MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2021, 16 April 1875, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Caledonian.—The crushing for the Caledonian Company, which has been completed at the Prince Alfred battery yesterday, yielded a return'which proved an agreeable surprise to all concerned. The total quaniity crushed was under 45 tons of general stuff and 2cwt specimens. Jhe former was of good quality, but the latter proved very much richer'than their appearance at first warranted the manager in anticipating, and instead of 200ozs, the yield which was calculated upon, the result amouuts to the splendid total of 3240zs retorted gold, which, has been lodged in the Hank of Mew Zealand to the credit of the company. The lode, or lodes, from which this rich crushing was taken is being worked at the intermediate level, and yesterday showed as rich stone as ever. The leader is too small to keep up permanent crushing, but in a short time sufficient stuff will have accumulated from the workings to start another crushing which to all appearance will be as rich as that which has just been finished.

Em an hi Tribute.—ln order to get the stuff for this tribute party through tho mill as speedily as possible, an extra force of stampers has been started on the crushing at the Prince Alfred battery. There is still a considerable quantity to reduce, and it is, wo find, making a fine payable show on the plates.

Chown PBINCESS.—Mr J. B. Beeche, mine manager of the Crown Princess, has resigned his appointment, it is staled, for the purpose of taking charge of operations in the prospectors' claim, Tairua, in which Mr Beeche is himself largely interested. In losing the services of Mr Beeche at the present juncture the directors of tho Crown Princess will find themselves at a serious loss, for in addition to ability as a practical skilled miner, Mr Beeche was so thoroughly acquainted with the mine itself and its various changes and indications, that he was an invaluable servant, and his olose attention to hia duties and to the interests of the company are well known and recognised by the shareholders and directors. Mr Beeche leaves the mine in good working order. The shaft has been sunk to open a new level, and the opening sets of the level were fixed in position some days ago. In a short time the No. 2 reef at its junction with the specimen leader will be to hand. The winzes are down well towards the level, so that Mr Beeche's successor will soon find himself in a position to break out rock and start crushing. We presume Mr Beeche will retain charge until the appointment of his successor.

Cube.—The prospects of the new reef certainly improve as the lode is developed, and there is now a large extent of it opened and proved gold-bearing. Yesterday a fine parcel of 40lbs of specimens came to hand from the stopes 15 feet above the level. Hitherto the specimens have chiefly been obtained from the level itself, but gold has now been traced up in the slopes for a height of 30 feet, and yesterday, after the breaking down was completed, there was a good rich show left in the face. The reef is showing a very decided improvement where it is being followed towards the Bed Queen boundary. In fact, it is largerand looks better in this face than in any other part of (he claim. There are now 33 tons of general crushing stuff raised, and by tho time crushing starts on Monday there will be about 40 tons available. The lode is so far opened up at present that a considerable mine force could be employed stoping, but owing to the scarcity of blasting powder the work cannot be performed. The crushing, when cpmpleted, will comprise about 60 tons, and the yield will no doubt be a magnificent one.

Queen of Bkauty.—The repairs to the shaft are all completed, and operalions are going on as before, but the crushing is retarded for want of water. There are six head hung at Bull's battery at present from this cause. But in the mine itself the prospects never looked better or brighter. There was a good show of gold yesterday in the stopes towards the City of London, and at the Bright Smile end also there is a splendid reef through which gold shows in fair quantities. On the whole, notwithstanding tho fact that for a whole week Bull's battery was idle, and. that during the second week it has been only partially employed, and that the company's own mill was also idle for several days for want of water, the yield of gold resulting from the retorting, which takes place next Saturday, will bs a very handsome one.

Our of London.—Crushing for the City of London Company commenced at the Kuranui battery yesterday, with a force of 40-head of stampers, and this force will now be kept constantly employed. Cleaning up for the company will take plnce at the Herald battery to-morrow, and this, for the present, will terminate the company's crushing at this machine.

Dixon's 'No. I.—Since intersecting the lode in the bottom level the manager has been cross-cutting into the hanging-wall, being under the impression that a portion of the lode was away in that direction, and consequently there has been no work done on the reef itself since the gold was struck. But yesterday the tactics were changed, and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon the men were started to drive on the course of the lode into the company's own ground, but no quartz has yet been broken down. There will probably be moro known regarding it to-day. _ It is a singular fact that the intersection of this reef in the deep level has drained the water off the Alburnia specimen leader, thus showing that there exists some connection between the two, although such i 3 not apparently the case. Alburnia.—The manager is about to forward.quartz to the Moanataiari battery to-day in order to have some crushing this month, but there is a large quantity stacked in the company's own battery which will have to remain until such time as there is a sufficient rainfall to rise the creek and afford water for the mill. The stuff is chiefly from the specimen leader.

Manukau.—There was a nice show of gold yesterday in the No. 3 stopes, near the junction of the hanging-wall and footwall leaders, and for the last few days there has been a' considerable improvement in the quality of the general stuff.

The little cards that the exhibitors at the Exposition hand you are not pwticularly interesting, but we were touched to observe yesterday, on the card of a coffin manufacturer, "If you try our coffins once, you will never use any others."