HALF-OUNCE.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 703, 21 July 1870, Page 4

HALF-OUNCE.

, ; , July 19. I A large rush set in to this place on; Monday, morning, .in consequjjnee <if ; ita^ Tiaving leaked out that; the amalgamated^ company on the flat (Ginty,iMagrath and Co) were on payable goldt This party bottomed at 38 feet; and after'smkihg a; well they opened out a drive in the reef. j At about 8 feet from the; shaftythe gravel was touched in the roof of the drive, andj it was found to contain gold. The groundj continued dipping towards the ; western range, and at a 1 distance of 30 feet tliei washdirt is resting on the bottom vi thei 1 drive. The washdirt is from three to four; feet thick, and it is said to be fabulously ! rirh ; but after making careful enquiry il] have no reason to believe it is any better! than the dirt oh the other claim on gold, ; viz., an average of five grams' to the dish. ; The *ater was very troublesome 4 tiring; the sinking, of shaft,, a,nd doubts were;

expressed as to whether tho parties would, be able to bottom with the appliances they were using, and the parcy deserve credit for their pluck in sticking- so well to their work, pit is no joke being oh the night shift in such weather, as we have had lately; The striking gold in this claim 5s important, it proves tho lead to be con? tinuous, and it enhances the .valu-j of I shares in the other claims. Ginty and party have commenced a new Bhaft, over the lead and westward of the old one, which they intend to use as a wellshaft for bailing from.' At the upper part of the lead, .on Scandinavian Terrace, a now 'ivin of payable ground has been discovered in some of the claims. In Lindblumb and party'sgrourid this new gutter is said to toe; 30 feet; wide, and, it has also' been found • in Swansen and Co's claim. These socalled new gutters will eventnally- be found to run into each other.; Experiepce at Paddy's .Gully s and at Bi-andy papk's has shown that they are hot distinct leads, they are merely formed by bumps or rises in the bottom, and when the claims are worked pht it will be ; found that payabtC washdirt has been found all round, and probably on top of them. Rankin aud Cosgrave's party are erecting a whim the skeleton of is already builf. AsV, Brandt-, and party, have been extending their tramway 300 ft further down the creek, to get a suitable washing place. This company's tail-race is at the lowest level of any on the creek, and several of the other claimhclders will be I likely to come tb terms with Brandt and Co. for the use of it. It is 1500 ft long, and. it has. been a tedious undertaking. The bottom of the lead being at nearly: as low a level as the creek, parties constructing tail-races were compelled to go a long distance down the creek to get sufficient fall. Archibald Ferris and Co. have their paddock nearly full of dirt, and they expect it will yield very well when washed. The finding of gold in Ginty and Magrath's shaft has caused a stampede of miners and business people from Napoleon and the surrounding districts to Half-Ounce ; but it must be remembered that the parties who are on gold have been several months looking for it, in some cases under great difficulties. The water is very troublesome ; and 1 although it is the opinion* of some people that the ground can be worked in the ordinary manner^ I doubt it, and I still think it will be necessary to take up long tail-races or to erect whims before the ground can be worked xo advantage. The argument that a number pf shafts bailing at once will drain the ground does not apply in this case. In Victoria the leads, especially the wet ones, are generally more than one claim wide, whereas they are scarcely ever even .a single claim wide here. In Victoria, the shafts are closer together, and the water-in the ground is generally confined to layers of drift-sand aud gravel, which are " puddled back" as the shaft is sunk Ih 'Half-Ounce, the largest body of water is in the reef, consequently it is impossible to get rid of it by any means but by bailing or by constructing tail-races. 1 would especially cauiipn business people against rushing this place. The wants of the miners, who are likely to find profitable employment, after the first spurt of the rush is over, are amply provide I for already, and : the example of Paddy's Gully, at which place a building, in the erection of which over 10,000 feet of sawn timber were used, was recently sold for LB, should be a warning to people against building in the absence of a reasonable inducement to' do so.