OUR MINES

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 32, 17 May 1878, Page 2

OUR MINES

MTJRUA.Y CREEK. (FROM OUH MININO ni?I>OIlTBH.) hatnyTbtsisk. Wkdnk«J)a.y, lotii May, Although it corlninly cnnnot bo said that any very c;roi\t success liob hh yot nt!tM)(lcd tlio dovolopmonfc of tlio ynvious •mines in thin pnvt of tlio Innr.gnlmii DiH«« trict, it is atill of sorao flnfciafnolion <o hxovf that tbo steady porsovomnco and pxortions of tlioso pnvlios who nro in« lorcstod, nro dny by day diHolosinpf stono of n muoh improvo'l quniity, nnd togolhor with rcoont now finas tbo ontiro nspoofc of ibis locality gives great proraiao of a

move prosperous condition of affairs, and however much disappointment n»ay havo been oKporioncod in tho first opening of this locality, it must eventually form no small item in tho mining industry of this field. Tho distance at which those mines are situated will scarcely admit of regular Qfcteudanco to cnablo tho wockly progress to bo rooorded, having however, paid n visit during' the past week tho latest find nnd lust new vowluro worthy of mention is tho BAL/10LA.VA. The amount of work done u>p to tho prosont timo is corlainly vory limited' and theroforo no lengthened detail can bo ns yet given. Tho position of the mino may bo thus given j about 100 yards to iho cant of Graham and Allen's main paddock a largo body of stono lias been oxposod on a ffno loading spur, At tho time of my visit a spaco of about thirty feet in length and ten or twelve inches in width liud been stripped of iho surfaco showing a body of quart*, of no moan dimensions. Having expressed a dcniro to sco a prospcot washed a dish of tiho stono from tho most solid part of tho r?of wa« procuredand. certainly produced tho vory best pros-, pcot of looso gold that has como -under my notioo in this, district. Largo blocks of quartz similar in nppoaranco are seen cropping through tho Burfuco in various parts- of tho hill for a hundred focfe below tho spot whoro tho prospect was taken, but whofchor thoso are ono contin uous lino of stono remains yet to bo proved, Tho olaim is in suoh oloso proximity to tho battory that a tr/imwny of threo or four chains in length will connect the mino with Graham and Allon'a m«in paddock, thoro will thoroforo bo no difficulty in getting, a trial oushing. It is intendo 1 to sink a trial shaft on tho lodo from tho spot roferrod to ns containing tmoh good gold. As tho work.i «t present aro confinod to •ihosurfnoo it is noi-ossary to ownifc tho result of fuYHier opening before (flaring any further ooniKOnt.. INKEItMAN. This company is also ono among tho number that although not onconraged wilh nny marked success at present aro patiently and diligently porauifig a steady and judicious courso of operations tho naturo of which is ovory day provinufiho pormanoncy of tho lodo, and- if continuing tho sumo form and dimensions will show suflloiont inducement to justify i\\a ox« pondituvo of erecting a buttery for themselves which ia indeed tho only require* ment to make this mini) a dividend paying property. It will doubtless bo remomberod that. Iho trial crushing was tnken from a lurgo NurfnoQ blow wjttoh was oaloulatod to produce a pnynhle ysold, bnt guvo only a return of 4} dwta to tho ton. .The erirnpany nothing (Wntefl with t A iciv disappointment havo ooutjnMed working mkl sineo then have oponod4helod6 l>y menus of n shaft, and tunnel -oiglity foot lovpor down and upon this isv<>l Iho roof shows a roally well definod oloanbody of stono of nearly twenty feet. A. trial crushing from thin level In k.pn from wjjjl 10.-wnll gnTo an average' yield of 7* dwts to i'h*o* l tbn.N*A. level is now being driven on this stono iho faco of which enrrios a vory la^oi"able appniiranee, and it in intondod to cxi tend this work for forty or fifty foot furlhor which will givo somo idea of Uio block, whon this is acoomplisliod it is in<» tended to sink to a further loyot of ono hundred or ono hundrod nnd fifty feef, in tlio event of tho lodo being proved to livo down and if only hnlf tho thioknesi uh'Wn in tho p-osont lovcMhcvo rood t lion bo no hesitation on tho part of shareholders to oro«t a buttery at once, for it is indeed only a mattor of timo and capital that will prove tho development of this mino to bo a dcoirlbdly successful enterprise. A very largo sum of money hns boon oxponded in tno construction of various worlfs. Tho wholo of tho tram* ways, paddocks,, and othor outsido npplinno'B being of tho most substantial construction. It may in truth bo snid tlinl no company in tha, field is moro Joservii.fj of success, and> sooner or Inter they mnnl obtain' it. GPBAHAM AND ALLEN'S, Although lost, no.lf least worthy of monMon i» tho steady conrso of work carried on by th> abof o dntorprising goniln^on. Tiv tho face of mans obstacles iho mino is kept constantly at work. Tho history of Iho prospecting olaim is to tho sorrow of many well known and fchoreforo r.oods no comment. r Jlii lnrgo surfnoo blow has had a thorough fjood trial, and it hns been decided as tho most luorativo pro« oneding to lot it remain whoro it is, but sixty feet lowor down a level is boing (akon out where tho stono is niuoh smaller but of far bettor quality. In another part of tho hill on Iho opposito sido to tho stir* faoo blow another block of stono is being prospected and Tarn inlormod by Messrs Graham and Co., that they aro now gotting better quartz than any previously mot with in this locality, Upon tho wholo I may venturo to say that ltainy Crook presents a (ar moro encouraging appearance than it has sinco Iho first day it was opened, and although no great amount of gold has yot been produced thorofrom I havo ovory reason to bclievo it has noon tho worot of its diys. It may not bo out 'of plaoo to mnko a few romorks rtpon tho condition of tho road by winch the wholo of tho supplies to this place havo to bo taken. From Black's Point to the mouth of Iho crcok

does not cortninly call for apodal com* plaint, but from tho river bod to the machine a distance of ovor two miles iho tho bed of tho Crook forms tho only rond by which pnok W.-tos hoavily Indou avo compollod to travel. It is scarcely ncocs^ tinry to point out that after cvevy flood largo holos in tho bod of tho Crock aro formed from tho action of tho torrent, thoso together vrith huge logs and other debris aro deposited in all directio.is tluw rendering many of tho tradespeople in tho district subject to a heavy loss at any moment. Without wishing tO com>pluin of tho slightest dilatorincss on tho part of the Council, bufc at tho samo time in viewing tho matter in. a rcasonablo light, that, whoro two or threo companies nro expending a largo amount of capital to dcvolopo a portion of tho district and , employing botweon 25 und 30 hand/, and a fifteen head battery almost constantly employod, it may certainly bo assumed that tho trifling sura requirod to consi&uct a small bridlo traolc along tho sideling cloar of tho crook would bo far from a waslo of public money and doubtless wero ' tho attention of tho Council called to tho matter they would at onoo doom Iho con* struction of suoh a work much ncodod | and givo it their consideration,