MINING IN TASMANIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1340, 4 August 1877, Page 3

MINING IN TASMANIA.

The tin miner has reason to rejoice on account of the excellent weather that has prevailed during the last month, which has materially assisted him in his operations. The mining managers of the several companies continue to send very favourable reports, and quite a host of small steamers and sailing vessels are employed in bringing the produce of the miners to Launceston and Hobart Town, from which places the ore is shipped by large vessels to Sydney and other intercolonial ports, excepting that which is purchased by the local smelting companies for their own use. For the month of May, the yield of tin from one mine alone (the Mount Bischoff Co.'a) was 142 tons 2cwt ore ; but owing to the deplorable state of the roads in the several mining districts, the quantity of tin taken out and exported has been far below what it might otherwise have been. During the month another large cake ha 3 arrived from the New Native Youth Gold Mining Company, Nine Mile Springs, the weight of which was 6040zs from 1200 tons of stone crushed, giving an average of lOd wts l^gr to the ton. The reason of this evident decline in the yield is the fact that much more inferior stone was crushed than hitherto, being a sort of trial crushing from another part of the mine. The City of Launceston Company have washed up during the month, with not very satisfactory results, as the stone they crushed only gave an average yield of 3dwts to the ton, or a total yield of llf ozs from 78 tons of quartz. Operations are still being steadily carried on at the once famous Black Boy Goldfield, and, in the opinion of some competent judges, that locality will ere long be once more a flourishing spot in Tasmania. Machinery is being very largely imported for several mining companies, and some of it ha 3 been forwarded to the Denison Goldfield (where excellent prospects have been obtained) for erection on some of the claims there. Attempts are still being made with moderate success to float companies to work land in different parts of the Colony, which the promoters believe will amply repay any one who can be induced to speculate. The first shipment of what promises to become an important item of export was forwarded from Hobart Town on Wednesday, per s.s. Tamar, to Melbourne. Hitherto the export of tin has only been carried on from the northern port ; but the establishment of the Hobart Town Tin Smelting Works has given our merchants an opportunity of having the large quantities of ore being received at Hobart Town from the mines smelted in the Colony. The shipment consisted of 54 tons 18cwt 2qrs 151bs of slab metal, valued at £65 per ton ; and 6cwt lqr 71bs of grain tin, valuedat £70 per ton.