THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 465, 12 November 1869, Page 2

THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

The following items are taken from the Auckland and Thames papers, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, inclusive : — THAMES. A retorting from the Fourth of July did not turn out payable. Some magnificent specimens were taken from Point Russell claim yesterday. A retorting for the Mariner's Reef took place yesterday, and the result obtained was 1280Z3 from 78 tons of stone.

The reef in the low level workings ol Dixon's No. 1 has turned out a quantity of i specimens this week, some of which are remarkably rich. The amount of gold received from lasweek's crushing at the battery of the Golden Crown <_om pany, was 430 ounces. In the Junction claim, the manager is now driving towards the City of Glasgow boundary, and is takiug out gold from the leader daily. A dividend of £400 was declared by the Pride of tlie Karaka, on Saturday, the result of the -fortnight's work. There are 80C0 crip in the company, which will give a dividend of la per scrip. Bleaz ird's machine is still crushing for the Shooting Star claim. There has been no washing up since the start, but the appearance of the plates is very satisfactory, and it is expected that the yield will be from 3 to 4ozs to the ton. A crushing of lf cwt of stone from the Golden Ringlet claim, next the Wade, has taken place at Souter's one-stamper battery, and yielded 2 dwts 5 grs of *;old. The parcel crushed was merely a trial test from a leader opened in that claim. The AH Nations leader, where now worked upon, is looking splendid, and numbers of specimens are being taken out every day. It is estimated that from the amount of Btoue yet untouched between these two levels, it will take all tbe coming summer to work it out. The workmen of the Hopeful claim, Punga Flat, were successful last week in openiug a stringer from the famous El Dorado leader, after working for a fortnight upon a hard basalt rock. The stringer is about eight inches in width. The result of several testß of quartz, from the Belgravia Company's claim, Te Waka block, are very satisfactory, some of the parcels, it is said, giving as much as six ounces to the ton. The Te Waka block is situated between Tararua and Tapu. It is somewhat singular that the Mocking Bird Company's claim, Punga Flat, has not yet produced any really payable quartz, seeing that the lode opened in it must be connected with the rich veins of the Vale of Avoca claim, if indeed it is not a continuation of one or them. The value of this already rich claim — City of Glasgow — was considerably enhanced yesterday hy the discovery of another leader ofi a most promising character, and from which a nice parcel of specimens was obtained in the course of the evening. We are happy to say the prospects of the Success Company are daily improving, this desirable state of things being consequent upon the progressive development of the rich lodes of quartz that, as we announced in a former issue, had been struck in the claim. We are informed that another very promising looking leader has been opened in the Venus claim, adjoining the Waitemata and Hand-in-Hand, on the Waiotahi creek. Ten men are now kept constantly at work on thia claim, and three different leaders have been exposed. A dividend of £3 per share was paid yesterday to the shareholders in the Long Drive Gold Mining Company, being the second dividend of that amount paid in October. 2530 ounces have been deposited with the bank from this claim since the 1 5th of this current month. The Royal Standard Gold Mining Company has a most favourably situated piece of ground, about half-way up the spur of Murphy's Hill, and the drive has up to the present reached a distance of about 300 feet. As soon as the reef is fairly cleared, it will be followed up by a drive, aud large quantities of stone will then be brought out, which it is expected will give fully 4ozs. to the ton. | We are informed that the Wild Missouri white reef has been struck in the lower workings of the mine, and is turning out some highly auriferous stone, the gold being of a very fine character, but well distributed in the quartz. The reef also is found much improved in appearance, heing much more compact and solid than it was on the surface. The usual monthly retorting at the Shotover machine took place on Monday evening, and turned out 491 czs of gold, a yield far in excess of the last month's return, although there hae been no machine except that erected on the claim crushing for them this month. The product of about 50 lbs of specimens is included in this return. The Nonpareil Company, Waiotahi, are reported to have struck very good stone on Monday, supposed to be the leader of the Golden Crown, as it has apparently the same line and dip. The lode, which is on an average about two feet thick, was found in a shaft which has been put down in a drive at a depth of forty feet. Many very rich specimens have been taken out. The shareholders of the Belfast claim hay« every reason to congratulate themselves on the important find which we recorded a few days ago. When firßt struck, the reef, or rather the junction of reefs, had a very promising appearance, and at that time some good specimens were taken out of it, but those which have been obtained during the last few days are of such a rich character as have seldom been met with. Another successful crushing for the Wandering Star claim was finished yesterday, and yielded the very handsome return of 46 ounces of gold from a parcel of 19 tons crushed, or an average of 2 ozs 8 dwts 10 grs to the ton. The Wandering Star Claim has been one of the most steady gold producing mines on the Karaka hill, and we are glad to see that it still continues to yield good payable returns. We were shown on Thursday some excellent specimens taken from the Canadian claim on the flat. The quartz is similar to that obtained higher upon the Karaka. There is no doubt but that some of the richest yields on the Thames will be obtained from the claims upon the fiat and beach, where extra difficulties of water and sinking will be amply repaid by the extraordinary richness of the reefs.

