UP-RIVER DIGGINGS.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 761, 3 December 1870, Page 3

UP-RIVER DIGGINGS.

(prom our own correspondent.) Ahattra, Nov. 30. The visit of the Superintendent is likely to have one good effect at least. The people of the Grey district have learned exactly how they stand with the present Provincial Executive. They need expect nothing, for they will get nothing, consequently they must rely on their own exertions to redress their grievances, and to satisfy their wants and requirements. We were taken aback so, with Mr Curtis's brilliant display of bluebooking, that we have not yet emerged from the fog into which his numerous and quickly pro' pounded arithmetical conundrums have thrown us. If there are L7OOO spent in " developing" the coal mine in a given time, and the revenue collected in the Grey district during that time be L 30,000, required to know the amount necessary to encourage the growth of mulberry trees in the "more settled districts," the above L7OOO being taken to represent the whole of the Government expenditure in the sa me time in the aforesaid Grey district ? As none of us have a good enough head for figures, the problem remains unsolved. His Honor is an artist, and, as "a voice" remarked at his meeting at the Ahaura, "the devil a donbt there .about it." Although the Superintendent, by the manner in which he received the members of the Committee who waited upon him previous to his departure, partly succeeded in throwing cold water on the movement for the establishment of the Hospital, the Committee have determined to proceed with the erection of the building. As it is idle to expect any pecuniary assistance from the Curtis Government, for this or any other purpose, the plans may possibly be modified to suit the altered condition of the probable finances ; but the imperative necessity of having an institution of the kind in this large district, if it be only to meet the urgent req\iirements of emergency cases, cannot be denied, and will not admit of any further delay. There is nothing of any importance from the mining districts, with the exception of a small rush to Deadman's Creek, at No Town, and the striking of gold in a claim ahead on the Half-Ounce Lead. At Ihe latter place, Dunne and O'Hara's party are reported to have driven on to payable gold 30ft. from where they struck the lead at first, when they were swamped out. The drive was taken from the same shaft, but not exactly in the same direction as the old" drive. Magrath and party are about shifting their water- wheel to the lower end of their claim, to facilitate ;their drainage operations. Faller and party's wheel and pumps are now in working order, and they expect to be able to For continuation of hews see 4& h Page.)

