MINING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3613, 21 September 1874, Page 2

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

ARROW. {Prom our own Corretpondent ) * : September 18. A few quartz specimen t» from tbs Twelve, Mile Creek, having been l banded round 'this township during the last day or two, reports of the discovery of a payable reef have- obtained currency both here and at Queenstown. lam hewever, confident that no such luck has yet dawned upon this at present exceptionally depressed district. I stated in recent lettei-s that the Scandinavian line of reef is believed .to cross the head of the Twelve Mile Creek, and also that numbers of quartz specimens had been found for years in that locality, so the specimens now causing attention, although doubtless found in the locality, need not excite surprise. During last winter, a miner here, who has an interest in a claim at the head of the Twelve Mile, informed me that quertz specimens were to be found in abundance in the neighborhood of his claim, and I had arranged to visit the place as soon as the snow was off it, which is not the case at present. The bed of the creek presents such unusual difficulties, in the shape of numerous heavy masses of rock, that it has not been hitherto worked, although affording every prospect of rich patches of gold, and if dynamite possesses the great advantages over blasting powder which is claimed for it, and can be used with safety, its introduction would result in the workings of a large area of ground in this locality and also in Bracken’s gully and other celebrated mining spots. The working of the alluvial at the head of the Twelve Mile might lead the miners on to discoveries of quartz leaders, and perhaps the reef itself Alluvial mining is on the wane, and, owing to lack of enterprise, quartz mining is not encouraged, although I have confidence that the district will yet take a high rank in that branch of mining. The prospects of the farmers in the coming season are anything but cheering, on account of the want of a market for their produce, and a great many will no doubt have to relinquish the business. The commonage question is again cropping up, and I know parties who are now running large numbers of sheep upon our commonage, and others who are about purchasing sheep for the same object j the cattle owners are thus done out of any benefit from the commencement, and the result may yet be that it will be found better to abolish the commonage system, as the principal parties benefited are the few smart people who run sheep on them to the utter ruin of their neighbors’ cattle. The Palmer rush is attracting some of our miners. The Arrow United Company are still awaiting the arrival of their extra pump, now daily expected. The Sons of Fortune commence active operations on the Ist prox., and the claims generally throughout the district are getting into full work. The Shotover Co.’s claim continues to yield a profit.