MR WARDEN REVELL'S REPORT ON THE INANGAHUA.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 6 September 1880, Page 2

MR WARDEN REVELL'S REPORT ON THE INANGAHUA.

The following is Mr Warden Revell's Annual Report upon this portion of the Nelson South-West,' Goldfields :— The Inangahua district was temporarily attached to the Bulfer District, and came under my charge in' June last with a view of being permanently attached if it was found that the wjirk of both districts could be fairly performed by one officer or otherwise pending a readjustment of the Wardens' districts. In carrying ont the duties attachedjto this district, T have only been able toj attend to the aetun' duties in connection with the several Courts, and am indebted to the Receiver of Gold Revenue /or the general information in respect of quartz and alluvial workings throughout the district. This district during the past twelve months has felt, in common with the rest of the coloDy, the great depression in the money market, and, as>a~ consequence, less activity has bpdh exhibited in the various mines through the withdrawal of outside cnpilaj than in former years, and it has therefore had to depenJ almost entirely upon itself; and to this may be attributed the fact of so little prospecting being done. Attention has been directed chiefly to further opening old established mines and erecting permanent works in eonnecs tion therewith. Many hands were knocked off, and the several mines worked with a greater regard^t'o economy, much of tbe work being 'done by contract, which has been found| to answer much better than the old system of employing day-labour. Some time ago the rate of the ordinary miner's wages was reduced from £3 10-< to £3 per week. An attempt was made to hold out against the reduction : the strike, however, lasted but a very short time ; a few, sooner than accept rednc tion, left the.- dis ricfc ; others, again, turned their attention to alluvial mining. Some of the fcmpanies which hitherto I allotved their tailings to flow away are now taking steps to save them with the view ultimately of treating them. It is worthy of notice that a (]pw min^s which have been wrouaht for a numl c year* unprofitable have been disposed of to adjoining and more prosperous com* panics. As an instance of this, the Wealth of Nations Company have purs chased the mines of the New Independent and Vulcan Companies, and. with their own leases, will now hold 54 acres 2 roods 19 perches. Then, again, there are instances of adjoining claims amalgamating and larger companies being formed — viz . the Alexandra with Fiery Cross Company, No. 2 South Larry's with Caledonian Company. One of /the most important events of the year Iris been the revival of mining at the head of Murray Creek. In that locality *he Gbldon Treasure Company ha*j? proved the existence of a very large bedy of payable stone. This Company was fortunate enough to purchase upon very easy terms the crushing plant, in close proximity to their mine, known as the West land Lattery, which they have kept employed upon stone from their mine for a long time past. It has been provedjbeyond doubt, with greater crushing«power, the erection of which is con« templated, and strict economy in working, this mine would take its place as one of the best-paying in the district. Advantage has been taken by two or three companies of the proyisions of ' The Mines Act, 1878, Amendment Act, 1879.' tud they have made application thereunder for protection. It would appear as though some slight alteration or amendment was nocessary, for, as it stands at present, it would be necessary for a company possessing two or three acres to incur a sirriiW expenditure to a company posse^'ng 16 * acres to entitle it to protect'wp.' ■' The yield of gold for the twelve months amount's, as far as can be ascertained., to 22-620 z. 3dwt. llgr., of which 4 530^z. 0/iwi. 7gr. is alluvial gold ; the balance— ]8,059' 1 z I.1 '. I7ilwfc. 4;jr.- being obtained from 'lie various reefs, the y'wUs from the several companies b^ins as folloTs : —

Considerable attention has been given to alluvial mining at Italian, Burkes, Maori, and Linkey's Gnllies — more es« pecially at the last named place, where a number of men have set to work, most encouraging prospects having been ob* tamed in the locality. There is a great quantity of ground here, but the drawback is the scarcity of water. It has been suggested, in order to facilitate prospecting in portions of the district at , resent but little known, that base-lines should be cut. A track to the Maruia Plains has be* n opened at considerable expense to facili« tate the transit of stock, and will prove a great boon to the inhabitants, as it a ill have the effect of considerably reducing the price of raent. The track, if extended for a few miles, would enable farmers and otherg on the Aniuri Plains to find a market for their stock throughout the West Coast generally. Ail iniMatory step 3 have been 'aken in the formation of tlie Black's Point Low* level Tunnel Company. The object of (he company is to drive a tunnel from the right to the left baud branches of the Inangahua River, a distance of some ;wo and a half miles, for the purpose of intersecting nine known golden quartz lodes at a depth of some 1,500 feet below 'he ou! crops. These reefs or lodes have been worked to some extent, and the yield has averaged l^lwt. per ton, a return that will leave a very handsome margin of profit over workine expenses. The s : ze of the tunnel is to be, inside of timbers, 5 leet wide at the top and 6 feet ;it the bottom. 6 feet 4 inches in height from top of tratn^rails to cap piece. FTorse^power will be employed at first to draw the trucks, on a double line of rail ; but tin*, it is anticipated, will be replaced by a mole steam-engine (a recent Ameii* can invention now at woi k in the Nevada silver mines), possessing the peculiar characteristic of being able to work in a drive 4 feet high, consuming its own smoke, and doing the work of thirty mules. It will be observed on reference to pre« vions report that there has been no falling off in the revenue; and this coupled with the fact that there are no spare hands in the field, would indicate the en istence of the belief entertained in tl« permanence and ultimate prosperity of the district. Mr Revell concludes his Report with tables showing the total value of our mining properly to be as follows :— Mint ing plant and machinery, £74,830; 101 head-races, of an aggregate length of 83 miles, with 447 heads of water, £18,283 j 43 tail-races, £1,709 ; 56 daws and resen voirf, £2,300.

' ■ Oz. nwVgr Knergetic Company- ...3.041 13 19 Welcome Comnany ...4193 16 25 Justin-Time Company... 1 572 0 9 (Vedonian Company ... 107 7 12 Tnkermm Company ... 76 3 8 United Jn2l p^ o °d Nor'h Star Company ... 327 2 18 Wealth ot Nations Co 1305 10 5 Just -in-Time and Fiery Cross E. Company ... 117 14 7 Golden Arch Company ... 48 7 5 Pnctolui Company ... 62 8 10 Hopeful Company ... 362 2 5 Golden Fleece Extd Co. 836 13 0 Golden Treasure Co. ... 233 5 19 Independent Company ... 602 8 2 Fiery Cms* Company ... 613 8 12 Kf-ep-itsDark Company 4,057 16 8 Nil Desperaudum Co. ... 131 1 16 Perseverance Co. ... 13 9 9 Victory Company ... 312 8 19 Graham and Allen ... 41 19 0 18AS9 17 4 Alluvial 4530 6 7 22,620 3 11