Notes from Nenthorn.

Otago Witness, Issue 1970, 22 August 1889, Page 11

Notes from Nenthorn.

(PjROM OUB NASKBY COHBBSPONDENT.j

Nasßby, August 16. Pegging off etill goes on merrily, and applications for 18 licensed holdings appear in yesterday's paper, and to-day several other applications have been lodged. Homeward Bound.—Some Bplcndid stone is coming from this claim, which is the cause of a good deal'of talk, the reef having widened to over 2ft. Croesus Company.—Stoping is still proceeding; good stone being produced, the reef being 4ft wide in places. Crushing is going on, and scrip, which has remained stationary at about 2s 6d for the past month, has an upward tendency. Some parcels at this figure changed hands to-day. I predict that the crushing will yield ah leaet l£oz per ton. Victoria Company.—The contractors havß completed the sinking of the shaft, and the claim has now been placed in charge of Mr A. Cameron, lato of Macetown. Zealandia Company.—The prospectors are arranging to place their company on the market, the recent crushing of 2oz 3gr per ton having had the effect of earning considerable movement in the stock, especially as the reef is over 2ft wide. Blue Jacket.—The prospectors on the Blue Jacket claim have struck good gold. Up to the present time this claim was ranked as an outsider, but it is now gaining in favour. Blue Slate.—The Blue Slate and Golden Crystal Companies has appointed Mr John Smith mine manager. The Huntiugton roller battery lately bought by the Golden Crystal Company is now on the way from Dunedin, and iB to be, erected at once. Daddy Company.—The Daddy Company bava taken out some stone for a trial crushing. It has gone down by wagon to Dunedin, and it is the general opinion that it will give a good return. Crystal Cave.—The contractors have sunk a shaft 15ft on the lode which is 3fb wide, and carrying payable gold. Invincible Company.—Good work is being done, the reef carrying down strong and increasing in value as she is sunk on Golden Age and Flepc^.—The contractors have discovered a new reef which they consider will pay well for reduction. MOUNT HIffHLAY. A New Reef .—ll-ear that a rich reef has been dfscnvpred eight miles from Nenlhorn in the direction of Palmerston. Crushing operations will soon be commenced at tha Mount Highlay Consolidated Company's reef. The erection of the battery has just been completed, several trials recently made giving grenfcsatisfaction. The water race and tramway are also finished. The battery house, a most substantial piece of workmanship, not to be excelled by any in Otago, is all but finished,—Mr J Mitchell, of Haseby, being the contractor for the work. These works have been planned and carried out under the_supervision of Mr Hilton, tho company's manager, and reflect credit on his engineering skill. The large quantity of stone ia view is the best guarantee of the permanence of tha mine. Golden Gully (Serpentine).—Good news continues to arrive from this mine, where, under the direction of Mrßennetts, sufficient stone has been exposed to keep the battery steadily at work for two or three years. The manager estimates the stone in sight being worth fully loz per ton. He is now driving along the track of what promises in a few days to develop into a well-defined reef some 3ft or 4ft in width. This reef will be diatincb and separate4rom anything yet discovered in tho mine, and appearances justify the assumption that it will be both permanent and payable. Other mining matters are quiefc. although tbero is a good deal of work bein^ ilono in a quiet way all through Central Otago. The tendency iv the price

