OTAGO.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 719, 27 August 1870, Page 1 (Supplement)

OTAGO.

A large nugget was brought into Milton Saturday week. It is about the size and Bhape of a pullet's egg, apparently one mass of solid gold, weighs eleven ounces, and is said to be worth about L4l. John Smith, in whose possession it is, says he found it on the 27th ultimo beneath a large boulder, iv a gully near to Mr Mills' farm, about four miles from Milton, on the Canada road. He and his three mates have been working in the gully for the last three months, but hitherto have only made tucker. Smith says the gold in the locality is coarse (and in corroboration produced a very good sample),. but patchy, and only found in very small quantities. The Mount Ida Chronicle furnishes the following particulars regarding mining operations at Surface Hill : — Surface Hill may be said to be the busiest of all our local gold workings at present. On no other spot wiLhin such a circumscribed area of ground on the Hogbnrn is so much, water being now used, so much washdirt put through, or so many men at work, as on Surface Hill. The registered claims which have been so long under the proteci'on of the Warden, are now in full work. The hydraulic box flumingofthe Hit or Mis 3 Water Company, after more than a month's test, is found to work admirably ; and their large dam being finished allows 61 a plentiful supply of water beuig obtaiued for sluicing. The Bemi-circalar length of the wall work of this daaa. is 630 f t; breadth at base, 25ft ; breadth, on top, 14ft; average depch ins'de 7ft 6in ; and capable of holding between one and two million gallons of water. Shannon and party have now nearly finished their tunnel. It enters on the slope towards the main gully, is of a conical form, and at 200 ft will debouch, by its rapid upward inclination, on the other side of the higher part of the hill. The stratification is composed of a dry tough wash, and no timber is required. Stewart and party have been working on the face of the hill, at its highest part, and have certainly set their mark upon its appearance. They use about 3^ heads of water, send down their race large masses of soil, from the facing, 60ft high, arid, we understand, obtain very handsome returns. The claim of Napier and party has three heads of water operating upon the face, and here also large quantities of . washdirt are disposed of. Hore and Company's claim is being energetically worked, more particularly during the present favorable weather. Robertson and party are here also showing their water-mark on the hillside, and are said to be making excellent wages. The claim of Farmer and Company is supposed to yield favorable returns to the shareholders ; the quantity of earth swept down by their water power is very large. The claims mentioned, we are assured, pay from L 4 to L 9 per week per man, theie" being on an average three miners to each claim. The returns from the claims of the following parties, who have but recently commenced work, cannot yet be estimated, but as they are in juxtaposition to those previously mentioned on Surface Hill, in all probability their shareholders will do well. Creighton and party, M'Farlane and party, O'Loughlan and party, Ross and party, Aschoff and party, Sullivan and party, are busy at work, and, we understand, are doing well.