THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 3994, 31 August 1874, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENTS. 1

Thames, Saturday. Caledonian.—There is nothing of any moment to report from this mine, the new lode having been cut through, and the contractors are still pushing ahead the drive towards the boundary; and when they have sufficiently advanced, opening out the lode both north and south will commence. The width of this new lode may be set down to average 2 feet G inches, and it contains a great deal of iron pyrites, but as yet no gold has been seen in the stone. A trial crushing will most probably be made during the ensuing week, and then a true value of the lode where intersected will be the result. There is a slight improvement in the stuff that has been crushed during the week from the old workings, and it is probable that a yield of about 40 ozs. of gold will be the result of the week's crushing. Vanguard.—The present depth of the shaft is close upon 130 feet as intimated a day or two ago, and this concluded the present compact. A new contract for 100 feet more sinking was given out to-day at the rate of 59s per toot, which is a stillish price, considering the tine workable country through which the sinking is now progressing. The raising of the debris, however, will be very costly to the contractors after they get down a little further, hence the price of this new contract. Queen ok Beauty.—The return of gold for the fortnight ending to-day will be very large, aud, what is more, it will prove richer than any yet taken from this 270-feet level. The number of stampers engaged crushing this fortnight is twenty less than for some time back, and yet I believe the yield will be larger, although only sixty-t.wostampers have been at work. It is with regret that I have to record the company's operations will be very limited for a month to come —in fact, the whole of the large crushing power employed by them will lie ; dle for that period, consequent upon the shaft having to be cut down and enlarged for a depth of '200 feet, or until the late sinking is reached. This, in conjunction with the recent decrease in the number employed by the Bright Smile and Bird-in-Hand Companies, will throw over 100 stampers out of work, with no immediate chance of being taken up by other companies permanently. City ok London. —The stoppage of work in the Queen of Beauty mine for a month will necessarily prolong the period when the " City" will be able to get into this new level aud operate upon the 1 jdes. The distance the Queen of Beauty had to drive to the boundary at the commencement of the week was about 20 feet; so, allowing for what little has been driven since, and the repairs to the shaft, I cannot see that it will be much under six weeks before they enter the Queen of Beauty drive. With regard to the operations in the old level upon the new lodes, work has been somewhat retarded by the unfavourable state of the weather, causing the air to be very bad, but more recently a favourable change set in, and this continued with the erection of a fan, which has enabled the manager to resume driving on the No. 1 reef towards its junction with the No. 4, or east-and-west lode, near the City of York boundary. There is a change in the country in the drive of such a character that the manager expects to meet the junction of the two reefs in a very short time, and if this is once effected it would be easy to drive from the junction on the No. 4 reef towards the drive on that .ode from the, City of York boundary, and so effect a complete throughdraught, which would ventilate the whole of the workings. This is all that is required to enable the manager to open up that important section of the mine at the City of York boundary so effectually that unlimited supplies of quartz could be made available for the crushing mill. The want of air has been a very serious drawback. In fact to such an extent has it retarded the operations of the company, which are now chiefly aimed at procuring adequate ventilation, that for days together the men have been unable to work in the drives on either lode. Coromandel, Saturday. Royal Oak. —There is a marked improvement in this mine, as evidenced by the getting out of good specimen stone from the No. *2 leader. It is satisfactory, to find the manager on specimen stuff just now, as it will keep the stock of the company firm under the depressing influence of a call. As good stone was seen in the face of the reef where the specimens were taken from we may look for a further hatil. It is expected that there will be several tenders received to-day for putting in the next, and it is to be hoped last, fifty feet in this mine —at least as far as prospecting goes. The reef ought to be cut in about another thirty feet. The shareholders, nearly all Coromandelites, are as plucky a lot as can be found here and there. The prospecting has eost fully £G0 a full share, and no hitch has ever yet occurred from non-payment of calls. There is every confidence in getting on this low-level the run of specimen stone which turned out some hundred ounces of gold nearer to the surface some years ago—in 1871. Bismarck. —The Van level in this mine is being pushed rapidly through a soft channel of country. There is little else doing in the mine save a little prospecting in the Bismarck level. Union Beach. —There is not much change to notice in the Union Beach. The crosscut which was put in some little time since and cut through the Venus reef is now pushed on a distance of 40 feet beyond the point of intersection, and is being rapidly proceeded with in the direction of the Golden Pa lode. On Thursday the manager received from town a new funnel, berdau, and the gear required for the battery. Some more necessary gear is yet to come, but all, it is expected, will be ready for starting to crush during the coining week. Tokatea. —There has been no news of importance from this mine during the past week. Specimen finding is over. In the Van level the contractors will have completed their 200 feet in a few days. About 123 feet has been done in the Siege of Paris level. The leader is very much broken up, and though gold has been once or twice seen in the stone, there has been nothing worth bagging. In the Van the large leader found is being opened out upon. The indications are good, but the gold has not yet been met with. City of Auckland.—Some good parcels of specimens and picked stone, in equal quantities, were taken yesterday and Thursday from the stopes. The run of gold seems to continue steadily on as the stopes proceed, and the shot increases in richness as the reef is sunk on, so that there is a large block of auriferous ground on the present shot of gold in hancL There are now in hand 155 lb3. rich specimens and 215 lbs. second-class or picked ston<-. Owing to the bad state of both the Waikoromiko and Three Brothers tracks, the quantity of stuff sent down the line has been somewhat reduced during the month just about to end. If the City of Auckland and Three Brothers had crushed the whole of the quartz in hand, the total quantity of gold would not be behind last month's quantity. However, the coming month's total will go a long way to make up the apparent deficiency for the present month. As there will be no other lodgments of any consequence between this and the end of the month, the following may be taken as the correct quantities banked for August Ozs. dwt. gr. Tokatea .. ... ... ... 453 0 0 Royal Oak ... ... ... 52 0 0 Harbour View 32 0 0 Small parcels (both banks) ... 70 0 0 Total ... 607 0 0