THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 379, 31 July 1869, Page 2

THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

. ' ♦- Our Auckland dates are to July 23. The principal items of mining news are given below :— A Stock Exchange has recently been established in Auckland. At a meeting of gentlemen, interested in the matter, it was resolved that the scale of charges should be 5 per cent, up to £100; to £500, 2J per cent ; £1000, li per cent. Certificates of registration are to be kept, and documentary evidence of the right to sell must be produced at the time of sale. Another of those wonderful cruehings for which the Long Drive claim stands preeminent was completed yesterday, July 20, at the Kuranui Co.'s ons-stamper machine, and gave such a return as we might with safety challenge the world to compete with ; certainly Victoria, in its palmiest d »ys, never shewed such brilliant returns as thoße yielded by this mine. It is neediest for us to do more than place the figures before our readers, as they are more telling than anything we may add. The total quantity crushed was 4601bs of atone, which yielded 2036 ozt. 13 dwts. of retorted gold, in four cakes, or at the rate of 4 ozs. 8 dwts. 13 grs. to the pound. Some of the stones were actually reserved from the crushing on account of their marvellous richness. They are certainly the richest we have seen from this claim. The gold was deposited in the Bank of New Zealand, Grahametown, and melted by Mr Quint, when the total turned out a splendid sample of gold, in bars, of the total weight of 19200zs IBdwts. This yield has outdone any previous specimen crushing. The' rise in value of scrip in the Long Drive claim may be readily accounted for when we look at the following weekly returns of goM obtained from this claim. There is every

reason to believe that the regular return will but little fall off from that which has been obtained during the last four weeks. Week ending oxs. June 30 147 L July 6 143 „ 13 2019 „ 16 463 „ 21 1920 6016 The gold sold for £16,603 6s lOd. We take the above from the Bank assay notes. During the laßt few weeks that so many claims have been giving largo returns, and the excitement consequent upon the opening of the rich lodes radiating from the Long Drive mine as a centre, some of our older claims have been lost sight of, perhaps for the reason that there seems to be none of their scrip in the market. But they are, none the less, looking as well as ever. The Golden Crown, as one of these claims, has been very little before the public of late, but we could not help remarking on the exceedingly good yield from their stuff crushed at Goodall's battery during the last week, which shows that the former character of the reef is fully maintained. Sixty tons of stone were put through last week, and in three successive retorts, 8, 11, and 15J pounds (avordupbis) of gold were obtained. This quantity gives 483 oz<, averaging 8 ounces 1 dwt to the' ton. 1 With the exception of a parcel crushed at Souter's battery last week, Goodall Vhas been the only machine employed on Golden Crown stuff ; but their own extensive plaut is approaching completion, and as soon as operations commence, we have not the least doubt but the results will be equal to anything yet obtained by any company on the field. The following notes are from the Graham's Town Evening Star of July 14 : The Pretty Nelly (Hape Creek) people have nearly forty tons of stone from their new reef ready for carriage to the mill, but there seems to be no chance of getting it down the creek, and the workmen are now turning their attention to the main drive, which they are about to carry through to the reef in a straight line, and lay down a substantial tramway. This work will tend to facilitate the getting out of stone, and ventilate their tunnels. The claims around the Pretty Nelly are improving in value, several interests having changed hands lately at advanced prices. In spite of the drawbacks, the Hape Creek is beginning to attract a small amount of attention. A first-rate shaft is being put down on the ground of the Otago, adjoining the Caledonian Company's mine, on the Moanatairi Creek. The Bhaft is down to 120 feet, and, in size and style of timbering, presents another example of the improvement in the style of mining work which has superseded the system adopted in the earlier days of the Thames goldfield. The shaft is being sunk to catch the Golden Crown reef, and the sinking is very good, there being little or no water, and the formation not being particularly hard. Some small leaders were opened in a drive formerly, but they were cut at too high a level, and offered but little inducement to work out. The present shaft will be carried to a depth sufficient to thoroughly prospect the ground, and the position of the claim ii a good one, so that a few months ought to enable the shareholders to make a good show. A new leader has, we are. informed, been struck in the Dawn of Hope Company's mine. Their ground is peg and peg with the Little and Good, and the new strike is believed to be the same leader as the Little and Good have been working on for some time. They came upon the stone yesterday, and took out some very fine specimens. The Little and Good opened another leader, from 'nine to twelve inches in thickneßs, the stone from which has 'a good appearance. . . In the Beach claim the shareholders have commenced to put in a low level drive ;~,tbey are already about ninety feet in, and expect to get on their reef (from which such splendid results were obtained in former workings) in another eighty or ninety feet. They have a considerable quantity of stone on hand, which was taken out of the upper level. The Mariners' Kaef, adjoining the Beach Claim, has been brought under the operations of the Mining Companies' Liability Act, under the name •< the Mariners' Reef Gold Mining Company. They are again' working on their leaders, from- which some first-rate returns were obtained in several crushings. The Sailor Prince Claim, situated on the hill above the Mariners' Beef, is again in full work, the shareholders having obtained permission to work in the Mariners' Reef drive, which they are carrying through to their own ground. The drive is 260 feet long, and will reach the Sailor Prince ground in another 40 feet. They have a shaft down to a depth of 130 feet, but the water came in too fast for them, and by continuing this drive they will drain their ground, and. prospect their. claim at the same time. The Hidden Treasure Gold Mining Company's ground adjoins the Mariners' Reef, and consists of the claims formerly known as the Bengal and Maribank; and lately the Perseverance has been added to the area of the company's operations. The company employs eleven men at present, and the works are under the supervision of a competent manager. They have two tunnels now in course of work, one of which is 360 feet in, and the other about 200 feet. A small leader has been opened, and followed to a short distance, and the drive is now diverted to catch the same further into the hill. Although there has not been anything very good taken from the ground hitherto, the mine is in a good position, being bounded on three sides by claims which have turned out payable yields. . In the Try Again, Waiotahi Hill, they are still driving from their shaft to catch the Waitemata and Nonpareil lead, supposed to be n continuation of the Golden Crown. The shareholder* of the Lisburn, British Ensign, and Pride of the Ucean claims, Collarbone Creek, have taken the preliminary

