THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6999, 23 April 1884, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[by TELEGEAPH.—own cobrhspondekts.] Thames, Tuesday evening. Shaekkxbkrt.—Cambri*;' sellers la6d ; Low-Level, 6d ; C#oss, sellers 2s; Imperial, 14# 3d,sellers 14a 9d, buyers 14s 3d. \-r-j , . .Tb Ap-oha, Tuesday. -.. i\The amalgam returns'for the week ending the "21st are Colonist, 20 head,' si* days, 2960z5.' lOdwt.; New 'Find, 15 ' bead,-six days; 235ozs. : 10dwt. Total, 5320z5. vv - The. new tailing plant is running 16 - berdans fgr the Colonist and ,16 for the JSTew. Find ontailings obtained from the first crashing'last year.'' "Several tests madeaubsequehtly showed'thefee- tailings to be worth from 1 to l£ozs.'iper ton. i /' • Sixty-four, tons .quartz were, brought down the tramway from the ' Qanadian .mine yesterday.. . This,..with 30 .tons .each from the Colonist and New Find, made the heaviest days work ever, : accomplished by .the tnuai* way.. ' . •: . r-it! s.'-i'-.-:-■-■•• ,|fbom ofb pyrar cobbesfondent.J ; :1 Thames, Tuesday. .Cambria,—The winze is down the requireddepth. The' reef- has opened out to 6 feet wida; and although no gold was seen' in breaking down, it is kindly-looking, especially the : hangingwal]. The .Well-hole of the shaft is beingsunk, andshouldbecompletedbythe end of. theVweek. -: ?The cross-cat will then be comrianced, thongh wby it should cover a greater , | extent of ground inorderto terminate' about • the boundary of * the two mines is. a puzzle. :In the natural order of things it would strike for-the winze* and the 'sooner' quartz is. being driven on the better, for all con-, aerned. ; Notwithstanding that the ornah-' ing is shaping ;by no means brilliantly, nor : do I expset that it will, there is no ground . ion the field that I fancy more than the Cambria and Darwin. That payable quartz ;at least, perhaps, something, handsome,-.will: . be found is the opinion' of experienced miners. A question is:i being asked :_by Thames shareholders, is. the ostensible mine •manager, who is ah experienced mirier, .the. real manager of the mine, or is he an auto-. ■maton, the secretary, who is not generally credited with & practical knowledge ot: mining, being the wire-puller ?-The feeling is in.-favour . of -giving mine managers fall, -powers as far as possible. Debp Level Cross.—The haaeingwall; branoh of the, oroaa reef has just been 'at the intermediate level,' but is very, much disturbed. . A cross-out will be started at onoe to find - the footwall leader, which yielded .the host crushing dirt at' No:I6 level, and it will probably come to hand in about ; 140 feet,. irThe feotwall. branch: of the oross lode, where out at the 640-feet level, seemed to be heaved by a break; Only the end has been, picked up. 'It is being drivenon southward, and the countryia. of excellent, appearance. - ;A considerable portion of . of the best locality of the field, viz.,-the sur!face of this mine, has been lying unworked for years. . The company does not intend to. 'do anything thereto itself, nor will it let tributes, i Caledonian.—Stoping is now in full ■ swing: In my last.< report I mentioned that -a leader had. crossed: the faoe of tbe drive. For some time the leader continued disturbed,. but now it is a compact-leader, fully - a foot wido, and showing gold again. The •winze below No. 2 level is dewn ten feet, and the leader is just to band. It is heaved by a lead. At one end there is about a foot and the other-eighteen inches of crushing dirti It has a favourable appearance, but no geld was seen. ' Crashing is:.proceeding in one shift, with twenty-head ef stampers. It shapes for a payable yield j. but is not quite so rioh at present as earlier in the month. Dabt.—The shaft is down 39 feet, in an excellent class of country,., No. -2 lode, as driven on eastward, improves in appearance. iThe reef.is about .4 feet wide,: but only 24 feet iB being saved. The crashing, ib shaping the same 'as last month, the general: dirt averaging well, butveryriittlepiaked stone - is obtained... :• I T Hi : The following mine managers' reports lure been received :— ' MAaiEßisii;—"We have been engaged partly for _th 6-' past -', fortnight in : cleaning ■ ana • repairing the' levels that We immediately r»<[uire in -preparing, for' : work. We have oleaned' out .the drive oh the footwall leader, H. R. miw' reef,. mentioned in my last. Tholode loOkH'well ,in the face, and a large > block retrains to be wOVked. Some splendid gold haabeen obtained from it in both seotions of the Winee, .