THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7003, 28 April 1884, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

I MONTHLY SUMMARY. ; [BY TELEGBiJH.—OWN OOBBESIONDENT.] Thames, Saturday evening. The past month has been uneventful. The district is suffering from one of thoie periods of severe depression to which it has been subject from the first. The gpld returns, owing to the falling off of the Prince Imperial, are not so large aa the average for the past year. ~ "■ The Pbince Imperial is stall the leading mine, and bids fair to be profitable for years. Three levels are opened out on the Mariner's reef hundreds of feet. It is crushing for more than a payable return, and there are indications which may lead to something becter. There is a large quantity of specimen leader yet to werk out, what is left being payable, but not rich. Another level on this lode should soon be opened, the shaft being down 66 feet out of 80. Dkkp Level Gross.—The only work in progress is prospecting the Mariner's reef at the 640 feet level, and the intermediate level in the former. A strong lode was cut last week, bnt no gold could be seen. Caledonian Low Level.—This is a tribute company at the 640 feet level, the object being to cross cut the 700 feet to the Moanataiari, the main slide, then eaoh way thus to catch the main lode. The district is a favourable locality. The tunnel is already in 270 feet. Two leaders, six inches each, recently cut show as favourable aa any quartz in the upper levels. Queen of Beauty.—No success has yet attended prospeoting the No. 10 level at a depth of 660 feet, although the quartz, mineral, and country are all favourable. A trial parcel is being crushed, and will be encouraging if not payable. ' The Vanguard reef should be to hand in 60 feet. Caledonian.—The Red Queen leader is a foot to 18 inches, and averages ljoz. to the load. A large block has just been opened out.. Rooky Point and Adelaide. — These mines are situated, on the BLaraka Creek, opposite Collarbone, -* - A joint tunnel was put in from the creek, and a lode showing gold freely is to hand on the boundary of tbe mines. It Bheuld be payable. A claim taken up on Collarbone by Robert Workman contains a large reef. Three loads yielded soz. 17dwt. of gold. Dart (Hape Creek.)— The battery is now kept constantly employed, and averages loz. and a half to the load. A shaft is' being sunk for another level.

, Moanataiabi and Goldkn Crown are jUBt paying their* way. In the_-K.uranui Hill prospeoting is the ordqr of the day. Alburnia is driving in a likely leader. Bright Smile (Waiotahi Creek) is opening up another promising blook. The upper country exhibits little change. Martha (Waihi) is paying its way, ana fair parcels come down from the Waitekauri tributers monthly. Karangahake is coming into favour again. Gold returns :—2190 tons, 21560z5. old ; Te Aroha, 946 tons, 807ozs. : total, 3136 tons, 29630z5. gold. Shabemarket.—Cambria, sellers, Is 6d ; Low Level, 6d, sellers 7d; Cross, sellers, 2s; Imperial, 15s, sellers 16s, buyers 14s 6d; Queen of Beauty, sellers, 2s 3d. [FBOM OUB OWN COBBESFONDENTS.] Cobomanbel, Saturday. _ The improvement alluded to last month is still apparent. There is a deoidedly better and healthier tone in mining matters generally all o.ver the field. During the month some half dozen new claims have been pegged out in the vicinity of the Matawai. Those on either side adjoining the latter claim stand remarkably well. Both of them get the same reef, and will moat probably get gold. They are called the Argonaut and Matawai No. 2, The former claim has Vizard's on the opposite boundary, and is likely to get hu leaders. The Matawai is ponstantly improving as it becomes better opened out. They have now about 100 tons general stuff and a considerable quantity of picked stone on hand all ready for the battery, but the state of the road prevents its being sent. If this mine should improve in like manner for some time yet, so as to thoroughly establish its permanence, the easiest' and cheapest way to get over the road diffioulty would be to erect a battery on the ground. Vizabd's. — This claim is also looking well. The leader worked upon is very small, but yields well. The main reef has not had muoh done upon it lately, but every orushing taken out has_ shaped welL

