MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1893, 17 August 1874, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Queen of Beaut?.— Retorting for the Queea of Beauty took place on Saturday, and as the total result 7260zs 17dwts was lodged in the Bank of JSTew Zealand, During the first week of the fortnight the stuff crushed was almost exclusively from the No 2 reef, and only made an inferior show of amalgam, but during the last week, although there has beon a reduced crushing force employed, yet the stuff was very much richer, a fair proportion of it being from No. 1 reef. The following are the results of the re> tortings at the various batteries:—Euranui,2s head firstweek,2o head second week, 2820z5; Bull's battery, 10 days, 188dzs 15dwts; company's own mill, 218ozs lOdwts; Manukau, week, 10 head, 37ozs I2dwts; making the total roturn for the fortnight 7260zs lOdwts of gold. An important discovery was made in the mine on Saturday which is likoly to affect the City of London mine to some extent. The drive from the 270-feet level on the course of the No. 2 reof has now reached to within 10 or 12 feet of tho City of London boundary, and in the faco of the drive on Saturday a strong lodo was found striking in from tho loft side of tho drive, and forming a junction with the No. 2 reef. It has, of course, very much increased the size of tho lode, but what this new ouo may provo it is difficult to say. It is just possible that it may bo the No. 1 reef, which has taken a slight turn, but in all likolihood it will prove to bo a branch from the No. 1 not the entire lodo. It will require afow days' work before anything definite can be known regarding this reef, but of one thing thei'O oan be uo dloubt, and that is,

that the junction of the reefs striking into the City of Loudon mine cannot fail to act beneficially on the prospects of that company, and in the Quegn of Beauty also there is no doubt but the effect will be to produce a richer class of stone as well as a larger body than that which for some time past has been.coming to hand from the No. 2 reef.

Briohx Smile.—We have already alluded to the increased richness of the stuff which during the last week has been forwarded to the various crushing mills from the Bright Smile mine, but this fact is forcibly shown by the large amount of amalgam on hand after Saturday's cleaning up. At the Imperial Crown battery there were 900ozs well cleaned amalgam on hand after 5 days 9 hours run with 25 head of stampers. At tho Tararu battery after 5 days run with 40 head there were 890ozs to hand, and at the company's own mill which, during the first part of the week was employed on a trial crushing from the slide, and was only latterly started upon good stuff, there were 4540zs amalgam, making a total of 2,2440zs of good hard amalgam, which will yield a largo percentage of gold. In the mine there is little to report beyond what we have already referred to, that is the richness of the stone which is being carried down in tho winze which is now being sunk on tho shaft lode. Gold shows freely every time quartz is broken down, and the reef is from four to five feet thick, None of tho specimens taken out during the week have been crushed, for the usual fortnightly cleaning up and retorting for tho company does not take place until next Saturday. MoANATtfiRi.-Tho fortnightly cleaning up and retorting for the Moanataiari Company, which took place on Saturday afternoon, produced 310ozs gold. The result is rather below recent averagos, for there was a larger crushing force eraployed during the last week, and there were in all 683 tons of stuff put through. But although the average is low theresuit is payable, and leaves a good margin of profit. Nonpareil.—Therich, prospects of the No. 1 roef at the Italian side of the slide continue to define themselves more strongly with each day's work. On Saturday another fine parcel of 501bs of rich picked stuff and specimens came to hand, making a total of 150lbs of similar stuff which during the week has been taken out of the winze, which up to the present has only reached a depth of 14 feet. So far, therefore, the prospects of the lode at this side of the slide are quite as good as ever they were on the other side.

Albion Tribute.—Kemy's.—A crush" ing of about 80 tons of stuff was finished up at the Prince Alfred' battery on Saturday, but it only yielded a moderate return of 33ozs meltod gold. Exchange.—Good ricb gold was struck in the Exchange mine in the face of the drive south towards Crown Prince boundary, and a nice parcel of about 251bs of specimens came to hand. There was a little gold shoeing on the previous day, the first which had been visible for some time, but it was not at all so rich as that which came to hand on Saturday when the lode was broken down. On Saturday afternoon a snot was put into the footwall, whioh brought down a little of the reef,,from amongst which a.Jew more pounds of specimens were taken out, and a good show was left in the face. There will be a further breaking down of the lode this afternoon, which will doubtless add further to the specimen heap. The lode, we may remark, has become more compact in its formation, and ia now only about 3 feet thick, jit is also being driven in to the northward from the crosscut, and here also there is a little gold showing through the lode. Manckau.—Crushing for the Manukau Company will be resumed to-day at the Tramway battery. The arrangements with regard to winding have been almost completed, and steam will be got up on Tuesday at the Golden Crown winding engine to hoist the remainder of the stuff which lies in the mine and what will be broken down to-day. There is no change of importance to report in the mine. The ne<v level shows gold freely in both faces, and in the bottom level the drive north has reached the. boundary of the Cure mine.

Qceeh of the Ma?.—On Saturday the manager connected the ahaft with the cross-cut from the 200 feet level of the Queen of Beauty claim, the same at .which the Queen of the May mine has already been worked. This work has engaged the men for some time past. The shaft had to be sunk and the cross-cut driven ; for the purpose, so that vory little work' has been done on the reef lately, la fact since tho manager took charge the whole of the work on the reef has been confined to driving 10 feet on it to connect with the winze, but the prospects were fair, and a little gold showed through the stone every time it was broken down, Before any other work can be carried on a chamber has to be excavated at the bottom of the shaft, but in the meantime aotive preparations are being made for the erection of the wiading engine. Poppet-legs have been ordered, and will b« on tbe ground this week. Tenders are called for the supply of, the necessary winding gew, and as we have already stated the company has purchased an engine which is well adapted for the work which it has to perform. In the course of a month, or perhaps less, the operations of this company will be in full swing on a better footing than ever they have been before, and in the meantime the proposed road from Bella-street up to the Waio-Karaka Greek is made, it will prove of material advantage to this and the adjoining mines. Grown Prince.—Another nice parcel of about 49lbs of picked stuff and specimens came to hand on Saturday from the Grown Prince mine in about equal, proportions from Nos. 1 and 2 reefs. Cube.—A. little gold was found on Saturday in the Cure mine, in what is known as the black vein, whore the manager has commonoed to open at the side of the cross-cut towards the iied Queen boundary. There was a sort of slide here, which hitherto deterred tho mmager from prospecting in that direction, but the gold to which wo allude (and there wero some very rich small specimens) wore broken out of the lode where it is disturbed by this slide. On aturday evening the slide appeared to be passed through, and if good stono is now recovered at the other side of it there is an excellent prospect for the lode turning out well, in a few days there will be good ventilation, for connection will be made with the workings of the Manukau mine.