THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10079, 14 March 1896, Page 5

THE GOLDFIELDS.

[it TKLKGRAPH.—OWN OOBBBBPONDENTB.] Thames, Friday. Sharemarket.—Cambria, sellers Is 74; Crown, sellers 38s; May Queen, sales 8?; May Queen Extended, sellers 5d ) Moanatalari, sellers 10s 6d, buyers 10s; New Wh a «» buverf 6Jd ; Purifi, ecllefs 94 i Scandinavian, sales lOd, IQJd; Victoria, sales 3a lOd, 8s lid, 4s, 3s lOd, sellers 4s, buyers 3s 9d ; Waiotahi, pollers 28s 6d. Victoria.— Wo further breaking down of quarfs; in |he stopo upon the run of gold at No. 1 Jove) has taken place since yesterday, ft portion of the reef will probably b| taken down during to-night's shift or else to-morrow morning. A start is to be made on Monday morning to sink a winze upon the reef below the floor of No. 1 level, the point chosen being aboub ten feet inside the western drive from the crosscut. Crushing operations are also to be commenced on Monday morning at Bull's battery. he ground in the eastern drive has be«() rather tight during the last few days, but ta-dfiy It was much easier. There is Btfll » distance of between 39 and 35 feet yet to drive in this direction to connect with the winze sunk below the surface adit level. The western drive is now ab a standstill.

Pakroa, Friday. Woodstock. — Systematic operations in this mine are now in full swing, and the new company evidently intend to spare neither money nor labour in order to thoroughly develop their property. A commencement has now been made- to clean up and rotimber the No. 1 level preparatory to sinking a winze to conneob with the No. G level. In connection with the past workings here, it may be mentioned th(it already a crosscut leading up to the Maria lode has been driven 200 feet; then subsequent to the lode being intersected the Qfe body was proved for a length of 101) feet north of the crosscut, and 300 feet south qf the lode, varying in thickness from sto 20 feet. This wont was done somewhere about thirteen years ago, and, of course, the ore broken out was treated by the old battery process, which did not redeem 30 per cent, of the assay value of the ore, therefore a true estimate of the worth of the lode cannot now be formed, bub it is the iptention of Mr. McCombia to have saqiplos of the ore broken out for assay fiqrposes as the work of cleaning up the eve) progresses. The backs available between the two levels are something like 250 feet, while above the No. 1 level there will be fully 200 feet, tho block being intact to the surface, so that it will bo seen if the ore proves of a payable nature the company will have an extensive and valuable block to develop. A 1 No. 2 level the ore body is at present somewhat disturbed, and as a consequence the ore is of lower gr.. than usual. A good quantity of quartz is, however, being grassed, the workings being fully manned with three shifts. The crosspub which is being drivon west from this level to intercept the Woodstock lode is now in a distance of 90 feet beyond Shepherd's.reef, and is penetrating a splendid class of country. This should have a good effect on the lode, which ib is expected will be met with at a point about 150 feeb ahead of the present face, though several other lodes which are known to traverse this portion of the property should also be met with during the progress pf the crosscut, consequently tho work is ope of great importance, and the interception of these now ore bodies should, if proved to be gold-bearing, enhance the company's valunble property considerably. Good progress is being made with the extension of the No. 3 level, in tho face of Which the Maria lode is being broken out to a width of 5 feet without any sign of the footwall, the quartz carrying fair percentage of bullion. At present a rather hard belt of country is being passed through. Perhaps one of the most interesting places of operation is at No. 4 level, where the Maria I lpde was recently intersected, and has now been proved for a length of 30 feot. Ib is interesting because of the fact that the ore contains a high percentage of free gold, and less silver than a 0 any of the upper workings, and this substantiates what I have in previous reports stated, that the mineral resources of Karangahake, in fact, the Ohinemuri district in general, will be found to be much richer the deeper the mining operations are conducted. Even on the No. 4 levol the Company have still something more to look forward to, as another 25 feet of driving should bring the face undorneath the point where tho best ore was left under foot at No. 3, so that if anticipations are realised as to the still further improvement in the lode in advance, the bullion returns should be materially augmented. At the No. 5 level the crosscut is in 120 feet, and another 30 feet of driving should bring it up to the Maria lode, and as the richest ore obtained at No. 4 level appears to be under foot, ib is only reasonable to assume that the operations ab No. 5 level will bo of a highly satisfactory nature. All the outeido works are progressing satisfactorily, and good headway is also being made by the contractors with the erection of the suspension bridge over the Ohinemuri River connecting the county road with the mill site. This bridge, when completed, will expedite the conveyance of machinery for the construction of tho battery. It is intended to keep the mill running until about the end of this month, when tho fipal dean up will take plane under cover of the present battery, after which the removal of the building will bo commenced, in order to give place to the tine 40-head stamper battery which is to be ereoted.

