CROMWELL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 305, 28 February 1868, Page 2

CROMWELL.

. (from our own correspondent.) Feb. 22. Mining progress is very satisfactory and gives strong hopes that the future is to be a very pro; parous one. At Bendigo Gulley and other places 1 or dering the extensive fiat skirting tl e Clutha.claimsare proving highly auriferous. One of them at the present time ; s yielding over £8 per week per mean. The proprietors of the Aurora Water Race are almost weekly discovering n?w ground, and proofs are being const intly obtained, that this old goldfield i 3 not as yet in the prime of its prosperity. 'I he late Hoods have cripp'rd the most important claim in the old workings, namely, the " Rip and Tear ; " the proprietors were about to wash up, when the flood came and died their capacious tail races with nmlloch, and so altered the features if the ground as to make it impossible to tell exactly where the waih-diit lays. It will require the la' our of at least eight men for three or four months to repair the damages. As iJendigo Gulley is in the neighborhood of the Lindis, I may here mention that I have been specially requested to iraw the attention of the Editor of the " Dunstan Times " to the imp rative necessity of having the Eastern side of the Lindis included in the Lindis Goldfield ; that part knewn aN M' Leans Hun is highly auriferous in countless places, but th" mil ers are entirely at the mercy of ihe squatter mentioned, as he can (and I am informed has) turn or rather stop water from ru ning into their races whenever he may think fit to do so. the Warden is therefore powerless, ai d an article in your Journal would probably open the eyes of the Government to the necessity of extending the Warden's authority to that side of the Lindis. In times long gone lye, I have expressed an opinion that the gullictnd terraces on the left hand side of the road leading from Cromwi 11 t lbertown would sooner or later In worked. That part known as I owburn has been in working for the la. t two years, but now, many miles h'glier up a monster Water Race has b < n commenced from a large crei k, known as the Lockart; the starring point ; s at such an elevation as will convey the water for many miles towards Al bertown The chief shareholders are Mr. James Kelly, of the Great Westmoreland Canal Company, and two working capitalists from BaHarat. The raco, when completed, will open a consi'eriblc extension of he Cromwell goldfield, and lead no doubt to the construction of races from creeks still higher up in the district of lbertowr. Although the Bannockburn, Smith's and Pipeclay Gullies have been worked extensively for several years, still in a few months a leviathan watei race wi 1 be brought in that will work ground hitherto not reached by the present water-conduits. This rac is now in construction from Long Gain y the plucky propraetors are Me.-sr.-Stuart and Menzies; the men may now be seen, blasting rock at an ele v.ition of at least two hundred feci perpendicular; the undertaking is a most important one. Thee terprise and indus'ry of tin Chinese at Shepherd's Creek Flat i, mo-st astonishing; this flat which stands at the bottom of Smith's and Adam's Gullies, is likely to be worked by them most effectively, and al ready, profiting by their example, Europeans are taking up ground that ha? been passed over for the last t! ree yeara The Celestials are con-true'-ing large tail races, and finking ex tensive paddocks in an i.icredibh short space »f time, and they generally

•work two hours per day more than the Europeans. "De Saturday Evening last, a Public meeting was held at Cromwell, to take steps in the direction of appoint* in;' a delegate to bo sent to Dunedin to take part in the important task of reconstructing the Mining Regulations. The meeting was a very " boshy ',' affair, by reason of sever il men being proposal and seconded who are utterly unfit to take part in a public eonferencs. There are two requisites in the constitution of adekgite cf tLis class, and thesi ar? : —Knowledge of mining, in all its branches, and a ready ability to draw up resolutions, nnd clauses bearing on the subject of the conference. Some of the men proposed on Saturday evening possessed neither requisites, and ifbyany chance they s'loul I be elected, their presence in the conference can only be deemed farcical; this r olly o! proposing nvn at random, without my regard to their fitness, will doubtless not be confined to Cromwell, but will be experie cd in localities, therefore t !, e hurt 1 en of reconstructing the goldfields laws, wi 1 after all the hu' bub lest on '.ho shoulders of p rhaps two or three men of experience and mental qualification. Amongst the damages done by the late flood, I may mention that Mr Barry's farm suffered most severely ; a considerable quantity of crop was destroyed, and the fences were much damaged. Mr. Barn has commenced a very capacious storm channel, which when completed, wi 1 effectu illy prevent a recurrence of the damage sustained, whatever the violence of a flood may be [The Government We underhand are about to pr* claim a ver. largo area of country, .-it the Lin lis and kanaka, a goldudd. In this is included the land on Mr. M'T.ean':- Run mentioned by our correspondent. The necessity for d >i c; so, hasbei n reprei seated to t'li Government so ne time [ since by the Warden of the District. —Kd. D.T.] Frit 20. T!:e Town C mr.cil is at last on the move, and the District is likely to know that such a body is in existence. A number of nvn may now be seen actively at work forming footpaths in our main Street, and the town in a few weeks hence will we-'r a vc:y di~ferent ar,p'<arunco to what it does at. the present time. The Council also has taken j.teps in the dir ction of openi •; Ihe main road from hre to the Xi vis ; the mm iiicent sum of I liOOd has long been voted by the I Government towa.rds tha.t purpose, I and !i i; ';> »>n aliowe I to rem tin in the Tr.'a ury instead of being laid i-ut in ihe construoti -n of the r ad in question. ;F■)■.',- voa, a Surveyor Las been sat to work for the hist three weeks taking notes as to wh it is necessary to be done, a il it is to be presumed that work will soon b--commenced It appears that tlic Surveyor has deeidi d upon ■ th t the Ferry across the Kawar'.n, near th" Bannock!) ir:i !>e plac.vl -d out quarter of i milo ibovc its present positio.. The inpi-.idis to the exiting fery, cost cin al and I:b mr, and if th it frrry shoull be dt:i« a'v with, every r.M.so:iablo membn- of the Town Council will ;.n fail to see the justice of placing Mr. Stuari on a fair footing when the subject o' the formation of a now ferry shall be finally discussed by the ouncil. Imposithvi, iti whatever shaue if may appear, is a J ill times i most offensive iagrelieat i i the constitution if a nun's actions, and the generator of it deserves at l;u% but the con tempt, of every lion >3t mind The inkers were surely sufficiently paid when they charge! Is 61. for the lib. loaf, apparently they were not ratis'ed and have raise 1 the |>ric \ t•> _>--. There hno suc'i ox n aiv.n:eii ev.-tige, o • prici of il mr to .varnnt ■••o'i an urn-earn ib! e a I vane o, and the i i! ■'.;. tahts of Cromwell ro to biam if hj v countenance such unw irra tai>'.o imposition, by purchisini a sing'" loaf. \ -nov-mmt in fie right direction baa commenced ; the miners tar ushout the District are determined to hake ill ur own broad, and a considerable r.imber of \ rivate familie , by adopti ig th ; samo course, |, ;l vo commenced tikii:g the gilt from the baker's gin jerbread. Sixpence per loaf in a large a. nilv amounts to a very serious item .' the end of a month, and i is to be. hoped that the plan will be adhered