MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1852, 20 May 1887, Page 12

MINING.

A DEFECTIVE CLAUSE IN THE MINES ACT.

Theke is an anomaly in the Mines Act of lasfc year which is calculated to seriously inconvenience a number of deserving men Clause 203 provides that in order to obtain a mining manager's certificate, the applicant must prove that he has had continuous charge of a mine for 12 months prior to the passing of the Act ; otherwise it is compulsory for him to proceed to Wellington to undergo an examination before the Board of Examiners before a certificate can be granted to him. Thus a thoroughly competent man, simply because he may not have had continuous employment during the 12 months prior to the passing of the Act, may be compelled to go to the expense of travelling to Wellington and back in order to pass an examination ; while one who may be quite incompetent, simply because he happened to have continuous charge of a mine of some description, is entitled to a certificate without being put to any expense whatever. Several cases in which the clause will cause great hardship have already come under our notice. In one of these the applicant had only intermittent employment as manager, and although he was in every way competent for the position, on making application for a certificate he was told that he would have to go to Wellington to pass his examination in consequence of his employment not having been continuous. We trust that the Minister of Mines will take steps to meet the case of men who have been over 12 months continuously employed within the last two years.

A MONSTER NUGGET FOUND AT THE

ARROW.

A telegram from our Arrow correspondent states that a man named Cummings, resident at the branches of the Shotover river, has found a nugget weighing 78oz, valued at £292, which is the biggest found in Otago, and probably in New Zealand. The nugget is on exhibition at the Bank of New Zealand, Queenstown,

MINING ON THE WEST COAST OF OTAGO.

Greymouth, May 17.

Sutherland "and party have been granted a special claim near the Sounds. The claim has a mile frontage, and goes a mile back, with a depth of washdirt from 4ft to 10ft, and a plentiful supply of water. The prospect is 2gr to 3gr to the dish on the bottom, with a little gold all through. They have a right to six heads of water, with plenty of face for sluicing. The party were landed by the steamer Shag at Milford Sound on Sunday last.

MISCELLANEOUS.

It will be remembered that Mr Shelmerdine, one of the proprietors of the Harbour Cone gold mine, recently took to Victoria a quantity <of stone for the purpose of having it tested for gold. The weight of the stone taken over was 2 tons Bcwt lib, and the yield therefrom was 12dwt lOgr, equal to sdwt 4gr per ton. The stone was taken from the shaft which is 45ft down, and is the poorest stone in the lease. This return is at anyrate satisfactory as proving the undoubted auriferous character of the stone. The fltone was crushed under the supervision of the School of Mines at Ballarat. Professor Ulrich has recommended that a further crushing of 25 tons from the deepest part of the shaft take place *fc the Saddle Hill battery for the purpose «of testing the stone in quantity. Should it not show any better return, it is confidently believed, from the natural facilities for getting quantities, that it will pay for crushing on a large scale. From the position it can be taken out and worked as a, quarry. The gold escort arrived in Dunedin by the 7.15 train on Saturday, in charge of Sergeantmajor Bevin and bank officers Fisher and Branigau. They brought down nine boxes and one bag of ©old, value £30,500.

INTERCOLONIAL.