WHIHI G.M. CO.

THE MONTH'S RETURN,

£6602 FOR 1950 TONS.

AVERAGE, £3 7s BJd PER TON.

During the four weeks ending 7th March 1950 tons of ore were crushed and treated, yielding £6602 worth of bullion, and from tailings treated £664 was extracted, making ft total for the four weeks of J.'7'2(ili, an average of £3 7s BJd per ton. Owing to this exceptionally dry season the amount, of water power available has been very small, and as necessary repairs to boilers had to be effected during the month the steam power was also interrupted for some days, the result being that not quite two-thirds of the usual quantity of ore went through the mill during the month. Last mouth's return (for five wee|ts) which was also affccted, though not to poll an extent, by the dry weather, was £11,140 for 3060 tons, with £2405 for tailings. The tailings are now finished with.

WAJTEKAURI KINO.

LONDON NEGOTIATIONS. A cablegram his been received by Mr. Broadbent from Loudon, stating tlmt a company can be formed to takeover the WaiteKauri King. A return cable has been sent asking for a statement of terms. A reply to this is expected shortly.

PRIDE Of 1 TOKATKA. The following telegram was received yesterday :— Prido of Tokatea: Secured 261b specimens from footwall lead; 1701b on hand."

MAORI DREAM (OHUI). The deposit of £500, which, as was stated ip the Herald some days ago had been 1 ted, in connection with the Maori Dream (Olpii), has novy been handed over to thp shareholders.

HAURAKI NORTH. The following telegram was received yesterday by Mr. D. G. MacDonnell Total rpsijlt of crushing, Hanraki North: Retated, lOOoz; smelted, 98oz Bdwt."

LONDON MARKET. A cable from London, yesterday, quotes Auckland mine ß *8 follows ;-Crown snares, 378 6d, buyers; Tararu Creek, fi» paid up, buyers ss; Silverton, buyers, £4. Market Itronger,

ALPINE (KUAOTUNU). This will-known piece of ground, which we understand is now being floated, and the list for which is already nearly full, is situated in the heart of the golden centre, between the Try Fluke, Great Mercury, and Jnvictii. The promoters expect to gee a good slicc of the big reef, especially at the low levels, and the local coinmitteo are very sanguine of this being a mpst valuable property,

AUCKLAND SHAREMARRET. Business was a little lighter yesterday on the Auckland Sliaroinarket. There was a slightly slackened demand for investment shares. In mining stocks New Moanat&iarjs were done at 10s, with further buyers. Victorias changed hands at 3s lid; Golden Links were exchanged at IQJd and Did, and there was a call for Kapni-Veriponts. Business was dona at 6s 8d and 6jj 9d, with prices

hardening. In the Upper Thames list, Centrals were enquired for, and Talismans were firm at from 10s to 9s pd, Waihi-Silyertons were transferred at 71s, with further buyers at 70s 6d; Waitelcauris were done at 90s, with buyers at 87a 6d and sellers at 955. There was business in VVoodstocks at 24s 6ij, firm. Bunker's Hills were transferred at 6s 9(1, and there was agreement between buyers and sellers in Welcome Finds, New Golcondas, and Castle Bocks.

