FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1875.

Dunstan Times, Issue 665, 15 January 1875, Page 2

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1875.

The visit of Mr TJlricli of the Victorian School of Mines, is some evidence that In' 3 Honor the Superintendent is alive to the value of the gold-fields, or the expenses of bringing that gentleman over from Melbourne ■would not have been incurred. It would be too much however to expect that Mr Ulrich’s visit will lead to any immediate results, a mere glance at our goldfields cannot of course enable that gentleman to determine where gold is to be found, still, his experiences in Victoria, amounting to some twenty years, would not have raised him to the position of Consulting Mining Geologist were it not that his opinions were worth having, and we should not be at all surprised that in our case they will lead to important valuable re. suits. That gold exists incur quartz lodes we have plenty of evidences, notwithstanding which, they are to us almost a sealed book, and the slow progress we have made in this branch of mining, must be attributed more to our want cf knowledge, than the absence of the precious metal itself. Quartz reefs, x-ich in gold, must have existed at one time or another in our mountain ranges and become broken up by volcanic action, or the disintegrating process of time, or the numerous specimens of gold bearing quartz found in the alluvial workings could not have existed, even supposing that the origin of the alluvial gold itself had nothing at all to do with quartz. At Blackstone Hill, Bendigo, Gully and Skipper’s Creek, blocks of quartz containing gold in very cansiderable quantities were found in the early days of these alluvial workings, while the same also existed in vurimxs other places that wo might name. The same has also been the case in Victoria, where detached pieces of quartz have been found from time to time under precisely similar circumstances, leaving the tact of uui ifei’O'is quartz lodes, wholly or partially broken up indisputable, as well as showing then mountainous origin ; as an invariable rule a qnai’tz lode, bearing gold, has been found at the head of the inchest gullies and flats. Supposing that a large proportion of our gold-bearing quartz lodiis have been broken up and destroyed and scattered nobody knows where, some remnants mn;-t be left, although we may not be able to find the outcrop, while at the same

time there must exist numerous reefs that have no outcrop at nil. What

may or may not in our case constitute a true lode is the difficulty to be solved, and all the experiences we have gained evidently points to the fact that this question still remains undetermined. The prolific mine of the Cromwell company at Bendigo is probably the nearest approach that has been made towards solving the difficulty, as after working out the first reef, the Company came upon a second, and it was not until they had penetrated some distance down into this that the present run of rich stone was struck. Judging by this, there can be little doubt but that our operations have been confined to merely surface veins, while even if a lode has been struck elsewhere it has never been tested to a sufficient depth to determine its value. At Conroy’s and butcher’s Gullies what else but a mere scratching of the surface has been accomplished. In both cases payable stone was found, and crushing machinery erected, but after all the two mines were abandoned, because trifling difficulties, at which no thorough quartz miner would have been alarmed, presented themselves, and the two enterprises were burked almost at their very birth, so little has been done to develop them. The numerous irregularly defined reefs at Carricktown are evidently mere top veins indicating true lodes below, and whore the veins will doubtless all be found gathering into one body, while precisely similar circumstances doubtless exist in other places along the same line of range extending to Mount Benger. How to strike the true gold bearing lodes is of course the difficulty, and tunneling suggests the readiest process, but that must take time and money to accomplish, still, while our patience will in all probability be well tried before we arrive at the desired haven of success; it must be a source of considerable gratification to know that our knowledge of th<‘ difficulty is considerably on the 'increase. The results of Mr Ulrich’s visit cannot fail to be otherwise than highly interesting and instructive, and in a’l probability will tend considerably to assist in the solution of the problem we have long sought to master.

We have hecn requested to draw the attention of contractors to the advertisement calling for tenders for the erction of a Catholic Chapel at Tinker’s gully, Our Cromwell readers will notice, by advertisement, that Mr E. A. Drury (our own Cromwell correspondent) has started as a Mining and General Agent, at Cromwell ; also as a news agent. A novelty in the way of concerts is to take place on the 20th inat., in aid of local charities. For particulars see advertisement.

