UNION COMPANY, DEVILS CREEK.
Tlio erection nnd starting of a now oiu.shing plant in this dtHtriot is an event ho rare nod of no muoh importance in tho oll'-ot it will hnyo on fclto valno of l!ie claims in tho neighbourhood of ils eroo* lion as to admit somowhal of a detailed no* fount in describing llic locality plant, nnd other mlj-im-U. ft may also bens well to mention that fho Ocmpuny havo nt their own ri.-k nnd expenso opened up a portion of tho district thai until the ln.it few 'month!) wus unlrol lon o\'oopt by the hnrdy fow who allow no natural obxlaelc to ohofllc lhair movements. Tt is now coin* pn a'ivt'ly accessible, and na vvo «lill live in hopos of seeing sonw fi»o wonthur this flummor. ft. visit to tlio company's mnchino si c and oluun would than bo a plonsant trip for our town friends. At M'lnnorny'u hotel, within ft short distance of litofton, tho road to Dovil's Creole oommonoos. Hor« wo tak* the tramway as far a» Gilmour's sluicing claim whoro it finishes, and a drny road then lends past tho ooal raino to a point in the Crook tho bed of Which is used an a rond from this up. Tho tramwny, used for lh» oonvoynnco of ooul, wus a groat oonvoni* (uico to tho company ;' for tho proprjolor Mr I'luncrncy allowed tho ninohinery to bo tidcon over it, which could not otherwise hftvo been done without making n rond if a wholo length. In tho vioinily of tho coal inino, tho coul can bo noon rory no ay tho snrfaoo, an I a Uiilk lo the And of tho tumiol that nntors tho inino will brin^ to view a splendid senni of ooul several foot thiok and of undisoovorod extent. LoAvinpf this wo follow tho drny road mado by tho County Oounail, which,, nUhou^h now bonr.s in plnocs strong ovidonco of having had a Rront culling up l»(cly, and lends us a(M'Ofls two immense piles, ono might nlinost call thnm mountains, of tailings thnt tho sluiccrs have sont down from tlio noif»hbourii)Cj' diuginga nt Soldier's, When nrnvod at tho Oroolc wo nro within a short distnnoo of tho Goldon Poiul claim, for crossing tho crook and striking into tho bush on tho othor flido wo find a track that would soon tnko us to tho claim, but we huvo a longov journey bo« forous so wo will contiuuoour way up tho stronm. Tho distanco from M'fnnorrij's to tho maoluno sito is about tivo miloa tramway and road togethori and throo milos in tho crook bod. For tho first, two milos tliO'Orook it protty fair travelling, ull I ho logs nnd trees th.it formerly blocked i. Imvo boon cut ftwny nnd romovo.l, ihe Inrgo stones blusted or rollo.l to tho si le ; nnd where ponsiblo, in this anA. Ujo above <:<w>Ui,i,, Ihn rond hn« been /(akoii across ■.ue o: clou;; ", 'AJrf^' «'!'"ro it
could bo made available ft foot track lor pedestrians winding unionist tlio lree< on llio low banks end is luir liMvc-lliua in lino weathor. Two miles from whero wo on« tared* tlio croik is j >mod by n hie branch coming in from tlio lop rind -the nats tliui bordered tlio stream on either lmnd now giro out and tho hill sides aholvd steeply down inlo the creek. This branch is known n« tho Oiionlnl Crock, for up it half a mile, and on tho riuht hand Hide tho clnim is situated ; n claim thnt must eventually command public favor from tho splendid show of gold and 1 argo r«ofs it contains. Tho last mile of tho road from tho Orioutnl jinolion to Iho Union Company's machine site, i* by fur tho roughost portion of it, nnd bofore it wns attempted to bo mndo a roadway was pilod with rocks and blocked with timber in such n manner thnt it soomod almost n hopoloss task to mnko it passnhlo for wheel truffle Such, however, through Iho exertions of Mr Jonathan Auld tho company's manner baa been dono; but tho floods thnt pourod down it during tho throo weeks that tho twenty lons of m-ichitiery -VJtro being hnulpd . through, again and again scoured dorp IfolM aVid ehnsm* in its bed, that had repeatedly to bo filled and tho who'c length mndo passable before Another loud could bo brought along. However, it was all d. livorod nfter a long and hard simple, Tho crowning triumph being iho day tho rngino waj haulod through, with oleven waggon horses u(* laohod, two drivers, and a crowd of ready helpori hovering nround wliosj sertieds wero, often required, and members of which would omorgo after a s'umblo in Iho creek dripping like any tea god, but • always como up smiling. 1 Tho machine silo being reached wu find firs' n commo. dious blacksmith':) idiop on tlio right bnnk of tho eroclc. immediately nhovo iho managers house perched on a knoll overlooking tho ba'tory, which is directly opposite, and if) reached by a bridge, Tho area of the nito is somewhat liniiloJ, tho n:njor part hoing exenratod out of tho hill Hide, and % smut! portion reclaimed frcm tho crook. A substantially built houso is oreotod Ovor Iho butteries, a loau<to coyer* ing theengino nnd tables. Tho engine, a doublo cylinder portable one, of fifteen horso power by Ituhey, though intended to driro fifteen head of has but ten to work at proacnt ; they aarte t how* over,|of groat weight averaging 830 lbs, each, and uro expected to bo as clfoctivo as throo batteries of 6 o<vt stamps, Should tho company find it neoivssn.'y to erect tho other fivo headx, tho bed log. for their rereptiun aro nlroady laid, end ihoy could noon bo placed in poHition. Tho appliances for s.iving gold ara similar to those in usa in other batteries here, viz , copper pinto*, ripples, and blanket strakei ; tho wholo being erected and iho machinory plieod in position undor tho able superintendence of iMr D. M'Laehbin. Tho furnuco will be fed with coiil from a seam tho Company have on lenso, the tramway, shoots, nnd bridges con* nocled with it being all but tinUhod, und no dolay in starting will b«< on> ensioned by having to wait for fuel. Slenm was got up during tho week by using wood, tho draught was found to bo oxoollont, and all parts connoctcd worked smoothly and well. At tho inino. Iho stopoa look promising, tboro is abnndanco of stone, nnd with a modorato yiold, all | iltut hnn hern hol.ed forward 10, tho success of Iho company m:iy be looked upon as certain. I'jswibly dui> ing iho (irst weok of .Doei>mber overy* thing wdl be ready for n fair slarl, and an we aro all looking forward to the holidays let us hopo tho rottuU of tho crushing by that tit;io will loaro no doubt on tho niin.N of shnroiioldors of i I m being n " Morry Christmans." Black's P int, 23rd, 1878.
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Inangahua Times, Volume 23, 25 November 1878, Page 2
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1,162UNION COMPANY, DEVILS CREEK. Inangahua Times, Volume 23, 25 November 1878, Page 2
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