THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 5017, 14 December 1877, Page 3

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[from our own correspondent.] Thames, Thursday. Kuranui Flii.i*. —The company have nearly driven up to the Sbotover shaft on the 3GU feet level, from the Caledonian shaft. Precautions are taken to prevent any damage by a rush of water. As many men is can be advantageously employed are breaking out good stone from the All Nations block. The tributers, Catran and party, working j the surface section of the All Nations, have ! p U t in a very large amount of dead work in the shape of driving levels, aud are now reaping their reward ; the amount of picked stone with general dirt now going through the battery returning a spleudid yield of amalgam. Blake and party pnt through a small tonnage for Sozs. 2-lwts. of gold. Uld Wjiau.—The successful crushings of the several tributers have again enabled the directors to declare a dividend of two shillings per share ou the 3000 scrip of the company. Old Golden Calf. —Crushing for the company is carried on continuously at the Queen of Beauty battery with 10 head of stampers. The quality of stone now to hand is good, and specimens are frequently obtained while breaking out the reef from the stope above the low level. The.quantity is large, and will enable crushing to be maintained for some time.

Piako. —The crushing at the battery since the low level has been opened is poor, very : much the same afl was the case in the levels above, where the reef is widest just opposite to the cross cut from the shaft. This, however, will improve as the reef is extended on from both sides. More specimens or stone showing gold has been taken out in No. S level than in auy other for the distance drireu, and almost ensures that the block will pay and leave a good profit. As the depth increases the difficulty of dealing with the reef increases, and the question of draining expeuses is very heavy, and necessitates the coustant supervision of a stall* of employees. The whole line of reef, extending over 1000 feet, has paid uuder three, and even four distinct companies. The first one, the City of London, caved in, and amalgamated with the Queen of Beauty ; the Queen of the May have tried to take their 300 feet level, but the water is too much for them, and they are shut up pending some arrangement yet to be made. The Queen of Beauty are in a better position, yet anything but a good one, being obliged to leave their lowest workings, and are now underhand stopiug their reef from the upper level, a very unsatisfactory way of mining. All this is owing to the water not tiuding its way to the lowest level of the Piako, where the pump is. To remedy this it is necessary to put in drives to tap the water, or sink the shaft deeper, or both undertakings would be better. While one mine is so dependent upon the other, the works iu each cannot progress satisfactorily, besides the cost of maintaining separate plauts ! and management. The whole area if thrown I into one company would be worked much ' cheaper, more efficiently, and as there is plenty iof gold (as proved by the upper levels aud winzes sunk) to realise a very handsome profit that, under the present system, can hardly be hoped to cover expenses, the sooner the whole thing is uuder one directory the better.