WAYSIDE NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 2810, 19 February 1872, Page 3

WAYSIDE NOTES.

(WvOM OVB OWN OOKKESUONDENT.) TABBICKTOWN. Your readers will remember that I told them the only w'ay to form anything like an accurate mental sketch of this locality was to imagine a long range running nearly north and south with a lot of spurs radiating from it at right angles ; then mentally to rule off a lot of blue lines running N. W and S.E., as indicating the direction and position of these auriferous quartz veins, traversing of necessity the spurs in an oblique direction, Without going over the ground qlready traversed, I shall only say that the bhie lines have increased in number and length s nee jpy last communication. I dp not mean to assert that wherever auriferous lodes and leaders h a VO beep discovered, that they have been found to be all payable—as such a case would be contrary to experience—i ut payable veins have multiplied in number and been extended in length. There have been two crushlngs lieve that have not paid expenses—the Golden Starpud the Dawn of Hope. Tee least said op the matter the better. Experience op this head will soon teach prudence in incurring expense. Ip this locality also are situa ed the Royal Standard, the Caledonian, and the White Horse. The Standard’s last crushing was poor ; hut then they had transformed their lode into a stone quarry, and had taken rubble and quartz debris some 10 feet wide, as the reef proper. They are again crushing; and should their reef from its thickness pud apparent extension yield some 12dwts. to the ton, it will be a valuable property. The White Horse I can tell you nothing of-more than in my last letter, only being still driving. The Caledonian is still getting out stone—lodwt. or 20dwt, stuff 5 bpt I cap give yq 1 no authentic information copcerriing their workings. Coming some mile higher up the bill side, you come to the Star of the Cast, the Heart of Oak, the Duke ofj Cumberland, and the Elizabeth claims, The crushings from the Star and the Oak, you will have had by telegram ere this —affording confirmation of what i have previously stated as to the value of these claims. The reef has been traced north through the Oak, and found in the Duke of Cumberland. Tl>e prospects in the Duke are from U grains to U dv/ts to the pap! The rubble and mullock, out of which the prospects are obtained, are some four feet thick, and afford no indication whether the reef is going to be transformed into a clay dyke like that at Conroy’s, or will at a depth continue to preserve its hard orthodox character as it does in the Star and the Oak. It appears to cross a deep branch of Smith’s Creek, and no further attempt in this direction has been made to trace it. Three claims on this line have been found to be payable. At present discovered, The Oak may be considered to be the most valuable claim found on the Carriok. The Sta’f ia just uudcrgoipg a change of Management. As a rule, it is as vicious a thing for a company to indulge in a variety of managers as for a man to perpetually change tutors for bis sons, I shall add a word or two on this head further on. The Elizabeth is out of favour just now with many sage people—and that from a variety of circumstances. First, the stone has not paid ; second, the shareholders Lave disagreed on some minor matters ; third, there have been four managers alternating in three months ; fourth, there is an insufficient supply of water ; and lastly, the crushing machinery has not been inaptly compared to the mechanism driving a heneva watch. I believe, however, patience and fa bpid’ 'V'iU pvcufually prove

this to be a valuable claim, and all the mishaps and disasters connected with its early days lie forgotten, like a morning dream. Ten dwts. to the ton should pay a good dividend to tin shareholders. It has been op- no 1 a good length—ooo feet; traced to a 100 feet deep, and has now the advantage of having a man at the head of affairs that actually decs know something about the matter. Count your fingers over twice, and you will probably number all the men in the Province that are really fit to manage a quartz claim and plant. The Elizabeth Company have been fortunate in securing the services of Mr M'Ardell to look after their affairs ; and I feel convinced under his management “ Old Bess” will soon present a difference in money value. At the battery belonging to the Oak and Star Mr 11. Reid is engaged. Of the appointment and supervision exercised, it is enough to say that, besides being a mechanical engineer, Mr Reid has had nearly twenty years experience in his present occupation ; any word of laudation from me would be out of phica —only this I may state, that should many payable claims be found on the hill, many clairnholders will bid liiga for his services, 'lire battery is well made, can crush 100 tons of stone a week, and needs, in your correspondent’s opinion, only more water, water power, and wire instead of sheet gratings to render it a compact, payable, and creditable plant. My opinions orr concentration and on breaking, I shall leave over till another letter-

With the exception of beggars in Dublin, I known no class of men, as a rule, possessed of so much “cheek” as the mining population generally. From having turned their attention during their stay in the Colony to so many pursuits —from gold-washing to sheep-Ava filing, Avoodcutting and corn-cutting, cooking and bul-lock-driving—every man you meet Avill bcirapressod with the idea of the extent of his knowledge, and stating his ability to op n in a legitimate manner a quartz claim, and superintend the manipulation of the ore from its exodus from the stone to its delivery at the assay office. There is a great safety in this common vaunt, you Avill remember, as not one man in ten thousand is qualified to be a judge of the value of the performance. When a man states that be cun write the Queen’s English, understands the multiplication table, can eat three pounds of beefsteak for breakfast, and drink tAvo quarts of whiskey Avithout getting “tight,” he gives you a simple test whereby to ensure his ability to perform bis boast; but when lie tells you be knows anything about quartz, regard his statements with grave suspicion. Our most highly-cultured quartz-reefers and mining engineers are very doubtful on reefing matteis, and only the obtuse, ignorant, and pig-headed of qu.V species ever offer anything like positive opinions. This hesitancy among the cultured arises from two cause : the limited nature of our reeling experience, and the different conditions under which ore is found in different localities. Were uniformity a condition of auriferous deposits, South America Avoukl help us Avith several centuries’ experience ; but Avhat is taken as an axiom in one country has to be unlearned and modified, or often ignored, in another. Perhaps twenty men in this locality have some siligblj experience ‘in reefing matters, and as'such are the least heard of, the least obtrusive, and the least known on the hill. An ass is always heard a long distance by his bray. There are four claims in Pipeclay Gully that have payable ground—the John Lull, the Mil Desperandnm, the Golden Gate, and the Robert Bums. No crushiugs have as yet taken place in this locality, and as my present letter has reached an undue length, I shall defer a description of this pait till my next.

Five hundred and fifty onao.es of gold from §QO tons ul" ulipicked quartz, as ' the last Crushingfrd.m the Oak ahd Star, must convince people in the distance of the wealth and importance of the district, and satisfy the doubters as to the vftlue of our quartz rgcf property, and that it is high time to reconsider their opinions as to the value of mining interests in our midst. I have to hurry up to catch a stray messenger to meet the post.