TASMANIA.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 707, 30 July 1870, Page 1 (Supplement)

TASMANIA.

[CORNWALL CHRONICLE, JULY I.] ' WATERHOUSE. The Pioneeer : It appears that the good stone cannot be got at until a further sink- i ing of 12ft is got through, on account of the water in the mine. The men are now working off the stoops on each side, which will give more room to work when the necessary sinking has been effected. They are also working at the southern end, from which some very good specimens have been got. The result of the weekly washing up from the tables, ripples, and blaukets was 460z. The Alliance : The only item of intelligence regarding this claim, is that men have been set on, and the new main shaft is being sunk. The Standard : A company under the above title are about opening up Nos. 3 and 4on the Pioneer line of reef, with some adjoining land, making in all about 30 acres. BACK CREEK. Commercial Company : Boring operations at this Company's claim are being continued, although the very wet weather has interfered considerably with progress. The manager, Mr W. R. Bell, writes, personally to one of the visitors : — " I regret to say that the third bore-hole is not bottomed yet ; this is owing to the tenacious character of the ground met with in the prosecution of the work. The total depth obtained with this bore is about 79 to 80ft. The following is a description of the different strata gone through :—Surface soil, lft ; tough yellow clay, 21ft ; strong grey clay, Bft ; hard basalt, 12fi ; green magnesian (a variety of serpentine), 9ft ; hard basalt, 2ft ; soft basalt, 3ft ; very hard ditto, 9ft ; serpentine, lft ; very hard basalt, 2ft ; total 80ft. From the character of the country already gone through, I do not think that the true bottom will be reached at less than 100 ft from the surface, and this h probably the deepest ground in the locality." Back Creek Mining Company : Capital news is received as to the prospects of this company, and we may anticipate a good return for the fortnight. A letter addressed to Messrs Smith and Poole states that the Back Creek Mining Company came upon some good washdirt

which was estimated to go \vi to the ton or load. NINE MILE SPRINGS. The Shamrock Company has been successfully floated, and we are glad to learn is shortly about to commence mining operations. At a meeting of the Provisional Directors it was reported that the whole number of shares offered to the public — viz., 2000— had been applied for. The reef has been further opened out, and some very fine prospects have been obtained. One specimen of quartz, about eight pounds weight, was taken from the body of the reef a few days ago, and on being crushed yielded 4dwt of beautiful gold. We regard this mine as one of the best mining properties in Tasmania, and we trust no time will be lost in working it systematically. FINGAL. From a private letter, dated Black Boy, 21st June, and addressed by a professional man there, to a gentleman in ah official position in Launceston, we have been authorised to make some extracts, which will be read with interest : — " The weather, on the whole, has been very fine. Ever since I arrived here (several months back), we have not had one broken day from wet ; and what is of more importance, we have not had one day since we came here that has not advanced and brightened our prospects. 1 have generally had three men employed in prospecting and testing our claim, which consists of 25 acres leased and 20 acres under miners' right.. The first day we struck a reef showing payable gold, and each day since we have made further discoveries, until now we have four distinct reefs besides numerous leaders, all showing gold in the stone. Surface specimens we gather, as mushropins, when in season. The surface specimens with surface washing are unerring indices to the whereabouts of the reef. The common wonder is that these reefs were not discovered long ago, being on the very verge of the alluvial diggings, and manifestly the place from whence the gold has been deposited in the alluvial flats. We have applied for two acres for a machine site, and also for a water right. The property is now in twenty shares, of which I own four. We also hold two other lots in Mangana, and we have applied for another 25 acres. I consider our property second to none of the kind in Tasmania. Thero is abundance of gold-bearing quartz easily obtainable, and the whole is in a good situation and inexpensive to work. Our success has so unsettled the ' alluvians' here that they are nearly all quartz mad. "Two young men from Gipps Land have been very lucky. I marked out a claim of 90 yards ; 30 yards for each of them, and 30 yards for another young man. They were offered a liberal price for their interest in it, including a number of paid-up shares each ; the shares alone are worth LIOO each lot ; they have refused LBO for them."

" Garibaldi Reef, or Golden Gate. — A miner known by the pet cognomen of - ' Garibaldi,' on the 18fch J uue found some stone, gold-bearing quartz specimens, on the west side of Black Horse Gully. There was an immediate rush, and five leases and about forty miner's rights were pegged out before night. The prospector named it ' Garibaldi Reef,' but other parties on the same line of reef have called it ' The Golden Gate.' Many good specimens have since been obtained, and the place is in good repute. Three, if not more, of the leases are for parties in Launceston. One has been taken by the young men from Gipps Land. "The Diggers at Black Boy.— The diggers here are about 70 in number. A few of them are miking steadily good wages : the majority of them tucker, with a fair prospect of making money. One puddling machine has been started, another is in course of erection,' and two more are to be started without delay. The water here has been so scarce that most of the miners have to carry the washdirt to a great distance. We have had a visit from the Hon. . I sent by him L 47 worth of gold to Hobart Town. This was good nuggetty gold, obtained near our reefs by four Germans. They have obtained in all about LI 00 between three of them, the fourth having only joined them recently." Penguin Silver Mines. The news from Penguin Creek is very encouraging, and the prospects of the Silver Mining Company are brighter than ever. Two private letters were received in town yesterday, from which we make the following extracts ; — " The neira from the mine is still more encouraging. brought a sample to-day, and it is quite dense with metal and copper pyrites. About 3cwt came up in a lump." Another letter says : — " Stephens has not gone any lower with the shaft ; he h squaring it up ready for timbering. I have seen nothing like the ore now coming up. It looks firstclass. He expects to have 100 tons by the I end of the week."