MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1838, 12 June 1874, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

ITALUK.-We learn that the Italian Company has obtained permission from the Nonpareil Company to utilise the old Queen of Spain shaffcby driving from it into their ground. The terms are extremely liberal, the only condition being that one of the workmen employed should be nominated by the Nonpareil directors to watch their interests. The shaft will afford the Italian a good opportunity of prospecting their claim from an advantageous level, It, besides, gives the benefit of a good strongly defined quartz lode, proved auriferous, upon which to start driving, its stirke being into the Italian ground.

Ch'own PaiNCE.-The treatment of the blanket washings and berdannings was not completed _ last night in sufficient time for retorting,'and thus has been postponed until to-day. There have been in all 75 tons of stone put through, and it is safo to estimate that the return will be at least lOOozs of gold, perhaps even more than that, so that che average of the crushing will on the whole be much superior to that obtained from any previous crushing for this company. In the mine yesterday the manager went up into the atopes of the No. 1, close to the slide from which the fire damp is issuing, but, protected with the' Davy safety lamp manufactured by Mr McOaul, he was able to examine the place closely. Tho inflow of water is vory much reduced, indeed has almost ceased, but a quantity of decomposed wood was found, which had been blown in from tho slide. The presence of this material sufficiently accounts for the fire damp which has so much astonished people of late. In a short time the air courses for ventilating tho raino will be perfected, and then the ordinary operations can be pushod on without impediment. Indeed, at present the main workings of the mine are not at all interfered with by this gas. , Lincoln Castle. -The trial crushing at tho Manukau battery was finished yesterday, but tho amalgam has not' yet beon cleaned up and retorted. Tho average will only be a moderate one. Albion (Kelly's Tribute). — The parcel of stuff to which we alluded n few days ago as having.been forwarded to tho Prince Alfred battery by Oatran and party, tri.buters of Kelly's old olaim, has

been crushed. There were in all 60 tons put through, and a yield of 40ozs of gold is expected from the which takes place this morning. This yield will pay vory handsomely, for the stuff has been obtained without much labour. Shotovee Teibuie.—Another crushing of about 30 tons has'been started at the Prince Alfred battery for Dillon and party, tributers of the Shotover mine. It appears to be showing upon the plates for a very handsome average. .'■■:. BiBD-iN-HiND.—Some of the Best and richest specimens ever .taken out of the Bird-in-Harid mine came- to>hand ; yester-

day from the seaward face of the drive on 'the course of the Bird-in-Hand reef. This lode,..since the' disturbed country was passed through, has varied'considerably in. size, but in'the face yesterday it was 18 inches wi'de I 'at tho spot

from..which the were taken

out./ In -the forenoon ,a. very ~.njce parcel;was brought I ,to' the surface', and "itftie afternoon "again a further lot came, to hand, making in all about 201bs of rich specimens in the course of the :■ ■ day, i with •. evident. ') signs' in the face of further! improvement. _ The country is firm, but. good for \ working in at this end: ; In the : opposite face' in 'thedrive towards the' Qiieen' of the 1 "Thames the hard'bar of country 1 in which the reef was pinched up has.died ( out f and given placei to •'nice':' kindlyi country, in which the lode has reoovered its size and usual promising appearance. Yery good progress is being 'made;with/the-,sinking. of the main, shaft, through good practicable country, arid the "'general crushing for. the'■ .'companyisY'sKowmgiup for a better average than before. - Queen oj Beaiot. — Bull's battery haying booh topped to connect tho new ; boiler,/ the ;stuff has accumulat'ed onjhand in" the Queen of Beauty,"and sk it will be at least another week before the mill is ready for work, it would be necessary to discharge some of the-hands or-employ crushing force elsewhere. Accordingly 10 head of stampers have boen employed at the Kuranui, where crushing waß commenced yesterday. 'This force is of course in addition own mill, where 20 head of stampers are in constant .work .upon splendid stufffrom ■the;'NA2. reef. 1 whble/tdf the .jjfow now being crushed is from this reef at the bottom level, but a cross-cut is now being entered to intersect the No. 1 reef at this level, and when both lodes are in hand there twill be ; 'an..unlimited supply of •stone:available.for''crushing; In all the otheralevels'/the: Npiil/re.ef has/been richest, ,and if it.. gains ,in,. the. -,Bame proportion as'the .N0.,2 has'done'inthe new level the/value'of the mine will be very much ■.".'•••'■•'<■