steps for forming the three claims into a company, under the Mining Companies limited Liability -Act. The South Paeiflc claim, next theAlburnia Company, Moanataiarai Creek, have decided to form themselves into a company, with a view to the better working of the mine. . We hear that the Shamrock leader has been turning out some excellent stone the last day or two. On Saturday the patch was first touched upon, and since then a considerable quantity, of specimens' have been taken out. The leader maintuins an average width of about two feetThere is a patch of very good claims in !\nd on the sides of the Waiotahi valley, where it takes a couple of turns a short distance above the Peep o'Dny machine. One of them, the Evening Star, has been in hand for nearly eighteen months, and first and last has turned out a good deal of fair stone. The principal leader in it runs straight into the hill, «frotn the creek level, and has been followed some distance by tunnelling. A winze was also sunk upon it in the tunnel, and carried down 58 feet; the leader running well defined, and of an average width of 18 inches the entire distance, and in many places yielded patches of rich stone. One of the best of these was found at the bottom of the shaft on Monday, some of the specimens taken out being really very superior. The shaft is about to be opened out for driving, preparatory to stoping up the leader. t~'o far the ground is quite dry, notwithstanding that the bottom of the shaft is far below creek level. About 5o tons of quartz are to grass ready for the mill. Ten pounds o* quartz taken out of a reef in the Tradesmen's claim, nnd tested today by Messrs Wells and Son, yielded ldwt 6 grains of gold, or at the rate of 14ozs ldwt to the ton. Of course, not so large a return would be obtained by the ordinary crushing process.