THE MINES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1784, 30 January 1886, Page 11

THE MINES.

Our Auckland correspondent writes:— Now that the holidays are over, the miners Oa the Thames goldfields have resumed work. There seems a more hopeful spirit among them than for some time past, and they are beginning to believe Professor Black's statement that even if the La Monte process may not realise all the sanguine expectations formed of it, some one or other of the 15 processes now in use hi England or America for dealing with refractory ores will yet solve the problem awaiting solution at the Thames. The past month's yield of gold was close on 7000oz, showing an average of 3oz to the ton of quartz crushed, which gave a very respectable Christmas-box to the mining community. Mr J. A Chapman reports :— Received telegrams from Westport. Reef 6ft thick cut in the Great Republic; highly payable; 200 ft below present workings. Expect to start crushing this week. The Cromwell dredge, which has been working at the Kawarau Gorge for some time past, is about to be removed down the river to Cornish Beach. Operations hitherto have scarcely paid working expenses, and the shareholders naturally are anxious for something better than this. — Cromwell Argus. The legal manager of the United Alpine Company has received intimation that theresult of the crushing gives 380oz of amalgam, from 170 tons of stone. The races in this district (says the Mount Ida Chronicle) with a very few solitary exceptions, dry as a picked bone, and the natural sequence is that gold-mining operations are almost universally suspended for the noneo. Even for household purposes water is not obtainable in many places, and well-sinking has to be resorted to as the only practical solution of the difficulty. Streams which in former years always carried a large volume of water at this part of the season aro in several instances mere runners, and in others a series of muddy waterholes. The Jlanuherikia is simply an insignificant rivulet ; the St. Bathans Creek carries a very little water, and the Idaburn is nearly dried up, and trout in hundreds are dying and rotting under the burning rays of the sun. In the water-holbs trout and eels can be caught with ease, one that was secured the other day turning the scale at over 111b. The upper roaches of the Taieri Kiver are about dry simply a series of lagoons. The you»g trout are lying dead in thoasands. What little water is left the big ones monopolise. There are now about 11 *i»en at work on the Merrivalo goldfield. The Western Star suggests that a sledge track be asiido which would open a large area of country. At Colao Bay there are about 30 men at work on the gravel reserve and all express themselves satisfied with the results obtained. The half-yearly balance-sheet and report of the directors of White's Reef Gold-mining ComP an y (Limited) is of a cheerful character ; and added to the mine manager's report, the only conclusicsn to arrive at is that the Company stands well. The battery is expected to be ready for crushing by the middle of February next, and it is thought it will be kept fully employed till the winter sets in. Should all expectations be realised.it is expected that su<^ * cient gold will be obtained this season to pay forth© battery (£120) and its erection (£324}," an< n then leave a balance in hand wherewith to de clai-e a dividend amongst the &hareUv&ters Dunstan Times. It is reported that some very rseil, stone hasbeen recently struck m the Tiygerary mine Macetown, but the very groat scarcity of waterpower m the whole district renders the prospect of much crushing before, winter sets *a vervpoor.—Lake Wakatip jifail. y ' At the. annual of the Otago Central* Gold-mmmg Company, held at Naseby, the report submitted by the director took a verY hopeful view of tho Company's prospects Theamdffi, are set down at £3393 18s 9d, and the'SSSf« o^' m - crediW *lance beSj: £3208 13s 9d. The mine manager's renorfcsfated There is about SO tons gg o f stone £ the paddock, which is of very good quality, t aus

will probably yield over ail ounce per ton, taken altogether. The main adit has been driven eastward 520 ft, and I would recommend that so soon as crushing is commenced this level be continued, as from present indications a strong lode is probably not far distant. I have 120 ft of stopes open and three passes or hoppers leading into the main adit for the discharge of quartz into the trucks, aud nil the dead work for the length of reef is now done. Overhead, m the stopes, there is a height of about 50ft oi the ode to work out between the present level and the bot- , torn of the old workings ; and as excellent stone was left in these going down, I expect to get out some better stone than has hitherto been seen. About 170 ft from the end of the present adit stone would be reached which was left at the •water-level which would crash from 2 Joz to 3oz per ton. As the shoots of gold generally dip westward, probably it would be met with in 1001 1 of driving For this reason the mam drive bho uld be continued. The strike of the reef is east, and every foot we advance in that direction appears to improve; and I have little doubt, when the intervening gully is crossed and the adit is under the hill in which so many leaders converge, that the lode will be found to be much larger, richer, | and more regular and permanent."— Messrs Petrie, S. Inder, Mitchell, S. Hore, Wills, aud John Thomas were elected directors.