THE INANGAHUA REEFS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1141, 25 March 1872, Page 2

THE INANGAHUA REEFS.

[from the herald.] Anderson's Line. ' . ; On Anderson's prospecting claim we have nothing further to report, beyond that .the machine site is being rapidly proceeded with ; also the main tunnel, which is now within 50ft of the boundary; and the construction of the water-race. Very excellent stone ; is being got out, and the prospects of the shareholders in this company are admirable. In No. 1 and 2 south, Anderson's, the only claim besides the prospectors' which was working on Monday, six men are constantly employed in the tunnel. When the company will have a crushing is uncertain, but there appears to be some understanding come to with the prospectors (Anderson's Company) to crush for them at the outset, as soon as all preparation has been made for operations; German Jaos's. ..... Proceeding from Anderson's line in -the direction of Shiels's, a reef is passed known as German Jack's, which is claimed to be a distinct line. A welldefined reef has been struck in German Jack's, and the quality of the Btone appears excellent. Shiels's Line. , A few steps further, and the machine site of Messrs Mace and Co. is reached. This claim has been the chief centre of - attraction for many months past, inconsequence of the work in connection with it being more advanced . than that of any other claim in the district. Crushing operations were to have been commenced on the 7th instant; but/ owing to the impossibility of getting a sufficient body of heat in the furnace, work had to be suspended. However, the masonry has been .taken down, and a new furnace is to be erected! .The work will be completed by Wednesday next. Fire-bricks, for the purpose, are now being packed from Greymouth, at a cost of at least LIOO per thousand. A Mr Murray, thoroughly experienced in boiler setting, has been entrusted with the work, and expresses himself confident of succeeding to make the furnace thoroughly effective.' The chimney-stack has been raised 22ft, and with a view to further improve : the . draught, the surrounding timber has been felled. Bitter as has been the disappointment arising out of the delay, it was not easily avoidable. It was impossible to procure stone that would stand the heat, and a quantity pf bricks made in the district, in order to avoid the expense of packing fire bricks from the seaboard turned .out utterly useless,, and, arV now being converted into mortar. Everything outside is ready for crushing. The upper and lower paddocks are each furnished with relf-acring feeds, and contain together 500 tons of stone ; the tramways are completed ; as also the dam, the latter being a very substantial work. The base of the breast-wall is about 60ft, and its height 16ft, intended, should necessity arise, to.be increased to 22ft. Owing to the dry. weather, . it is: barely half filled with water. Nothing has. been done underground for some time, excepting ah air shaft being sunk from the upper end of the gully to the top tunnel, which the' , manager, Mr James, is anxious to complete before the bad weather sets in. The lower taDnel is about 60ft below the upper tunnel, and is in about 210 ft, disclosing a very strong reef. The general run of the reef is one point west of south to east of north. iAt the.endof the lower tunnel, main drives have been put in north and south. At the particular point where the tunnels diverge, the reef was struck nearly 12fl^in thickness, but the general width is from 4ft to 7ft, averaging "Sft to 6ft, though it has run as low as 3ift. The whole length of the claim is GOflftj and towards the northern boundary the hill rises abruptly to a height of nearly 300 ft. Thiis an immense, body of stone is known to exist in the daim. Stone can also be run out to the -present machine site at a level of lOOftlower than the present tunnel. The faces of the reef in the north and south tunnel are about sft, and some stone having been knocked out of each face* and from every portion of it was trucked out and examined in daylight. Taking it as an average of the , reef, the stone certainly indicated splendid results. There were but few pieces > of exceptional richness, but in. every. block gold was discernible, not alone. /on the face of the stone but penetrating into tho solid heart. The only other claims on which con siderable work has been done on the -line are Hunt's No. 1 north, and CoulahanY Nos. 1 and 2 south. No. 1 nbrth have a tunnel in about 190 ft, and are now Iriving south towards Mace's northern boundary. This party are also taking out excellent, atone, which at the outset will probably be crushed at Mace's.' Nbs. 1 and 2 south are actively employed pre ; : paring for machinery, a portion of which has already arrived at Westport by., the schooner Maid of Erin, from Melbourne. -.' ' Kelly's Line. 1 The prospectors, Kelly and party, are still occupied in assisting Rhody Ryan (Westlond Company) in transporting ma chinery to the ground. Arrangements have been made with the latter to crush something like 600 tons in return for their labor, and that quantity is already lying ready for crushing. North are the Westland Company, who are busily engaged erecting machiuery, hoping to have all readyfor crushing in two months. The reef in this, olaim is well defined, and carries gold all through. The All Nations ; adjoining aw making excellent progress. The tunnel is in 237 ft, and indications of the reef are being met

with. The men engaged have driven through a hard bar of rock and small leaden are being got, and it is likely that they will strike the reef after driving 45ft to 50ft. Though this much depends upon the underlay being the same as in Clinton's. The Victoria Company (Clinton and party) have a well-defined reef, containing thoroughly payable stone. They are at present employed putting in a working tunnel 550 ft long, which is likely to occupy four to five months. Doherty and party, adjoining, are driving en the reef^which also is well defined, and gives excellent prospects. The next claim is know a as Bob the Bakers, in which the party are at present engaged working the shaft deeper. It is a test shaft for the purpose of catching the reef, and they are driving in at various places to cut it. Where the reef is being worked in this claim, it is now found to be turning from nearly east and west to north-east. Adjoining is No 10 A, known as the Star of the West They are driving a tunnel and have got the reef, though not yet properly defined, but the stone is carrying good gold. The other day, the men driving struck a heavy stream of (For continuation of JSews see 4th Page.)

water, which is a ye./ favorable indica tion of the main reef being close at hand. Further west, other claims have been taken up, but nothing considerable has yot been done in the way of working. South of the prospectors (Kelly and party) is Newton's claim, known as Nos. 1, 2, and 3, north, amalgamated. Newton was one of the first who struck gold on this lino. Two men only are on the line at present, as the claims ore to be thrown into a registered company : . Adjoining is a lease formed into a company, known as the Dan O'Connell Gold Mining Company. An extraordinary meeting is to be held shortly, when adirectory w"l bo appointed, and operations commenced. From Boatman's, Larry's, and Painkiller, the accounts are also very favorable. Rainy Creek. From Rainy Creek we learn that the prospectors havo driven their tunnel in about 70ft. For the first 50ft the tunnel is through broken rubble and reef. At that distance tho "country" [is more solid, and it is supposed that in another GOft they will strike the lode, which is intended to be tapped at the 50ft level. Aa f .ir as we have seen yet of the stone on tho surfaco, the prospect is vei/ favorable. Thcro aro large masses of detached quartz on this claim, and gold is plainly to be seen throughout ; in fact, the further the stono is penetrated the better the show becomes. It is calculated that there is sufficient payable stone on the surface of tho prospecting claim to keep fully employed for three years a crushing plant of forty stamps.