MINING INTELLIGENCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 204, 24 March 1866, Page 3

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

ALEXAXDHA. Work has been very generally resumed at the Frenchman's Beach. NW that the ground is held in large claims, together with the superior appliances that will be used, the present season will doubtless be of great prosperity at this celebrated beach. Butcher's Point is beginning to put on a very lively appearance, and the ensuing week will see the dredging machines once more raising the auriferous sands from the depths of the Molyneux. The Bose, Thistle, and Shamrock Bace Company have just completed another 100 feet of lluming on the terraces to the eastward of the Manorburu. The total length of fhrauug erected by this company reaches to the enormous length of 2,400 feet. The race is now cut to within halfa mile of its'" at Tucker Hill, which, by the bye, will prove something more than tucker ground to the Bose, Thistle, and Shamrock Company, who m,'ht to in'. 1 :.; a r-'.pid fortune when oner chat highly auriferous spot is commanded by the waters of their great race. BIACIt's NO 1. This vicinity is again lifting its tiny head out of the depths of poverty, in the midst of which it has been plunged for a good many months. As we walk along the foot of the terrace we can see scroes of applications for acre claims, and the little township looks lively and cheerful. The water race known as Walch's race is very nearly completed. It is about 16 miles in length and takes its rise from the head of Chatto's Creek, and is brought by way of the Devonshire diggings, and from thenceover a large flat, where lluming 40feet high, by about a quarter of a mile in length is erected. The timber fur the standurds, props, 4c., has been brought down the steep hills of the Dunstan ranges, where it was found in large logs. It is intended to construct a capacious flume over the Manuherikia river, the height of which will be 200 feet, and its span GOO feet. Great credit is due to this party for the manner in "which thev have executed this work. Another race has been surveyed by Mr Hillery, late of the Scandinavian Bace, from the Lodar Creek to Black's No 1. Its length will be about nine miles. Seven men are working in it, and making very good progress, having cut about 2 miles in a fortnight. mack's no 3 Everything seems quiet here, the* Deep Leatl being taken up by a few parties, but a few months will place this locality in a different position. The large race which is being cut from the ilanorburn will give a new impetus to this vicinity, as water is the only thing wanted. There are huu hundreds of acres of auriferous ground here which cannot be worked but by sluicing, which would pay from £4. to £l2 per week per man.

j DIIYBREAD. I The claims here are nut giving the remunerative wages which were previously expected. The grounds is poor, hut regular, and the fall very small. There is a very large area of ground which cannot be worked without a very large supply of water. The heads of water with which we are supplied are so small that unless we have ground more than ordinarily rich, we cannot make anything like wages. Likewise, if we have an acre claim, we must keep five men employed, while, with the heads of water wo are getting, there is only work for two men. Therefore, out of our dividends we must .£9O per week where only £8 has been earned. This is the case at several other places where the miners are obliged to leave, not because they cannot make the ground pay wages, but because the leal mode of working it is not consistent with the poor nature of the ground.

Thompson's

It is rumored that a new water race is about to be cut to this place. If so, we have no doubt but many acres of auriferous ground ■will be opened, which have never yet been thought of. Success, we say, to the parties undertaking such a speculation. There is riot much change to note The miners are making steady wages, VfxSg a good prospect before them. f£p. ST. bathan's. ;s{} The long-loofced-for Sludge ChanneTlias been commenced, and nearly half a mile of it is completed. A flushing channel is now being cut, the purpose of which is to assist in washing away the tailings, debris, &c, which ha 3 accumulated in large quantities in the r basin of St. Bathan's. Dun. stan Creek diggings are situate in a lavq« basin, the {bottom of which has not been seen as yet, although shafts hare been sunk to the depth of 120 feet, but owing to the wet nature of the ground, and the scarcity of timber, these shafts could not be worked to any kind of satisfaction.

: 'J'!;c puilofc of the above basin is a narrow I stiriQ or gully, which empties itself into Dunstau Creek proper. The object f>r which the above channel is beiirj m.de is to tvko out at as small a fall as possible the tailings, kc„ which have been accumulating in this basin since the first rush to St. Bathan's. A special grant has been made and a company formed for the purpose. The grant comprises one hundred feet on each side of the centre of the channel, making an area of twenty-five acres, with about fifteen feet in depth of tailings. It is intended to work away these tailings along with the above ground through a large ditch, in which will be placed such appliances as will catch the finest particle of gold. The quantity of water to be run through it will be about thirty heads. This speaks well for the district, as a large area of ground, known to be auriferous, will be opened which must otherwise have laid in its pre-1 sent state.

About forty heads of water run daily upon these diggings, twenty heads of which are brought by the Scandinavian Race Company twenty-six miles through the roughest part of Otago. This race is now in perfect working order, and although ii has cost the largo sum of £IO,OOO it is paying upwards of 50 per cent, per annum and when the reservoirs which are about to be constructed are finished there is no doubt but that it will pay from 60 to 70 per cent. These heavy undertakings are carried out by the miners of the district, who are well acquainted with the auriferous ground, therefore, without any practical knowledge of tins place, we cannot but come to the conclusion that St. Bathan's is one of the most permanent diggings in Otago. The Lakes-

We take the following items of mining intelligence from the "Wakatip Mail" : "At Skipper's reefing seems the order of the day. Southberg's party have nearly all tlieir machinery on the ground, and have over sixty tons of stone ready for crushing. Perry's is also looking well, but we arc sorry to state that an accident has occurred to a part of their machinery, which was being taken up to its destination. It arrived safely to a place above Stapleton's Beach, when, the road being in a very bad state, the carnage capsized, and rolled down the rango almost into the river. Fortunately the only damage done was the breaking of one of the wheals of the carriage. The Prince of Wales have good prospects before them. and in Miller and Go's claim they expect to reach the main rcefai'tc-r sinkingabout 20 feet more. Some of the shareholders in the Mountain Race Company have taken up a new reef in Butcher's Gully. The sluicing claims are, as usual, yielding a fair average return. The Criterion Company, at the A rrow, we are informed, are getting better stone than ever. Within the last day or two the prospects have been excellent. A prospecting claim has been granted to William Briagg, John Bayer, and Charles Benke, for a reef near the Arrow, about half a mile from, the track leading to Bracken's Gully. The reef is from four to five feet in thickness, of very likely appearance, and the casing, which the party have tried in a tin dish, has induced them to believe that they have struck good quartz. One of the prospectors, to whom we are indebted for this information, although sanguine of success, desires us to state that no trial of the stone has been made, therefore they can give no definite idea as to the value of the reef. The ground on both sides of them has been taken up."