MINING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5896, 31 December 1880, Page 2

MINING.

Mr Geisow, legal manager of the Mount Aurum (Nugget) Company, Upper Shotover, has shown us (Lake Wakatip Mail) a fine specimen of Btone promiscuously taken, and it is anticipated that equally as good will be found in the lode up to the surface —a distance of 120 feet. The gold, which rnns through the stone in a seam, is fine, but it should nevertheless produce a handsome return. Other mining news in the district is unimportant. We hear that the trial crushing of a ton of top stone from the Invincible Company, Head of Lake, yielded, at Kincaid, M'Queen, and Co.'s b»ttery, half an ounce roughly crushed ; but it is intended to test the tailings. The result of stone from a lower level has not yet transpired. Current reports of the Phosnix claim, Skippers, are not favourable, but we must await more reliable information before expressing an opinion.

A few nuggets have been taken from Clark's Gully, Hindon, the largest of which weighed loz. 2dwt.

Mr J, F. Watson received a telegram from Reefton on Dec. 6, stating that the return of the Golden Fleece Company was 3470z amalgam from 138 tons of stone. The yield from the United Alpine Company was COloz retorted gold for the month. A dividend is declared of Is per 32,000 th share.

Mr J. F. Watson received a telegram from Reefton on Dec. 3 stating that the return from the United Alpine Company was 4340z of amalgam from 163 tons of stone. The cleaningup will take place to day.

The return from the top plates of the Golden Fleece Extended Company, Reefton, for last week is 251^2 of amalgam from 138 tons of Btone. The Na; 4 level still carries three feet of a lorfe.

Mr J. F. Wataon received a telegram from Reefton on Friday, stating that the return from the United Alpine Company was 300oz, of amalgam from 160 tons of quartz. The yield from the United Alpine Company, Lvell, for the week was 300oz amalgam from 160 tons of quartz. The Kepp-it-Dark Company. Reefton, for 10 days, 239 z 15dwt amalgam from 240 tons of quartz from the top plates only.

Mining at Roxburgh East (says the Mount Benger Mail) is at present almost »t a standstill, owing to the high state of the Molyneux. This is, however, the principal mining place in the Teviot district, there being a large number of claims, all of which, when worked, yield more or leas payable reßulte. The present sear son of the year is not the time for the profitable development of the mines, owing to the almost constant flooding of the river. The wow on the high ranges, which fell during the winter months, begins to melt, and this, combined with the frequent high winds, which have the effect of blowing the water out of the lakes up country inco the river, keeps the Molyneux at a high level. About the end of January the river will, in all probability, go down considerably, and a good start will then be made, lneve is a large extent of ground yet undeveloped, and, judging from appearances, we should say it would be likely to prove payable when, worked. One great advantage is the plentiful Bupply of water to hand —those claiinholder-i who do not possess water-rights being enabled to rent water from shareholders in other claims who have "enough and to S pare." The majority of the claimholders, however, are of a water-race (or part of one) of and constant source. Notwithstanding Wtb% Iw °h ume and labour in these <**™*. the shareholders, as a whole, seem satisfied with the returns they have obtained. A. large amount ?' 'tut i" °g f. laiced from y eM •» y«» into wafer fn^ M*? 8 "' Up" The We body of w?H* nhrt Molyneux and the strong current « obt ■ J l\t° % c\ tUia e?tent, help to keep Lwl Z! f J h! «ct ramains that a consider, able amount of stuff must land somewhere. In Hfnro alm3 ' m J °re cr le9B ' a quantity of Urge stones exists, and some difficulty is experienced at times m removing them, but with the aid of tnat powerful agency, water, the difficulty is overcome. froln n?h« e ßt?ahf f QO^ an, di a-ha" tons of q"wtz inTh«« B ht, SJ D\ l% cla"» »t TeArohahas Jorf^ V OI£ Pu leted for a retarn of 2oz oi retorted gold. The result is not con S idered satisnefi«M W fTh«. mi n?3? are "turning from the 3n™ f the ,holida ys. and nothing will be ' U ° «nf S6Veral W6SkB- The feellDg h«« w not so sanguine as to the prospects of the