The retorting of the amalgam from th 6 late crushing of superior quality stone from the Golden Crown claim was finished yesterday mor ..ing, and the amount of gold deposited in the Bank of New Zealand Grahamstown. The whole amount was 82 ozs 5 dwt of gold. This return, with that from Brown and Campbell's battery, Tararu, and the battery on the claim on Saturday last, makes a total of nearly 2000 ozs for less than a fortnight. The easy manner in which large quantities of stone can betaken out of the Queen of >heba reef, as well as its convenient situation and constant payable returns, make it a really valuable mine, and as there is every reason to believe that the reef will improve when it is opened at a lower level, the shareholders have reason to congratulate themselves on the prospects of the mine. The yields from this claim have varied from 3 ozs to an ounce to the ton hitherto. The gold obtained from the crushings for the Manakau claim at the Waiotahi battery, and the Kuranui single stamper was melted at the Bank of New Zealand yesterday evening, and the amount obtained was 4SO ounces of pure gold. It will be seen from this, that the return of gold from this claim is not by any means on the decrease, and it is expected that the returns for the present month will be in excess of even this, as the mine is now in good working order for taking out any quantity of stone. The retorting of the result of 300 tons of stone, crushed from the Dawn of Hope Company's ground, at the Victoria Battery, has, at length, been completed, and the last retorting took place yesterday, and yielded a little over seven ounces of gold, making the total 414 ozs 10 dwts of gold, or an average of nearly 1 £ oz to the ton. This is considered very satisfactory, as the stone being crushed is a large quantity which was not picked, and was obtained from different parts of the reef. The Golden Eagle claim, on the ITapo Creek, adjoins the Black Eagle, Queen Victoria lease, City of Canterbury lease, New South Wales lease. A drive was put in a distance of one hundred feet, and a reef cut, said to be tho Pretty Nelly. A winze shaft was then sunk to a depth of fifty feet, and from this level a drive was put in for a distance of nine feet, which again cut the reef. A T drive was put in, and they are now driving on the reef, from which some magnificent specimens have been taken, and the shareholders look forward to good returns therefrom. The crushing of 2071bs of specimens from the Long Drive claim at the Kuranui Company's battery, which we reported on Oct. 29, has given a yield of 9150zs of retorted gold. Tliia was melted yesterday at the Bank of New Zealand, and yielded 887ozs 19dwts of gold, or an average of 4ozs sdwts 19grs to tbe pound. One parcel of about 50lbs, which was crushed with this lot, was calculated to run at least 6ozs to the lb., certainly one of the richest returns we have ever had occasion to notice. Another patch of specimens, equally rich with those which have just been crushed, were taken out of the lower workings of the Long Drive yesterday. The Vate of Avoca Company are making famous progress with their works. Mace we last reported on this claim, a vein of quartz altogether distinct from the one first found, and which has yielded so well, has been opened up, and followed for nearly 200 feet. The original Vale of Avoca leader is still being followed in the 40 feet level drive, taken out of the winze sunk upon it from the surface. The drive is in 50 feet, and the lode there shows a splendid face of stone four feet thick. There was a diminution in the yield of the last lot crushed as comparad with former crushings, but for all that the vein pays hand.on.ely, and it appears to he richer at the end of the drive than it did a fathom or two backwards. Adjoining the ground of the Ladybird is the Royal Charter claim, consisting of six men's ground, and being worked privately. Tf, as regards Tinker's Gully, proofs of quantity and quality were wanting, no two claims could be chosen for better illustration than this claim and the Ladybird. If the latter piece of ground shows a larger quantity of quartz, the Royal Charter can, as regards appearances, boast of qnality, for in the reef which is at present being opened out, gold is visible throughout, and some beautiful specimens were shown to me by the shareholders who are all working their own interests. I cannot omit to mention the fact that ten tons of top soil, taken from just above this reef a fortnight ago, and not containing more than twenty-five per cent, of quartz, the remainder being clay and soil from amongst the roots of the trees, yielded no less thaa eight ounces of gold, or loz Bdwts to the ton. The present reef being on a six feet lower level, and showing so well, ought to give at least from four to fire ounces per ton. The Prosperity and Union Bank lease, on the Collarbone, is one of those instances — of which there are many on this goldfleld — of perseverance rewarded, and of men working their claims quietly without giving publicity to the success wliich haa attended their efforts. Whilst driving, three leaders were cut. In the first and second gold was visible ; but from the third one very rich stone has been taken out. After cutting these leaders, the drive was continued for the purpose of striking a reef which had been discovered cropping out at the top level. This reef was struck when they had driven in about sixty feet ; and, since they have been driving upon it, it has varied in thickness from eight inches to three feet. It consists of blue quartz showing gold in large quantities. I examined the stone in the reef, and also in the large paddock of about forty tons which has been brought to grass, and could see gold in nearly every piece which came under my observation. Some specimens taken from the same reef were remarkably rich, equal to anything yet discovered in that locality. Through the courtesy of Mr Hollis, manager of the Prince Alfred battery, we have

