NELSON CREEK.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 700, 14 July 1870, Page 4

NELSON CREEK.

July 12. An efficient supply of water at a sufficient elevation to command the terraces ' on both sides of this creek as far clown want as Try-again, has been the great want of this place from the beginning. It is more than two .years a<?o since a then resident of Try-again Terrace l<ikl the scheme before a few of the principal business people there, and showed them what an easy matter it would be to bring a practically inexhaustible supply of water along the ranges above Try-again Terrace, provided the physical conformation of the country at the head of Nelson Creek would admit of it* He showed them that it would merely be a question of time and, of course, expense, until the work could be completed and the permanent prosper by of the place secured. His scheme was based, with a slight modification, on that system of combination of labor and capital called " furnishing," by means of which the deep wet leads at Ballarat and other places in Victoria were first discovered, and afterwards developed. The individual I refer to was at the time laughed at as a visionary, and the wiseacres to whom he made his proposition had very serious intentions of "stopping his grog," as the only means they could think of by -which he could be cured of the hallucination he was laboring under. But he must have had " a method in his madness," for the very plan he proposed to adopt is now about being carried out, with the assistance of the Government, by some, at least, of the people who formerly laughed at the idea of it. Mr Woolley, the Government Surveyor, has started to take levels for the proposed new race, and it is yet uncertain which will be the most suitable point to raise the water. As far as is at present known, there are onlj two eligible spots — one is the Lake Hochester, the main source of Nelson Creek, and the other the right-hand branch of the Ahaura river. The latter source would undoubtedly afford the largest and most permanent supply of water, but the adoption of this route will necessitate the making one, if not more, long and expensive tunnels.. The other route has the advantage of presenting fewer difficulties of construction, but the water supply would be more precarious. If this race had been commenced when first proposed, it would be finished now, and the expense of the construction being so evenly distributed, under the plan submitted by the promoter, would not have pressed heavily upon any individual shareholder. The Deep Lead is still the centre of attraction in the district. There are ten claims at work, five of which may be considered payable. Clanghesy and party are the last on the lead on gold. The tunnel is 1709 ft long. The lead in the claim is about 100 ft wide, with 3ft or 4ft payable wa3hdirt. Carey and party in the next claim are in about 1000 ft. They are on or very near the lead now. : The next is an amalgamated party, Young and Hayward and We.°ton and Co ; they are in about 3400 feet, and they reckon they are other 200 feet of the gold. Murtagh and Co and M'Fee and party are also amalgamated in the next tunnel, the length of which is about 400 feet. There are several claims marked out further down, but they are principally occupied by shepherds. The claim above Claughesy's is in the possession of Watehe, Hawe and party. The tunnel is 1500 feet long, and the party have been on gold for some time. Christie and party are next; this is also a. good claim. The whim party, Murphy, Sheely and Co, are next above. The depth of the whim shaft is about 50 feet. Thi3 is considered the best claim on the lead. Healy and party are next, and above them Arthur Ellis and party are or were working ; but I believe some of the party have left for Try again Terrace. Robert Moorhead, who was found drowned in the Grey some time since, waa a member of this company. The other claims further along the lead are in the hands of the fossickers. The sluicing claims on Hatter's Terrace still maintain the average yield. Graham and Co have had a cleaning up recently, with a result, I have been informed, of nearly 100 ounces. The other parties are doing equally well. -There are between 50 and 60 miners at work here Kennedy and party have their tunnel tail-race nearly finished ; it is 400 ft long, and it has been an expensive piece of work, but it will repay itself, as it will give a fall for a large area of ground. This party's water-race, which is flumed across Nelson Creek at a height of nearly 100 ft from level of the water, was 3eriously damaged, during' the recent storm ; a tree, which was either blown down or struck by lightning, fell, across the boxes, destroying some of them and greatly injuring others. The, damage is now repaired. The Wheel Co. on the opposite side of the creek are not bottomed yet. The paddock this party are trying to bottom is situated in the creek at the back of Brosnan's old store. The dimensions of the paddock on the surface were 40 by 30ft, but the sides have been gradually allowed to slope inwards, to prevent them caving. An accident has also occurred in this party's claim During the late floods the sides of the paddock fell in, and partially buried the' pumps, but the damage done has been remedied, and the claim is at work again. They expect to bottom at about 30ft, and it is the general opinion that good gold exists where the party are sinking. Whether the ground will ever pay for working, with the im • mense quantity of water it contains, is another question. The ground is drained at present by means of Californian pumps which are worked by a well-constructed water- wheel 18ft in diameter. Several ineffectual attempts have been made to reach the bottom in this flat, and if this party do not succeed in doing so, it will be a Icng time before it is tried again. The storekeepers and other business people on Hatter's Terrace are making a horse-track across the dividing range to Callaghan's Creek. The timber and drift wood is cleared through the bed of the left-hand branch, of No. 2 Gully, and tenders are out for making the track over the range and. down the other side. There are about 100 men scattered about the numerous tributaries and among the upper brandies of this creek. They must be, getting gold in sufficient- quantities to induce them to rern^ii -in such biit-of-the-

