SKETCHES ON THE SHOTOVER.

Evening Star, Issue 3948, 20 October 1875, Page 3

SKETCHES ON THE SHOTOVER.

“DOOMED TO DISAIToIiSTiiENT.” (From our own Correspondent. ) Aioiow, October 17. The above is the heading of an article rc-o, nily published in the ‘ Otago Witness.’ It refers to the Ophir reef on the Jihotovcr, and in it that reef is made to appear as a bubble or a myth introduced to the world by an over-auiiguiue sea captain, who succeeded in deluding a legal gentleman in Dunedin into wasting a portion of his substance in pursuing this shadow. In fact, a very pretty story of legal gullibility and maritime cunning is made out which would grace the p gts of a child's story-book, but, happily for the lawyer interested, it is a long way fmm being a true version of the case. Long before cither the sea captain or the lawyer came upon the page of the history of the Ophir rtef, a party c .mposed of sixteen shareholders had expended LJSO in efforts to develop it. My information is obtained from two ut that party- -one of whom is Mr John Klliott, the present manager of the Auow United Company, and a ,shareholder in the Phojuix tribute party; the other is Mr Geo. Walton, who was manager of the Ophir ree; while in the hands of the parly n P.nivd to Tiu.se g-nt!oinen inform mo that about mm years ago their party took up the Ophir, atm applied fur a gold-mining lease. A body of quartz two it ot wi ie was visible at the .-po where thciy commenced to inane*. It was o the east bunk of the Shotovcr, and on the op posit** bank the lode was well defined, ami i known as the Liverpool reef. Four men • and a manager were employed, and they ; 1 drove a tunnel into this quartz for , **'iue distance perfectly sbuight, The quail/

did not keep the liuß of tiie tunnel, but trended off. The tunnel was put through a landslip until solid country was pnv.-iral- d, i‘.-; total length being 107 feet; Aii_‘ niior m-dm-.; into the solid a cross-cut was <->]>.-11 <1 o> '- i- 1 ' the reef, which the last shot llrer. s-. sn: p-.»- *•«.( have reached, owing to the charge exploding into the face instead of fiom it. 'w.v v>, operations were then suspend. d 'O ■ \ many of the shareholders Iwuing tin- inslnev., and the manager becoming f'.'h-v teucu L-t he should become personally liable for \uigc< mcurred. Several tons of quartz, north fion six to eight ounces per ton, was .it ’.lie nr nth of tiro tunnel. This had been rabid iivuiib;portion of the loir passed th.oag’i, and na-; unfortunately swept away by a flood shoialv after wards, Some years suh.-a-qucnt'y the captain took up the reef, an 1 is is new in the bauds of the lawyer. Jly uibvmauls are c> ilident that a very rich reef is in the Claim, a.id one well worthy of further etWls to develop; and as the article in the ‘ Witness' is calcinated to ridicule and discourage any ae n.u r.t that kind, they are anxious to give it an au-iioiii - tivc contradiction, as they have quite as good an opinion of the reef now a; : they had when they invested money in it _ It may be fmthev menli*mod, in cnnuic-ii ,i. with this and other Shotovn-r itefs, that it is their continuation through the iniipe to the Twelve-Mile (Anew), which is row .yielding such good prospects, and ciu-mg ■■■" much attention.