CARRICK RANGE.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 203, 30 September 1873, Page 5

CARRICK RANGE.

The manager of the Elizabeth Q.M. Company says :—" There is nothing to report from this company. Work at the mill is almost if not quite suspended in consequence of the state of the roads, but quartz is being raised constantly at the mine." The manager of the Oak reports that Mr Williams, the working manager, has commenced to put in a drive from the 60-foot level with the view of cutting the reef, which he is very sanguine of doing within seventy or eighty feet. He also hopes to cut some of the leaders trending in the same direction. These, it may be remembered, were very rich on the surface; but they pinched out to almost nothing at the depth of twenty or thirty feet. There is nothing of any consequence to report from the Star of the East. The men are pushing on the work at the low level in the new tunnel, and also on the new reef. The United Star and Oak battery is still employed on stone from the Star claim. There will probably be a cleaning-up about the end of the week. The shareholders in the White Horse company's claim are pushing ahead their drive, which they are putting in on the reef. The reef is not very wide at present (about one foot), but the prospects continue good, the shareholders at any rate fully expecting the stone to go over an ounce to the tun. One of the shareholders in the John Bull company reports that they have a good quantity of stone raised, which they are arranging to get crushed at Mr Logan's machine. A tunnel is being put in to strike the reef lower down the hill. The indications from this tunnel are that the reef is going down more perpendicularly than it was before, which, if correct, would bo a great guarantee of its permanent nature. The manager of the Caledonian claim reports that the Royal Standard battery finished a crushing from that claim on Saturday. The yield was 1470zs 6dwts of gold from 165 tons of stone. The most of this stuff was taken out some six or eight months ago, when opening up and securing the old workings, and as a good deal of mullock unavoidably got in, the average result was in consequence poorer than usual. It was found cheaper to let the mullock go with the rest, than to lose time in picking it. In the mine, the No. 2 prospecting shaft is now down to the same depth as No. 1, with same results—good reef, but water so heavy that it is impossible to work any deeper. This reef is an average depth of 300 feet from the surface. The stone is of a much better class, showing very good gold, and promising a yield of at least an ounce and a half to the ton. The indications met with in these shafts give, great encouragement fur putting in another tunnel, — a work which is to be started directly. This tunnel will be 200 feet below the present one, and about 450 feet from the highest point of the claim's surface. It will enable the reef to be worked very cheaply, as it will carry off the water, besides the difference of cost which is always appreciable between the working of a claim by tunnel and by shaft. Carrtck Water Company.—The manager of this company reports that " work was started this morning, although the weather is not so favourable as could be desired. Only a limited number are as yet employed ; there will be room for a good many more in the course of the week, as it is intended to push on the work as much as possible." Since last week another application has been sent in to the company for a portion of the supply, showing undisputably that the water will not arrive before it is wanted. It also speaks well for the prospects of the company.