THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9423, 22 July 1889, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[FROM OUR OWS CORRESPONDENT]. I Thames, Saturday, j Sharemarket. — Moanataiari, sellers, 3s, buyers, 2s 9d; Alburnia, 3s 6d, sellere, 4s, buyers, 3s 6d; Saxon, 8s 9d, sellers, 9a; May Queen, sellers, 10d. Adelaide Claim.—The total return of gold from fche late crushing of 29 loads was 2750z3 melted. This is one of the best crushing the shareholders have won from their claim, and was obtained in a little over three weeks. TRENTON.-rExcellent headway has been made this week in extending the western drive at the Cambria No. 4 level, and the face is now within about 140 feet of the Saxon boundary. The progress made by the contractors in the crosscut at the bottom of the shaft was very poor this week, the ground being exceeding tight. The second contract being nearly completed tenders for another contract will be invited. Kpaatuna Crushings.—Excellent progress is being made at the Moanataiari battery with the treatment of the trial crushings from the Try . Fluke, Carbine, and Black Jack claims. The five ton parcel from the former is now all through the stampers, and the tailings are now being operated upon in the berdans, whilst a. start was made to-day to reduce the two twenty ton parcels from the two latter claims. The return from the Try Fluke crushing will exceed lOozs per ton. Lone Hand.—The contractors in the low level are making fair progress through an excellent channel of sandstone country. At the upper level the crosscut in the Lone Hand section of the mine is in a distance of about 45 feet, and is still following the black seam upon which it was started. The manager intend?, however, opening out soon upon a small leader which crossed the drive a few feet back from the face, as strong colours of gold were seen when cutting through it. Two stopes are in progress upon the main leader, which ranges from two to three inches in thickness, and shows gold freely when a breaking down of quartz takes place. In the Manchester section three Btopes are in hand upon the Adelaide reef, which averages about a foot in thickness, and shows colours of gold pretty freely. A start will probably be made to put through another crushing at Bull's battery next week. Saxon , .— The manager is gradually getting the mine into working order again, and early next week all the faces will be manned as they were before the stoppage of the Big Pump for boiler inspection. There is still, however, a considerable quantity of water upon the flat sheet at No. 5 level, and the floors of the drives are covered with from a foot to 15 inches of sediment, but as soon as the water is down they will be cleaned oub with all possible speed. The drive upon No. '2 reef at this level has been manned since Thursday last. The reef now shows a thickness of about 10 inches, with strong colours and blotches of gold showing at every breaking down. This leader has lately turned its course very much to the right, and is now making straight for No. 2 winze. The stopes upon No. 1 reef are being worked again, but none of the quartz broken from it or from No. 2 reef this week has been sent to surface, as no winding has been done from No. 5 level. Good progress is being made with the sinking of No. 2 winze from No. 4 level, and the reef in the bottom, together with several small stringers, is yielding about "2A feet of quartz in width, in which strong colours of gold are freely seen. Stoping operations are in progress upon the hangingwall reef between Nos. 3 and 4 levels, and also upon the two branches of the reef in the etopes above No. 2 level, but there Is no change to note, the quality of the quartz just about being payable. Twenty-two head of stamps have been employed at the company's battery during the week, and on Monday next ifc is intended to start the other ten head.

Tararu District.—Hearing that the Messrs. Plummer Brothers, the well-known prospectors, had unearthed on Tuesday last a large reef showing gold freely, in this district, I made it my business to visit the locality this morning- with the view of ascertaining personally the value of the find. Th'e scene of this latest discovery is situated on the left hand ridge of the Tararu Creek, | almost opposite to the old Scottish Chief licensed holding , , and a little distance below the old Vulcan holding. It is also about a mile and a-half below the Lowrie Brothers' recent find, which is situated on top of the ridge. The ridge in which the reef has been found is fully 500 feet in height, but the point where the reef is unearthed is about 100 feet above the creek level. It is a strong, compact body of quartz, about three feet in thickness, running almost due north and south, with an underlie to the eastward. About seven or eight feet of the quartz lay exposed to view, and strong blotches and colours of gold were to be seen freely distributed in the face of the reef, the gold itself being well embedded into the quartz and of a coarse nature. The quartz composing the reef is of a brownish hue, of a close-grained nature, and a free milling description, there being very little base mineral present. An excellent channel of sandstone country encases the reef, and judging from the compactness and solidity of the body there is every reason to believe it will carry downwards to a great depth. No work, however, has been done upon ifc beyond exposing this face, but a start has been made to prepare for the driving of a low level some 50 feet down the hill nearer the creek. A distance of from thirty to forty feet only will require to be driven before the reef is to hand, and then backs several hundred feet in height will be attainable, as the hill gains very rapidly. Should the reef, when opened up, turn out as well as the present prospects appear to warrant it will, it is most likely a ten-stamper battery will be erected near the mouth of the proposed low level, there being plenty of water available for motive power. The Messrs. Plummer Brothers have been at work prospecting for this large reef for some weeks past, but when the weather prevented any outside work, they devoted their attention to a smaller leader a few yards lower down the creek, which will apparently junction with the larger reef at no great distance ahead. Out of this smaller lender a few pounds of picked stone were obtained, which when crushed yielded 20 ounces of gold. The adjoining ground on both ends of the claim has been taken up by other parties, who are evidently of the opinion that the present find is the most important one that has been made in the district for some years past.

Cambria. —The legal manager, who visited the mine on Saturday, writes : Operations at No. :i level on the hangingwall lode, and on the leaders in the intermediate, are going on as usual. The hangingwall of the main reef in the rise above No. 3 level, on the mineral portion, looks very promising for gold. The rise is going up west of a break. The quartz is highly mineralised, and of a friable nature. Immediately westward of the break two feet wide of the quartz is being broken for crushing. It was west of the break that specimens were obtained at No. 2 level, and it is to this point that attention is chiefly directed. The manager has been instructed to put on an additional shift, which the prospects warrant. Samples of the stone were brought up and can be seen at the company's office. May Queen.—The contractor is now making good progress with the erection of the plant. A fortnight should see all completed.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —rRESS ASSOCIATION.] Greymouth, Saturday. The week's returns from Reefton are as follows : —Scotia, 5650z amalgam from 100 tons ; Dark, 3C3oz amalgam from 180 tons ; Globe, 2440z amalgam from 190 tons ; Progress, 1'24-oz amalgam from 180 tons ; Inglewood, 540z amalgam from 54 tons ; Inkerman, 150oz amalgam from 60 tons.