NOTES [FROM NEHTHORN. (From A Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 20

NOTES [FROM NEHTHORN. (From A Correspondent.)

Croesus.— The new directorate and management 1b going ahead in the right way to ensure tucoess by cutting down expenses, getting stone out, and keeping the battery at work. The wash up on last oooasion resulted in 760z gold, the exact number of tons not being known. Another cake equally large or larger may be expeoted at the end of the month. The main drive on the low level has now been driven about 300 ft, and stoping out of stone hat begun at that level. All the haulage of the mine is now being done by the engine at the main shaft. A fly wheel has aho been added to' the pumping gear, and has beeYi found to answer well ; the expense in coal being Eureka.— Thit mine, which is facile princept the best on the field, is being developed at a steady rate. The drive connecting the prospeotlng and main shafts has now been driven 270 ft along the line of reef, and good payable stone is being got out all the way along ; and the manager, Mr Sligo (the right man in the tight place) expects to oonneot the two shafts in four weeks. This will be a great advantage to the mine as regards air, as there will then be both an upoait and downcast shaft for the alcernating currents of air. One hundred tons of stone is now awaiting crushing, and this will be augmented to 150 when crushing can be done. How muob stone is now banging ready for stoping cannot now be properly reckoned ; but probably not less than 800 tons, and this at ljoz— if it equals last crushingshows the mine to be in a prosperous state, and dividends may be looked for at uo distant date. The contract for sinking the main shaft another 100 ft will start this week.

Break-o'-Day.— All the hands have been paid off awaiting the crushing except the manager and one miner. About 250 tons await crushing at the Consolidated battery, and according to all accounts should turn out a oake of gold to gladden the hearts of that much-to-be-pitied olais of shareholders.

Gladstone.— This mine has been taken on tribute by a private party, who hope to do well out of it. I wißh them every success ia their enterprise as they deserve to aucoeed.

Consolidated Battery.— This wonderful structure — so much grumbled at, so much written down in all quarters— has, in spite of croakers who maintained that it never would work, at last disappointed some and pleased others by showing that it will work, and work well, too. On Saturday a preliminary trial took place, and everything worked smoothly and well. All credit to Mr Peterson, who has overcome Ml difficulties and erected a plant for ore crushing second to none in the Australian colonies, and on a spot more accessible by wings than human feet. The Nenthorn engineers seem to have an almost fatal felicity for choosing the most out of the way plaoes for ereoting their crushing plant. Mat Craig's stone is now being crushed at the public battery (another luxury), and the plates are looking well. The amount to be crushed amounts to 100 tons, and is expected to go an ounce to the ton. Cakes of gold are not suoh rarieties as they were, even though they are small.