MINING INTELLIGENCE.

West Coast Times, Issue 2588, 8 January 1874, Page 2

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

(FBO^I THE INANGAHUA HERALD, JAN. 3.)

The Wealth of Nations Company's machine was set in motion on Wednesday, at 12 o'clock. Previous to resuming work repairs were effectsd, and the machine paddock filled with stone. The Energetic Company have taken advantage of the opportunity for crashing and have kept the machine going during the holidays the water supply being sufficient for that purpose. ■' The crosscut, from the main tunnel, in the N,ew North Star Company's groiind ? has been driven 60ft.' There are six men employed on the ■ wort, 'and, excepting Christmas, work has been continuous through the holidays. In' the Golden Ledge men are busily engaged timbering the grbund#taken out' during the past four weeks. As soon as this is completed^riving both north and south will be resumed, and a paddock constructed for holding stone.

In the New North Star contractors have driven 51ft, and are at present progressing slowly in consequence' of having met with a hard bar.. The present contract , is let for 100 ft, but it is confidently expected that the reef will- be met at about SOft. An enormous amount of work has been done on this ground, the number of feet of driving now approaching 1000 ft. The shaft in Anderson's is now down

1 20 ft, carrying with it a well-defined reef 3ft in thickness, showing good gold. The tunnel through the Invincible mine is now^ 656 ft, being 800 ft in since the Anderson's ■'* Cempahy took the driving in hand. Before reaching the southern boundary of Anderson's mine,- 240 ft will have to be driven. The present contract for 60ft, through a hard bar of rock, is let at £3 193 per foot. The company is now free from all liability,, and a balance of £295 lying ttf their crealt at the company's bankers. Crushing 1 will be commenced for the Invincible Company on Monday, next, and the batten*"* nrc likely to be eniployeil fi-c weeks. The water-race will' then be repaired ; after which crushing will be.ebmm.tihcpd 00 con>pany's stone, of which a large lot is now to grass. „■ . . - ■ '

Mulligan and party, of. the ten-acre alluvial claim, Soldier's Grully, will resume sluicing ' operation's ' on Monday next. During the past six months the claim has yielded 3530z of gold . which has been divided among five shareholders. The result^ia eminently satisfactory, and, considering the extent of ground the party have to work upon, proves the claim to be a most valuable one.

On Tuesday last the residents at the Landing township were alarmed by the cry of fire* when' flames were observed to suddenly burst from a large unoccupied hotel, formerly' the 'property ot Mr James Danks. All efforts to arrest the progress of the fire were fruitless, and within a very short space of time the building, valued at £300 to £400, as also a splendid billiard table, was reduced to -aahea. The icause olf the fire cannot be accounted tor, since the doors and windows of the building had been locked and boarded up by Mr Darika previous to his removal to Capleston, and what serves also to render the circumstance more singular is, that the fire should have occurred at mid-day.

A very narrow escape from a serious conflagration, occurred on Thursday evening, in the store recently the property of Messrs Stjitt. Brothers, Broadway. At the close ®f tlie auction sale of goods left overfrom the bazaar,,' Mr Mtmson, while taking down a swing lamp, let it fall, and the glass portion 1 breaking' into fragments the floor was immediately in flames, the latter ascending to a height of several feet. Fortunately there was nothing in the store which would readily „ ignite, and numbers being present the. fire after some little effort was subdued.