MINING NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 864, 4 May 1871, Page 2

MINING NEWS.

GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS. NELSON CREEK. [from our oavn correspondent.] May 2. The new discoveries among the upper branches of this creek are beginning to attract considerable attention, and the population is consequently increasing gradually but steadily. There are between 60 and 70 men working at No. 3 creek, one of the upper tributaries and about six miles from Hatter's Terrace. The workings appear to be confined principally to the points of the terraces jutting out into the creek. The stripping is generally shallow, from four to nine feet, and there is an unlimited fall for the tailings. These favorable conditions are about being taken advantage of by several parties, who intend to bring in races, and with even a moderate supply of water good returns may reasonably be expected, because a large area of ground can be got over in a short space of time. Magee and party are constructing a tunnel tail-race from the main creek into No. 2. Its length, when finished, will be about 700 ft, aud it has taken, three months' hard work already. O'Donnell aud party's large head-race is expected to be finished in about two months. This has been the most extensive work of the kind yet undertaken in this district, [c will com mand all the country for a considerable distance below Hatter's Terrace, but it is not the intention of the company to take the water any further down the creek at present than the point opposite Hatter's. To show the mignitude of the undertaking it may be mentioned that the work has been going on for nearly twelve months, and besides long and substantial reaches of Burning there is one tunnel taken through hard rock for nearly 1000 ft. When this race is finished it is expected that a good deal of shallow ground will be opened, because it is taken along at such a high level that it will command numerous spots which are known to be auriferous, but being out of the reach of water, they cannot at present be properly ■ worked. Yates and MulvihuTs head-race will be completed in about four months. This is also a rather extensive undertaking. The water is lifted among the upper branches of No. 2 and 3 Creeks, and the race will take up several side streams along its course. There are about 200 ft of fluming, and the terminus will be for a time above the German party's claim, at No. 3 creek. The latter party, who may be considered to have one of the best, if not the best, claims in this part of the district, have suffered lately on account of the great scarcity of water. This claim has yielded splendid returns within the last two years, and the party have demonstrated that it will pay best, to make water available on ah extensive scale on such workings as

these. The great drawback to this part i of the Nelson Creek workings is the want , of a track. Provisions have to be carried a long distance on mens backs, and < while such is the case, the place is bound ' to progress but slowly. Protection was applied for some time ago for a horsetrack, but the party who applied for permission to make the road, seeing there was likely to be considerable opposition made to the grant, withdrew the application. The opposition arose chiefly, it is said, through business jealousy, and if so the obstructionists were merely performing that unsatisfactory surgical operation of " cutting off the nose to revenge the face," for the fact may be relied on that it will be on the terraces and branches at the upper part of the creek that thejy will have to depend eventually, so that the sooner they all put their shoulders ip the wheel and get that part of the district opened up, the better it will be for them. To make matters worse, it appears that certain individuals have taken it upon themselves to destroy the present means of communication, bad as it is, by felling trees into the bed of the creek and obstructing the passage, and the most fare-faced part of the affair is that they actually attempted, when brought to Court, to justify the damage inflicted, by asserting that they were acting in accordance with the Mining Regulations. This is giving "chapter and verse" with a vengeance. It is to be hoped that the decided action taken by the Warden in the case will be a caution and a warning to parties who have been guilty of a similar offence at other places. At the extreme upper end of the main creek there are a few parties working on the bars and beaches. Some of them have been doing well during the late dry weather, which favored their operations . by lowering the creek. The gold in that locality is coarse and nuggety, but it is said to be very patchy. There are about fifty men at work in the neighborhood of Hatter's Terrace, mostly engaged in ground-sluicing and turning over the old ground. Kennedy and party's water has been divided, some of the party are working on the opposite side of the creek, and the remainder of the water is used on Hatter's. Several of the claims on the Deep Lead have been again occupied, after being abandoned by the first holders. Tie original parties were too large, and it is found that two or three men may make small wages when six or seven could not find room to work. The payable ground is very narrow, and the washdirt is much thinner than was at first supposed. Four claims have been re-occupied in this manner. Hatter's township has much improved in appearance within the last few months. The butchers have taken the lead ; two of them have erected large and commodious shops, built on the mosf approved plan for displaying their contents. A finer show of butchers' meat than is to be seen here every Saturday can not be found in any of the up-river towns, and the prices, 7d to 8d per lb, may be considered reasonable when the prime quality of the meat is considered. Eighteen months or two years ago the miners at the upper part of the creek were obliged to put up with " any kind" of beef, and, besides paying from 18d to 2s per lb for it, they had to " hump" it for miles. Two new hotels have been built, and another shoemaker ha.3 cast his lot in this place. There are, besides, two bakers, a draper, and several billiardrooms and other places of amusement. A track has been made from the river bed to the town by cutting away a portion of the terrace, and this is a great improvement. There will be a good trade done at Hatter's for a long time to come, for, besides supplying the immediate locality, the miners from Kangaroo, Fenian, Whindham, and other creeks come there for their supplies, provisons, &c. There are about twenty men at work at Kangaroo Creek, which is about nine miles from Hatter's Terrace by the present track, although the distance could be made much shorter at a small outlay. The workings are on the terraces and in the bed of the creek. Parties have been working here with varying success for the last three years, but owing to the difficulties they have to contend with for the want of tracks, they are unable to make mu^h headway. Fenian Creek supports about twenty men, who are mostly working in the creek bed. A small rush took place here recently, but it did not make much difference in the population, because very few of the newcomers remained after the first week or two. Both these creeks belong properly to the Red Jack's district, but the men working in there mostly get their supplies from Hatter's Terrace. There is a large extent of country almost unexplored at the head of Kangaroo Creek, but a track of some kind must be made before it can be advantageously prospected. The miners are steadily working away in Try-again and its vicinity. The most of the parties here have evidently set in for a long spell of work. Tramways have been taken in from the face of the terrace to the old "workings, which were at one time the wonder of the Coast for their richness. There is comparatively little left of any value now, and it is only by constant and systematic work that the ground is made to pay at all. Everything is taken in a face, and after being trucked out to the edge of the terrace the stuff is carefully treated with the most scientific appliances to extract what little gold is left in it. Nothing is wasted ; even the drainage water from the old ground is carefully collected and used for washing purposes. Carr Brothers and party are taking away Carey's celebrated claim in a body ; they are nearest to the face of the terrace. Mould and party, in the adjoining claim, are about 300 ft in. Letcher and party, who are next, are in 700 f t; and Williams, in the claim below, are in 800 ft. This party are taking 14Et washdirt, and putting it all through. Wm. Lyal and party, in the next claim, are in 500 ft. Operations are suspended in this claim at present to repair some damage to the machinery, Most of the parties wash with the water from Pringle's race, which runs along on the outer face of the terrace. Lower down the flat Livingston and party are carrying On the same kind of work. Arthur Ellis and party are gronnd-sluipiug a little further along. They are washing away a face 20ft in height. This company have the advantage of all others on the terrace in having the most permanent and largest supply of water, as they can avail themselves of nearly all the surface drainage from Farmer's Gully downwards. There are at present three parties working on Tobacco Flat, and Bill the Marine bias become a landowner at last. He has

