THE INANGAHUA AND MURRAY CREEK REEFS.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 769, 22 December 1870, Page 2

THE INANGAHUA AND MURRAY CREEK REEFS.

December 20; - The cement crushing at the Murray Creek Gold Mining Company's machine is still going on, but the result is not yet known, as the manager has determined not to clean up until all the refuse, ia cleared away, by being put under the stampers, so as to get a clear face on the workings. Great expectations have been formed about the yield of this first crushing; but it is as well to remember tie fact that mining managers who understand their business never put their best ' ljdes through new crushing machinery, and, of course, a manager of Mr Guillane*s experience will not be likely to depart from the almost invariable practice of reserving his best material until he is satisfied his machine is in proper workin* order. • - Z ■ A number of the claims on the different quartz reefs have been' registered for pro^i tection, under the 13th section- of the Regulations, consequently work is tp a certain extent suspended. Westfieltf and party's claim (the inspecting claim) on Cooney's line of reef is regis' tered; so also is- Hunt and Butler's claim, No. 1 south. 'This -party have driven a tunnel 72ft from west to east, and cut several trenches without getting >ayable stone. Murphy and party, No, 2 south, is also registered. This party !a claim was included in the leasehold applied for by Davics and Co., and they were obstructed in their operations until 1 the application was disposed of. Mitchell ' Sandy and party are next, or Nq. 3 south! The stone m this claim is bid to be thfr richest m quality yet found in the Inatagahna. The party have had the promise ?..!r c farSt trial Q uartz cr "shipg from the

For mMmiQtim of JSews see 4Ah Page.)

manager of the Murray Creek Gold I Mining Company. A sample lot of ten tons will be crushed in the beginning of January. The fourth claim is held by Fennel and party, and the fifth by 1 Murphy arid party. Tne boundaries of the fifth claim extend to the boundaries of another leasehold. Kelly and party, No. 1 north, have aconsiderable quantity of stone stacked on the surface— about 100 tons. This stone has been taken fvom several levels— from SSft'deep to the surface — and by burning and carefully pulverising and washing a portion of it, payable prospects can be obtained from any part of the ; hill. The reef in this claim is lying at a very low angle, in fact, nearly flat, aud owing to this the parties m the adjoining claims, Neil M'Conochie, No. 2 North, and Ryan and Shanahan in No. 3 North, have taken in their tunnels too low to strike ttie lode, except they continued driving to an impracticable^ distance from he facel They found it would be more convenient to sink shafts, and they have done so. The rest of the claims on this line northwards to the river are either being shepherded or registered. On Smels' reef the prospectors have a body of stone, 6ft wide, containing good c;old, and dipping to the westward at a high angle. The party have finished building huts and making other preparations. T. Millan and party have struck, the same stone on Shiels' northern boundary. The quartz in this claim is very rich, but it would be useless to express any opinion as to its real . value until some of it has been put through the mill. Ryan and party No. 2 north, are cutting trenches, but they have met with nothing payable yet. Golden quartz has been found in two claims on the southern lead of this line, ( Work has been partially suspended on Anderson's reef iv consequence of a law suit, the first hearing of which came on before Mr Warden Giles at a Court held at Christy v s last week. It transpired that the reef was 4ft wide, and was sufficiently valuable to induce the parties who lost the suit to give notice of appeal, so that the case could be decided in a higher Court. A large rush took place about a fortnight ago to some alluvial ground opened by John Garvey and party.. . About three miles up the river from the bottom of Lanky's Creek. The prospectors obtained lioz coarse gold from the bottom of a paddock, which was the best they got. Most of the miners have left the place, but there are two or three claims on a little gold. Prospecting parties are out in every direction : the couutrypnthe Upper Inangahna, and in fact the upper parts of all the streams in the'locality, is difficult to prospect owing to the heavy stripping. It is the general opinion that good sluicing ground will be opened among the high-made terraces, but it will be difficult to get sufficient water without going to great expense. There are a few parties at work in the old ground at Murray Creek, so also at Liverpool Davis, Soldier's Blackman's, Burkes Nos. 1 and 2, Stoneybatter and Redman's and Boatman's Creeks, but the ground in each of these creeks has been turned over so often that there can scarcely be in ncli left in it, at all events not in the beds of the creeks. ■ • ;