THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4692, 27 November 1876, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[mOMODTLOWN 'CORKKSPOKDBHK'J™""""

: i;< iwjThamss, Saturday. albtonia Tribute. —Barclay and party forwarded 139 J tong stone to the Moanatairi ™!7i and had!>ah; intermediate retorting of 285pzs!. gold, whipl} has beenlodged in the xiank of New Zealand. ~ Tho remainder, j probably some 150ozs. more, will not be through before Thursday. Allen and party, Working the - adjoining block on the same, lode; obtained '4001bs. stone,while i breaking out for a general crushing; this' parcel yielded, on being crushed at tbe : single stamper, 51ozs. gold, or 50ozs. Sdwts., ■melted." ! \

' ..'Moanatairi.—The contracts.for driving cross-cuts ■ from' the low level have been' •pushed in through fair working country, the distance accomplished in both being a' little over 100 feet; to the south, No. 9 reef has been cut, shewing a body of quartz two feet wide, with veins of superior quality running through it. The reef being only just, cut, nothing further than that it looks favourable can be said about it. A trial lot will shortly be ready for the stampers. To the north the face is in good sandstone, with water making, indicating that the No. 2 reef is not far off, the underlie of the lode in the winze already partially sunk being towards the cross-cut now going in, no great time will elapse before it is reached. The leader previously mentioned as having been intersected in the drive, shewing several inches width of quartz, with visible gold, has been started on, and will yield a fair proportion of good stone for crushing. The appliances for working Jjhis low level from the engine-house in the creek, some 600 feet distant, answers admirably, the large tunnel trucks being lowered and raised with upwards of half-a-ton of stone in them, with the great ease and punctuality, the mullock and quartz beinq conveyed to its final depot direct from where it is broken down by the winze, nearly half a milo distant under ground. The company's return for the fortnight, supplied from aU sources, amounts to 2290z5. retorted gold. Kuranui Hill United.—The new feature in connection with this company is connecting the remote parts with the main tunnel— namely, the Poverty and Charleston, Belfast, and, ultimately, the Kelly sections of the property. This will enable the whole of them to be reached from one centre, and place them in an advantageous position. The cross-cut to effect this is already driven some 125 feet. Several promising leaders have been cut through, and will receive attention hereafter. The ground is favourable for progress, and a short time will connect it with the workings of the Poverty section.

City of London.—The . present level opened by this company at the 470-feet level may now be said to be fairly tried, and the test is hardly satisfactory. The main crosslode, whiph some time back produced large returns and gave dividends to shareholders, has been followed down, but below the 370-feet depth the lode proved broken up and almost worthless. The 410-feet lerel was little better, the cross-lode taken out and portions of No. 1 reef going off at an angle from the Queen of Beauty boundary. The present level, 470 feet deep, intersected the cross-lode about 30 feet from the shaft, where the lode first shewed a few inches wide, but speedily increased to 2, 4, 6, and now fully 8 feet wide, of well-defined character, shewing that the reef had regained its formation. A few tons were crushed, amongst them stone with the colour of gold shewing. The result warranted prosecuting the drive, and 87 loads, or 120 tons, were brokea out and crushed at Bull's battery, yielding 34ozs. sdwts. retorted gold. This return is unprofitable, but it would not be prudent to leave it in the ground, as there is a probability of its improving in its course towards the Queen of Beauty boundary, from which point No. 1 reef will be most easily reached, and its value tested. The broken portion of the cross-lode has evidently been got through, and the golden character of the quartz may probably be found again at a lower depth than the present level.

Piako.—The working of che mine continues, and will do so for some time, the immediate inconvenience being that the stampers are reduced in number for want of water by the pumps not working. The delay, however, will be short, as Messrs. Price, since receiving the order for spur and pinion wheels on Thursday, have not only made the pattern for the heaviest wheel yet made at the Thameß (and probably in the colony), but have it in the sand for moulding, and will cast it early in the week, everything else being ready. The wheel will be delivered within a time that stamps the firm's ability to undertake and finish large castings at a very short notice. Pumping Association.—ln driving on the south cross-cut, 640 feet deep, a fresh lode of quartz has been struck and partially broken down. Its course is north-east, at an acute angle to the drive; in Bize it is about 10 inches, well defined stone, haa a large per-centage of mundic shewing, and will be worth following, as it is the most promising lode yet met with in the south side of the shaft.

GOLD RETURNS For' the Week ended November 25. S? t O -a a Perseverance 480 Union Jack 13 15 0 Caledonian tribute .. .. .. .. 24 19 0 Crown Princess (second) 13 12 0 Saturday Is' igbt 18 19 0 Mary Ellen 14 0 0 Alburnia tribute 16 4 0 Ditto ditto 27 5 0 Ditto ditto 61 0 0 Ditto ditto 285 0 0 Kuranui Hill tribute .• .. .. 5 0 0 Windsor Castle .. .. .. .. 3 0 0 City of London 34 6 0 Moanatalri .. .. .. .. .. 229 0 0 Ohinemuri Creek washing 0 13 0 Total 741 0 0