secured a grant of an extendefcarea of ground, and he gives employment to two or three wages men. More powe^lo Mm; if persistently sticking to a place entitles a man to good luck, Tobacco flat owes him a pile. The gold in this flat is very much scattered, and it is the opinion of a good many that it has no connection with the Try-again lead. There is a run of very deep ground trending into the hill between Try-again and German Gully, which has never been properly bottomed or tested. At the time of the large rush, to Try-again several tunnels -were -taken into this deep ground, but none of them were taken far enough to reach the bottom of it. It is now thought there may be payable gold under the range,~anda party is being organised to properly prospect for it. Another theory is that the lead has shot over the terrace into the low ground beneath, which is not at all unlikely. At all events there are good grounds for supposing that rich auriferous drifts exist in the bed of the creek at this point, and it is a wonder a strong; party has not been formed to settle the question. A party of eight men with a good water wheel would soon set the matter at rest one way or another. The water at present running to waste from the races on the terrace could be used for driving the wheel, and there are other circumstances which if properly taken into consideration would divest the undertaking of the formidable appearance it wears at present. There are several parties scattered along the range between German Gully and Try-again terrace, and the ground, which is very shallow, appearsto pay well wherever water can be brought to bear upon it. The water at present is collected in dams, but the men have been idle half the time lately. At German Gully Jenkins's party are still working away. This party's tail-race is now 3100 feet long, and for the last 400 feet it has gone through payable ground. Shafts had to be sunk along its course for air, and to get rid of the mullock ; the last of .these shafts was 80 feet deep, and it had to be excavated the greater part of its length from the bottom upwards, as owing to the great quantity of water in the ground baling it was impracticable. The company reckon they have three years work at good wages before them. The good ground is from 40 to 50 feet wide, and the washdirt is between 3 and 4' feet in depth. These patches of deep ground, containing good gold, but without any apparent beginning or end, are peculiar to Nelson Creek, But to a person. %ho takes the trouble to find an explanation for any apparent deviation from the natural laws, it will be at once evident that as the gold did not grow where it is found, it must have been carried from some other place, and that water was the motive power. Water always finds its level,,- or an outlet for itself, and it is therefore reasonable to suppose that those apparently isolated patches of deep wet ground, must be in reality connected portions of a former network of water courses at one time on the surface, the development of which into remunerative auriferous leads can be only a question of time. Abraham Jenkins, one of the original shareholders in this claim, has commenced to work the old ground in the gully in a face, by means of a horsewhip. He is likely to do well at it, On the whole the Nelson Greek district, although it has made no extraordinary progress lately, has not retrograded. The miners appear to be settling down, and making themselves comfortable. The calico tent has entirely disappeared, and instead, the dwellings are eithir weather-boarded cottages or substantial log huts, surrounded in every instance by a patch of cultivation. Provisions are getting cheaper, and living is consequently less expensive. All drinks are 6d, and it only requires an abundant and a constant supply of water to " complete the happiness of the population."