Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell : Tuesday, March 4, 1873.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 173, 4 March 1873, Page 4

Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell : Tuesday, March 4, 1873.

Tt affords us great satisfaction to leam that the formation of the projected line oi railway to connect Lawrence with Tokomairiro is about to be commenced. Mr J. C. Brow.v, M.H.R., who is at, present on a visit here,—and who, it will be 3 membered, was mainly instrumental i n procuring the sanction of the Government to the construction of the Tuapeka line,-, telegraphed to the Colonial Government a few days ago with the view of ascertaining the probable time when the work would be begun. To that enquiry he received, on Thursday last, the following reply :

" Specifications are being prepared, and tin work will be let in six small contiacts. The (io, vernment will advertise for tenders on Mr Can nitber's return, which will be within ten clays, The line is to be pushed on.—J. Bathgate." 'Hie entire length of the line as laid out from the main trunk at Tokoraairiro to till junction of Whitehaven-street and Ros® place, Lawrence, is twenty-two miles. The construction of the trunk line through! Tokoraairiro will pi-oceed simultaneously': so that by the time the Tuapeka railvvaj is completed,—nominally two years fro J the date of commencement, but morj probably three in reality,—railway com] munioation between Lawrence and th| Metropolis will be an accomplished fact] Jt is understood that Mr Blair, one J the Government engineers, has been em] powered to arrange for the purchase of til land required along the line of route ; anj there seems good reason for believing thai no unnecessary delay will occur in the con: struction of the railway. As was mentioned in our last worn issue, Mr CAimtJTlIEiiS was favourably iijJ pressed with the natural facilities exists for a continuation of the Tuapeka raihvaj from Lawrence to Beaumont, and thenq up the valley of the Moiyneux toward! Roxburgh, Alexandra, Clyde, and Cronv well. A considerable time will proUbr] elapse before the railway extends fsuihd in this direction than Lawrence; but i will greatly depend upon the exertions q ourselves and our Representatives whethei the time shall be two years or ten.

Another project of great the residents of these vip-viver townships I the proposed erection of a bridge acres the Molyneux at Dunkeld (Beaumont] The Provincial Government are now in viting offers from persons a hie and Willul to embark in the speculation, and therei every reason to believe that the (nidge will be commenced within two or three mould from now. The chief advantages to U Ig lined from the erection of a bridge stttM Brfiiuraont will be the abolition of there! smt exorbitant rates of ferriage, and tli] 8 ibstitution of a compu-atively light iraj post in the shape of a to 1 upon horses an| vehicles. The reduced c >st of travelling! tnd from Dunedin by the Tuapeka routs will have a tendency to induce traffic of that road, and may help to cheapen till rates of coach-fare and the price of earriaga whilst the railway fioni Dunedin to Lavrj cence is in progress. When the lattei work is completed, we m iy look for a ver large reduction in the cost of eouveyinj goods from Dunedin to the Gold-fiell wOwnships. The present Executive seem to befall] alive to the importance of encouraging ffl increase of traffic by the Tuapeka route. List week Mr Bastings, Gold-fields Sccr? t try, and .Mr Simpson, Provincial Engineer, made a special journey ftom Dunedin tj Clyde, vid Lawrence, for the purpose q ascertaining the probable cost of inakin] such reductions of gradient, and ollief similar improvements, as would he reqiii dte to make the road fit for heavy traf in winter, and to enable the larger description of mail (o iches to travel between La* rence and Clyde through mt the year. M Chaplin, it is st\ted, has signified his wij ingness to ph c v a superior class of eoacki jn the line provided the road is put 9 condition. Ttie Danedin coach no] reaches Lawrence at four p.m., and migM easily be driven seventeen miles further-! viz., to the junction cf t'le Switzevs road-] the same night. From the Switzers jiinQj tion to Cromwell the distance is not moil than seventy-three miles ; and with ago« road there wou'd be nothing to proved the mail and passengers reaching Croniwa early in the evening of the second <bjj Unfortunately, there is no word of i| provemi nt to that part of the load betwej Clyde and Cromwell ; and it is rlcubtfj whether this portion does not stand ij more need of it than any other. 3Jessß Lasting* and Simpson would have don] well to extend their jouruey a littf further.