thoroughly test their claim in a week or two. They have finished the o mstruclion of a large chamber, and they have opened ont to the eastward. Sheehan and Wilclridge's party are on the gravel, but they are not into the deep ground yet. It is reported they have obtained payable prospects, but I have been unable to find out the correctness of the statement. Braithwaite's party have finished repairing the damage done to their paddock by the iase accident. They have made a splendid job of it, and there is scarcely any likelihood of it giving way again. Mr Doig, one of the party who was so severely injured, is recovering rapidly in the Greymouth Hospital ; he is now able to get about, and he will be able to go back to his claim long before he expected. The Greek's party have their wheel up, and they will be ready to go on in a week. Stafford's party are nearly finished with their machinery. The wheel is up, but the pump is not yet placed. Mabille and party have applied for a lease of 11 acre 3, extending nearly as far down as the junction of Duffer Creek. There is likely to be some opposition made to the granting of this lead ; but it is as well to say nothing about it until the application is disposed of. At the upper part of the lead Weir and party and Rankin and party have driven on to gcod ground again ; both parties •were off the gold for a while, bnt this may be expected to occur often from the patchy nature of the ground. At the Canadian, Edward Murphy and party have taken up Frank Rooney and Co.'s old claim. The tunnel is in 800 ft, and Murphy and party are prospecting the ground by putting in cross drives at intervals .along its length. The township is still increasing in size, but business is very dull. This is partly owing to the near approach of Christmas, and partly to the rushes at different places, which take away a considerable amount' of money altogether, although the abstraction is scarcely perceptible in any individual instance. The Napoleon district is very dull at present. Some of the claims on the old lead are being re-occupied, Commisaire's aud others ; but the parties merely intend to fossick them. The Mosquito Lead is the centre of attraction. Mr Surveyor Young has been laying down a new base line, which it is to be hoped will put a stop to the interminable litigation which has heretofore been going' on. At Orwell Creek, Clarke and Evans have stopped working in consequence of an accident happening to their machinery. They will resume operations on Monday. This claim is now proved to be payable for over 150 ft wide. A drive was taken under the creek for a distance of 70ft, and another in the opposite direction for 60ft, and the dirt will average ahalf -ounce to the set, the whole height of the drive. The Albion Company below Clarke's have about eight chains of their tail-race cut, and Connolly and Co., who are next below, have commenced to sink a prospecting paddock near the Albion tail-race. They have the pump rigged, and they are going to try to bottom without a wheel in the first instance. The rush at Noonan's Terrace is at a standstill at present, but the Messrs Noonan's claim is looking as well as ever. The road from the Aliaura to Callaghan'a Creek is not going to answer the purpose for which it was intended, if something more be not done to it. Some of the gradients on it are too steep, and there is a bad bottom. It will be a pity J if this work, which was begun in such an energetic manner, is spoiled for the want of a small extra outlay. The diggings at this place have undergone no alteration since I mentioned them last. My former' report would apply now, word for word. The locality of the rush to No Town is a creek Jwhich comes into No Town Creek just above the Glue-pot. The prospectors, Messrs Hannan, Noonan, NiMH and M'Guane, are on payable gold. The ground isshallow, and about twenty other parties have obtained prospects. The prospecting claim ia situated about fovir ( mifesi from the Twelve-mile Landing, and about the same distance from No Town, from which place it is contemplated to cut a track to the rush. Although No Town is the best district on the coast for i a miner of small means to settle' in, it must be remembered by those at a distance that it takes very little to cause a rush to it, and there are always numbers of men ready to take any chance that may offer. The rush at" Nelson Creek is not yet thoroughly proved, and it is said it is likely to turn out well. An absurd typographical error was made in printing the last report from this place. It was stated that now there was so much water running to waste off Try Again Terrace there was a splendid opportunity of " trying" the bed of the creek by means of a waterwheel. It was made "turning" the creek, and the mistake would be laughable if it was not so very ridiculous. It would be as easy to turn the Grpy River over Point Elizabeth as it would be to turn Nelson Creek at the place mentioned. Mining news from over the Saddle is still of the most satisfactory nature. The machinery belonging to the company is expected to be in working order within a fortnight. In the meantime, work is proceeding at the face of the cement. It is getting thicker at one end, and it is said good prospects can be washed from the rubble whenever it is tried. The value of this lode will soon be known, and the result of the first fair crushing will be either to stop the rush, which is gradually setting in, or else give a greater impetus to it. The quartz reefers are anxiously wiating the retnrns from the sample of stone sent by Cooney and party to be crushed in Victoria. Cooney and party continue getting out stone, and there must be nearly 100 tons at grass now. The Warden, from Westporfc, visited .the Murray Creek recently, and gave a prospecting claim to Messrs Shiels and Walsh, on the head of German Gully. Anderson's claim, at Anderson's Creek, is a good deal , talked about lately, and some of the stone in it is said to be very rich, but its real quality is ; known only to the members of the ' party. It is rumored that the question of the real ownership of this claim is likely to lead to a serious amount of litigation. A patch of alluvial gold has been found in the old workings, not far from the Cement Company's machinery. It consisted of a 6oz and 2oz nugget, with gold of a finer description, .weighing altogether aboiit 14oz. This find has given rise to all sorts of reports, one of which is that entirely new ground had been opened by the lucky discoverers, but such is not the case. The finding of rich patches of alluvial gold

was not an uncommon occurrence at the first opening of Murray Creek, so that the unearthing a " dab " of this sort need not attract much attention. A township is being built, principally from the junction of Coal Creek upwards to the falls on Murray Creek, and there is no doubt if a good account be given of the trial crushing from Cooney's claim, and the cement yields satisfactorily on its being fairly tested, a town will spring up here large enough to supply the requirements of all the miners on the West Coast. The alluvial diggings in the locality still support a fair population, of which Soldier's appears to bo the principal centre after Murray Creek itself.