ft fth« r KhiD? KMV6r IOZ t0 the *°n took PaCe at the Rough Ridge yesterday from 36 tona of pr°o^otg cTaim" JOpß°n Md *•*«»» »i,F w y-e iar? bi. ck.( Bay 3 the Mataura Ensign) " «n^' kaka. dW°-Ba h, a3 been looked «PO" as «n™Tl, ? dlgß»ngs," that ig, a place where anyone hard up can turn to and make a small wage. It appears that the whole of the workbottom 3 iff* 7^ c been nP°n a **** bottom Mr Bastings, we are informed, is somewhat of this opinion, and lately offered two pounds to one collected on the diggings for ■^T^ ,t6Bt uof the ero°nd- A party ™h ?"£ a l haft at Waitak* last weok* rtSEftW 0 ye u° g0 at least 200 feet before striking the mam bottom. They have gone to wn * "ystematic manner, having built a substantial stable and chsff-house, secured a good horse for the purpose of working their whim, and made every provision to see the winter through. We trust they will meet with their well-deserved reward— i c., something like an ounce to the dish off the bottom int •^Wo^^Th^a^tff" f°- !0W8 working the«£o/XwhoV^e T^ living at it. The gold is fine, and the sand^U put through a cradle or sluice-box. It is a wonder that the Otago goldfields, such as this and other beaches, are not more patronised by the unemployed during the dull saasons of the year. They would earn fully as much if not more than is offered them on the Government relief works, and they would be their own masters.

«. ZaZTT 0? 3 ? 1 unter received a telegram od the 24th stating that the crushing of the United Alpine Quartz-mining Company's claim al Lyell realised, from 158 tons of atone, 207cz oi amalgam. Mr J. F. Watson received a telegram from Queenstown on the 24th stating that the return from the Mount Aurum Company was 133 2 of gold from 428 tons of stone. Mr J. F. Watson received a telegram from Reefton on the 24th, stating that the return oi the K.eeo-it Dark Company was 21Ooz amalgam from 126 tons of quartz. The Hicdon Company returned 3Ooz for some few days' crushing. A cake of gold from the Tipperary Company has just arrived in town, weighing 260;z,f0r fire weeks crushing. We have been supplied with the sketches of the various parts of a new quartz crnsbing and gold extracting machine, the invention of Mr (jflorge Ashcroftj engineer of railways in tho Wellington district. The invention provides machinery for three distinct processes :— Ist. For pulverising.—This is done by balls rotating in a pan and being driven by a cone. The centrifugal force of the balls driving them along the surface of the cone causes them to spin on their own axis, as well as to revolve round the pan. This increases the pulverising I power of the machine very greatly. A wheel and screw enable the cones to be set above or below the centres of the balls, and to increase the crushing power of the machine ; and to regulate this powar according to the requirements of the material under operation either for the hardest or for the softest material. 2nd. For Sorting. — This is accomplished by a donble pan. The shafts rotating in each half cylinder which are provided in this pan can be raised or lowered at pleasure. If the blades with which the shafts are furnished touch the bottom at the starting of a crushing all the material received from the spoutg of the pulverising pan will be carried round; but if these Bhafts be gradually raised as the crushing goes on, in that case the heavier particles will be loft at the bottom of the pan, whilst all the lighter particles will overflow into the amalgamators, to be treated with mercury. When a crushing is done the chafes can be lowered and the heavy matter allowed to pass out of the bottom of the pan, by means of an opening provided for the purpose. 3rd. Amalgamating. — This is effected by an apparatus very similar to the sorter. The shafts are fitted with a ripple copper screw, and the material can be passed round the pan ag many times as may be needed to secure that none remains untouched by the mercury. We understand (says the Mount Ida Chronicle) that Messrs Jopson, Blackwell, and party, who have for some time past been prospecting for reefs at Rough Ridge, have had another washing from their prospecting claim, situated near the site of the old Prince Alfred lead. On Wednesday last 36 tons of stone, which was taken out in three weeks' time by four men, was put through the Rough Ridge Quartz-mining Company's mill, and 41oz lOdwt of gold was obtained. This is a very satisfactory result, as, in addition to being encouraging to the enterprising prospectors, it is another proof of the richness of the Rough Ridge as a reefing locality, ' We believe that the stone in Measrs Jopson and Blaekwoll's claim is improving as the shaft goes down. We understand that they Intend to form themselves Into a company. The Hyde correspondent of the Mount Ida Chronicle says :—" I understand that Messrs Kelly and Teviotdale's party at Fullarton's Diggings have had a most successful waßh-up, the quantity of gold obtained being very much greater than in previous years." The Lake County correspondent of the Dunstan Times supplies the following items of mining news :—" In mining matters there is not much to report; as yet the cakes have not come down from the reefs, but they are anxiously looked for. The Tipperary and Gladstone Companies will, no doubt, show improved results this crushing, both being engaged putting through much better stone. The Homeward-Bound are steadily crushing away, but as their new Berdan is not yet sufficiently perfected so far as its erection is concerned, they may possibly be obliged to continue running their battery longer. If they do wash up, tbey c*n only do so imperfectly, as they will have some 25 tons of blanketings left on hand, the result of the last and present cruahinga. The Homeward-Bonnd reef looks very well, and it has been opened out by tunnels and winzes right up to the ' blow ' on the crown of the hill. The lode is a very well denned one and well developed in the bargain, and if not so tish as the others, from the large quantity of ground held by the Company and the great thickness of the stone within the walls, there is little doubt but that the Homeward Bound will be working when many others will have been wrought out.—The Caledonian have been fortunate in striking atone. They have just come across a very strong gold-bearing leader one foot in thickness, and which promises to lead on to the main reef.—The Defiance commenced to open out on Monday last. They are tunnelling on the lode itself, which is between five and six feet wide. The quartz is well defined, and gold shows in quantities unmistakably payable. The prospects of this Company are exceedingly good.—The Garibaldi will shortly commence ; and here is another reef showing payable gold in the face." The Tuapeka Times says:—" The Waipori Deep Lead Prospecting Association have made another start. Boring operations were commenced last Thursday. The second set of rods obtained by Mr J. C. Brown on behalf of the Association have not yet come to hand, and the Bet at present in use are somewhat defective, and do not work smoothly. It ia expected that the second set will arrive in the course of a few days. A depth of eight feet fiix inches was attained as the result of the first day's boring." Our Hindon correspondent writes:—"The Hindon Company's wash up on Wednesday last from reof No. 2 made Bdwt to the ton. The manager now intends opening up the levels on No. 2 reef, and cross-cutting for No. 3. This Company's direotors having procured the services of Mr W. M. Glass, late manager of the New Caledonia reef, entertain high hopes of working the mine with success." A correspondent supplies the Tuapeka Times with the following Waipori mining notes :— Quartz rpefs.—The Ripingr Sun Gold-mining Company (Tyson and party) bad to discontinue sinking, owing to having so much water to contend with, and have commenced tunnelling into the MIL The stone bears gold, but

