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Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 967, 1 September 1871, Page 2

To-day we publish a report of an important public meeting held on Tuesday evening last, the Ahaura township, for the purpose of giving the residents in the Grey. Valley districts mi opportunity of protesting against the past and* present' mis-management of these Gold Fields by the Nelson Government. Theilarge hall was crowded, and the meeting, most enthusiastic. It was unanimously resolved to petition the General Government "to assume the control of the public expenditure in this district, in order that the money voted for roads and other public works be immediately expended." The petition is being signed by nearly every man in the'dis-: trict, and will be in the hands of the member ;for the Grey. Vallay before the. date for which he has given notice, of. hja iptention to move his series of resolutions for the better government of these Gold Fields, and it cannot fail to aid : hiin very materially.' ' T\yo very smart shocks of earthquake were felt in town about five minutes past two o'clock yesterdaj' morning. In some houses they were very severely, felt, andtho inmates awakened! Rom tlieir slumbers. The following telegrams received yesterday confirm the fact:— "Wellington, August 31. — Two slight shocks of -'earthquake were felt here • this inorniug." The vibrations were perceptibly felt over: the town at 2.4 ,a.m." " Ghristjhurch, Au.ust.3l. — A sharp shock of earthquake was felt this morning, at five minutes p»3t two o'clock." ;>.■■> Applications for gold mining leases are at present being considered by the .Superintendent of Nelson for ground, situate at Shiels's line of ', reef and at Murray Creek. Mace and Trenery are each applying for twelve/ acres at the former locality; and Trenery has a second application for, ten and a half acres at Murray Ureelc. A new rush took place at the beginning of the week to a. terrace between Duffer and Sullivan Creeks. There are three claims now said to be on gold. The rush is in a good locality, being on the same range and in a direct line;, with Gladstone and Hayes Terraces. Gold has been struck in another claini at the Larry Creek rush, tout little progress can be made at that place owing to the bad weather. .'■• , The up-river track was washed away again betweea, .Nelson Creek and Gamptown during the last flood. All traffic was stopped from Saturday to Tuesday, 27th inst. The usual weekly mail due on Tuesday ' did not reach the Ahaura until Wednesday evening. : Only one horseman besides the mailman arrived at Ahaura from Greymouth siuce Friday, 25th instant, until Wednesday, the 30th. Mr George Cook, of the Old Ahanra, had a narrow escape from drowningiluriug the late flood. He was fording the Grey River, ijust above the Little Grey .-.Junctior., and near the upper foi'd. • When in the middle of .the fiver his horso stumbled and fell, throwing the rider, who was carried away with the current.-. Mr Johu Devery happened to. witness the accident from tlie bank, and immediately rode into the river to Cook's assistance. The latter was by this time some' two hundred yards from the place hefell dff the horse, and he had become partially insensible when Mr Devery rescued him and brought him safely ashore.. The horse was drowned. '. A trial crushing from Adam Smith and party's claim, on the new reef, at Murray Creek, has been tinished at the Cement Co. 's machine. The quantity put through was a trifle under nine tons, and the yield is stated to be 22ioz. The stone was taken from a blow or cap in .the surface some 12ft wide, and the quartz was taken as it came, without any selection. * Shield's! reef has been struck in Hunt and party's claim, No. 1 north, at 190 ft from the snrfaee. The reef with good gold hj it was .crossed at two dilforent levels higher up previously. • A curious geological specimen recently came into the possession of a resident of the Ahaui a. About ten . days ..ago. G. . Coburn, fishmonger, Greymbuth, brought a quantity of oysters to the Ahaura, aud adhering to the shells of some of them were portions of a kind of conglomerated ironstone and hard slate rook. On opening one of the bivalves, a piecs of. 'the rock happened to get broken, and gold was plainly seen in tho fracture. The pieces of rock sticking to the shells are evidently part of the casing of a quartz reef* and if gold is as thickly scattered. through the stone' as it is visible in the casing, it must be a valuable one. . . = ...- At -the usual fortnightly meeting of the No Town Friendly Society, held on Tuesday, 22rid ult , Mr Cameron resigned \he office of Secretary,: on. account of his being about to leave the district. The resignation was accepted, and a vote of thanks passed to that gentleman for shis past services. Mr Galbraith was then xinanimously elected Secretary for the term. Seven new members were enrolled. We are glad to state that the efforts of the Society are so far prosperous, and would Urge iipon the miners and residents the advisability of enrolling themselves as members, and thus independently provide for themselves in the event of accident, sickness, or any unforseen calamity. The Society at lied Jacks is likewise in a flourishing state, and before long similar societies, we have no doubt, will be inaugurated over the whole of the Gold Fields. Intelligence has been received in Hokitika by private hand that Kelly and party, at Murray Creek, have struck fresh gold' at a lower level in their claim. The depth this party is now driving is about 125 ft. From the surface downwards the_prospect eeeined all along to be improving, but last week while the. nien -were putting in a cross drive, the, dip of the reef was hit upon, and when the stoiie was broken it showed a greater quantity of gold than any other level previously touched. Several parcels of stone frbm this claim have been tried, and all were found to be over . 2^oz per ton . As an instance of the increased value of the claim, it may be mentioned that two arrangements for the' erection of machinery have been broken through by the party, on account of the large interest demanded on the capital by speculators who are anxious to erect machinery on- the claim. Anderson, and party have completed their shaft, and are now driving towards the river to connect ; with the main tunnel, which is in about 200 ft.. The shaft is dovvu to a depth of. ■ 142 ft; and good gold has been ■ obtained all the way down. In the tunnel now going towards the luangahua River, the reef is followed aU foe way. The appearance of

the*Btone Ins been, slightly changed, and the ' gold may bo fairly traced .in veins running through the solid stone, ,-yln three months more 1 : the tttfanel ieiexpeefced to be completed, and the erection ofo machinery will be proceeded with fit once. The Nchon Examiner writes as follows upon the coal recently extracted from Coal. 'Crceic, Bliller*:— •• A sampie^of coal from the bcinks of ..the Buller river, a few miles above Westporfc, is now lying at the'Gov'ernnicnt buildings. It resembles very closely the coal 'obtained 'at Wcst^ Wf£iigant!i, ancl buriis very freely, throwing out a strong heat. It can be worked with great facility, and- readily senij down the river to Westport. To local steamers, and for domestic use, it will prflye very serviceable, and will doubtless be in demand until the Government, or some private capitalist, shall open the Mount Rochfort mine- lincmestionably the best known coal in the Southern hemisphere, and equal to any in Great Britain."