ROSS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 736, 6 October 1870, Page 3

ROSS.

(FROM OUR OWN COKRtSPONDENT.) October 3. I do not think I shall have need to apologise to you and the readers of the AuGiTs|for my long silence, when I state that such has been occasioned through an J accident that befel me shortly after despatching my last letter, from the effects of which I still suffer. Just as I had closed my last communication a fearful accident occurred in the claim known as Bullock's. The ten o'clock shift had just commenced work, a miner, named Ben Long, working in one of the faces, was fixing the main set, assisted by another. A boulder it seems was in the way of the legs, and had to be taken out, and whether from the main timber fallingbackwur Is a:idknockingover the false set, or from the latter sinking I through the bonhlor bc'n/ remove' 1 , no 1 one knows, but it ended in two or tnree seta back immediately fulling, crushing

Lonjr, and bringing clown many tons of drift that took thirty-six hours tc clear aw.iy before tho horly was got at. There have been reports that the accident occurred through the false set being laid on tlio shoveling hoards, and in the remc/r'.ng of those the accident happened. Whether this was the case or not it is difficult to say while mon who woik near to, and at the time of these accidents, are generally very chary of givin? informa- j tion that might cast blame on themselves or those who are the victims of carelessness. It is time, and the time has arrived long ago, when some active efficient person should bo appointed to inspect the different claims, and when appointed do his duty without fear or afluctiou. Many are the claims here, the gear for working which have been proved worthless, and therefore dangerous to work with. Hardly had the life been crushed out of Long when the news spread of two more men being killed in a whim claim, known as the. Dane's, whose names were Henry Mull and Zachelius. Mull was taking up a bottom long ago worked over, and wast placing longer legs under the old caps, one of these fitting too tight he took an axe to cut a part away, when in doing so snap went the cap and down came drift and water for fifty feet up. At the end of fifty-three hours incessant work Mull's body was got out, his features leading to the. conclusion that his agony must have been great. Before his corpse was extricated coffins were ordered for both men, and the graves actually dug. Zachelius managed to escape into some old drives, where he was got out, much exhausted but unhurt. Mulls funeral was the largest I have ever seen on the coast, number-ma nearly one thousand pers< ns, the Germ m band and ihe Rr ss band leading, pla imr alternately the "Dead March in Saul' 1 from, the claim to the grave. Following close upon these comes the | report from outside of two more men being killed ; it turned out, fortunately, untrue, though two were seriously injured, while a miner named John Rutherford had his collar-bone fractured, his arm cut and broken, and otherwise injured, on Thursday last. Rutherford is well-known up the Grey Valley, and I am happy to say there is hope of his recovery. I have given you a sufficiently long chapter of accidents without adding more thereto ; yet expressing again the necessity that exists for the supervision of all the claims at work on Jones' Flat. The Scandinavian claim has been lot on tribute to a party of men for three months, who pay all working expenses, besides fifteen per cent, of the gross proceeds. The Star was also let ; but the returns being poor the tributers threw the contract up. It is probable thai men may be taken on to work it at a reduced rate of wages. Very few of these large claims pay dividends, every ounce of gold being swallowed up in expenses one way or the other, while in some cases the shareholders are money out of pocket every week. The weekly wages are fifty shillings for ten hour shifts. The Drainage Company's machinery is proved to be very much out of oi'der, and the foundations of the boilere are likely to give way from under mining. The drainage rate charged at present is lOd a week for every 100 square feet of every claim within the area {granted to the compauy. It matters not whether they are surface claims, sluicing claims, or any other claims, all must pay. Your readers will understand what this means when I state that, were such a law in force up the Grey Valley, each claimholder would have to pay a weekly sum of 335. The Drainage Board, 1 believe, assess these rates, having the power to increase them up to 2s per 100 feet per week. Numbers of claims are crushed out of existence by snoh heavy charges, and the Board raerciles3ly sue for and sell shares and claims if the dues are not forthcoming. This state of things exhibits a decay, whether in the company or elsewhere, let time tell. The Band of Hope is now in working order. It is understood that the rate of wages will be lowered in this claim next week, to be followed, no doubt, by a reduction in the hours of labor, and consequently by a reduction of wages to the Bu llar.it rate in Victoria. Ten hours' labor at a shift is too long a time for men to work when the ground is so abominably wet East from these engine claims are the ordinary whim claims, many of them at present paying handsome dividends. My remarks about these, the water-race s r and other matters, I must reserve until my next.