MINING MATTERS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2438, 7 October 1876, Page 3

MINING MATTERS.

Moanatahbi.—The new winding gear for the Moanataiari Company is now in working order, and is performing its duties admirably. The old beam engine ereeted many years ago: on the south bank of the Moanataiari creek has not been removed, but it has been thoroughly renovated. Of course, as our readers are aware, the only winding requisite is to raise stuff from the' new level which is being opened 1 80 feet below the tunnel level to the tunnel itself, but it became a question whether it would be move advisable to remove the hoisting, engine to the tunnel or to utilise it where it stood, lie latter plan was, we think, wisely adopted, but before this could be done it was necessary to put up a rise from tho tunnel level, a height of 170 feet through whioli to work; the ropes. From tho engine the ropes are now led over drums an i rollers, a distance 1 of 220 feet, to the mouth of the tunnel; leading to the head of the rise, through, this tunnel, a length of 130; feet, and down the rise- or shaft; to the now level, a distanoe.of 250 feet; more, making the total length of eachj rope 600 feet. The cages working in the; shaft aro adapted for receiving the largo; trucks which work ia the tunnel, so thatj there is no second handling of the stuff! raised from whore the contractors aro at! present excavating the chamber. As sooa as this chamber is finished next week, r cross-cuts will be started to intersect tho| reefs., In.regard to,the hoistingraaohi-j nery, wo may add that it ia, working iu such a manner as to afford tho fullest satisfaction to the manager, and tho cost of tho alterations necessary, including tho rise and tunnel to which we have referred, was comparatively slight. The prospects of the mine are better this.nook than they have been for some lime past! As we havo previously slated, operations are principally conSnod to tho Eureka

section of the mino.-< In this section, at the battery level especially, there are- ' ai considerable number of lodes of greater or lessi! dimensions openeaVapd 5 during this week.a, new,, one, which is evidently intact,to the surface, and in which gold is'freely 'visible/ has been opened. The return for this fortnight will, if the present very inuch; better than -any .which' has '. been produced front the mine for many."/'' months ,;pa's't,''j!'_./'.' 2 '■'. ..'7""' ; . : '" „.'• J f, '''''r' ; ' .!:>? I rgbjd, parcels', which ; arrived".;\inder escort /yesterday: morning (as referred to elsewhere) from V Ohinemuri were promptly melted at tho Dank of New; Zealand, with the following results. .The; Company's 7; gold,- ; which /before^melting;;weighed,,',? 9240z3, was:reduced -, to ; ingots,weighing.;,> 900ozs, the loss, which wascomparatively.-::■■ heavy, being attributable to the fact that tlie retorted' gold had -been' cooled in water, a quantity of which was of course absorbed- in the pores off the- gold', JTlio) Welcome Company's gold was reduced from 3210zs retorted to bars, .weighing ~_. 316dzs 17dwts, and. tho'Young'NewZedr'/ land gold, which .was of, better quality ' than either of the' other parcels, was rodiiced froinlQGozs 2dwta to.lO-lozs 3dwts. 'Eed QtriEEif.—Eetortings from' I ''crush, ings from the Bed Queen mine took place .. yesterday, and the results realised, fully met expectations. The'company's crush, ing of 51 tons produced a handsome yield, 'of 145'dzs Sdw'ts'/melted gold.. : Th'is ; ( stuff" ( . Was obtained . 15["0i...'(3 dusively, a lode.which, so far,as"it.hks.|". been traced;through the,company's mine !';, from the Caledonian -boundary, averages',., 'three feet in width..; The returns obtained is an excellent proof of its payable qualities, and as there is a large'extent of it available for,, working, the prospects of the company are materially improved. A parcel of 12 loads of stuff has been crushed for Nelson and party, tributers of a'sectieh of the company's :mine', and F was finished yesterday for a handsome'., yield of 1230zs 13dwts melted gold, and Kirker and'party, who' on-the previous day had made their main lodgment, deposited another, ounce of melted gold. „ the total,yield from the.' ings has therefore met /expectations,,,, amounting as they do to over 346ozs'frorn... 78 tons of stone.

: Plato.—McCormick -'and -parly completed a crushing at the Prince Alfred battery yesterday,'for'a return of sozs lldwts melted gold. The yield, was a moderate one. The claim from which the crushing was obtained : is ! situated in Block 27, and is a continuation of the same gutter; which 'carried gold' through' tho old Grove's Bank/and mo're !! fecently McOormick's Bank.' '""*

I EdsiiND SfiA3inocEi~Tho tributors 6f the Eos'e aild.Shamrock,'Donnelly and'' paity,>bmplo)ed 1: a' i 'crußhinp , '6f;2drlon\''-' of Moan'atftiari' battery yos-'', terday, from ~wbioh. ;th'ey obtained ,a ' return of 16ozsUlwls melte'aVgoldl '„...',:, ■ ft ed White and Blue.—The'tributers'" of the Bed White and Blue mine finished up crushing, and started retorting about midnight. The yield- will be. a good payable one, for, owing to the cheap manner in which the, stuff; csm;.be taken, from the claim, the ready means of tran'-i sit to the Moanafaiari battery, ..and the economical terms arranged with regard to the crushing, suoh rotarnsasthose which'., have been obtained on [the last two occa-" sion's pay handsomely; and,the prdsent yield will, we believe,' be an improvement ' on the previous ones. Albuenia Teibute.—Allen and party,'' tributers under the Alburnia Company, who have recently obtained-such excellent gold returns, started crushing a fur- , thcr lot of 4cwfc of picked stuff at ' Moanataiari'• battory yesterday; The' return; which will be a very handsome!: one, will be to hand to-day. -' • ;■■=,;