MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2188, 2 November 1875, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Taibua Q.M.O.—The Bocond escort of gold from : this company's mine was brought down yesterday, and banked at the Bank of New Zealand, where it was melted to a bar weighing 46ozs.3dw(s gold. shis, we understand, was the result of a fortnight's operations with the little 4-head battery which has been erected by the company, Tho return is certainly not up to expectations, but wo learn that there w,ere numerous stoppages, arid that there is a better class of stuff now being forwarded to the mill. , Amuenia.— The usual monthly cleaning up and retorting for the Alburnia Oompaoy took place yesterday, when a yield of 21lozs was obta'med as the result. This was altogether from the upper workings, chiefly taken out from amongst tbe old stopes and crushed at the company's own mill. This source of supply has now been almost exhausted. Of oourse the battery in its present position ,is not available for any crushing stuff from the lower sections of the mine, .and until it is removed to its new site at the mouth of tho Sons of Freedom tunnel, any stuff derived from the Carr penters' lode or the Sons of Freedom mine will have to be sent to the flat for crushing. ■ ■ QcsEH of Beautt—The gold resulting from the fortnight's crushing for this company was melted yesterday-at the Bank of New Zealand to a bar weighing 3930zs 9dwts.. The loss in melting was rather greater than usual, but the return is nevertheless a very handsome one, and will pay a good dividend.

, Middle Btab.—There were three trial crushing 3 from' the Middle Star olaim completed yesterday. : The first and principal lot was a parcel of seven trucks (10j tons), for the proprietors of the olaim, Messrs Bowler-and Hunter, .and this yielded a good' satisfactory return of 120z3 4dwts melted gold. Tho other parcels were for tributers who are working two sections of the claim. Ono lot consisted of a small parcel of 1$ tons, for George and party, which produced loz sdwts-gold, and the other was for Shepherd and party. This latter produced loz 2dwts.. These returns'for tho tributers did not prove very remunerative, but they are sufficient to induce the parties' to persevere in- order, if possible, to open up a better class of stone. ' . . ' .

Cube.—This company started crushing specimens at the Tararu battery yesterday, but sufficient progress has not .yet been made with their treatment to enable the manager to form anything like an accurate idea of the. probable yield, further than that the stuff is very rich, and will no doubt yield handsomely. There is no new feature to report from the mine. The opening at the low level which had been made to the winze on Saturday night was widened out yesterday, and the reef shows a fine compact lode 2j feot thick, and containing, excellent, indications. But this is hardly surprising, as gold had been carried the entire depth of the winze, and some nice specimens came from tho bottom .of it. In the bottom level cross-cut last night the footwall reef was touched within three foetof the No. 5 reef. It is quite evident that those two lodes will soon form a junction, and the manager will probably carry them together in one drive back through the mine from the present level.

Golden Abbow,—Mr Campbell, the new manager of the Goldon Arrow claim, Tairua, brought to town last night lOozs 19dwts gold, the result of a trial crushing of 3 tons from the company's mine at the Tairua Company's battery. The result, we are informed, is fully up to expectations, and so it ought to be, considering it averaged 3ozs to, the ton.

MoANATiiABi.'-Cruslring for this company is progressing with a force of 30 head of stampers, but so far as can be judged at present the yield for the current fortnight is not likely to be much, if any, better than that'of the last fortnight. A fair start has not yet been made with stoping Heldt's. reef, and the block of Wo, 2 reef is not sufficiently opened for any extensive operations, but there will soon be an extensive supply from both those sources, and there will then probably be much better returns than thoso recently resulting from the company's crushings. There was a mischievous rumour current within the last day or two to the effect that this'company was about to stop operations. There is, we are glad to say, no foundatiou for such a statement. The fact of. the company having performed the large amount of permanent work necessary for opening the two reefs above mentioned shows a determination to .develop the resources of the mine to their fullest extent, and provide ample crushing stuff for the magnificent plant which they have erected. In the present depressed state of affairs it would be bad news indeed to learn that the Moanataiari Company had closed their mine, for, exclusive of those employed at the battery, there are.7o men employed in the mine, and Buch an addition to the ranks of those thrown out of employment by the recent stoppage of the Bright Smile, pumps would be matter of great regret. '■.■■'• Hed White and Biue.—lt is now some time since there has been auy crushing from the lied White and Blue mine, but since their last crushing the tributers have beon carrying on certain operation's necessary for opening up a block of ground of considerable extent. They have now started crushing at the Moanataiari battery with a force of five head of stampers. There are 50 tons on hand, and it is showing up on the' plates in a very satisfactory manner. Long Deive.—The monthly cleaning up and retorting for the Long Drive Company has been postponed for a fow days. The stuff. treated during the month has been of a lower grade than that of the preceding month, but on tho whole there will, we have no doubt, bo a satisfactory return when cleaning up takes place.. Pumping Association,—During the last fortnight the Pumping Association shaft has been sunk a depth of 10 feet, making the total present depth 614 feet. There has been a marked change in the quality of the rock at tho bottom, the country being a blue description Of rock through which quartz leaders varying from two to six inches in width run. 'It is evident that the shaft is now getting into quartz country, and the indications are atloast encouraging. Nonpabeil,. — The newly • appointed manager, Mr J. Bates, took over charge of this oompany's mine yesterday, and will, of course, push on the hew level which, has been driven from the Italian shaft to intersect the reef. It is estimated that a fow feet of driving will be sufficient to reach the lode. There was a little gold to hand last week from a block in the upper level .which had been opened by Mr Baird, who has been oarryiug on the. operations of the company since Mr Ooutts resigned.

MAHUKiu,—The tria' parcel from the low level of the Manukau mine, at the Tramway battery, did not yield a payable return. '.