The special reporter of the Adelaide Observer gives some interesting particulars of the operations of the Bird-in-hand mine, which is described as a " semi-national attempt to prove the feasibility of deep-reef mining " in South Australia :— The mine was originally discovered about the middle of 1881 by an old prospector named David M'Crackea. A trial shaft w^s put down, and a quantity of stone sent to the German Reef Battery at Blumberg, the stone yielding an average of 2oz to the ton. The company was then floated, and operations first commenced in November 1881. A 15-head crusher was erected on what is now known as the Jtidge ground, and the early crushings of stone taken from the mine were made there, the average yield from the stone being from loz to l|oz, although in some cases the return went as high as 2oz to the ton. ' In August 1882 a 20-head battery was erected at a cost of £20U0. The sinking of the main shaft, to thoroughly open up the mine, was proceeded with to a depth of 341 ft, four levels being opened up from it at intervals of 60ft. The total quantity of stone crushed up to date is 17,034 tons, the yield of gold from it being 80790z, valued at £18,669. In 1884 it was found that the water difficulty was so great that the work of sinking the main shaft had to be suspended, the 9-inch pump in the mine being insufficient to drain the surrounding country, none of the other ventures in the neighbourhood having any pumping appliances. Work was practically suspended for some time, operations being confined to prospecting the new line of reef on different parts of the claim. Several prospecting shafts were sunk on very promising new veins of stone, excellent prospects being generally obtained, but the development of these has been left until they can be worked upon from below. Early in 1886 the directors decided to take advantage of the vote of the House of Assembly foe the encouragement of gold-mining, and carry out itfeenew works at the mine, including the putting .down of the new shaft aud the erection of the present powerful pumpiug machinery. The machinery and pumps in the old shaft are •capableof baling out 350 gal of water per minute. To give some idea of the water rising in the ehaft, it might be mentioned that actual experiment has demonstrated that the moment they stopped pumping tsj.e water rose in the shaft aoniet&ing like 6ft in & T e minutes. The total .quantity .of water raised iv .the 24 hours was •over SOO,<Doogal, sufficient to supply a town of EO.OQO inhabitants. The pump, wlneU i? ]LBm in •diameter, is capable of throwing nearly ffiOggl strike, or equal, to about lOOOgal per inims6.

The mine is under offer to an English syndicate.

A Charters Towers telegram of April 19 states that the Victory Company had crushed 450 tons of stone for a yield of 16630z gold.

Advices from Teetulpa dated April 10 say : — The " plum " of the week has been a very rich but unostentatious cement specimen weighing 16goz (avoirdupois), from which on crushing over lloz of gold were obtained. This, in company with two or three lesser pieces of similar character, was found at the upper end of Ironclad Gully, a shallow feeder joining the southern end of Brady's from the eastern slope. The run of gold being comparatively narrow, and only averaging about 2ft below the surface, this ravine — it could hardly be termed a gully — will soon be worked out.

At Gympie (Queensland) the quantity of stone crushed during March was 5993 tons Bcwt, and the yield was 74500z 17dwt gold, smelted — an average of nearly loz sdwt per ton. The dividends paid aggregated £16,600, the following being the contributing companies: — Great Eastern 6s per share, equal to £7200 ; Golden Crown 5s per share, or £5000; Nos. 3 and 4 North CHanmire Is per share, or £2400 ; No. 1 North Phoenix 2s, or £2000.

The Mount Morgan Gold-mining Company (Limited) has declared a dividend of £50,000, being equal to Is per share. The erection of the new crushing and chlorination plant is being pushed rapidly forward ; and on its* completion from 1500 to 1700 tons of stone will be treated weekly. The Great Eastern Company at Gympie obtained 2167 0z gold from 360 tons on the 13 th April. A dividend of 5s per share, absorbing £6000, was declared. No. 1 North Glanmire, from the same line of reef, had obtained 3890z from 145 tons of stone ; and the Golden Crown Company 7920z from 460 tons. A two-shilling dividend was declared in the latter company, absorbing £2000. During March 5971 tons of stone were crushed on the Gympie field for a yield of 75450z. No less than £16,600 was distributed in dividends during the month. The statistics for the quarter ending March 31, 1887, were : Tons crushed, 20,595 ; yield, 26,7360z lOdwt ; calls, £19,756 3s 3d ; dividends, £57,575.

FOREIGN.