whether sufficient to pay remains to be tested. The Rocky Bar Company (Wedlake and party), who were down with their shaft to the depth of 20 feet, struck a very strong spring of water. It is thought the water will retard sinking operations, if not suspend future operations altogether. The Luck's All Company (Campbell, Beaton, and party) are driving a tunnel in the hill to cut the lode. This Company have not tapped the water as yet. The only chance of making satisfactory progress on this line of reef is to bring up a tailrace and drain the lode, or otherwise organise a pumping association. It was amusing to observe a blank application form for a mining lease posted up on one of the claims with neither name nor date.

The Antimony Reofs. —No. 1 shaft is sunk to the depth of 70 feet, with a drive in about 50 feet on the lode. The vein of ore is about three inches thick, with a tendency to extend much larger downwards. On the surface in the creek there is a voin of ore measuring over 20_ inche3 wide. The work on this shaft is being carried on by nine men in eight hours' shifts. The Company are about to suspend the work of this shaft for a Bhort time to enable them to erect a turbine wheel for pumping and winding up the stuff. The present system is slow, tedious, and expensive. The haulage of water -£>**-.ofL the shaft is from 150 to 200 gallons per * °? r j ml°r^ to«aH?»nu),.ha» been tried and failed. The Company finding mete w M much unnecessary expenditure of force, came to the conclusion that nothing but powerful machinery would cope with the difficulty. No. 2 shaft ia down about 20 feet. In this shaft the lode is three feet wide, with three fine veins of ore running through the lode, varying six inches, three inches, and two inches respectively in thickness. Before proceeding with the sinking of this shaft the Company had driven a tunnel 80 feet in length, but finding no ore they came back to the tunnel mouth and sank a shaft j when at a depth of five feet they came on the three veins as above described. The work at this Bhaft has been delayed for the want of timber for slabbing, but the timber has now arrived, and the work will be in full swing after the New Year. There are two other companies prospecting for the lode east and weßt of the Waipori Company's lease. The party prospecting west are sinking a shaft, and have struck water, and it ia ques tionable whether it can be beaten back. The prospecting party east are driving a tunnel through a hill 150 feet in height, and if the ore makes its appearance they will have a good stope before them for a considerable period. With regard to the value of the antimony ore, I am fully impressed that the Waipori Company arenotgetting more than half its value, although there is great reduction in percentage owing to the dross it contains. Cape Regulus anti. mony ore fetches as high as L 56 per ton. The French Star mine ore is worth L 62 per ton in the English market, but the percentage of this ore is 955. It is smelted at the mine in areverberatory furnace, and shipped for England for further refinement. In No. 2 shaft, apart from the veins of ore, the substratum is impregnated with ore more or less. This waste is wheelbarrowed to a spoil heap. I made a test from fib of waste, and it gave loz of antimony ore, worth something like 16s per ton. When the Blue Spur crushers toll you that Jdwt ot gold (value Is lOJd) per ton, will Rive them a dividend, what, I might ask, will 16a per ton do ? I fear guch a return would turn, some of their heads. Gold-mining is a mere patch to mineral ore mining. We have only to look back to Taylor and Oo.'b, Williams and Co.'s, and others. Now these con>p an i e a aro millionaires, and never possessed a gold - mine. Point out to „- a millionaire from gold mining, and I will undertake to show you the philosopher's stone. These companies owe their wealth to copper, lead, tin, antimony, and nickel ore. Machinery is being so perfected that a very small percentage of ore pays. In Great Britain the old stopee are being worked, and are paying very handsome profits. In America the same result is brought about. At Lake Superior Islet mine, from 1870 to 1875, the waste accumulated to such an extent that the company resolved to erect a 15 head battery, and the result of the first crushing gave lloz silver to the ton. The above are living, published statistics. In Kearn County, California, a rich antimony mine has been discovered. Waipori Antimony Company are numerically weak, but I expect some day to see them financially strong. The water is the greatest impediment, but even that is to be surmounted by energy and perseverance.

