UP-RIVER DIGGINGS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 670, 5 May 1870, Page 2

UP-RIVER DIGGINGS.

♦ — : — (from our own correspondent.) Ahatjra, May 3. The spasmodic spirt which aroused us a week or two ago, when the vacant allotments in the township were rushed, jumped and re-rushed, has passed away, and we have relapsed into our usual state of insensibility. Like the bears we have, in a metaphorical sense, retired to our hollow logs, there to remain until the " spring time comes " and wakes us up again. The road to Napoleon is progressing rapidly, and the dray road to Totara Flat is all but finished, but we are worse off than ever we were as far as the means of communication with the seaboard are concerned. We do not hear any talk lately about the proposed road to the Arnold, and the tracks down country are getting in worse condition every day. It was certainly a bright idea that of expending, the small amount of public money which was available in making patches of roads— which are intended to answer as dray roads, and which will probably be used as such by the nest generation — into the interior of the country from this place, and leaving the so-called track to the seaport^ which everyone has to use, in the disgraceful condition in which it is and has been. The Orwell Creek, which runs into the Grey about a mile from this town on the down river track, is swollen to such a degree when there is the slightest fresh on, that all traffic for pedestrians is effectually stopped, and yet 1 have heard offer after offer made to put a footbridge, that would answer all practical purposes, across it for L2O. The offer was, of course, refused because the new road will be made " some day." There is an old adage about the steed starving- while the grass is growing, and we are in a fix with regard to our roads ; long before the promised dray road is made the present tracks will become impassable if nothing be done to improve them. The protection for M'Donald's track to Napoleon, with the right to charge tolls, which is about to expire, has been renewed until the Government track is finished, or, in other words, until the " cows come home," for it practically amounts to the same thing. There was a distinct promise given by the authorities that when the lease of this track expired it would not be renewed. The track to Napoleon by way of Half-ounce Creek (Lardi's) has been thrown open for some time, and M'Laughlin's track by way of Noble's was thrown open by the Government, and why a dis-< tinction in favor of this track should be made is difficult to see. Tf the proprietors are. entitled to compensation, by all means let them have- it, but it is the duty of the Government to destroy these monopolies, no matter at what cost. Some excitement was caused last week by a rush to Gander Creek at Moonlight. It is situated about half-a-mile up the creek from its jnnction with the main creek, and on a terrace of some exteut at the foot of Dugald's Gully. A party of four men have been working here since last November, and although it was supposed they were getting payable gold, they were not disturbed until last week. The immediate cause of the rush was the bottoming of a shaft by Scotch Jack's party at a depth of 45ft, dry, with a prospect of 3chvt to the dish. Several shafts have since been bottomed shallow. From bhe patchy nature of the ground about Moonlight, no notice whatever need be iaken by parties at a distance of any rush ivhich may take place to it, for there are ilways a sufficient number of miners in ;he vicinity to occupy all the ground vhich is likely to be of any value. This •ush is spoken highly of by the knowing »nes about |Moonlight, and it may pos-