-: We broke a portion of the leader that on one of the walls and just two fepi ffoEi #here I would recommehii starting work '£ .it showed gold freely. Being satisfied that'it* Was .well worth trying, we subpfended- work'tipon 'itfor the purpose; of getting thit portiSn i of;the : mlne that We immediately reqvu^ -: iii ,: ,yerkii!g orders,- We also sdspended 'wqr"k : '?df'tiie .saiiie pirrpßMe" upon- the- hangifigwair-;leader'''frb6i •whichl; sueh 1 nice golden stone ,'fcame "tb hand? 'and' already reported to you;'' : W0 hpve driven about seven feet on-this leader," and every time swe "broke it - : dowmwe saw gold. I would recommend that this leader be driven upoa about 30 feet further; the country is good, and from appearances it ia reasonable to expect a change for the better in that distance. Having ; everything ready, we picked up the stopes in the block between Nos.- 4 and 3 levels, and between Nos. 1 and 2 winzes, H. R. section, and made.a start to take the black out over first stope. We carried under No. 2 winze, there being about five feet of ground between, bottom 'of wiozeand back of J atopo. We broke down the leader yesterday, and saw colours of gold very freely in the stone. I would "urgently recommend that a rise be immediately started from > o. 4 level, H. K. section,"td'conneot with No.' 2 winze, men- ,' tibned above; the distance to rise will be about 35 feet/, The' Work' C»n be'performed cheap, the country being good.'. If this work be out you will -have an economic moans of transit for quartz to the battery, and Will be in a position' to make very low. grade dirt piy., New Pbixoe Impbeial. progress. has been made last iveek with the sinking of! the shaft, whioh is how down 51J feet, be-" tween 2 to' 3 feet of the rock'still remaiaCin the south end,' the remainder being a very. hard class of sandstone., jj 0t 5 j eve l : Work is being continued as usual in the eastern stopes, on No. 21ead, above this level, and very fair orushipg dirt is being obtained.' No! 4 level: Driving eastward on No. 2 lead" is atUl in hahd.; lead poßtinues about the aamo size, and'haS' shown some nice stroog dabs of gold.. The.sfopes which are in progress on this lead, above the level, are looking better, and a few pounds of pioked stone came to hand;;during ; the Gold has also been prettv freely seen ia the stopes on No.' 3 lead, ' The stopes on No. 1 reef, above this level, continue to'look weil.. Gold is seen every breaking down, and a few pounds of good picked 9tone occasionally. The general dirt from, here shapes well at the battery, 3..1eve1: Driving was commenced tUs. week on' the mineral portion of No.; 1 reef,', which struck, off into the about 60;ieet .westward,of the croes-cut, .This .portion, of the rqef will, I believe, prove 'quite distinct from that driven to the break. . The stopes, here are looking much about the same,, gold occasionally seen, and the dirt is still cruah>?g P^y?Wov ( .No. 2 level V- The cross-out to connect with thp shaft was started on Thursday .last;,, The air has been sunk ;9 feet during the: week. and .Bhould..be depp enough in a TPeek.or ten days. : :. Darwin.—The chamber at 230 fiset level is finished, and . the,, well has :been sunk. f Jur feet\ Tenders for joint oroaa-o.ut tunnel to the reef.'have been called for, and work will ba started a? soon as, tho> well hole .is finished., Cambeia.—The winza is down the required 120 feettomeet, the 230 feet Darwin level,. Driving, on the lode, will be started, to meet the joint, cross-cut-tunnel as coon as the: latter is in.a sufficient,distance. the; connection is - made.-, the; mine will be in a position to be opened, thoroughly,-and command complete ventilation, Mho.lode at the, bottom, of: lie ,*wjinze, has been intersected from foot -to hangingwiU, and . is'six - feet wide.;,., \■/ - y t f ' v:;- j Pjkafobe. —Delahunty < and: party, tri''Uters, have finißhed.a ornehing of two.loada quartz and 61bs.: picked, atone; with a yield of9ozs,3dwtß,meltedgold, . MESSRS. FIRTH* AND - CLARK'S NEW TAILING .PLANT AT "WAIOftONGOMAI. -ODB' OWN COisSKSPeNDENT,] . , , .Tb Aboha, Saturday. This enterprising firm, determined .that - nothing shall be leftttndone by them to complete the - process of' gold saving at their battery, > have. just" the erection o£. a new -and exteßsive tailing plant, ~ for 'the ~ purpose of grinding the; tailiugß that howj opme fropi the battery, and which" have until "the preaeht time been

