LAKE COUNTY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 976, 31 December 1880, Page 3

LAKE COUNTY.

(FROM OUR OWS C IHRF.SPON’DKNT ) Christmas lias cmtie and gone ami passed awiy pleasantly. Wc have ha 1 our Christmas pantomine, ami that is what we have never hivl In foi-e,-.mid it is almost unocessary to relate that the youngsters especially anjoyoil it immensely. An ohl saying has it '‘that it is hotter to he late than never,” hut. ns things arc exactly reversed at the Antipodes, the ohl saw in our ease appears as “ it is better to be early than never.” Now. this was just how it happened. The Fisher and Nye Troupe were on a professional tour, soon the 21st and 22ml inst, they played at Queenstown and on the 23rd and 24 f h they di I ditto at Arrowfowm. At both places and on each seperate night they had full houses, as this talented company really deserved, for without exception it is the host Burlesque and Pantomime Company that has ever visited the (midfields. They brought some very nice scenery with them, which, with tuo

iditiofi of plenty of rod fire til the climax 1 t the Jina'e of the Pantomime produced the i ecessary effect when the curtain descemle I j 1 tiling from view, harlequin, columbine, j . lown, pantaloon, and fairies, who, with I utstreached legs and arms, and all as stiff : nd silent as a group of statuary, welome the moment which places them upon he level of real mortals again. On Christmas morning shortly af’er 10 ’clock the steamer Mountaineer landed at Juo-nstnwn about 120 excursionests from June tin and iuterme liato stations lid tho Vaimea Plains Railway. They all seemed 1 et’y tire I, having travelled all night, but ,I’ter undergoing the refreshing processes it fortifying the inner and removing the uperflous accumulations peculiar to travel ,0111 the outer man, all were as lively as nickels, and bent upon enjoyment. A arge number went to the Arrow and other daces to finish up the day. Oa Sunday he Mountaineer took up a large party to he head of the lake, returning in the evening, .after a very enjoyable trip. O i inonday there were iwo excursions in tonnection with the Sunday-Schools. The latte Williams took a large party to Half,vay Bay, and who spi-nta very merry time if it. The fare was very low being 2s 61 or adults, children free, refreshments in:ltided. The Antrim proceeded with her height to Bob’s Cove and was aceomptitled iy the Queenstown Brass Bind. The fare aras—adults 3s, children Is, including re ‘resitments. The weather was beautiful, uid both steamers wore crowded with holiday mak-rs. The down country visitors were delighted, ali expressing thmuselves lost in wonder at the return kible cheapne-s of the excursions. At Anowtown there was a fancy bazaar aeld on Monday and Tries lay in aid of the funds of the local Hospital, when the releipts were of a very satisfactory cha•ac’er. On the morning p”eceeding Christmas Day a very excentrio individual from Duneliu in the person of Mr William Sanderson Shi. Ids—a Captain Shields, as ae is pleased to style himself -dropped in upon us. No sooner had the captain Righted from Cobb’s coach than he com nenced to harangue the nndtitu le, inf nin tig them that he ha I come to recover possession of a valna de and rich quartz mine it M.acetown, and which be ha 1 been wrongfully do rived ; also that, during the period of depiiva"ion, s mie person-, whose identity it wa< difficult to est-b.ish chinny, had obtained no less than five cakes of gold from the sai l mine. Waite, as a wittler-up. Captain Shields sta’ed that, before leaving, it- was bis intention to drive Ids Satanic Mnjisty out of Anowtown. He conclude I lay indulging his hearers to a tune on a large mouth organ which he had brought front Dunedin, when he was greeted with shouts of derisive applause, accompanied by rotten eggs an 1 fimr On Christmas Day the gall uit captain left for Queenstown for ihe purpose of interviewing the district metnbsr (Mr 11 J. Fnm), and whose protection he was to seek ; but Mr Finn wisely, and without any pro fission,al fee, advised the ament manner | to return aga tt to his friends at Arrow- j town, which he accordingly did. Dn j Monday mottling Caotaiu SniolJs interviewed the manager of the Bank of New Z -aland, an 1 laid claim to the cake of gold which had enmo down from the Tipperary Mine the day before Christmas a-l» .-longing to him, and being the produce 01 his mine, or the one he claim -d. ami named the General Havelock. Leaving the Bank Manager, Captain Shields pmceo led to address the crowd of holiday-makers which bad assembled b-fore the Royal Oak Ho.el, ami producing a book *.f manuscript, stated that whatever was done was therein written, and would soon be published. AIMT M»ur »!••!« nil ga-ociVyUlttun*, tin* v.t----c-utric individual went on to .-ay that be would make his way to Dunedin as quickly ns possible, and return with a buggy and pair with Captain Barry as coachman, which gentleman was a particular friend of his, and who had recoinmend- d his visit to ArroW’own. In the meantime ho (Captain Shields) would put m -it in charge of his claim at L 5 per wo k wages and that each should receive a go hi watch and chain in the bargain as smut as ever he returned. A storm of laughter, some rotten eggs, and (lour followed ; and Captain Shields, upon the reoo nm nidation of Police-Sergeant Brown, cleare I out. again for Qnccmtowo, the worlty Sergeant, like a number of other people, being of opinion that there was a very considerable deal of method in Captain Shields’ madness The news from the Macetown Reef- is pretty’ satisfactory, notwithstan dog that we have not been blest, with the exoected number of cahes. On Chii-tmas Eve the Tipperary Company came promptly up to time, and brought down theirs in the shaoc of a welcome little stranger wei It--259 -z 191wt— the result of five weekwork. but only three and a half weekcrushing, owing to some serious breaks in the water race occasioned by the late heavy rains. The mine looks very well, and promises much better returns as r.he shoot of some in iki-s into the hill. The falling off in the Tipiierary mine is owing to the very long distance which it was necessary to drive the lower tunnel before the golden stone which produced such ex cel lent results last season could he reached, the stone not preserving nearly so parpen dtcular a direction as expected . The lode at the fa e ts now 101 wide, and improves as it goes into the hill. The Homeward Bound will wash it) some time during the present week, several ot the Dunedin directors desiring to b pr sent at that auspicious and tin nr ant operation. Ihe ieve the result is exoee’e I to he satisfactory, but the company ha- ba I a deal of dead work to pe f nin. while theii new amalgamating apparatus is not yet perfected. The '-ladatono still continues crushing.

