DEVIL'S CREEK DISTRICT.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 50, 1 July 1878, Page 2

DEVIL'S CREEK DISTRICT.

(flllOM A COIMIBapoNDRMT,)) A flow miloH to tlio Houthm'nsfc o£ Kuo-f« ton, tltcro aro linos of gold bearing' i>ooff» f nooon/1: to. now in tho'lnaugahun distvict, hi-jifc which, from tho. difficulty of getting crunhing poworv nnd tho rough and rUiU'Rcd' nnturo of tho country, aro-lmt littlo known to. tlW' gonoral public. This country throvgh which .Devil's Crook nuns, is now likely to oomo moro into favonabto notioo, for tho Onion Company,, baying somo timo ago dooidod' to orcot osiwhiug power taroduoo tho stone taJian fttQD* thoir nuno various works, aro now in hand,, a btjiof inotioe of which, with an. no* oount of soroo of fcho i»inoa wo will endoavor to giyo. Inn parb of this rough country whioh )io» to. tho- south, of tho Inangnliua Kivoi, nndi diKtnnt from tho Woalth of NntionN about threo milfcn, m tho oruw fliios, tho brotihom Adnmn sotao liwayonrs ago-diHoovorod pnyablo gold in quarts. They woro mwmbcrs of a co* oporafivo- company* of whom nix woro paying in* and two pronpouting. Therosult of a fow wooka exploration, was bho discovery o£ tho lino «of roof now bonring thoir names. Golden q|Unrt3, was fits found in what is now known ns tho "• Hoathcr 801 l " clnim, Going north, and following tho «amo lino, tho roof wn* again foundion tho surfaoo in IN on 1 and % "Fnion' 'and 1 "Advanoo " olnims. No li South ftlno exposes tho roof,, but liko most of tho othor olniras no work has. boon dono on, it. In tho Jfoathor 801 l a shaft wna ftank on tho roof> nt 70 foot tho roof gnvo out uiulorfoot, dipping rapidly do tho south., riio stono in sinking averagod fotu* faot in wkUh,. and oarriod oxoollont gold; somo of tho patches showing vory rioli. A tunn/)l was tlwn startod to out this, roof at about 120 foot doop, and wnadrivoa for nboiU 200' foot whon tho' Bharoholdi'»s seeing tv>. immodiato lilcoliJiood of machinery boing plnood on tho ground thought it best to disoontimio working, and so it romains up to tho prosont, In this okim and also in tho Union., tho blocks of stono huvo a slight undorlio to tho west, bat dip to. llio south, a noliooublo foaturo, for in the neighborhood of Murray Crook thoy all dip to tho north.. Tlw stono is of a dark bluo sonray naturo, and evidently contains fiomo mineral, for on boing oxposed to tho air for. a timo tho gold box comes ooatod with somo oxido and ia dil^<!ult to bo socju Bottor gold hno boon found in this ohiim than in any othor on tho lino,nnd interests in it aro hold firmly, thoir holdevs being undor tho impronsion it will bo tho premier claim on this lodo. Oroasing v owall circcU^aud fpllowin^ th.o