The Bonanza quartz mine at Sonora, which is owned by J. G. Divoll aud his brother-in-law, J. Bray, has again yielded a fortune for the lucky owners. A few years ago they took out 275,000,000d0l within a few weeks, and the gold was soon put in circulation by the bighearted miners. Since then several parties bave worked the mine on shares, but luck was against them, and no large pockets were found. About six months ago Messrs Oliver, Johnson, and Dart, of Sonora, leased the mine on shares, and went to work in the long tunnel which runs under the Episcopal Church of that city. About six weeks they found a fine prospect for gold in paying quantities, but the big pocket was not reached until Thursday of last week. When they commenced taking out gold it was melted into bars and shipped to San Francisco for deposit. Divoll came down from Sonora last week, bringing with him a chunk of gold valued at 15,000d01, and other shipments were mrvde by the miners until about 70,000d0l was safely locked up in San Francisco vaults. Divoll is again in Sonora, and it is said the miners are still taking out large lnmps of gold, with a prospect for an unprecedented yield. In this mine gold is found in deposits called " pockets," where the quartz is decomposed. The work of separating the precious metal from the quartz is inexpensive, but after the first clean-up of the pocket the quartz is crushed in a mill, and thus all of the gold is saved, The people of Sonora are rejoicing with the lucky miners, knowing, as they do, that the money so easily found will be freely disbursed by the open-hearted finders. — Stockton Independent.

Vice-consul Knight reports to the department of State concerning the Transvaal goldfields that the wonderful Sheba reef has been eclipsed by another reef, discovered last summer, and known as the Thomas reef, from which samples of quartz weighing 30001b, it is claimed, yielded 148oz of gold. These discoveries naturally gave an impetus to prospecting on a large scale, resulting in the discovery of marvellously extensive and rich gold quartz veins. The vice-consul says he believes, after making inquiries and from the best information obtainable, that the Transvaal fields, when fully developed, will prove among the richest in the world. Recent discoveries have naturally given rise to no end of speculation and mining ventures, and a great rush of capitalists, miners, and adventurers has set in for the fields. Near the Sheba reef a city — Barberton — has sprung up as if by magic, numbering already nearly 7000 persons. The report concludes by cautioning persons without means not to venture into the gold country unless they be thoroughly practical miners, as the conditions existing are very hard, and.many will be doomed to bitter disappointment. "'

A miner in Leadville, Colorado, who can neither read nor write, is worth to-day at least 3,000,000d01. Four years ago he hadn't a penny except what he earned from day to day as a miner. His name is John L. Mqrrissey. He is a young man, not over 32 or 33. The Crown Point mine, like Tom Bowen's Golconda, was just about paying expenses. Her owners offered to sell her for 40,000d01. Morrissey went to Chicago and interested Diamond Joe Reynolds in the matter. Reynolds knew that Morrissey was an authority on mines, even if he couldn't write his name. He finally purchased the Crown Point, agreeing to give Morrissey a half interest after the original sum was repaid. Within 30 days they struck a vein of high-class ore that has yielded them a monthly income of 18,000dol a-piece ever since. There is said to be 5,000,000d0l worth of ore in sight. Morrissey cannot eyen tell the time of day. It is a stock joke among the boys if you ask him what' o'clock it isj for him to pull from his fob a 500dol watch, and with a condescending air tell you to " luk for yourself, an' then ye'Jl know I'm not lyin' to yez."

MINING RIVER-BEDS IN CALIFORNIA,

A correspondent of the Tuolumne Independent writeoffs follows to that journal :— r" Having had occasion to visit the Garibaldi quartz mine, on the Stanislaus river, near where a steanj elevator is in operation taking up the. gravel from the river channel, we will give a description of the machine and method of working. A boat, 40ft in length and 20ft in width, on which is placed the machinery for hoisting purposes and for washing the gravel as it is drawn from the bottom of the river, by means of a powerful fan-suction pump driven by a steam engine. A length of suction pipe, connected with the pump, is lowered down to the gravel, and when the pump is set working it draws the sand and gravel together with a large volume of water, which is discharged in sluice- boxes fixed to the deck of the boat, the discharge being continuous. Rocks weighing over 81b are taken up and discharged into the sluices by action of the pumps. Divers go down in submarine ;?uits and clear away rocks too large to pass