of stocks all round is to inoreaie in value — especially in the case of Nenthorn shares, in the value of which there has -perhaps been a general rise of 10 per cent, all round. With tfao advent of good weather and alleged rich finds the population there is increasing, as is also the township ; and everything points to tbe probability that the Nenthorn wiU prove one of tha richest and most permanent quartz fields yefc opened in Otago. (Fhom Ouh Speoial.) Nenthorn, August 19. CHCEBUS' COMPANY. The announcement that the Croesus battery is in full swing is rather premature. The v/ater was turned on last week, and the stampers set agoing, but not to crush, simply to test the machine, and ascertain the amount of motive power available. The test was extremely successful, and at the present water supply there is power enough to drive another five-head battery. Kegular crushing will probably begin in tbe course of the current or early next week. The stone in the mine fully keeps up its character for richness and permanence, and the lower workings steadily tend to show that the quality and quantity of the lode is increasing as explorations gain in depth. EUHBKA COMPANY. The party are now trenching in the eastern portion of their claim, and have picked up the reef in several places, from which excellent specimens have been obtained, and trial crushings made came quite up to the yield obtained from the ton of stone' orushed in Dunedin about six weeks ago. In spite of the ambiguous correipondence touching ' the bona fides of thie mine, parties who follow the wi>eplan of coming up and seeisg for themselves, are soon convinced of the value of the stone, and not a few of theso have become buyers of shares at very satisfactory prices. ZBAULNDIA PABTY. At a meeting of shareholders held the other day, it was resolred by them not to place their property upon the share market as a public company, but to work it upon its merits. As the shareholders are nearly all working meu, this step r-peaks volumes for tho confidence they place in their reef. THE DADDY CXAIM. The trial trushlngof a ton of stone from this claim, which gave 2oz ldwt 6gr at Kincaid and M'Queen's battery, ndds another proof to the value of the Nenthorn reefs. The reef can be approached at a level giving 250 or 300 feet of backs by entering an adit upon its course, thus offeriog exceptional facilities for working, an ample water supply being available. This reef is so far the strongest yet discovered upon the field, being upwards of 3ft wide. HOMEWAHD BOUND. This claim, too, is being exploited by the energy of a private party, who are sinking a shaft upon the reef, which is now down upwards of 16ft. At the bottom the reef has widened out to 15in, showing gold freely, and giving excellent prospects after being crushed. NBNTHORN CONSOLIDATED AND BLUE SLATE PARTY. These properties arc in the hands of a private party of DunedJn and local gentlemen, who have shown by a commendable r.mount of energy that they mean business. Four men are engaged in raising stone from the late Prospectors' clnim, and a goodly quantity Is stacked close to the machine site, where ejijlit men are employed excavating the site and cutting tliu approaches. Nearly the whole of the Huntington mill machinery id now upou the ground, and, favoured by fine weather, the party will be in a position to start crushing in a few weeks' time. Very good reports nrea'so coming in from the Hlue Jacket, Crystal Cave, and other claims. Indeed it would appn.tr that in most plnccß where systematic prospecting is parried on succrai follows as a natural result. THE .TUSTICK CLAIM, near Lot's Wif»«, is turning out some excellent stone, a sample of which assayed at Hie Bank of Now Zealand yielded at the rate of lOoz of gold to the ton, while a trial crushing locally made gave 4srr of gold fromSoz of quartz. Theae'results speak for themselves. A trial crushing of two tons of Btoue is being raised to be reduced at Dunedin. THE MOUNTAIN BKLLB, adjoining the above, have also come across very rich stone, which discovery has had an upward tendency upon the shares in t.he company. While writing this article I learn that tbe Olencen Company have struck a reef 3ft wide, from which good prospects can be obtained. Very cheering news Is constantly received from prospectors, who are out in all directions, and have settled down to regular work. It is now an assured fact that the whole country from Hyde to Saddle Hill, near Dunedin, v/ill receive a thorough prospecting, and from present appearances and indications a healthy revival in mining may be predicted. With such a prospect before the colony and the»o parts more especially, ifc is surprising how little the powers that be do towards aiding and assisting the energy and capital that is now employed. Indeed tha Government— leaving the Waikouaiti County Council altogether out of the consideration— lend themselves to the perpetuation of the most shameful abuse of the Licensed Holdings Regulations ; and where hundreds of men should be employed in unearlhing the wealth of the field, there is unlimited ehepherdiug and monopoly. To cap this imbecile administration of these regulations, it is now proposed to appoint a "young" lawyer ostensibly to aid the warden at Naseby. Such a proposition la so utterly absurd and opposed to a'l mining legislation and administration that one is fairly staggered by the announcement. What is really wanted is common sense, practical experience, quick and sharp decisions to nip in the bud the prevailing evil, ana not legal circumlocution' and quibblei. Rathera reversal to the old style of the warden deciding cases upon the ground than the pomp and tbe uncertainty of the law will conduce to turning the chances of the Nenthorn field to account. THK ZBALANDIA. COMPANY, NKNTHORN. A correspondent writes:— "The shareholders in the Zealaudia Company held a meeiiDjj on Friday evening, the 16th iust. ; present Messrs David Barron /chair), N. Sinclair, L. Mathewson, John Joseph Eamsar. John Cogan, Roger Gill, and F. Abelsted. Mr John Joseph Ramsay was appointed legal manager, and Mr John Bates mine manager (both appointments to be subject to appro\al of general meeting of sharehelders on 21st. September next. It was decided to register the Company at once, proceed with the, sinking, and otherwise "test tho property thoroughly. The shareholders present were all in favour of working the mine by private enterprise, and ifc wns proposed that the capital Df the company be £7000, in 14,000 shares of 10s each, the amount nominally paid up to be 2s 6d par share,