We are glad to be enabled to state that the contract for cutting a road along the cast bank of the Clutha from Cromwell to Quartz Reef Point, will be commenced in the course of n few* within the present week. The original intention was to form a bridle-track B ix feet wide ; but through the influence and exertions of the Mayor (Mr Fraer) the Government have been induced to authorise the construction of a dray road instead. The extra width required to suit wheeled traffic is only three feet, and the advantages in favour of a dray-road as compared with a bridle-track are s o obvious that it is needless to point them out. The construction of this road will be an important step towards opening-np a more direct line of communication betwixt Cromwell and the large tract of country lying between Bendigo and )/ike Hawea, to say nothing of the inducement that would be afforded (by doing away with ferriage) for the creation of a trade iu farm produce from the neiabourhood of Oamaru. We congratulate the Quartz Reef Pointers on the fact that, although thev have waited long, they have not waited in vain, and that the expense they have been put to since the track should have been made will be more than counterbalanced by the substitution of a dray-road for the horse-track originally proposed. Mr E. M'Nulty is the contractor. After Divine Service at the Cromwell School-house on Sunday evening, the Rev. Mr Jone3 intimated that the Bishop of Dunedin (the Risjht Rev. S. T. Nevill, D.D.) had expressed his intention to visit Cromwell about the end of next week, and would preach in Kidd's Hall on Sunday, the 16th inst., at 7.30 p.m. Letters addressed to the undermentioned persons were received at Cromwell Post-office in November last, and remained unclaimed at the end of February : —William Anderson ; Annie Corbett ; Joseph Kermaghan ; Win. O'Sullivan. The Elizabeth Q. M. Company cleaned - tm on Saturday, with a result of 60 ozs. 5 dwts. of gold from a little over 100 tons. During the past month crushing operations have been much ieiarded owing to scarcity of water. The Heart of Oak Company finished crushing a parcel of 160 to ISO tons on Tuesday last. The- quantity of gold obtained was between 67 and 68 ounces. We were shown yesterday, by Mr J. f!. Brown, a telegram to that gentleman from the nimager of the Gabriel's OnUy Quartz Reef (.'mnoany, stating the result of a three weeks' crushing of stone from the company's claim. About 300 tons were put through the mill, and the yield of retorted gold was 13.'> ozs. The working expenses of rhe mine average only about £45 a week ; so that the yield stated above leaves a handsome surplus of profit to the shareholders. We understand that Be Cars? has been appointed medical oTicer to the Loyal Cromwell Lolge of Odd-Fellows for the current half-year. Mr Owen Piei'ce, honorary treisurer to the ITutton Fund, desires us to state that he would fool greatly obliged if those subscribers who have not yet paid their coiitributioui would I do si at once. ! The compulsory s-de of one fourth .share ! in the Baunoekbum Water Race, advertised by ] tiu bailiff in last week's Akg us. took place at I the Conrt-hous) a f , n >on yesterday. The pro-! perty realised only £/. ! Stimulated by the results of recent! actions in tha Warden's Court, a number of i the miners holding interests in Pipeclay Gully I hive applied to the Warden to proclaim the bed j of the gullv a main tail-race or public sludge; i channel. -Although the creek-bed has already been worked several times over, and may therefore bo reasonably regarded as non-payable I ground, a party of sduieers lately took up a claim I there, with the ostensible object of sluicing the ! drift in the bottom of the gully, but in reality for the purpose of operating on the tailings from j the tunnel-claims on either fide. It is said they cannot make ' tucker' at the job ; yet they have obliged several of the tunnel nun—who have j been making good wages -to seek temporary j employment elsewhere until the paddock in the j creek-bed shall have been again turned over, i .Thus, in order to prevent valuable tunnel claims j \.mm being locked-up through the caprice of any miner or party of miners who may choose to do- \ mand the use of the gully water for "generalj Use," the proclamation of a sludge-channel is the only available mens of obviating the difficulty. The application will come before tho Warden cm the 3rd proximo.