Mariebkl.—The manager has',.been very busy daring the past month getting everything m order and testing the reefs in various places, in some of which a fair show of gold can be got. He will be in a position to make a good start in. the beginning of the month. If this turnn out payable several other claims will immediately ' commenoe work. Union Beach.—The manager has succeeded in picking up gold on the new reef, and is now patting down a winze to open up a block on it. The stuff so far is fairly payable, gold showing pretty freely, but no specimens have been obtained. He has also uncovered a small branch leader off the Grean Harp; from which he has obtained a few rich specimens, and appears' likely to have a decent block of reef to take out. Cobby.-T-Very little has been done in this mine during the past month, the manager and a few men being engaged prospecting on the leader, but have not with very encouraging results.' Harbour View.—This mine has been let on tribute to various parties for 'some time past, and about three months ago Parks and Battle took np a section, and succeeded in uncovering a small specimen leader, from which they got put a email lot of three or four tons of quartz. It showed gold very freely, but was not expected to yield anything extraordinary, but to the astonishment of everybody it turned oat 148ozb. gold. They have still a good block on the leader, which oaght to do as well. Tokatea.—All work has been suspended in this mine except the low level, that ii being poshed on by contraot as fast as possible ; bat the ground is so hard it makes progress very slow. Bismaebk.—Tho tribaters have had a crushing of a few tons, and obtained a very good return of 72ozs. retorted gold. Royal Oak.—The manager is driving on the reef from the low level. The stone looks splendid, but no gold has been obtained at present. However, he is very sanguine of setting something before long. S coess.—Tbe small crushing of, four and a-haU tons spoken of in last summary proves to be wonderfully rich in the precious metal, and to the astonishment of everybody tarned out 2840z5. retorted gold. Not half that quantity was expected by anybody. The stuff was nearly all mineral, and there must have been a large quantity of gold mixed with it. Nothing.very important has occurred in the mine ' during the month. The nsaal a toping operations have been going on, but only small patches of gold have been obtained. of England.-—The manager has laid down rails and opening the mine systematically since the late crushing. Up to that time it was a little doubtful if it would pay or not. T am inolined to think this reef will be equally as good as the Success when properly developed. The following are the retarns of gold for the past month;— ' * M.dwt.er. Success ~ -a. .. 0 0 Tok.tea .. .. .. .. 19 0 0 Bine Peter .. 21 10 0 Harbour View, Park's tribute _ .. 148 6 0 BUmarck .. .. .. „ 72 10 0 Sundilsi.. .. .. ~ _ _ 4 3 0 Tots! _ .. 619 8 0 Te Aroha, Saturday. The Battery and Tailing Plant.— Steady if not heavy retarns of amalgam continue as the result of the month's crushing so far, and it is expected that the yield of gold will be abont up to the average of the last few months. Tbis week has witnessed what will no donbt be a great featare in the history of this field, viz., the starting of the large tailing plant, which has just been erected by Messrs. Firth and Clark in connection with their battery at Waiorongomai. The necessity of a plant of this description. has been felt from the very first, as it was apparent that, owing to the extreme fineness of the gold in most of the stone on this field, the ordinary crushing operation was insufficient to cave; it. By the addition of ,this tsihsg plant' to the machinery of the company, it is estimated that a further saving of 25 per cent, more gold will be effected. It is not as yet understood what, if any, arrangements have been come to with the mining companies for the use by them of the plant, but that itwill be used, in factis already being used, is ' a faot, and a proportionate increase in the yield of gold will no doubt be the result. On many of the mines Of the hill the prospects continue steadily to improve as further development takes place. Just now on many of -the principal claims a large amount of heavy dead work ia being

done by way of opening up the mice for future operations. Low level oross-cnts are being driven in, rises are being put up, and winzes sunk down. All thia ia very glow work, and expensive, requiring time and a large amount , of patience on the part of shareholders, but in" the end will no doubt well repay tbam for the labour. This is not a field which.is going to be forced ahead rapidly by the discovery of gold in rich and heavy deposits. At any rate no such deposits have as yet been found similar to ■the Thames field. It is more likely to be a place of slower, but none the growth. Here on the U»rge reefs, which are now being opened up and worked on, is profitable employment offering for an increasing number of miners from month to month, The payableness p| these lodas has been proved beyond a doubt, as shown by the returns published below, and also i from the fact that already several dividends have been paid by one or two of the miners. What is wanted on this field now is more crashing power, and the systematic expenditure of inore capital in the further development of our large lodes. Were this done, there is no doubt there -would be a'fine future before this field for all time to come, The following return shpws the quantity of quartz crushed and the yield of retorted gold from the starting of the battery (40 stampers) last November to and including the last clean-up on March 31st. This return shows a yield of over an ounce per ton, which, considering the size of the reefs (from two feet to four feet), from which the stone was taken, may be considered as highly satisfactory. With working expenses brought down as they will be in time, many of our mines here have a grand future before them. WAIOBOKGOStAI BATTEBY BET CBN 3. , Return of number of tons of quartz cru»bed, with yield of retorted gol4, from Waiorongomai battery, from the commencement in November last to 31st March, 1884:—

Dabwin.—The survey by Mr. Bayhjon of the distance from the chamber, No. 2 level, to the reef is only 103 feet, and not 135 feet, as at first estimated. Tenders for the joint tunnel to be driven tbe above distance baving arrived on Saturday last, Mr. W. J. Hurst, as the delegate appointed by directors to open and accept tenders, will attend at the company's office this forenoqn to transact that business in conjunction with the appointee of the Cambria Gold Miqing Company (Limited). Cambria.—Mr. J. M. Lennox, as the delegate appointed by directors te open and accept tenders for the joint cross-cut tunnel, will attend at the company's office this forenoon to conjointly transaot that business with the appointee of the Darwin Gold Mining Company (Limited). As the distance fro pa the bottom of the winze qn the lode to the Darwin boundary iB only 45 feat, instead of 60, as previously estimated, the cross-cut tunnel itself and the connection with the winze should not take more thau a month from this date to be completed. The crushing for the company is still proceeding at the Queen of Beauty battery. As the quartz is full of minerals, the amalgam comes from the berdans, and the yield of the parcel treated will not be ascertained until the crushing is finished—about the end of this week. [BY TELEGBAFH, —PBESS ASSOCIATION.] Ross, Saturday. Intense excitement prevails here in consequence of a party bringing to town on Thursday last gold bearing quartz. Two pieces, the size of a turkey's egg r on being crushed yielded very fair prespcot. Since then parties are leaving daily to> take up leases.

■ N»mo of Co. Ton#. oz.dwt.gr, Werahlko .. 336 307 8 0 Mew Find - 1.501 _ 2,298 10 0 Waltolcl _ ' 123 .. 36 0 O Coloniat.. _ 1,41a .. 1,141 i 0 Premier .. 800 " _ 67*2 8 0 Inverness „ 5 .. 21 16 0 MoaNo. 1 - 20 _ 2 18 0 Mod No. 2 3 _ 6 18 0 Army .. .. 5 .. 1 16 0 Hero .. .. 26 .. 13 10 0 Vulcan ., >. 64 .. 28 3 12 Total .. _ " 4,627 4 12