THE LAKES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 630, 15 May 1874, Page 2

THE LAKES.

(t’RO.M OUR COIIRSSrONPZVT.) Arrcwcown, May 12. Stack-firing is the all-ahs'-rhing question of the day just now, a-id how p-emd: it or what cm ho done to detect the perpetrates of this atrocious crime no one seems to know. 'Whether a hug s reward nviy effect this object oninii ns are divided. As a rule this process is not very successful in the colonies. Acq.mtjlioaS in misdeeds are n it generally induce 1 to betray each other by monetary consider.ati-n. It .is the opinion cf a great many that the whole of the lives have been cause 1 by one man, who must have a mania for dost; action ; but, whever he may ho, if caught in the act, he will stand a good chance of being lynched. A farmer holding wheat, especially if uninsured, enjoys ~o pea :a of mind whatever, being continually in dread of losing the produce of his past year’s labor at one fell svoop A good runny are keeping watch all night long. The threshing machine civners keep up a vigorous supervision, never leaving their plant unattended when once La the odd. During a visit no the Upper Siiotover last week 1 had the pleasure of a pen?anal inspection of the Siiotover Terrace GoldMining Company’s claim at Pleasant Creek Terrace. This, as your readers must he aware, is one of the hiVsrest alluvial ironing undr-.takings in New Zealand, nothin;' rj extensive having ht-Cn undertaken before or upon so scien itie and ela'wate a scale. Pleasant Ceeok Ternice is one of these numerous small flats which abut on the Siiotover Hirer, and through which, before that river had worn its way down to its present f rocky bed, found its conse. This.supposition is borne out by the fact that iwherever the terraces have broken away the gold is found in the river bed itself. Where this is not the case, the gold is iii the terrace : n a deep channel or old water-course, plainly discernablo. The Hhotovor Terrace Company own a claim of twenty acres of the Pleasant Crook Terrace, through which this wonderful run of geld has been distinctly traced, thousands of pounds worth having been obtained by the former owners of the ground. The claim is entered by a tunnel from the river, which, after a straight course of six or seven hundred feet, opens into a chamber,” whence there are three branch tunnels, leading no to the “faces.” Then there is the water-tunnel, two thousand feet long, bringing in a stream from Picarant Cheek, supplying the sluices at the mouth of the main tunnel. The mam tunnel and blanches are laid with rail*. A horse draws up a train of twenty trucks to the chamber, whence as many as are roquieed are taken on to the faces, full ones being already there waiting to be returned; tlu t! ain is then made up again at the chamber to its full eompknient, and is quickly »liawn down to the sluices, the i trucks being oinp'ied by an ingenioiisiy- i contrived “ care,” which, the momenta! tiuek is wheeled into it, turns over and | discharges the load. The cage then rich's j itself again, and the empty truck is wheeled out. This is repeated until the wash-dirt brought by the mini has been deposited in reci'mic’c at the be:ul of the sluices- ’ll"' drainage from the workings, together wit ii (he water hi ought in by the water-tunnel, is eoiiee"ed in a covered dam iminooialeiy below the tun ing-tables and tramway, and by an ingenious contrivance of shoots can bo regulated and distributed at thoiAvillof tie,imen woiking at the sluices. Thea.largements of the mine are ; eifcct: nothing on liabnint could be better planned, both tor economy and effectiveness, and now iliat the water-tunnel lias been coni' pletcd, and an abundant [ stippily of the necessary disintegrating element available, same three to live hundred trucks of earth can be sluiced din a day, ithat is a mining day of t\venty-fonr_hours. The men work in shifts of eight’, hours,'each each shift Ims a captain, whoso business it is to carry out the diiections of the manager, Mr I’. W. Evans, under whose skilful dcsigi s the modus operand! was planned and the workings brought to their .present state of perfection. The number of men employed by the Company in working,"the mine is some fifty-four, besides tlnoOjhorsi s. Thai there is a great deal of other -'labor in connexion, such'as wood cutting find packing, but this is all done by contract, props, cappieces, and lathes being supplied at so much per hundred. The wash-dirt taken varies in depth from one foot to three It- is n, line looking wash,with round hnuldcrsof quails: in some places it lays upon the main bed rock, in others, it lays upon a falso.bottom of clayey hard sand. There appears to be several layers of gold-bearing wash, and if the very moderate estimate made by the Manager of one [smiyweiuht of told to the truck-load can be obtained, the mine must prove Uglily remunerative. So far as 1 could see Inl very little ground has been Wrought out by 'the former ownei.% nor have they been following cut any distinct uni, the gold being cv’dcntly pretty evenly jdistril uted, but rich j atchcs exist I wherever the’ bottom imis level or is a little indented. Per ions on the spot are very sangtrne ai to the mi-ia paying wc! 1 , and I may hazard an opinion of ditto 'i i.; riches of the Siiotover have It >'i always pioVcrbial: notir'ng like it exists in New Zealand. There are sevcal large tuc-ncl-ling claims at work in this vicinity, and now that the river is getting vei y lowmany of the bench chums are beginning to turn tnit a good deal of geld. The Nugget and Cornish lltn fis looking well, any amount of stone to be obtained, and twelve penny-weights to the ton. The Hoofs at Skippers are tdoinif nothing just new. Neither money not cuTerprho to develop them appeals available, notwithstanding that tin y mut conta'n enormous qnantiliis of golden quarto. There appears ) Unity of pound to be opened up at the t'l pir Siiotover. Tht temers can scarcely be raid to be prospected at all,