a winze ; it was a winze—a mere make-shift contrivance was at the nicuth of a so-called pass, and .a mysterious-looking hole—it is nothing else—was the main gangway to the present main workings. " You must go up here," said the manager. J looked at the place. The first few steps were up a shifting, ricketty ladder ; that did not matter much, but a dirty, tpouting stream of water coming down the said liole, made an inspection of the upper workings anything but inviting. " Hew far to climb up?" I asked. "One hundred feet.'' was the reply. I essayed and went fcp the hundred feet; hut never, since I first used a pick, did I ascend such a .cocalled mine winze before. Steps gone in the louder, non-continuous, canting all on one side in some places, and the hmding, when the present working level wae reached, could only be attained by striding a pass, through which the quartz is sent down 100 teet *o the tunnel below. So much for the j access to the workings of the mine; but a j 'bought struck 2ie that in case a man got tort in the new level, God help him if he ♦w to be lower ed down 100 feet through Wat man-trap. Now for the reefs: I certainly saw no gold in the faces, hut ' •"? ?ohV!. •r.riii-.' i-toue was sbcvn me thr:t

had been shot down during the night and morning shifts—there may have been about four or five pounds weight of them. The reef running in towards the Alburnia is slewing a little to the left. If it continues that course it will give the Whan Company a few more feet of it than was expected from Mr. Wright's survev. At present the face .of the reef shews a body of stone about 7 feet 6 inches thick, most of which is being sent to the mill and is being mixed with the general stuff sent dowii from other workings. From the look of the battery plates the general stuff is going about 1J ozs. to the ton ; and while writing of the battery, I noticed that the Whau are now saving their tailings. Reverting to the mine, so far as I could see and learn, there is not the show of gold in the present level that one expected to see, and the reef is fairly cut into that portion of it that" the shot found in the other or higher level was expected to be met with. 1 All the picked stuff and specimens that I could hear of was about 100 lbs., the tune of its treatment to be decided on at the next meeting of the directors, to be held about the second Tuesday in next month. There is plenty of stone in the Whau claim being worked on, but I could see no gold in any of the faces shewn me. On descending from the present level to the main tunnel the manager remarked that I was very slow. 1 remembered I had had two broken legs, from being in a hurry in going over similar works, and consented to be called slow for the nonce. One thing must be said of the Whau Company—they carry nearly fifty men on their pay-sheet, and are by no means the slowest in paying their men's wages, • neither are they niggardly m their scale ot . payment. 1 may state that I tasted the ' water coming down the winze, and anything more deadly to mercury or antagonistic to gold-saving I never used. It quite eonvincod me, if continuation was wanted, that the company are wise in keeping their own battery idle. Coromandel, Thursday. Tenders, it will be seen, have been called for carting stone from the Neptune, one of I the Beach claims. Mr. A. Pittar, who has been appoiuted managing director, has determined to send a trial crushing of 20 tons to the Beach battery, and should it prove only fairly payable, the battery will be kept constantly going. Steam will be got up on Monday, and a commencement made upon it. The New Green Harp is .getting out line stone, but what is of more importance, tho leader is widening out to IS inches as the work goes on, and shewing gold freely through the stone. Already the City of Auckland stuff is shewing well on the plates at Bennett's battery. "The City, Main's, Quinton's, the New Green Harp, and City of Cork, and 1 must not forget the Plutus, are now proved rich claims, and are upon the Waikorouiiko, and depending on the track, yet no real effort is being made to render the track practically serviceable. Beyond this, there are reports of innumerable leaders having been cut and found in the country towards the Western Spur, into which the track is now being carried from near the Plutus. A line goldrield, indeed, is being held back for want of forming the present road Lito a tramway. The Golden Sceptre, a claim adjoining the Golden Point and Nil Desperandum, has been forfeited by the Warden, on the application of Prescott and party, as abandoned ground. The claim known as the Nil Desperandum and Murphy's Hill ought also to be forfeited. It has been held for nearly IS months, and little or nothing done in it. Were it open for selection, there are many here who would gladly work it. This evil of monopoly locks up some of the best ground on the field.