The fortnightly meeting of tha local Municipal Council was to have taken place on Thursday evening kit, but owing to the boisterous nature of the weather, and the indisposition of the Mayor, it was alio ,vo,l to lapse. Contrary to his usual custom. Councillor Grant—to nsea vulgar phrase—" came up to the scratch," out in the absence of a- quorum he was deprived Man opportunity to advocate municipalprogres-

Last Wednesday's Gazette announces that tho sale of town allotments in Cromwell (formerly advertised, but afterwards postponed) In tn ' Ce * J ' ace <n * ue 14t " mst - > at uon »- Allotments in the townships of Bendigo, Newcastle, Pembroke, and Gladstone will be offered w sale at Bendigo on the 15th. Mr J. C. thapple will conduct the sales.

Mr Armstrong, dentist, announces elsewhere that he will not visit Cromwell before March IS.

The Nevis Race Mooting, to be held on "t Patrick's Day, will comprise the following events, viz. :-District Maiden Plate of 10 sovs. ; WJnct Flying Handicap of 20 sovs. ; Hack celling I; ace of 10 sovs. (open race) ; Nevis open) Handicap of 2", sovs. ; District Miners' »»'l Packers' Purse of 10 sovs. ; and Consolation jMjuap of 15 sovs. Wo understand that PJ-mted programmes will be circulated in a day or two.

The Thnaru Annual Races are adver BM m the local papers to take place on 18th P]U the programme comprises seven events, fetuiows:—Maiden Plate of £4O, with sweep- ? 3.° £: ' ! Timara Cup of £7O ; Hurdle Pace ' taU; South Canterbury Cup of £6O, with of £3 ; Hack Race of £lO ; Tradeson , Hau(Uoa P of £3O, with sweepstakes *•- ; and th«j Coasolatioa Handicap of £2-5.

I lleny, one of the best known and cleverest jockeys in New Zealand, " put his foot into it" at the late Tuapeka race meeting. In the Jockey Club Handicap, Atlas was leading by a neck coming up the straight; Tambourini (ridden by lfeay) was second, and Hatred third. Suddenly Tambourini swerved, and forced Atlas off the course, thus spoiling the hitter's chance of winning by allowing Hatred to take front place. The Jockey Club have therefore disqualified Reay, for jostling, from ever again riding or running a horse on the Tuapeka Course. They also disqualified another jockey named Malone for a year for breaking an engagement to ride. The Dunedin correspondent of the Bruce Herald says he has it on the best authority that some of Brogden's men, the day they landed from the Charlotte Gladstone, " in order to get beer, sold the boots at 45., which had been supplied to them by Messrs Brogden at a cost of 205., and that a number of their coats and shirts adorn the walls of our local pawnshops." Mr Stafford addressed his constituents at Timaru on the evening; of Feb. 26. There was a crowded attendance in the hall. Sir D. Monro, on next evening, met an audience of 300 at Waikouaiti. Both were thanked, and received votes of confidence. The Miners' Association movement has been gone into with vigour at Mount Ida. An association has been formed at Naseby, and strong efforts are being made to form branches in the different rising centres of the district. Most people will recollect the inquest held on George Blackall, whose body was found in a creek to the south of Mount Horrible. Tiie inquest was brought to a conclusion on the 27th November last, when the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown. There were c!e irly some grounds for the verdict, but not sufficient, as we" stated at the time, for such a finding. The reason evi- ! dently which led the jury to the verdict was j that the watch and the pocket-book known to I have been possessed by the deceased were not on | the body. The matter now has been set at rest, I and that the unfortunate man's death can be I ascribed to suicide there is no reasonable doubt. Yesterday morning, as Mr Briggs, fanner, and h-'s wife, whose land is in the vicinity of Mount \ Horrible, were driving away a lot of which j j had trespassed on their property, thev came \ | across, in among the tussocks, a pocket-book and '• I watch. In the pocket-book there was a bill i or some document with the nam-? of " Geo. i Blackall" written on it. Inspector Buck lev was ! male acquainted with the discovery, and left! ! town to bring in the property.— Timaru Herald,