FREE EXCHANGE. Several parcels of good size changed hands at the Free Exchange, yesterday; 1000 Centrals w;re bought at Is 63. There were other sales as follow Sovereigns, lOJd; Jewels, 3id; Hercules, 9d; Balfours, 6d; Golden Links, lOd ; Ajux, 6d. There were buyers as follow Cambria, Is 3d; City of Dunedin, Is 7d; Mpanatairi North, 4|d; New Whan, Cd ; New Alburnia, 4s Gil; Norfolk, 3s 7d: Orlando, 6il; Royal, 9.1: Victoria, 3s JOd; Oomstock, sd; May Queen Extended 4sd : Cardigan, Is Gil; Scandinavian, lOd; Clunes, 5d ; Sr. Patrick, Gd ; Day Dawn, 4£d; Grace Darling, Is 8d : Huanui, Is ?^d; Imperial, Is GJd ; Ivanhne, 9Jd ; New Zealander, sjd; Nil |)esperandum, 6d; Portsea, 7Jd ; Stanley, 3d; Flower of Waihi, Id Sovereign, lOfcd; Central, IsSJd; VVaihi Consols, Is I4jd , Zion, (>Jd; Maritana, 7d ; Hercules, BJd ; Waitekauri No. 2, 6id; Wuihi Extended, Gd: Wealth of Nations, 4d; Young New Zealand, Is Id; Byron Bay, lid; British Empire, 4d: Waihi Dredging Company, 3d; Aorere, Is 3d; Invicta, 4Jd; Golden Anchor, Is; Kapai-Vermont, 6s B.\d; Maoriland, Gld; Aurora, 2d; Jessica, 7d; Noriua, 4d ; Balfour, Gd; Kuaotunu, la; Golden Link, 9d; Ajax, 5Jd; Mount Aijrurn, sd; Bunker's Hill, 6s 7d; Harbour View, 4Jd: Hauraki No. 2, Is; Hauraki South, 6d ; NewGoleonda, Is; Pride of Tokatea, la Pultewhuu, 6d; (Jotouiaudel Freehold Proprietary, Is 7d ; Four-in-hand, Is Id; Progress-Castle Rock, Gd; Great Kapanga, 3d.

GENERAL MINING ITEMS. Mr. F. H. Whalley has prepared an excellent plan of the Neavesville Gold Mining Company's property at Tairua, which it is intended to place on the English market. The property will comprise 400 acres. A liquidator's call of Is per share is made in the New Monataiari Gold Mining Company. The half-yearly meeting of the Day Dawn Gold Mining Company will be held at I'almerston Building on the 23rd instant, at three p.m., and a special general meeting v il l be held on the same day. A call of 3d per share has been made in Bunker's Hill Gold Mining Company, The half-yearly meeting of the Asteroid Gold Mining Company will be held on the 23rd instant, at eleven a.m., at Hobson's Buildings, of Star of Waihi at eleven a.m., and of Empress at three p.m.

MINE MANAGERS' REPORTS. Waitk.kauri King (W&itekauri). — Have been tinklug in the Jille.i fur the pt.tt fortnight, and are down 21 feet. It is a splendid class of sandstone. We are sinking in ihe liansingwall of the reef, ami at a depth of 40 feet I expect to cut it. This will give 30 feet of lacks under the present drive, and under where the richest ore is Of course, where the low level is in it will do away with the waiter To take the tun-ton crushing out of the hack of tile present drive, there would he danger of letting a small creek running parallel with the reef into the working ; therefore I think it ad usable to open the block under foot, to prove to the shareholders or public that the gold is going down. Victoria (Thames, March 12). —As per wire to you, 201 til picked stone were obtained to-day from the leading stope over No. 1 level, and colours of gold were seen freely through the general dirt. It Is just possible that the best of the gold is going down under the level. I intend to start sinking the winze on the leader on the western side of the crosscut from No. 1 t" No. 2 level oil Monday, and crushing will also be commenced at Bull's battery on Monday. Imperial (Kirangahake, March 11),— progress is lining made with the driving. Ivaniiok (Karangahakf, March 11). No change to remark in tho low level crosscut.

Chelt (Waitekauii, .March 11).—The level has been advanced a total distance of (59 feet. Good signs of a reef in the locality. There is nothing fresh to report trom the surface prospecting.