MINING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Volume III, Issue 846, 22 January 1866, Page 2

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

THE GREAT FLOODS. The Wakaiip Mail of the 17th instant says :—The weather has been fine since our last issue, and though the lower end of Rees street'and-part of Beach street are still under water, the flood is nevertheless fast subsiding, and before the end of the week, most ot tire residents hope to again inhabit their houses. We are yet unable to give any accurate estimate of the damage done, but are glad to be able to be able to state that none of the property of the Union Bank of Australia, in Rees street, sustained any injury, either from the wat r or in its removal. The individual losses will be very great, especially if the loss of trade be considered, which has been almost at a standstill, but the greatest general loss will be the absence of jetties—not one of the four being less than total wrecks. We hear that an appeal will be made to the Government on the subject. as with the great damage sustained it would be cruel to expect the inhabitants to rebuild works of public and general utility. Under the most favorable circumstances, it will take some time to reconstruct the state of matters in Queenstown, but we are glad to notice the feature that personal exertion is generally being put forth. As the subject •■will come under the auspices of the public through the Committee, we shall not further enter into this part of the subject for the present. ■ We are sorry to have to record a series of thefts from buildings temporarily abandoned. Collectively the amount stolen is considerable, and the dastards, whoever they are, who would take advantage of a flood or fire deserve sev.re punishment. In England the law is particularly strict under such circumstances. We trust the perpetrators will yet be discovered. Sheet iron is one of the things stolen, which in some instances has been forced off the buildings. At the Saw IVlills no damage was done, but at the Head of the Lake—-the Bucklerburn—all parties were flooded out, and most had to seek refuge in Mr Rees’ woolshed. Communication is still cut off with Skipper’s, except by a long route. The damage done has been great, but all parties are at work to effect necessary necessary repairs. We are informed that two companies connected with the celebrated Skipper’s Reefs are about to be floated under the Mining Companies Act. They are the Scandinavian Company’s prcepecting claim,

and the .extended* claim' of |Messrs MilldV, Pinkerton and Go., adjoining thereto. : A correspondent at 'the ■ Twelve- Mile* Arrow River, writing i 2th. instanti-’- .£9*y s “ The heaviest flood since 1863 visited ns on the 10th, damaging the water-races to 'a considerable extent, and carrying away a large stock of firewood that was stacked on the high banks of the creek. Tuckily the workings are nearly all confined to the terraces, or the destruction would have been very great. All hands are busily engaged repairing and clearing away, and I think a week will put everything in order. A great want is felt here on account of all communication being suspended with the Arrow during the flooding of the river, -as the horse track is literally the bed thereof; but with a moderate outlay a bridle path might be made on the terraces and obviate the present risk of life in a loose and rapid river.”

In the following letter from the Nevis, dated 10th inst., the writer also describes the disastrous results of a flood which was occuring in that district simultaneously ■with the one at -Queenstown :—“ Our community is, to-day, in sackloth and ashes, owing to the destructive flood which is now raging here. While I write the Nevis Flat is completely submerged and the large dam, which cost so much money and labor, with tail-races. &c., is a thing of the past. The loss of, and damage done to, mining plant, is not yet known ; but it must be something very serious. In fact, that i espected person/ 4 the oldest inhabitant,’ has seen no such flood as the present one on the Nevis.