MINING NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume XXX, Issue 9025, 24 March 1898, Page 2

MINING NEWS.

BYTEr,FGR\rH—OWNTCrRIUTCSPONDENT.)

Auckland, March 14. REPORTED RI(JH FIND.

A rumor is current at Coromandel that rich gold has been struck in the maiden reef at Opitonui on the Kauri Gold Estates property.

KOMATA REEFS,

The Komata Reefs Company hare decided to change the present plant from dry to wet crushing, it being claimed that better extraction can be obtained, besides treating a greater quantity of ore.

WAITEKAURI EXTENDED,

The Waitekauri Extended Company have accepted the tender of Short and Co., of Thames, at 13s 6d per ton, for carting from Hikutaia to the Marototo battery.

PURU CONSOLIDATED,

Work at this mine is being expeditiously carried on. A Btart was made on Tuesday to extend the face of the No. 2 level. A distance of 7ft has been driven for the week and the reef broken down, which shows colors of gold and is associated with minerals of arst class description. The country being penetrated is all that could be lesired. The lode is 2ft 6in in thickness and very strong, requiring the drive to be taken higher, which enables the manager to break the reef to better advantage. he manager, Mr H. Brownlee, has great hopes of the above level producing something good. This drive is being manned with two shifts. A smithy has been erected near the mouth of it, and is a great improvement No. 1 level: Two men have b«en employed here removing a small tonnage of quartz and sending it down the shoot"into the hopper at the mouth of No. 2 level. This had to be taken away before the manager could proceed to lay the roadway to the large heap of quartz stored at the mouth of this Jevel. The sawyers are working, overtime to cut the timbers for the hopper, which will require about 4000 ft.

WAIHI SOUTH.

The Waihi Miner says : We regret to learn that last Saturday this mine was closed down. If any mine deserved success, on account of work done and money Rpent, it was the Waini South. The end of their drive is within 40ft of the boundary, so that they had either to close down or continue sinking.

GRAND JUNCTION.

The Grand Junction are getting two new* boilers of 138 h.p. each, which are to leave England at the end of the present month. Along with the boilers will come another pump, capable of lifting 25,000 gallons an hour; so that, with this new power added to what they have already, the whole of their pumping machinery will be capable of lifting 50,000 gallons an hour,

GOLDEN LEAD (Cobomaxdel\

The main level on Scotty's reef has been driven a distance of sft for the week. The reef is now fully 2ft think, and the manager states when breaking down dabs and colors of gold are showing.