THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4898, 28 July 1877, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[FROM OUU OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] Thames, Friday. Golden Crown.— The threo-'oad trial lot, completed at the P. A. battery, far exceeded expectation ; instead of returning a few dwts. per ton, it yielded over lGdwts. to the ton, or 3ozs. 14dwf.s. to tho three loads dirt. The crushiug stuft' iu literally tlw clay overlaying the sandstone and immediately below the | surface soil, is over two feet thick, and cut ! out with adzc.'t. This cJay or subsoil spread over tho Golden Crown claim, and the present diggings is from the Moai?ataiari Creek side, and will afford large quantities of easily obtained payable dirt. Throughout the mine there are small particle* of quartz, and tho inference seems to be, that the surface soil, clay, and sandstone would ivturn a payable proiit if dealt with wholesale, though not sufficient to pay a high per-centago. Pjako TiMUUTE.—Wilton and party, working upper section, crushed 74 tons at Bull ii battery for the return of 14Gozs. lOdwts. gold. W'a itk K A in: I, J [ondny. Qujsen.-—This leaso is on tho northern boundary of tho Waitekau»i Company's ground, pegged on the supposed continuation of that company's reef, and contains about eight acres. A lot of work was done previous to the formation of the prescntcouipany. A main tunuel is being put in to test the reef at a lower level thau the Waitckauri Company aro working from at present. That company pays one-third of the cost of tho drive. Should the reef prove as good as where it is being worked, it will boa valuableproperty, and bo worked at less expense, so far i\n sending crushing dirt to the mill, the tunnel being closer to the company's battery. Tho Auckland is situated oil tho northern end of tho last-named proporty. This is one of the few miues iu the district in which work is being carried on. It is situated lower down the spur than tho Queen ; the drive at present going iu is the lowest in this part of tho district, aud if they cut tho reef ai they expcct to da shortly, it will prove tho true course of tho reef, f.nd be an encouragement to others to set to work.

The Prosperity ia still lower down the spur. It ia the last pegged off on this line of reef. .No work has yet been done ; nor in there any appearance of a start being made. The Akgvlh, Little Willie, and Rob Hoy lie to tho north west of the Waitckauri Company mine at tho head of Diamond Gully. Like many more in tho district, no work has beon done to test their value. Happy Thought, Albion, and Specimen Hill, are about a quarter of a mile to the south of the last-named claim. Their names are tho only things known about them. Tho Herald is on the spur between tho tramway and Diamond Gully, about half a mile from the Waitckauri mine. Nothing has yet been found in the ground. A drive is being put in through the spur, going nearly due east. Good stone and loose gold have been found in the gully, and it ia possible that the reef out of which the stone came will be foand in the present drive. The Leahy is next the Herald, taken up in prospect of finding the reef out of which the loose stone found in the Diamond Gully same. A drive is being put in to prospect the claim. I think a mistake has been made ; that cither tho drive in this mine or in the Herald had not been started from tho other side of the spur. If this had been done there would have been a better chance of cutting anything payable, and by so doing would have prospected a greater extent.

Liddle'.s Claim.—This is the nearest mine to the battery. A drive has been put into the spur for a distance of 150 feet. Nothing has been found, and the owners have knocked off work for the prcseut. They intend making a start again within a short time.

Forty seven leases havo been taken up in the Waitckauri district. Eighteen have never put a pick iu the ground; twelve havo spent a few pound* ; about ten arc now at work with fair prospects, some of which will shortly be paying dividends. Calls have been made iu several others for the purpose of starting operations. Let us hope that shareholders will respond, and give the district a chance of being tried, which it has not had up to the present, as holders of etock seem to be under the impression that they have no right to pay calls, and in some instances the legal managers o? the companies are the only parties that havo paid any cash, even for the formation of the companies. If two-thirds of tho ground taken up had been left :\>r future operations, tho Waitckauri district would have been in a better position to-day, and the money thrown away in paying for leases and forming companies might have been moro profitably employed in testing the reefs in tho district. 1 would advise intending purchasers of mining stock in new mines to see what chance they havo of testing their mines

H a call should be inado on the holders of stock. There arc .several mines in tho district, that for want of t\ call coming in, have been obliged to stop operations when their prospcets justified :v further outlay. Thid applies even more to the Owharoa district fchau to Waifcekauri. At Owharoa 21 leases have been pegged out ; about one-hnlf of which stopped operations when thoy put the pegs iu tho ground. Tho best known in thin district is tho Smile of Fortune, or Prospectors. A large amount of money has becu spcut in oponing the mines, aud good payable atone has been found in different reefs. The battery erected some time siitcc, as a private speculation, has been purchased by the company. So far as I can ascertain, a start will shortly b'-! made, when I have little doubt this will bo one of the best properties in th« Ohinemurl district. Most of tho clftimv in this district hare been re entered, so that it is hardly necessary to say anything about them, a* shareholders in some of the different companies will get all the information they want from our official friend one of t'nesu days,—and servo them right lor not paying their calls and getting out of their ditlicnlby. The Annie has been sold, aud is being reformed under different shareholders, aud another trial will be given it to s»»« if there is any chance of making it a payable property. Tho Morning Light is in tha hands of the Philistines and is likely' to remain there. The district on the whole has nut had half a chance, but I am much mistaken if it does not come to the front one of these days. Tho glory of tho Kararghake has departed. After all the scramble for tho possession of the supposed initio of wealth, for which live different parties put in application, there is no one left but the tributcr. A. lot of work has been done on several claims, aud some have yet faith to spend their money on tho hill.