I I i 1 [ MISCELLANEOUS. The telephone exchange Bystem which the Government have determined to introduce in this Colony will probably be largely taken advantage of by banks, business firmß, and others in Dunedin. Instruments have been fitted up in the room of Mr J. K. Logan, telegraph inspector, at the Dunedin Telegraph-office; and persona who feel desirous of witnessing the working of the system should pay a vieit of inspection, which in invited. The apparatus is that known as the Edison and Bell. It acts more successfully than anything in the telephone line previously fitted up in Dunedin. As an example of the success which has attended the initiation of the Bystem in America, it is a fact that no less than 2000 subscribers are connected with a single exchange in Chicago. The charge in this Colony for the hire of the necessary instruments and wire is to be only LIT 10a per year. The upper storey of the new building now being erected near Messrs Wise and Co.'a, in Princes street, is now completed, and has been fitted up as a photographic saloon and studio, of which Mr Rutherford, jun., of Caversbam, is the proprietor. The waiting and other rooms are neatly and comfortably fitted up, Eome well-executed drawings in chalk beicg noticeable on the walls of the principal waiting-room. The studio is a large, lofty room, and possesses the great advantage of being lighted from both sides, which are almost entirely of glass. Mr Rutherford will, no doubt, do a good trade. An interesting experiment is to be tried shortly in one of the lakes or lagoons at Mr Caverhill'B, Hawera. It appears, says the local paper, that there is one particular lake where no wild dnckß or sea fowl ever swim, although upon the sheets of water near they are constantly to be Been. The Maoris have a tradition that a taniwha lives in this lake, and that its presence accounts for the birds avoiding it. They have a further story of eel?, with long fins, differing from the ordinary sort, being found in these waters, and it is now proposed to test the truth of these legends. Dr Hector haß offered to supply dynamite for explosion under water, upon condition that any specimens of rare fish are preserved and orwarded to the Museum. Mr Caverhill has procured a boat, and another search for the traditional taniwha of the Maoris is to be instituted. It is generally supposed by scientific men that the taniwha was some kind of alligator or shark, but hitherto, whenever a supposed taniwha has come to hand, it has proved to bo an unusually large eel. It is well known that large eels, such as are found in the lagoons near the sea on this coast, will seize any bird that comes within their reach ; they have even been known to seiza and devour a shag. There are now 590 men employed in Otago and Canterbury upon relief works thrown open by the Government, the number of men so engaged having been reduced 50 per cent, during the past two months. At tho end of this week all these men are to be paid off, except such of them as have piece-work contracts (about 100 men on the Otago Central railway), and their work will run out gradually during the next two or three months. In an article upon the subject of exporting meat under the freezing system, the Queenslander publishes extracts from a letter recently received from a gentleman of considerable influence in London. In theae it is stated that a Chicago house seriously contemplates establishing a branch in Australia, with a view of extensively exporting meat, the project being to ship the more valuable portions of the csrcasses of beef in a frozen state, and to tin the coarse parts under the compressed system. At the beginning of this year we reported the commencement of the religious services at the branch Asylum at Seacliff by Mr Torrance. Since then they have been held monthly, and we understand they are much prized by those patients able to be present, and by the settlers, who, with their children, have regularly attended in large numbers. An additional interest was given to the service last Sunday through the kindness of Mr Hume, the superintendent. By him books, in remembrance of the first year's services at Spacl'ff, were presented to a number of the patients and to the children of the district who have been in the habit of attending. The day was unfortunately very wet, and the attendance in consequence smaller than usual, but those children who were unable to face the storm are to receive tbeir books at the close of the next service. As it was, about 50 jubilantly carried away their "remembrances." The progress made by the patients and their attendants in the work of turning the wilderness into a productive farm is wonderful. Many acres of bush have been swept away root and branch, and where not long ago immense broadleaf and pine trees stood surrounded by impenetrable scrub heavy crops of potatoes, &c. now bloom ; and on the south Bide of the Asylum, or, properly speaking, the farm building, but which is bow used temporarily as an Mylum, a garden of about two acres in extent has been formed, planted with fruit trees, and surrounded by a neat rustic trellis fence. Gullies have also been filled up, ground levelled, drains laid, roads formed, strong fences erected, and a new channel has been dug in a straight line for the creek, which now runs Berpentinely too near the building. The formation of the new channel is a gigantic work. It extends to from 600 to 700 feet, is dug to on average depth of six feet, by five feet in width, and is now being firmly walled and bottomed with bluestone, and it is eventually to be covered over. Owing to the overrowded condition of the Asylum in town another temporary building is now in course ot erection at Seacliff for the accommodation of 50 more male patients. This also is the work of the patients and their attendants, and the new building is so to be put together that it can be taken down without much waste, and used in the construction of roomy cottage* for married attendants and

