REEFING AT ROUGH RIDGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1805, 25 June 1886, Page 15

REEFING AT ROUGH RIDGE.

(Daily Times Correspondent.)

The Otago Central Company, Rough Ridge had an interim washing-up last week, when 2150z amalgam were secured from the tables, which on being retorted yielded 740z lOdwts gold. This result was obtained fivin 6j tons of stone, and is fully HO per cent, better than the last crushing, as it is estimated there are still from ?>0 to 40oz amalgam on the tables and in the stamper box. 'Jhe gross yield therefore will ba between 2(i and 27 dwt per ton, as against lldwt in the previous crushing. A change has taken place in the management of the battery, Mr Withers having taken over charge from Mr Douglas.

The reef in the Oiago Central varies from Gin to 20in in width, and the lode is permanent and well-defined. It is, expected that so soon as the adit level shall have been driven another 200 feet or so, the country will become very soft and the stone better in quality. A full staff is at present engaged in stoping, and crushing will be continued so long as the output from the mine exceeds the quantity of stone crushed by the battery.

The Progress Company are rushing their new main shaft (Bft x 3ft) down as quickly as circumstances will permit. The reef will be sank on the whole distance, although this will in no way fully prove the capabilities of the mine, as the existence of several payable reefs and shoots in the claim has been fully established. In the adit level good gold has been found, and in the foot of the 90ft level there is a reef 2ft in width which prospects at the rate of 3oz per ton. This reef — or rather series of reefs, for there are thrco in the claim, popularly known as the Home-ward-Bound, the Intermediate and Llyod's — was worked in the early days originally by the Ida Valley Company and subsequently by the famed Homeward-Bound Company. A very small scope of country was gone over by these companies, which, however, managed to secure between them some 20,0000z or 20,0000z of gold, besides establishing the existence of rich stone in all the lodes and at every level worked. But bad and dishonest management was just as rampant then as now, and the inevitable result, followed — i.e., both companies went into liquidation, despite the fact that they were on payable &tone up to the time of the suspension of operations. Shareholders in the old companies will probably learn with mingled feelings of pleasure and regret that these reefs are now likely to be worked to advantage and with every prospect of the present shareholders being enormously remunerated for their enterprise. A little prospecting is being done by the Great Eastern Company. The water-wheel will be completed shortly, and then the old workings will be pumped clear of the water now in them.