City ; o:f London';— The manager has laid zinc!air-pip,es,through,the level to convey air to the face iuiwhieh.the junctionof the No. 1-reef with the new crosslode has recently.,been v struck near the Gity : of :York boundary, and this being completed the men resumed work yesterday afternoon, There has not been much work done in the way of opening up the No. 1 reef yet, and it is: difficult to form any estimate! of its size.uatil such time as <it:: : is : followed/beyondrthe influence ofthe disturbancewcausedclby the junction, bufcyesterday there appeared to be 10 feet of quartz in. one of the faces. A few days' work will be required to develope the lode more fully, but it is quite evident that the reef is a strong one, which will maintain its course beyond the new reef.; ' '

Old .ft hau.--There -is very little change to report in this mine, except that the aspect of affairs generally is very encouraging. The Black Angel reef which is being driven on froin-the adit-level gives promise of. very valuable acquisition to the resources of the mme. In the face of the drive at ; present it shows a width of three feet of good solid quartz, lying on a splendidly defined toot-wall, and the stuff from it which is being crushed at the company's -mill 'is, to all appearand?, showing up for a good payable average of an ounce to the ton. l'here is a very large extent of this reef available for working ia the company's ground, In the new level, although there was no gold showing yesterday, the indications were very favourable, particularly in respect to the main reof, the course of; which js ;now being; driven on. The quartz in the' face yesterday ' looked betterand ; stronger than it has done at any time in the new level, and there was a good flow of water from the face, a good indication that the bend corresponding with that on the other levels in which the-shot of gold makeß is now close to hand. The rise on the hanging-wall reef is up only a few feet yet. It contains a splendid-looking body of; stone two feet thick, 'but there was no gold visible in.it yesterday." This rise, as we before stated, is being put up to meet a winze 'sunk from the upper level to a depth of 16 feet. The quartz is pretty hard, but no doubt communication will be effected next week. This will secure good ventilation, and enable the manager to work out the new level to advantage. There has been nothing further done on the branch lodes, nor was there gold showing in any of the reefs yesterday, but as we before stated tha indications are of such a nature that gold may now be met with in rich quantities anytime.

ALBURNuI-It is not likely that the company's own mill will be started to work before : Monday morning, although the repairs to the. shaft will probably be quite, completed before that time, bat when the connections are made and fitted there will be no further impediment to continuous' crushing, for there is quartz available for keeping the mill employed to its full capacity, and' there is every likelihood of a sufficient supply of water for some time to .come. Meanwhile there are 15 head of stampers at the Ballarat and Oluaes battery crushing the stuff,taken out of Dixon's level, and the stuff is snowing up for a good payable average. Nothing has yot been done in the way of taking advantage of the arrangement made with the Old Whau Company for the use of their tunnel, as we believe the arrangements with the Black Angel, through whose ground an important section of the tunnel runs, have not yet been completed. But no difficulty is anticipated from this source, and in a short time doubtless the Alburnia Company will start work from this level in a few days. Manuka'o".— In this mine partial com-. munication was oponod with the shaft last night, but an''effectual opening will not be completed unlil this' morning. Some of the last shots fired threw the' stuff back into the shaft instead of out in the face.

Dauntless and Sink-to-Eise.— Cleave and party, tributers of tlio Dauntlesa aud Sink-to-Uise, took outSOlbs of ! specimens out of their workings on Wednesday afternoon, and will have a crushing to-day at Spencer and Hall's battery.;