MINING ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 672, 5 March 1875, Page 3

MINING ITEMS.

—0 The prospect of opening up a highly remunerative goldfield at the head of the Wai Keri Keri Valley appears to be almost upon the point of realisation, and if we may judge from the very high value set upon shares in mining property in this direction, those best able to judge of its capabilities hold very high opinions of its ultimate success. The claim known as Lindsay’s, or the Leaning Lock Company, is a very promising one, prospects from the face will frequently give from a grain to a grain and a half to the dish, and the washing-up from this paddock should produce a very large amount of gold. Their last Christmas washing from a paddock a little lower down the gully realised 200 ounces, the result of only four months’ work. The same party are also working a gully claim, which shows most excellent prospects, while the other parties working in this neighborhood, even with their present limited supply of water, are all doing extremely well. The auriferous deposits in this neighborhood .are doubtless of very considerable extent, in fact the whole of the spurs of tiro ranges here as far as Tinker’s contain gold in more or less quantities. The 'formation is what is generally understood as a lake marginal deposit the gold bearing drift from the ranges above, when they possibly were many hundreds of feet higher than they now arc, having settled here when the

valley of the Dunstau formed ono groat lake. To all appearances there exists a second auriferous formation under tho ono now being operated upon, as in Messrs Lindsay’s upper workings thoro occurs a similar description of wash as that forming tho Kildare Hill lead at St. Bathan’s. A heavy ahinglo drift there in places used to overlay tho lower portions of tho load, but which has been for tho most part washed away and the gold extracted by tire early settlers on that field. When Messrs M'Nally, Hastie, and Co. bring some of their water on to the ground, some very valuable discoveries cannot fail to be made, while to ail appearances to open a very extensive goldfield at tho W.ai Keri Keri Valley is merely a question of water supply. Messrs M-Nally, Hastie, and Co. are bringing in a very large race from Chatto’s Creek to carry twenty-five heads of water when fully supplied. This race when completed will be about forty miles in length. It has already occupied the labor of eight men two years and eight mouths, and it will take at least ono year more to complete it. The whole of the work as far as it has proceeded appears to be very substantially done, some of tho stone work where the race is brought round precipices ami where it crosses deep ravines, will measure 150 yards in length of solid building, and from 10 to 25 feet in height. In the course of another two months the party expect to have the lower end of the race completed, so as to delivei about six heads of water picked up from sidestreams, and which will enable them at once to commence sluicing operations on a limited scale, when compared to the extensive washings intended. Messrs M'Nally, Hastie, and Co. have applied for a snecial claim of 20 acres, in consequence of their largo expenditure in bringing in this water. ' Their application certainly deserves consideration. When the whole of their plans are completed, and race and claims in working order, the total outlay will at least amount to £BOOO. Alexandra has also accomplished something very considerable in the shape of hydraulic mining on an extensive scale, or rather the unwearying and persevering efforts of Mr Michael Kitt has done so for it. Tho sluicing claim of this gentleman, in a little gully leading to the Half-mile Beach, will amply repay a visit from any person interested in the success of the goldfields, while it will at the same time illustrate the oftentimes repeated theory that, althougii tho goldfields may he suffering from a state cf dullness consequent upon the more easily wrought deposits of gold having been for the most part exhausted, it only wants cnergv and perseverance, coupled with judicious management, together with an outlay of capitafto make them brisk and remunerative again. Mr Kitt lias most unraistakeably demonstrated the fact that the deep ground contains plenty of gold, i i places where pao[h a few years since would scarcely deign to look at, and in sufficient abundance to make -a man comfortable for life. This gentleman’s excellent management of the once celebrated Frenchman’s claim is a guarantee that ho thoroughly understands his business as a miner, and we have many times deeply regretted that his subsequent speculation at the Half-mile Beach, and which involved such an enormous outlay, turned out so disastrously. However, his present enterprise will pay for all, and too much cannot really be said about a man wdio after suffering very heavy losses should have possessed the indomitable courage to tackle, single handed, such a difficult job as tho opening up of the mining venture wo are about to describe. Mr Kitt’s claim is in a gully leading from the Half-mile Beach towards Fraser’s Flat, and is without doubt an old water-course, probably a branch of the Molyneux when that river in ages long past preserved a mneh higher level than its present, and when the whole of the Dunstan, as well as the flat of the Fraser’s River, was under water. The wholesale washing away of the ground, as now being accomplished by Mr Kitt, discloses sufficient proof of this surmise, while a cursory glance over the neighbouring gullies shows that there exists several other similar deposits. The total depth of the face at the head of the paddock is 120 feet, and it is being worked to a width of 300 feet, when the rocky and water worn sides of the gully rise up almost abruptly several hundred feet in height. There is 80 feet of washdirt, the lower 20 feet resting upon the bed rock being of course the best. The wash consists of a very heavy rounded gravel, in color a yellowish brown, and intermixed especially near the top with large angular stones. The gold is much the same as that obtained on the beaches of the Molyneux, fine, intermixed with an occasional coarse piece or so. Mr Kitt employs six heads of water at once, heads being delivered by a 2,1, inch nozzle from the hydraulic hose at 109 feet of pressure, the lemainder is used as flushing water. The opening up of this claim was a very expensive and tedious affair, and cost upwards of LIOOO. The tail ditch is all cut in the solid rock, and is 555-feet in length 280 feet of which is a tunnel, six feet by four feet, the rest being deep cuttings from twenty to forty feet. To ensure a steady supply of water Mr Kitt lias constructed at a distance of about a quarter of a mile from the claim a largo reservoir, measuring quite a mile in oircumferanoo. and having an average depth of 6k, feet, forming quite a little lake. There is at least ten years work in the claim, and without doubt the fortune of the enterprising owner lays embedded in it. No mining operations in the district are more skilfully and economically conducted.

The latest English telegrams, brought by the Otago from Melbourne, supply the folloming : Dr Kcnealy entered Parliament unintrodneed, when the Speaker intimated that two sponsors were required, to which Dr Kcnealy objected. In the House of Commons, a motion, moved by Mr Disraeli, declaring John Mitchell disqualified from taking his seat was adopted, and a new writ ordered to be issued for Tipperary.

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