WAYSIDE NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 2863, 23 April 1872, Page 2

WAYSIDE NOTES.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Carrickton. April 11, For the three months ending 31st ultimo the Star of the East and Heart of Oak claims have yielded about LI, 900 per month. They both have large quantities of stone in sight, of about equal value with that passed through the stampers, while at a greater depth it is impossible to predict or venture to guess what quantity of ore can be brought to grass. All the workings here hitherto are of a surface character. About 100 feet is the greatest depth obtained. The spur on which these claims are situated appears to be permeated in every direction with auriferous leaders. Sink where you may, the chances are you will find gold in greater or less amount ; while at a depth, where all these various leaders and surface reefs should join, a permanent and rich lode may be expepted to be found. Both these claims are registered under the Lim. Liab. Act, and are each divided into 1,200 LlO scrip. It is significant of the scarcity of money in this locality that none of the scrip as I have hitherto heard, has changed hands at par. “ 1 he Standard Co,” are getting stone from both their claims, and putting four additional head of stampers to their battery at Quartzville. The light battery of the “ Elizabeth ” has at length been made to work, crushing about 50 tons of stone weekly. Although the stone in this claim is poor in comparison with that of others, the vast quantity that can be easily obtained compensates fer its poverty, and with a twelve or fifteen battery of 5 cwt. or 6 cwt. heads would produce as much gold regularly, pay as good a dividend, and per chance, last longer than any other on the range yet opened. It was considered here, till experience proved the consideration false, that the rubble character of the reefs in the surface workings, light stampers would suffice to thoroughly pulverise our quartz. Although the stone is easy to get, it is hard to crush, and stampers less than 5 cwt. are found to be ineffective aud unprofitable. The reefs or lodes in many places contain in considerable quantities water- womquartz holders in which gold can at times be seen freely, defying the power of a light stamp-head, and presenting a difficulty for the authors and supporters of our “igneous theory” to solve. Heavy stamps, varying from five to seven cwt. weight, have long proved to be the most effective for work, whatever the material crushed, and cheaper to shareholders. Timber for working the claims here has to be brought from Lake Wakatip or Lake Wanaka, and ordinary round props sell at 9d per foot run. It will be well for your Dunedin morning contemporary to remember that, notwithstanding the heavy expense entailed for timber, payable claims are to be found on the Garrick. One would have imagined the wisest advice that could have been given would have been to advocate the planting of timber to enable ore to be raised, and not to advise the ore to be allowed to remain in the ground because timber is not convenient and cheap. Most of the gold here is free. Sulphides are to be seen, however, in the stone, and occasionally in combination with the gold, proving their existence at greater depths and in greater quantities. Sulphides are not generally found in abundance in surface workings. It is certainly a strange inference to draw that our reefs are of an inferior and nonpaying character, from their gold being free, ignoring the fact that sulphides as a rule become only abundant when the lode ia traced to some considerable debt beneath surface workings. It is always awkward to write about what is only imperfectly understood. While acknowledging the fact that timber is distant aud dear, fuel high, and water scarce, though the two latter evil* will be removed by the Cairick Water Supply Co., there are certain advantages possessed by this goldfield in its contour that form a very important item in economic working, 'funnels, in almost every portion of the range, can be driven at low levels, giving “a back” on which to work,-in many places several hundred feet high, obviating the necessity of outlay lor pumping an(|

winding gear, and effecting in manual labor alone a no inconsiderable saving ; beside rendering the claim independent of machinery breaking down, the lift getting out of order, or the chance of a cage being wound over the poppett heads. On the Pipeclay Line, the Nil Desperandum and Eobert Burns Companies are grassing stone. They expect their machine to be on tie ground the commencement of June, but as they have entered into separate negotiations with two individuals for its supply, they may find first that between two stools they may fall to the ground—or have, or he compelled to take more crushing power than they appear to have bargained for. Along--8 de, the Golden Gate Company are driving a tunnel to cut the reef at a depth of about 120 feet, and should they cut in this “crosscut,” which they have a right to expect from their outlay, labor, and adjoining prospect, a new phase will he put on Pipeclay Reefs, and their value quadrupled. The John Bull are still working their flat leader and grassing stone. The township is getting divided in two parts, and the division results in thiswise.

Near the lower battery of the Elizabeth Company are the places where whisky, mythylated spirit, cordials, and liqueurs are vended for the destruction of the health and morals of the Queen’s liege subjects. Near the upper battery two restaurants. are built that affect not to indulge in spirituous beverages, and round those eating reformat iries those who wish to live all their days and keep their faculties unimpaired reside. In the first-mentioned locality, side by side, and right opposite to the licensed victualler, the sly-grog seller pursues his calling in an open and ostentatious manner. It is questionable, in my opinion, whether the illicit trader does not vend a larger amount than the one duly qualified. You enter the confrabmd establishment and see bottles and glasses all about, men drinking, drunk, and semi-drunk, and call for your whisky or sherry, which is served you with as much sang froid , as though you were in Sibbald’s, Murphy’s, or the Critsrion. Odd, is it not? Should a publican get short of scheidam or sherry, he has only to send to the shanty and borrow, and the law seems powerless in the matter. One of our publicans, who is not an analytical chemist, last week summoned one of these illicit traders for poisoning the public without a license, but as he could not swear the liquor vended contained 26 per gent proof of alcohol, the case was dismissed. How many times I wonderhas our Provincial Legislature tinkered away at the Licensing Ordinance It evidently believes in the itinerant tinker’s maxim—of making two holes in the kettle while they solder one. ’’’here is, in my opinion, one fact very patent, notwithstanding the high morale of onr police under Commissioner Weldon—spirituous liquors cannot be vended without the knowledge and tacit connivance of our 'police force. Neither private individuals nor publicans should have thrown on them the onus of its suppression—for it is as much a portion of the proper work for which we pay our police as the suppression of illicit distillation, or the apprehension of housebreakers and horsestealers. In fact, the district swarms with grog-sellers, who are too lazy to work, and neither too scrupulous to defraud thejrevenue, nor poison their fellow men. Public-houses are under the control of the police—the others are beyond their ken and hence their mischief and the reason why they have been so fruitful in engendering grime. The population of this district appear to consider -whisky sold in secret or illegally is sweet, and the purveyors thereof supported. When a rather local celebrity was fined some twelvemonths since LSO for grog selling, her friends went round with the hat outside the Court-house door, and collected the trifle in a twinkling-satisfying the majesty of the law, and perpetuating their Jwhisky mill. Only fancy a person keipiug a grop-shop openly opposite the Provincial. I wonder how long it would last. It may be handy for “SirCompo” in wet weather, as he wou’d not then have to cross the road to imbibe.