their families. Now that so much ground baa been cleared and fenced, the Asylum at Seacurl is to be supplied with milk from its own crummies, good animals having within the last few days been purchased by the authorities, and thereby a saving of over L7O a year in the item of mi.k alone will be effected there, No less than 1454 persons travelled on the Otftgo section of railways on Friday last-on «™. D»y. 2752; 'and on BoJng *&£ 250b. Thisi gives a total of 6712 for t& throe days including 168 excursionists to Kingston; i. be tramway arrangements during the late* holidays gave general satisfaction to tho public and Mr Proudfoot pives us the following par-' ticulars of the traffic, which may prove interesting to our readers:—On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, the number of trips run by the cars was nearly 1300 ; the miles run by horsos, 6550; and the number o£ passengers carried was on Christmas Day 1.2,000, and Boxing Day nearly 14,000. It (s only three weeks since nearly the whole of the rolling-stock was destroyed. We understand that on and after the Ist of January Superintendents of Police will bedesignated "Inspectors," and that some re« duction in their salaries will also be made. The children attending the Kaikorai School, held their annual picnic on some ground placed at their disposal by Mr Lambert, last week. The children, teachers, and friends numbered about 400.

A correspondent in a local journal takes a a very gloomy view of Corporation financial matters in Oamaru. The debt (he says) on the borough now is £160.000-viz,, the ordinary loans of £20,000 and £5000 ; B as loan, £10,000; waterworks loans, £50,000, £60,000, and £10,000. And yet tho streets are in a disgraceful state, either all dust or all mud, according to the weather ; the footpaths as bad ; only a small portion lighted wilii gas, and iittle more than half the town supplied with water, and where the water is laid on it is generally so dirty as to bo useless for domestic purposes without filtering. We are rated 3s 91 in the JEI, besides the charges for gas and water where used. The Rev. Mr Jenner will hold his closing services at Rothesay in the Congregational Caurch. there on Sunday next, and will begin his ministration at Lawrence on the following Sunday We are glad to ase (says a Wellington contemporary) that steps are being taken by the Jinglish Postmaster-general to establish a parcel-post between England and the Colonies, the mutual benefits of which we Jiave often urged in these columns. Frofessor Fawcett is well known to be a man who is thoroughly in earnest in any reform which he undertakes, and we may therefore hope to see something practical result from his taking the subject into his consideration. It is to be hoped that the • Colonial Governments will do everything in their power to co-operate heartily with the English Postmaster-general in this matter, seeing that anything which tends to facilitate communication between these Colonies and tho Mother Country means a material extension of the trade and prosperity of the former.