MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2225, 15 December 1875, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

PmmNG ASSOCUTION.—The shaft today lias reacked a depth of 644 feet, 9 feet haying boen sunk during the past fortnight, notwithstanding the increased hardness of the: country* This is , the depth which will be the floor of the level when thp latter is v opened out, but there is a further depth of 16 feet to sink before the excavation necessary for the plunger and cistern are completed. We may add, however, that the shaft at the bottom will not be so large as it now is, so that tliero will not be so much stuff to' remove, and riot so much work to accomplish. There still, however, remains some heavy timber to put in, and during the next fortnight there will not bo' muck done in the way of sinking.' The bottom of the shaft is now a dark hard, thrackite rook which is difficult to bore, but blasts well; and although there is no appearance of a change of country at present, the impros-1 sion of the manager and contractors is that the present class of rock will not last long. The manager having completed the ' plans, drawings, and specifications for the new plnnger and fittings, hasoalledfortendersfor their supply, and has now. commenced the drawings for the engine, which is to. do duty instead of the horse capstan hitherto in use.

. Caledonian.-"What appears to be a new lode is making its appearance in the face of the drive which is following, the new cross-reef, or No, 6 reef as it is called, .westward. , Little' can be said about it until such time as the face of the drive is squared up, so that it would for the present be useless to speculate on its size or worth. It is, however, satisfactory to find that the, cross-reef itself,

which is of large size, is good payable stone. A. sample of nine tons from it has been,!pufc ( through the mill for a yield ef 18ozs 12dwts of amalgam, and this would, ih ; all probability,' equal an average of an ounce to the ton. Moping on the No. 5 reef is still progressing, and gold shows in it as freely as usual, inother lot,'of larger quantity than that last treated, is now being forwarded to the mill from the cross-reef. There, has been a fair show of gold perceptible while the stuff was being broken dowm - Lokg 'Dbive.—Cleaning up for the long Drive Company is taking "place jio-day, go far as the general crushing is concerned, and the parcel of picked stuff and specimens which accumulated, since tho last cleaning up is now being treated at; the single - stamper battery 'of the Moanataiari mill., There is .not a very, large' quantity of, the latter, and; the general stuff has been, of alow grade, so that on the .whole' there are noantioipations of any rich return. Amion Tbibuie—Povbbh'. - A crushing for Nortliy and party, tributers of the old Poverty mine, was stavted-yester-day at tho Prince Alfred battery. There is a fair parcel of stuff .available for the miil which, it is hoped, willyield a good remunerative return. , " • Cbown Pbinoess.—Crushing for the Crown Princess was finished yesterday, after 80 tons of stone •> which" had been derived from all spurcesr-tho Nos. 2, ;Bj 1, and specimen leaded-had been . put through, including about 400lbs of picked stuff. Up to yesterday there were 3Uozs, amalgam on hand, and there still remains a quantity of blanket-washings for 1 treatment. . There will be no retorting before to-morrow, but there is no' doubt about

tho payable character of the return'to bo obtained. 'Under circumstances it

is all the more unsatisfactory to havo to roporfc that operations in the mino havo been discontinued, pending tlie result of a meeting of the company, which.; is to be held next Tuesday. The water -has -now risen to a height of 2 feet 4 inches on the fiatsheet of the main level, f It was a

little lower- yesterday than the previous day,'but this does Hot argue anything for its; falling, because on several previous occasions there was a similar falling off, which can ettfily be accounted for by. the fact that the wateris filling the ground through such crpvices'as it may find'open in its rise. '' ' ;;

Goiden , Calf, - Crusliing. with ; six Lead of stamps was commenced on Monday last at the Tramway battery. The show ..on. the plates is better, and looks. well for a payable return, The stuff crashed is from the' vicinity,'of the : bigi slide, and the lodes, Uos.land 2, at that point'look promising, and will produce an immense quantity of crushing dirt.' T.wa shifts are kept constantly on in the drive from,the Otago winze, and should not lo long in reaching the line of tie Otago shot of gold, .. Golden Spue, Tbibute, — A small crushing'of four tons from .the Golden Spur claim, Hape Creelc, was finished at ,the,Princo Alfred battery on. Saturday for .the tributersi Craig "and' party, for a yield ; of 6o'zs gold, . -UNA.—The manager is , still pushing the mid-level drive.ahead to intersect the Loyalty shot of gold, but the lode at present in hand does not so fyr show any, gold at all, nor is it |xpected that the run of gold: will be to hand before another 50 feet .is driven to the north-east. The winze having been sunk on a foot-wall branch of .the lode, opposite a blank portion of the reef between twb shots of gold, the manager was obliged first to cross-cut from.the winze for the true reef, and afterwards-drive on its course; as he is now-doing,; The mid-level will com-. mand.7o feet of backs for scoping.. ■ Bed Queen.—Where . the men are at present working in the Bed Queen is, from the stopes of the main level of the Cure .mine. The lodo has forked or divided,; .and:.the _two, veins are'beiog at present carried in together, but the manager'.expects in a day. or two to be able .'to gest into' the.. Caledonian stopes, where.'the reef is together and stronger, and where there, is a greater probability; of finding a better class; of crushing stuff. So far the quality of the stuff, although it shows a little gold, and may average an ounce to. the ton, is not rich, and'during the; last; two days, although tho olass of rock is'as good ai ever it has appeared/ it shows less gold. It/was intended;,if possible, to have a. crushing before the" holidays, but as- there' are only few: hands working, the.; stuff •ia not; available in; large quantities, and there,, therefore, little . probability of there being sufficient quartz available to constitute a orushing i sufficient to fairly sample the quality reef.- • : - ■