bedn favoured with the particulars of thi month's crushing at this machine. Then have been 321£ tons of stone crushed in the large battery, comprising quartz from sever different claims, varying in quantity from 106 to nine tons, and the yield of gold obtained Jfrom this quantity is 544 ozs, 19 dwts. 13 grs. A crushing of 78 tons from the Mariner's . Reef, and ten-ton lot from the Fourth July are included in the figures representing the quantity of stone crushed; but as neither lots ■faave been retorted yet, the returns are not included in the total quantity of gold. The amount of gold only represents the result from 233^ tons of stone, giving an average of 2 ozs. 6 dwts. 16 grs. to the ton. In the single stamper, there have been no less than ten lots crushed, varying in quantity from five tons • to as many hundredweight, and comprising, in all, nineteen tons of stone, which produced 16 ozs. 2 dwts. 15 grs. of gold, thus making the total product of the battery, for the month of September, exclusive of the Mariner's Heef and Fourth of July lots, 561 ozs. 2 dwts. 4 grs. of geld. In following up Tinker's Gully, and not far from the junction, one of the most pro-mising-looking claims is the Ladybird and Hand of Friendship Gold Mining Company, consisting of seventeen men's ground. The thickness of the celebrated black reef, cropping out at the very top of the spur, is here about ten feet, and another reef of lighter, but also good gold-bearing quartz, averages a width of eight feet, thereby giving conjoiutly the great depth of eighteen feet oi good gol!-----bearing leaders. There seems, indeed, to be an unlimited supply of quartz in this claim, and hundreds of tons can be got out by simply clearing away the top soil and cutting out paddocks of fine payable stone. Considering the indications of the outcrop, some rich stone should be met with lower down. Stone from this reef yielded, at a trial crushing at Souter's battery, come eight months ago, nearly two ounces to the ton, though plenty of gold was being lost at tbe time. A small piece of stone not half a pound in weight was crushed in a mortar in my presence, and it made a fine show in the pan. The enormous quantity of quartz in this company's claim must secure fine prospects for the shareholders for a great number of years to come. COROMANPEL. Many people believe that some first-rate ■claims will be found in the neighbourhood of . Tiki. The Rakia is a very good claim, in an excellent locality, and gold has been found in it for some time past. It is situated on the came range as tlie Tokatea. A_ crushing of three tons of stone from the Ancient Mariner's claim is to take place at Ring's machine during the week. A crushing of one ton some time ago gave 4soz„ . but this is expected to yield a still better return. Some Maoris made a discovery on Friday, •which will, it is hoped, turn out valuable. A parly of them were prospecting on Paul's Crtek, and entering a amall drive at a few feet from the surface, came on a small leader about fifteen inches thick. Gold is visible in tbe stoni', and a few days will determine its value. Upper Thames. We were informed yesterday by a man '. who is a member of a prospecting party, that ■some very rich gold-bearing quartz was found by his pirty in prospecting in the -ranges about Ohinemuri. Of course we only give the information as it was given to us, and do not vouch for the correctness of the fact stated. The Thames Times correspondent, writing frora Ohinemuri on Oct. 30, says:— The arrival of Mr M'Lean and the authorities is .anxiously looked for by all parties, pakeha ■ v and Maoris, as they believe the opening up of land wiil be almost simultaneous. In the meantime, Te Hira is evidently growing anxious, and is contemplating a remove— l heartily wish he would go — which shows that even he expects the final result to be the opening up of the auriferous country. For this I and all others devoutly pray.