oibly turn out well, for rich ground has been found in the immediate loca'ity — Jerry's Gully, for instance. At aU events, the ground be\ng dry and comparatively shallow, it will be soon and easily tried. ORWELL'S CREEK. Noonen's party in this creek have their head race finished. The water has been raised from the creek not far from the point where Evans' tail-race comes into it. The race is well constructed, and the supply of water is practically unlimited. The party are washing away a face nearly 80ft in height, but they are not properly into the ground they injend to work yet. At present they are removing a portion of the terrace, to enable them to ; get a straight line for their tail-boxes, to. a part of the creek where there is. a .good fall, which is indispensable in ground like this, for the debris removed in a week might be estimated at thousands of loads. This party have been at work here for nearly two years, or since the beginning of the Topsy Gully rush, and they had worked so far into the terrace that the old waterrace became useless, it being at too low a level to command the workings. The new race is taken from a point higher up the creek, and it has sufficient power and elevation to command the ground nearly to the top of the range. The ground which this party is working has peculiarities of formation that would puzzle a more learned geologist than I am to explain or account for. It is ah immense gutter or lead running through the apparently unbroken range, and enclosed between two high and almost perpendicular walls of hard sandstone. The washdirt is unlike anything found on the Napoleon or Wellington Leads; but it bears a slight resemblance to that on the Mosquito Lead. It is composed of the reddish gravel and large "wooden" boulders, embedded in the white, sticky mullock, which abounds in the old teerace gutters about Nelson Creek and-lfo Town. If I it' ght be allowed to hazard an opinion, I would say that this party have struck the tail end of the Mosquito Lead, just before it runs into the plain. ! which was evidently, at one time, a lake j or reservoir,' towards which all the deep 1 leads at present discovered in these parts ran. Noonen's party have proved their claim by sinking shafts across front reef itt reef, and they found that the average depth of the deep ground was about 35ft. Hessey and party, who are working higher up the creek, are setting in tc a flat terace on the left-hand bank, with the intention of ground-sluicing it. They have good prospects. I believe some of the party know the ground thoroughly* They are getting their tail-boxes into position previous to. making a start. // * Clarke, Evans, and party's large taill race is nearly completed. This has been a work of such magnitude for a party of working men to undertake, depending* solely on their own resources, that it deserves special mention. The company applied, in the beginning of January last, for a lease of ten acres, and the application was opposed on grounds which the , Warden (Mr Lowe) very properly characterised as both frivolous and vexatious * r and, to show the " dog-in-the-manger "L spirit in which obstacles are sometims thrown in the way of bona fide workingmen, I may remark that one of the objectors stated on that occasion that the ground could be thoroughly tested f or -% LIOO, and another said that he was waiting tailings some place in the neighbors hood, and if this ground were given he would be ruinous to him. The boundaries 1) of the claim were not defined at this time ; but when they were, it was found that this man's patch of tailings was not within the ground applied for. The claim is s situated in Orwell Creek, at the spot where the creek is supposed to have intersected the Napoleon Lead. After the usual amount of circumlocution had been gone* through, and after shewing to the satis- h faction of the authorities that they had the means, and intended to outlay them in developing the ground, the party succeeded in obtaining a grant -of seven acres, and the work was commenced at once. The tail race which has been brought to the boundary of the claim is 12ft wide at the bottom and 14ft wide on '-■■ top for a distance of 600 feet. It is on an 1 >: average 10ft deep, and along the centre of the bottom a string of boxes have been laid, which are continued beyond the main tail race through a cutting another ' 600 feet in length until the creek is reached. Several unsuccessful attempts have been made to reach the main bottom, but there is a false bottom about 15 feetr ■? from the surface on which a bed of wash* 4 dirt is resting, containing gold that, according to its prospects, will pay well for ground sluicing. This false bottom has been reached with the tail race, so that from this point to the spot where the main shaft is to be sunk, the parly expect , to be able to make wages as the race is brought up. The boxes used by the V party are 12ft long, 14in wide at the' 1 bottom, with 12 inch sides, and composed " of 3£ inch timber. There have been 2000 feet of timber used already, and it will require 50 boxes of the same dimensions.to. complete the work; and up to the' present time the company have shifted 2735 cubic yards of earth. No aoourate idea can be formed as to the probable depth of the main bottom, but from acalculation of the angles at which the reefs dip on either side of the gully, it is expected that it can be reached at about from 30 to 40 feet. The water wheel, which is to work the pumping machinery 1 1 will be the largest ever erected inthaoOGrey valley, and the pumping gear- will be ; fitted with all the latest improvements. The party have be.e.n using the water from ' the creek in carrying away the stuff which came out of the tail-race, but the water came in such an irregular manner that it has been found necessary to build a reservoir, so that the supply can be regulated; r 3 A site, which is singularly well adapted ' * for the purpose, has been selected some distance up the creek, and a dam two chains wide has been thrown across it from side to side. This. 4am « built of two solid walls of timber 20 feet apart, and the spaoe between has been filled in with tenacious blue clay well puddled, which. ... has been procured from the side of the-" range. A tramway has been. laid down f from the place where the clay was dug out to the dam, thereby greatly facilitating the work. The quantity of watw which this dam will throw baoj?, will cover an area of nearly 10Q yards aqnare, with an average depth of about four feet. If the company succeed in proving payable gold to exist under this false bottom they will be the means of inaugerating an entirely new era of gold mining upjthe river,

This false bottom exists at the lower parts of nearly all the creeks, in the upper part of which rich ground has been worked. Such is the case at Noble's, Duffer's, Nelson Creek, Eed Jack's, Moonlight, No Town, CaUashan's, and at numerous other places. Miners who form themselves into companies soch as this one is, and who are willing to devote their time, energy, and means in developing the resources of the country, should be encouraged by every possible means, instead of having their efforts retarded by the frivolous objections of personß who have neither the means, the skill, or the intention of working the ground themsblve?. It is to be hoped that, if the longtalked i of revisiou of the bye-laws ever be accomplished, provision will be more definitely made, so that parties who make their vexatious objections will be compelled to make them good, or prove that they have reasonable grounds for bringing them, or, in case of failure, that substantial damages be given as some compensation to the other side, for the loss of time and expense they have been put to in combating them. Another party has been formed to take up a similar area of ground below Clarke and Co.