stacked tip,in theiyard- >The ,pew. (iituated- on a' sito admirably suited for tno purpose, about 230VyaMi I 'from ■ and below the present battery.-!- The •• building itself i covering the machinery ia loftyand #paMP®*» being; 80 feet in. length by 40 feet in width, with a 14 feet stud,, and is covered with, a double roof of iron!. iThe machinery is all placed within the buildiog. robin, 16■>fset'square, atoneangle oftha building, will beuaod as; ft stote iroom.C*io has bean .taken, to , give amply sufficient light,, to .all parts tof the 'building -by havingwindowa bothat the aides and ends. In the building itselfjthereiq, sufficient ropm for the working of lour, rows of> ! Sixteen in aroyr.Juat npw only tvio'oi these ! rowa are erected, which' it ?ia.thought will be suffioifent for present, By and ; by,'when more : stampers, jira put up at the battery} the ~oiher $wo no.doubt ba added, Mid the -wholo 64. bsrdans plaoed.. The' preaent plant ,oonsi«ta, o£ .» series .of j berdans. placed, in v tVp rowa._ of. sixteen: in, I each, and so fixed fchiitthey dip-tqwardaand, face, one another, with a space of-about four,, feet, between ;swo,7.rows, . Along .this, apaoe, and sunk into the floor, are a number of pits liped with timber for the reception of. tit* .tailings aa- down from the battery, wfd jfrpmj.wbenoe the berdans will be. supplied!,, One or f mora boya will be, employed for the pnrppse pf keeping ..them: properly chargcd from these pit-s. The stuff' on leaving the berdanSjafter.being sufficiently ground, tye carried t along . flumes into a. large pit prepared forthe purpose outside the bnuding., \Yater is th» moti vopo wer for, the turning of .the. maohinery.-andisthe same aa that used at the battery, Picked np again as it; leaves .the latter,-it is,carried along a.large. flume made of castiron plates, supported onsubstantially, . constructed timber, treatling; until it is .brought to where required,d&r.> tance of XOphaiogj thataUin the, entire _dis? tance.being abput 10. inolies tp a loet., Op leav--ing the waterfalls into a large pipe. 2feat 6 inches in diameter, and 35 feet Jong. This, pipe is fixed in an upright-position, partly.above and, partly belew the level;of the ground... From the. lower end. of thp. pipe. a. 3g-inoh nozzle 4 feet- long , conveys the water on to. the,, wheel Trith a sufficient pressure to.,giro, motion to tho machinery*. The wheel itself is one of Pfilton's hurdygurdys, a style of wheel that is coming, into, general favour: just now, on account ot the power which it extraota from the v;ator." The bnokets are. so constructed that not only dpes the wheel, reoeive .impetus,.from, the; water striking into the ,bucket, but also from the ..water ,as it leaves, the .bucket. This... particular 'wheel, is about 5 .feet in . diameter, is made, of castiron, , and weighs about half .a .ton. iThe .water 'after, doing its work and. leaving the . wheel ,is carried away by a covered tail race into the creek obelow. .patent! indi* robber 'belting connects the wheel with the ahaftjnjja. and machinery themselves are carried down from the battery to the plaiit-by another\flamed Pqns tract edof. wood and supported on,thpsame trestlingas the water race, only that more fall is given to the tailing flume.' This flume is two feet in width'with a flat bottom ' ata'd divided* Pi? intofour BectdonH, each section forthe use of a different company crushing if required;. -The.timber is smoothly.planed on tb». inaide so that no obstruction may'be caused to the* flow of the'stuff. The tailings as they leave the tables of the battery are conveyed right away along these' flumes to the plant below< where they, are deposited' in the small pits 7 before mentioned-Bituated between the rows of berdans and from whence they are emptied as required. Each company' crashing at the battery will have their Required number, of berdans in-the.new plant,''and the staffwill be conveyed down in their own. part of' the ■ flume.", ; The whole of tho machinery, eto., has been: supplied by the well-known firm of' Price Brothers, of tbe Thames,- which is a sufficient guarantee thfet every thing- has been done in afaithfnl andsabstantialman. nor. They deserve;credit for -the manner in vrhioh they have: caTrisd- out their' put of the enterprise. Muoh praise isalso due' to Mr. Adams,' the companyV'-manageky -for the skilful xnanner in which th6">whole thing lias been'planned and to «o racoeßsfulanisaue. No expense has beenipared by the Battery Company in the' fitting np of this plant, every thiag having been lose ;on almost an eeale. -«> The inithing of ' this new addition places them ia ;he proud-position of having-the moat compete if not the -largest gold saving plant in ha' Australasian colonies. -