MURRAY CREEK.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 4 July 1881, Page 2

MURRAY CREEK.

GOLDEN TREASURE.

During tbe last six months this com* pany has made steady progress towards the position it now occupies in this district as one of the foremost claims on the list, and should present indications hold good, no great length of time will be required to place the rent nre in the first rank without a rivah Atthe beginning of tbe year the company was heavily in debt, having some time previously purchased the Westland crushing plant and battery, and that at a time when the mine was far from sufficiently prospected to warrant any great outlay. But the result bas fully demonstrated the wisdom of tbe management in securing to the company the crushing property so convenient, which was then in. the market. It having been disused for a considerable, time, some extensive re* pairs were necessary. These were at once taken in hand and completed and an addition to the crushing power made by tbe erection of six more stamps, so that the mill is now capable of reducing noi only all stone from the company's own mine, but also any custom stone from the adjoining claims wben occasion requires for the necessity. A win_B has also been sunk a depth of about 90ft dur« ing tbe same period, and the upper level extended towards the Comstock leasehold, which in the meantime had also been acquired by tbe company by purchase, and paid for. The winze was sunk on tbe reef showing in the upper workings, and followed down tbe depth above stated, and tbe stone raised therefrom crushed from time to time clearly proved tbe in creasing value of tbe mine as the work progressed foot by foot. The last crushing wbich was finished just before the half-yearly meeting of shareholders on Thursday last, was taken from tbe lowest level which was lately opened out north and south, and resulted in the very handsome yield of 186ozs 15Jwt of retorted gold j this wss principally obtained from 72 tons of stone from the level south, which was put through the mill by itself. Another lot of stone was also crushed separately from the north side, but yielded only a few pennyweights to the ton. It was necessary to make these tests in order to determine the relative value of tbe different parts of the reef, so tbat tbe plan for future operations may be based on tbe data obtained. Although tbe reef at tbis plsce proved very poor, yet tbe operations in th

direction disci >sed tbe expeote^ result namely, that the gold seemed to improve aa tbe work advanced northwards, renders ing it highly probable that good payablo stone exists further ahead, but at tbo present further prospecting io this direction will be discontinued, as a' nndanceof really first-class slone of six or seven feet io thickness is disclosed, and easily obtainable on tbo other side of tbd winze. With Ibis thickness of stono the mill can be kept going without tbe neces-* sity of employing an increased number of hands, wbich it was intended to put on, before (he fall extent of the reef was known. The result of late crushings and tbe present prospects of tbe mine fully warrant the belief that tbis company will henceforth pay regular snd handsome dividends as all liabilities have teen cleared off, and tbe mine judging from past experience, wili be c-refully and economically bnt yet efficiently worked. An improvement will be re* quired in tbe haulage of the stuff from the workings to the mill bat tbis, with other matters of detail, wis left to tbe newly appointed directors witb tbe assistance and on the recommendation of tbe mine manager to deal witb.