MINING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3573, 5 August 1874, Page 3

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

[From our own Correspondent.)

ARROW.

July 24. Until lately tha season had been marked by great steadiness and absence from storms ; although tho frost was very severe, still the weather was fine. Since the flood of last week the weather has been unsettled, and now we have experienced one of the greatest falls of snow ever remembered. In Dunedin such an event is not productive of serious inconvenience; but in. this district, where people live in out-of-the-way places, their supplies of provisions are cut iff; while in too many cases they are short of fuel, and they can only obtain relief by running tome personal risk. The mountains and valleys are covered with snow to a great depth, and heavy losses to sheep-owners may be dreaded, besides the more serious contingency of accident to shepherds. In mining matters everything is at a standstill, except a few tunnelling claims, as the rest have not made a start since the late flood. The “ Hip ami Tear,” a tail-race river claim near the township, after numberless discouragements, had got on some ground which yielded 38ez3 f p r a week a work. The extensive sluicing claim at the junction of Uew Chum bully must now be worked by tunnelling, the tailings having stopped the tail-race of the claim above, and damages been obtained. The “Niagara” claim (J. A. Miller aud party) is one of the most interesting in the Province, as the workings are carried on by tunnelling under the present bed of the river. The ground is drained by a tailrace communicating with the tunnel, and the dirt is raised through shafts sunk at intervals as the works progress. The working is very wet, and requires an extensive wardrobe to carry it bn; the men’s huts are full of clothes, sou-westers, &c., in process of drying. They have met with but little solid ground as yet; but what they do get is very good, running about 12oz to a set of timber (sft by sft). Tpey have aveyqged wages since Christmas list, while they arc pushing their m * ia forward to a block of solid about 240 ft in length, which was yielding about 17oa to the set when last worked. From this claim the township there is an elevated terrace formation on the western bank of the river, which has been strangely overlooked during the last few years, although these portions of it which have been worked proved exceptionally neb. About four miles above the township, above the junction of Bracken’s Gully, we come te the Arrow Falla, from which, for three quarters of a mile up tha river, the claim of the “Sons of Fortune” extends. This portion of the Arrow Kiver has never been worked, although no part of it can be worked so economically as this. I The reason ithas been left is thatthe bed of the

river rises up some 50ft or 60ft, while an enormous landslip has so encumbered the face with masses of rock, that prospecting for thfe level of the river bed was a task of the most formidable nature. It was, however, persevered in for years by J. A. Miller and party, who have readied in one of thdr tunnels the elevated Ked ef the river. fcix hundred shares in the company have been subscribed for in the Arrow iisolf, out of a total of about 1,800 shares subscribed for to date. The company propose to start again in the apriug, aad as the rest of the river above and below has paid for working three times over, it is only fair to suppose that this extensive claim, being all new ground, should be a valuable mine for many years to oomo. Thu Mayoral election, ontested by Mcs&rGeldcrton and Inn*-*, resulted in the return ef tie latter by a majority of 4. Mr Inuos lately represented the district in the Proviaoial Connell, and will, no deubt, complete the work which had keen ably started by his predecessor, Mr Goldston —that of gettingthe municipal machine fairly started ; for, unless the Acts are closely esnplLd with, much after-loss occurs, as Queenstown found out, for it was a long time before it placed itself in a position to enforce the payment of rates, aad only after bin ing its experience dearly in the Supreme Court. Nor does it seem vet to be able to enforce observance of its bye-laws, or to claim fees or fines of Court. 1 trust that the Arrow will profit by its experience. Efforts are about to be made by the miners to erect a building for a Mimra’ Institute, on the allotment granted them for that purpose. The Oddfellows and Good Templars are also anxious to erect buildings for their respective orders. Mr J. A. Mill- r is to give a lecture on Spiritualism and free thought on Saturday next, for the benefit of the Dunedin Indussrial School. Fn reference to the Good Templars, I may state that among those who have joined it here are a number of men who have been, until it started, good steady drinking men. One party, a member of which now holds high office in the order, assured me that their party of four had spent LSOO in drink since last Christmas. I am informed that l,00l» shares in the Colonial Bank have been applied for in this township.