and have been doing so stea lily ever since the last cake, the battery going Snml.-us and week days. As the m ; ne p (Mock iernpty anil all the stone is at the mil', tiny will doubtless soon wash no. Ac cording to reports, iho cake is expected to he a bigger one than the last, fn the management of th" Gladstone mine everything is conducted in a mystedo.is. secret sort of a maimer, no person being permuted access to anyth ng. Even large shareholders from I Mined in are refuse I admission to the workings. To the nvit'er of the Tipperary and Homeward Bound, he fullest information is readily supplied In the pul-lic, who are free toinsnect the work , •iwrit-rs for the Press especla’ly. ft is very evi 'ent to all persons experienced in quartz mining that when any company are s > very particular that their working" slialT not.hu seen by outsiders. “ there is sotne'hing rotten in the state of Denmark. ” Tlie Ladye Fayre have been very Intisy driving, and have very good prospects before them. The Prcmeir company have contracted for the sinking of their tunnel and proceed to work immediately. The Layde Favrc. Homeward Round, Gladstone and Premier are undoubtedly all on one line of reef. The workings of all tlv se mines are .as straight as a hi e line with one another Of course these may exist outside and detached view of quartz, but the main body of tho lode is exactly the same. The All Nations company are in trouble, their miuo aud plant having buiug seized

hy the Bailiff at the suit of one of their i wages men who has judgement for the amount ! jof some L9i). The "property is to bo sdd olf at Invercargill on the 3rd of January | | next. J believe, however, that the matter . ; is in ire of a friendly sort of business so as | to bring things to a climax an I start the I mine a fresh. Other creditors having be u informed that their demands will be met without recourse to law.