through the suction pipe, and to loosen up the gravel with picks and bars, when found too solid to be acted upon by force of the pump. The machine is floated from place to place as occasion requires, and is, in every particular of its mechanical construction and application, a success ; but it is a question with us if it can be profitably used in working out the' channel of the Stanislaus river. The question, however, of the practicability of the machine in working the river-bed remains for the future to disclose. Be it understood, then, that it is not by any means the aim of the writer to discourage any mining enterprise, much less this system, or any system by which sections of our rivers, not worked in the earlier history of river mining, may be profitably worked at all times of the year, except during extreme high stages of water. Unsubmerged bars, and bars uncovered during low stages of the river, where the richest gravels were deposited along its course, are practically exhausted in most parts ; yet there is no doubt but there still remains much of the old diggings along the river -banks, which, by turning on a large volume of water and ' booming,' can be made to yield up large dividends to the toiler. We shall endeavour to keep informed on the progress made in this system of river mining, and wish the enterprise a success, whereby a new and more prosperous era may be brought about in this branch of mining industry."

NOTES FROM REEFTON. (Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.)

Reefton, May 15,

The following are the battery returns for the week: — Progress, 210oz of amalgam from 100 tons of stone; Welcome, 4390z of amalgam from 86 tons of stone; Globe, 3590z of amalgam from 190 tons of stone; Keep-it-Dark, 3890z of amalgam from 240 tons of stone; Inglewood, 280oz of amalgam from 189 tons of stone ; Just-in-Time, 5470z of retorted gold (monthly cleaning up). South Hopeful. — They are still cross-cutting, but without so far meeting with anything of importance.

Sir Francis Drake. — The memorial of registration is published. The capital of the company consists of 24,000 shares of 10s each. Mr

Globe. — The manager reports that the stopes are all looking well, and the paddock and mine are well in advance of the stampers. The returns this week show, as predicted, a marked improvement.

Keep-it-Dark.-— The alterations made to the driving-wheel have increased the efficiency, but it is not yet known whether there is sufficient power available to drive the air compressor, but a trial will shortly be made.

Pandora. — The winze is now 150 ft down, and tne reef still holds solid, varying from 2ft to 3ft thick. Some very rich stone has been taken out during the week, the paddock being now full. A trial crushing not having come up to expectations, a number of hands have been discharged, and further prospecting will be done. The share market is still rather quiet. Pandoras have inquirers from 4s 6d to 4s 9d. Rainy Creeks are also sought for at between Is lOd to 2s. There is a little doing in both Globes and Progresses, but I am unable to give the exact quotations. It has been raining heavily during the past two days, and this has impeded communication throughout the district.

Reefton, May 17.

Big River Extended. — News was received to-day that shortly after starting a smash happened to the machinery. Duplicates of the fractured parts have been telegraphed for, and will be delivered here in the course of a week or 10 days. Crushing will be started by this company at the close of the present week.

Fiery Cross Extended. — The incline shaft from the 450 ft level is now down 100 ft, and is reported to carry a strong reef, the quality of the stone being better than any yet obtained from the mine. The south winze also shows a strong body of stone. It is expected that the new level will be opened in about three weeks.

Matters out the Globe and Progress way are quiet.

Pandora. — The reef shows signs of turning over to the opposite side of the shaft, but is reported to still hold to its usual form and quality. Mr Prince, electrician, has reached here, and the first portion of the plant for the Electric Light Company will be landed here to-morrow. He expresses himself thoroughly satisfied with the water race, and considers it quite equal to all the requirements of the company. He has brought with him an eight-horse-power motor which he lends to the company as a means of demonstrating the utility and practicability of the transmission of power. Thib will probably be used to run one of the batteries as an experiment. It is proposed to charge £20 per horsepower for the power, which is undei half the cost of steam power.

Just-in-Time.— The crushing for the tributers was concluded to-night, and gave 480oz of amalgam from 82 tons of stono. This pays the party handsomely. Nothing has yet transpired with regard to the floating of the Welcome and other companies on the London market, but definite information is hourly expected from London.