The appointmeut of Mr William Arthur, late District Surveyor of the Dunstan District, as Provincial Engineer, vice Mr D. L. Simpson, resigned, is notified in the Gazette-

It hag been currently reported that our contemporary the Cromwell Argus has changed hands, and that Mr S. N. Browne late of the Arrow Observer will in future wield the Editorial pen, hut whether this rumour ’8 true or not wo cannot say, hut have very reliable authority upon the subject. As in the last issue of the Cromwe'l Argus no mention was ma le of any contemplated change in the proprietary, we are unable to write authoritively upon the subject. We understand the demand for Theyer's and Beck’s Manuherikia beer, for its very excel’ence, ie so general throughout the length and breadth of the district that the supply has fallen short of the demand. The Manuherikia brewery may now be fairly said to be established in the public favor, and we congratulate the proprietors on their success.

Mr and Mrs St Vincent gave their second entertainment in the Town Hall, Clyde, on the 11th instant to a good house, with a change of songs and duets. These talented artistes wore, as on their previous visit, loudly apnlaudel, in fact, Mr St Vincent’s local song entitled “ Familiar Faces of Clyde,” fairly brought down tho house, anil the lady’s make-up as one of the stern sex was capital. Both artistes arc possessed of good voices, and their wardrobe is excellent. Mr Leslie Charles added to the evening’s entertainment hy singing in first-class style several sentimental songs. This is the best entertainment that has travelled the up-country towns, and ought to he rewarded with bumping houses wherever they apnear. The mail coach on Thursday afternoon tho 7th instant between tho Arrow and Queenstown, driven hy Mr T. Parsons, through tho bolting of the horses, and the, sudden collapsing of one of the wheeles was capsised. The Wakatip Mail says : “ The vehicle was smashed to pieces down the embankment, while the horses ran a steep’echase over the fences, with the forecarriage at their heels, until they were brought up at a strong five-wired fence, and afterwards secured about two miles away. The most unfortunate part of the catastrophe is the fact that Mr Parsons received a severe bruising, besides a serious cut on the bead, and injury to the spine.” Wo are happy to state that Mr Parsons is progressing favorably,

We regret to record the death of Mr P . Murphy, to whom wo referred in our last week’s issue as having broken his leg, the result of a fall from a horse at the Hospital. Wo understand that death was in no way caused through the broken leg, but was the result of heart disease, accelerated by the shock to the nervous system sustained through the fall. The deceased died on Saturday last, and was buried in the Clyde Cemetery, the Monday following. The Rev. Father Walch attended the sufferer during his brief illness, and conducted the funeral service. The intense feeling of sympathy displayed by residents of both Alexandra and Clyde was shown by the largo number that attended the funeral. The deceased was brother to Mr Murphy, brewer for Messrs Theyers and Beck, Alexandra.

Another death wc have to note, viz., that of Mrs John Wright, of Cromwell, which occurred on Tuesday last, at about noon. The deceased lady has been a patient sufferer for a considerable time. Her uniform kindness endeared her to many and a general sympathy is felt and expressed for her husband, and family under their bereavement.

Several inquiries having been made of ua .as to the mode of election of the Committee of Management of the Dnnstan District Hospital for the ensuing year, we have to state that a meeting of subscribers is convened for Saturday the 23rd instant at the Town Hall, Clyde, for the purpose, in accordance with Section 3 of the Otago Hospitals’ Ordinance, 1874, which runs as follows : “ The Committees of Hospitals shall be elected by the majority of contributors cither of the annual sum of one pound »t the least, or o f ten pounds in one sum to the said Institution respectively, who may be present at the respective meetings to be called for the purpose of any suoh election as provided in the Hospitals’ Ordinance,' ISG2’ or any Amendment thereof.”

Mr T. Pavletich, the promoter of tho Dunedin Piggery and Marine Store Com pany has most considerately sent ns a prospectus of the same. We cannot say we feel much interest in the pig business, but in that of tne marine store we do, in fact, in old rags and metal (our bones too are getting pretty old) we have some dealings, and when Mr Pavletich opens a depot in Clyde we may be able to do a line with him.