way places, but I've only heard of two parties — Thos. Finlay and Co. and Geo. Clough and Co. — who are really doing anything. Magee and party's large water-race is getting on well. This party intend to bring 30 Government sluice-heads as far down as Try-Again Terrace, but they have every reason to expect to meet with payable grodtid /ong before they reach that place. Try Again Terrace is all alive once more. The different race parties have their water in and at work. These races, with the exception of Levison's, have not bpen taken in on the surface. They have been brought on to a shelf which runs along the face of the terrace on a level with the bottom, in fact in the reef. The dirt is run out along tramways from the several claims, and the different companies are generally taking the whole of the gravel before them. After groundsluicing every thins; away in a face, this is the next best plan of working ground like this. Carr Brothers and party have obtained a lease of the : ground hear the cemetry, formerly included in the blacksmith's claim as well as J. W. Jones and Co. This party have a string of boxes uearly 300 ft. long, laid down to carry away their tailings. Letcher and Pringle have also obtained a lease of, I believe, seven acres. This party have raised their water from the main creek. Palmer's race also heads from the main creek above Pott's ferry. Both these water-races required a good deal of fluining, and they have been executed in a workmanlike manner. Peterson and Leach are washing with the water which flows down the main tail-race under Hayden and Rankin's old store. This tail-race (which is a tunnel) was first brought up by J. W. Jones and party some years ago. At the time of the great rush to Try-Again Terrace, it was, with the permission of the owners, deepened and taken further into the flat, so as to drain all the < claims at that time in work. I Peterson and Co. collect the water as it leaves this tail-race, and conduct it to their claim further down the terrace. Tliay are also wheeling their stuff out. j Levison and party are washing with the water from the original Try- Again Co.'s water-race, the supply is not very large, . but it happens to be available when it is wanted. Bill the Marine still keeps sentry at the gangway coming up from the creek. That claim of his appears to be an everlasting one. He has been working in it, or near it, as far back as the memory of the oldest inhabitant extendes, aud although he declares every Saturday night that he is worked out, he is always to be found the following Wednesday of every week — very seldom earlier — at the old spot. Carr's claim at the head of Dry. Gully is worked out at last — that is the inner portion of it ; but I understand some of the original party (Messrs Livingstone and Graham) intend ground-sluicing the outer part. Jenkins's claim at German Gully still recainu its prestige as the premier claim of the district ; and the party deserve all they get for the perseverance they displayed before they got any gold. The tail-race leading to this company's works has taken nearly eighteen months in its construction.- ----- : This district, on the whole, has materially improved during the last twelve months, and the miners in it, who are mostly old residents, so far from being infested with the "dry rot" which some people attribute to them, have lost none of the pluck and energy they were wont to display, and the results they have achieved will bear out the assertion.