baso linoN.Uo:> \V.', wo uucoud tho souf-horn I'auc of a thiokly wooded hill, iiml nciir tho top ijoirio upon the root ex«« posed on tho nurfiu'O'in tho Union claim. Tho atono is hero seven and eight foot wide in plaooa several fool above tho ground, it is of n soft frlmblo nature, and needs but slight examination to discover oxeollont goW* About 830 tons of quarts: lay at tho entrance of tho tnnnol lhat has heon drivou, and pioe.es of stono taken promiscuously from tho hoop and ornshod in a morUr always lying there givo good payablo ronults. This tunnol is drivon with fcho roof, and is in about 120 foot, for noarly 100 foot there is an aTora«o of sown feet of stono, at lhat distance tho lodo pinohon and is lost for about eight feot, when it ngahi miikos, throo foot of roof being now oxjpoßod in tho ond of tho drivo. A vino has boon put through to tho aurfaco al>out 82 carrying a largo i n 1 pnynblo body of Atono all tho way, tho roof in p>noos swelling out to 0 and 10 feot in width, nwj improving in quality ns it widen*. The jilono now exposed will Mfep ton hoadsr |mployedi many month*, nnd a Inrg© bfo<& of slono may bo oxpcoted bofovo reaching tho northern boim« dary. When another lord is required to bo oponcd it oim' bo dono with very littlo oxponso the lino- of roof running down tho faco of tbo hilt, and requiring no long and [ expensive tunnel to bo driven to cut it. In fact about 180 foot down tho lull from tho proaont level looho blooltfl of stono ar" showing lh»ou>jh (ho purfnoo. evidently denoting tho neighborhood of tho roof. Tho works now in pronrosn, and which will bo completed boforo th" battory start h arc^ fu'Bt a Rhort tramway to convoy tho qunrtz from I ho mine to tuo bond of No 1 Rhoot, $X>foctlbmi, This Bhoot empiion into a paddooli. capabio of holding 70 tons. Tho quartz, is then conveyed on a ti'Hinwny cut along tho nidoling of tho hill lor forty clintus to the head of No 2 shoot piddoclc 3GU feet in length, nnd from which the battery will bo fo<l ; (he maohino itself standing in an excavation out in Iho hill sidojunt above tho level of Devil's Crook, Tho batlery will bo of ton sevon hutul rod weight stamp*, with an onm'no cnpablo of driving fli'teen, All tho bod logs nre on the t>round, ani limber for tnnohino \\o\kd is rondv to bo delivcrcl. A tramway of 48 ohainß to convoy ooul from Uie company's coal niino to tlio br.t tory hrn been lot, and the Creek lihh boon cleared) n»d made pnssablo as a road, for a great d'wtuneoj for tho conroyanoo of mnchinory, A part of tliis- bus bi-on dono by tiho Oounty.ponnoil, the romnindor by the eoiui any... l^or tivo remaining soctions of tbo road lying between M'lnnerney's (ton l pyt unfJ n point m Divil'ii Creek tho Council arolno'w icndy to call for tendoro, Shi'uld tho fwtuls and nid of tho Council, for whieb tho thanks o( tho Company aro rluo» bo iiMufllqiwit at prosent to oar r v tho WO k thrown* nnother nii'i direct r tt 0 for tlio conveyanooci machinery- lios opon to tho company, and wiiick no. doubt they ; will avail fchemsolives of. Notice was rereceived Iwlre last week of kW plant having urrivinl in jOreyntouth, Mid barring tho weather nnd this pioco of voad everything i* in good trim fotf its. conveyance and erection., Ah to tb» paying q,uidkies of tho stone those wlw> hnvo tnken tho troublo tavwit tho mino will bo nblo to judge for themselves, but porhapg tbo host guaranioepf it a gonuinoneaa is tho fact of tlio pritioipnl' flharoholdors being work* ing men who luivo hold their intoroalH from, tho (|rsl,. have, and/ nro paying honvy culls every month, hnvo dnrty and ywrly oipenionci of tlw mines in tho Murray Creole difllriot, ye^ fool not a doubt about tho paying qualities of the Union Cnm* pany'u roif. Should ovorythinft lurn out favoimblo it, will give an impetus to this district such na it sadly needt^ i'ov tboro can he uo doubt some vahwblo piwperlios aro lying idle simply from tho distrust oast oveif thew by inferior onulu'ngs in tho lliiiny Creek Dis»riot» North of, and adjoining tho Union 'w tl»a AdiTanoo clrtim,. through which, tlu> reof can. bo , trnocd. foV noanly its- wholo. length. It is • woll situated, for tunnelling:, but liko-othor ioltuuus out in thisbuoh no. work has been ' dono on jt,. savo a pnssor by stopping to hunt vp 'a f«w specimon«. To tho north weatjjfinlf a milo,. is Davis' (Oriental) rce IwhiohVftows a largo blow on, tho surfaoo' lof very jlikoly looking sboiw. A tunnol to cut tholroof some 4D> feot bolow tho outorop ha(; boon driyon disolosing a roof of about eight foot in width* rMcmbling in nppearanoo tho Heather Dell ntono and oxcp|4i'nally rich in gold. PVoportios. such as T havo mentionod, an»l othora stilt unprospootod, but in favorablo. situnilions will oomo to tho foro as soon a» a favorablo result is 1 , known from tho yiold of tho Union Oompnny'n roof. In tho meantimo they juill lio quiotly dormant, but tho publio-'will hoar of them by-and-byo as tho loading mines and most prolific pro» chwor4.pf the Inangnlnm district, ! UWk's Point, .Tuno 20t,h, 1878,