MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2171, 12 October 1875, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

MoANATAUBL—The gold lodged by - j theMoanataiari.Company in the Bank'of New Zealand :6n Saturday was melted yesterday, and reduced to a bar weighing 1740zs 16dwts, Tho loss.in melting was comparatively light.' The. stuff which'is now going through the mill for the company 13; apparently of good payable, quality. *. Obown Pjkincess,—Crushing. for this company was started yesterday at tho Bright Smile old battery, and it at once made a show of: amalgam: on the plates of aivery promising character. Should the general stuff forming . I bis crushing continue to yield as welt .during ..the. remainder of the rim as it did'yesterday, the yield will be the best ever obtained from the mine, for tho picked stuff on hand contains some good rich specimens, which will swell the total return very materially. There was no ohange in the mine yesterday further than that tbeair was better. 'During a-couple of days at tho close of'; last' week' when the air overhead was dense during, the rain-storms, gas had accumulated in the mine, and retarded operations tosomo extent, but yesterday it was found that the gas had disappeared, and, operations, in the winzes especially, are now going on briskly. . , Qura of the Mat.—Tlig new contractors who have.started-in;tho shaft • have gone to work with a determination to carry out their contract ami make it pay, and they have already made a- good beginning. There 'is no work now going on,in the miue, at'least not to any extent, except the-sinking of the engine-shaft, for the upper levels being exhausted, at least such portions of them as contained payable stone, there is nothing for tho company now but to wait for the opening of their new level when the shaft reaches a sufficient depth. By that time, no doubt, the Bright Smile pumps will be working, and there will be no .stoppage, we-hope, through want of drainage. The intention*of the manager was to .sink the engine-shaft to a level corresponding with that of the City of London Company (in which the water has now risen) before opening out a new .level, and there is still'a long distance to sink before that depth is reached. Una.—Crushing for the Una Company will be resumed at the company's own battery to : day. Therewas'a stoppagefor afew days during the last week, while waiting for another parcel to be sent to the mill by the tributers, we believe, so as to have the whole of the mill working, and also because of a landslip on the tramway. So far as the stuff'from the new main level has yet gone through the stamper-boxes, it has made a show which, although not rich, is at all events payable, and this, under the circumstances, ia very satisfactory. Of course, the stone taken _ out of a main, drive such as that which was carried, along the Una reef at this level, could neither be so clean or free from sandstone as it will be when stoping is fairly started on the lode. Besides, there is not the same opportunity, for selecting stuff at present as will then be afforded, but it. 13 certain that for a length of 80 feet in this drive gold has shown, so that tjiere is a reasonable prospect of some good rich returns for the company from future cruahirigs. Dauntless and Sink-to-Bise. — A small pardel of BJibs of specimens was crushed yesterday at Messrs.Spencer and Hall's lest battery for Sawyer and party, tributers of this company. It produced as therosult7ozs'ldwtsmeltedgold. : Pumping -Association.—The'purnping engine having received a thorough overhaul, and the boilers having been cleaned out, steam was got up yesterday morning, and the pumps were started. They' were only stopped on Friday last for the purpose of this overhaul, so that the utmost expedition must have been used in getting tho work performed so speedily, but notwithstanding the shprtstoppagethe water rose in the shaft toa heightof2oofeet.. The 400-feet level is therefore flooded, and it "will probably take two or three days more to free the mine from water so as to enable the' contractors to resumesinking.

Golden Calf.—Crushing for this company will bo started at the Tramway battery with a force of 12 head of stampers. I'kero is a good quantity of stuff on hand for a start, and there is a probability that it will be a continuous crushing.