THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8364, 18 September 1890, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[by telegraph. OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Wednesday. Sharemarket. — Caledonian, sellers 2a 9d; Consols, buyers 7d ; Dives, sellers 2s Id; Golden Age, sellers Is; Manukau, sellers Is ; May Queen, sellers 16s ; Moanataiari, Bs, sellers 8s 3d; AlburniaJ sellers sa; Orlando, sellers Is Id ; Saxon, 6s, sellers 6s 6d, buyers 6s ; Trenton, 4s 4d, 4s 6d, 4s 3d, 4s sd, sellers 4s 6d ; Victoria, sellers la 6d ; Hazelbank, 2s, 2s 6d, sellers 2s 9d; Oriental, Bd. Trenton.Operations upon the reef intersected yesterday near the Saxon boundary are now confined to stripping, and no quartz will bo broken for a day or two. The company's surveyor is to make a survey on Friday to see whether it is identical with the Saxon No. 2 reef. Saxon.The necessary repairs having been completed to the timber work in the winze upon No. 1 reef below No. 5 level, a start was made with this afternoon's shift to clean out the rubbish at the bottom, and sinking operations will be resumed tomorrow. Driving has been resumed upon the new reef at No. 4 level, the face being forty-five feet distant from the Trenton boundary. Orlando.Carpenter's reef in the new lovel from tho surface has shown considerable improvement of late. It is now fully three feet thick, and carries good mineral indications, and colours of gold have been seen at tho last two or three breakings down. A better class of country has also been met with in the raastern drive upon the Bendigo reef, and colours of gold have recently been seen in the quartz. May" Queen.The drive east upon No. 4 reef is in a distance of 94 feet from the crosscut brought in from the shaft, and the reef is fully 2$ feet thick, and looking as well as over it has looked. At present only two shifts are employed in pushing the drive ahead, but as tho leading stope is fast gaining upon it, it is probable three shifts will be worked soon. Arrangements have been made for commencing crushing with ten head of stampers at the Cambria battery on Monday next. Caledonian. —This crosscut, which is being driven at No, 1 level to intersect the Young American reef, is in 40 feet, which leaves 55 feet more to drive; but before this is accomplished another reef should be met with which yielded good returns of gold in the Hazelbank mine some fifteen years ago. At present the country is rather tight, althoughagoodclassof sandstone. The crosscut at No. 2 level is in a distance of lIS feet, and there remains over 40 feeb to drive before the boundary is met with. A kind of cross reef is now being followed, and it is hoped that before long a body of quartz running in the proper direction will be intersected. Operations upon No. 1 leader below No. 1 level are now confined to stoping, but the supply of quartz won is of a limited quantity. Hazelbank. —The initial operations commenced by this company on Monday last have already been attended with a fair amount of success, for in breaking down to-day that portion of the Young American reef which has been stripped since Monday, 31bs of very nice picked stone were secured, and colours of gold were seen freely distributed through the quartz. The reef is about 15 inches thick, and is a. compact body, carrying splendid mineral indications, whilst the country encasing it is an excellent description of sandstone. There is no doubt whatever but what the quartz now being broken is of a most remunerative grade, and the block to operate upon is of large dimensions. Until, however, a connection is made with tho crosscut now being driven by the Caledonian Company, at No. 1 level, operations will be carried on at a slight disadvantage, as the quartz will have to be stacked in the stopes, but it is thought the connection will be made inside of four weeks. Some very rich returns of gold were obtained from this reef and another in this vicinity, soma fifteen years ago, but since then nothing whatever has been done. The present workings are almost abreast of tho Caledonian shaft, whilst the works carried on of late years in the mine are situated some hundreds of feet further hillward, and upon other quartz bodies.

A NEW GOLD EXTRACTING MACHINE. - Tho Paris correspondent of The Mining Journal writes :—The possibility of gold mining companies obtaining remunerative dividends through tho washing of dirt that has hitherto been considered to contain too little of /he pure metal to pay for the working is claimed now to have been assured by the invention of a machine that has just been made by M. Castlenau, of the Societe Franchise pour le Traitement des Mineraux, 17-", Hue St. Honore, Paris. So successful have been the experiments with tho apparatus that they may bo regarded as one of the most important factors that have yet been afforded for the profitable exploitation of all mineral-bearing districts which have either been passed over by the prospector on the ground of unsatisfactory analysis, or abandoned by companies under the conviction that all the metal had been extracted that was possible under existing processes. The machine of M. Castlenau has been thoroughly tested upon silver and lead ore*., and while it is claimed that it will profitably treat gold ore containing as little as five grammes of metal to the ton, experiments with lead ore, from which only one per cent, could be extracted, made tho residual yield a percentage of 68 - 8. M. Castlenau declines at present to give any account of his appliance for publication, but it seems to be purely mechanical, the dirt being treated in some new way upon a table. He, however, supplies me with some figures relating to experiments that have been made with argentiferous lead ore, and which show that while the yield of lead was increased by about 07 per cent., that of silver was augmented from one kilogramme 880 grammes to two kilogrammes 700 grammes to the ton of lead. It will thus bo seen that dirt, which is now regarded as practically valueless, can bo made to yield very profitable returns, and that gold companies who are now complaining of bad results through meeting with ore containing little more than six grammes to the ton, will be able to satisfy their shareholders with some remunerative return for their money. M. Castlenau himsolf thinks that there is a wide field opened to profitable gold mining by the use of his appliance. Not only in South Africa, America, and Australia, but also nearer home, in Wales, he contemplates a period of prosperity for the gold mining industry. At present very little is known concerning the machine, beyond the results which have been accredited by analysis, but further details will no, doubt bo forthcoming when M. Castlenau has succeeded in forming the company, which hois contemplating, to take up the invention.

Pin'firk.—We visited your mine, and are pleased to state that we think most highly of the property. It is evident from surface workings that good ore has been obtained in the Lone Star ground. Therefore, we recommend that the low level tunnel put in by this company be cleaned out to enable us to judge of future workings ; and we strongly recommend that you engage Mr. Stephens to undertake the work at preeonb as wages man, and if his abilities are approved of, he to be elected as manager for the company. Pending the application for tribute we think this should be let, as the workings are too high up to make it profitable for the company to work. We may mention that while down at the Thames we discovered records of the Lone Star mine, and find the yields to be from nine oz to the ton. So that taking the surrounding mines into consideration we seem to be possessed of a valuable property.—E. R. Edwards, John Bockland. Consols.—The company is now incorporated, the certificate of registration having been received yesterday.