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Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 1002, 12 October 1871, Page 2

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CARRIOK RANGE QUARTZ BEEFS. - . The . latest Cromwell Argus to hand says':^— The. Royal Standard crashing machine has been in full operation since Wednesday^ on a parcel of Bixty ions from the , Heart of Oak claim. It is supposed the stuff will yield 6qz to the ton, but 2i or 3oz will more probably be the actual result. .. . The first quartz claims seen. on the road up the mountain are the Royal Standard Company's new claim', and that taken by Duff and party. Both are situate about a mile and a quarter frem the Standard battery. The new Royal Standard has been prospected for the last three or four weeks. About sixty feet of the reef is laid bare at different levels— not yet lower than twenty feet from the surface. Adit or open cutting is the mode of working adopted by the prospectors in opening out this claim. The reef, bo far as it can be seen, is of a broken, muUocky description, with a thickness, however, of twelve or fourteen inches at the lowest level. In the Golden Star claim, situate on the left hand as you ascend the road, and about 600 yards above the New Royal Standard, a shaft of about thirty-five feet in depth has been sunk, with fair prospects. The adjoining claim — the Caledonian — has a shaft down 70 or 80ft, from which a drive of 60 to 70ft has been cut along the course of -the lode. This claim recently sent down a small trial crushing, the result of which was very satisfactory; : On the opposite side of the gully (the left-hand branch of Smith's), and on the top of an almost perpendicular clifly at an elevation of at least 600 ft above the new Royal Standard, is the Border Chief claim. A recent crushing of 9£ tons from this claim yielded 41oz of gold. The quartz had to be packed along a track cut for th e purpose down the side of the cliff. We

are inforniecl that this.company, after paying all expenses inc%tied Bince the discovery of the olaioij lately declared a dividend of L 6 or L 7 per share. Proceeding up the road leading to Carrick Town, several prospecting trenches are passed, but none are at present being worked. At a point about two miles from the base of the mountain, and where the main gully dwindles away into numerous small branches, is the nucleus of the small township above mentioned, consisting of a store (Mr Manson's) and 14 or 15 small houses or hutsj-the latter occupied chiefly by the men working in the Star of the East, Heart of Oak, and other claims. Beyond the township, and close to where a small rivulet crosses the road, is the site chosen for the erection of the Elizabeth battery, the machinery for which is now on the way from Dunedin. After passing the machine site, the road follows the course" of -a branch gully, and leads simultaneously to the boundaries of the Star of the East and Elizabeth claims— the main tunnel of the former being on the right, and that of the latter on the left. • The Elizabeth tunnel has been driven to a distance of nearly -300 feet, but the contractors have been 1 obliged to suspend further operations in the meantime, owing to the foulness of the air encountered in the drive. A shaft sunk from the upper side of the claim, penetrated the reef to a depth of 100 feet, and 1 a drive was put in some distance along the course of. the lode, but had to be abandoned owing to the wet-nature of the ground. The main drive is expected to cut the reef at. a depth of 150 feet from the top of the shaft; We shall be in a position-to furnish : some further particulars regarding this' and other claims in" ouraexMssue;-