NAPOLEON DISTRICT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1258, 10 August 1872, Page 2

NAPOLEON DISTRICT.

[from our own corwisjondent] Aug. 6. An attempt is now being made, to trace the lead at this place from the point where, if it did not altogether run out, it became so poor that it barely paid for working: The last good claim worked on the, old Italian Lead was situated nearly under the hotel formerly known as the Halfway House, at the entrance to the new township of Napoleon. At this point the deep ground was split into two distinct channels by a high ledge of reef. The gutter running to , the northward of this ledge and parallel to it, has been worked, but the washdirt did not average more than a few pennyweights to the load, and, the claims only paid very small wages. This sudden falling-off in the quality of the wash from that found in the rich clauiis worked in the vicinity of the old township was generally remarked, and it was thought at the time that deep ground did exist to the south of the high bar, but it has never been properly tried ior. That a deep channel does exist to the "southward of the one already worked has-been shown by the depth of the prospecting shafts siink in the locality. 1 One of these sunk oh'the eastern or Mosquito Lead of the Italian gutter, was bottomed at 40ft. and the ground was dipping to the west. Another has since been put down on the dip and. nearer the old lead, which has been bottomed at 90ft, and this' shows that deep ground exists below corresponding with this remarkable depression on the surface, just behind the ridge : on which the town is built. The 7 "discovery of the Mosquito Lead at the time the fault occurred on the Italian gutter, led the miners to think that the new find was merely a continuation of the old lead, but it has since been shown by actual work that the two gutters are entirely distinct A patch, of ground was opened and worked near the tew cemetery at Napoleon, and this was thought to have some connection with the old workings/b ut ex- , perience has set this supposition atrestyj by proving that there is an irreconcilable*^ difference in the levels of the two bottpms. » The only feasible theory now left is that the true continuation of the Italian Lead is to be found in tbe deep ground lying between the town of Napoleon and the Mosquito Lead, and the" explorations of the parties who are now prospecting it will soon demonstrate the correctness or otherwise of the idea. Several effprts were made to get into this deep ground from the old tunnel by driving eastward through the intervening high reef, but, from want of means and other causes, the work was abandoned, and the greatest distance driven in any instance was about 1800 ft. The present prospecting party have started on the eastern face of Napoleon Hill just below Loftquist's garden. The tunnel is being worked night and day, and it is now in about 250 ft, arid in , less than 200 ft more it will be about under the main street. The party, Messrs; Aidridge, Domonique and Co., are old residents,, some of them have an intimate knowledge of the workings in the district for the last four years. They, have great confidence, in the success of their efforts to trace the gold, and if they do succeed, we may expect to see the " old glories of Napoleon" revived once more. >, The Mosquito Lead upholds its reputation as the mainstay of this district. The claims are paying as well as ever, but- there seems to be a difficulty in tracing it at the southern end. There is such a great depth of washdirt that washing is going on almost continually. There is Terr little underground drainage , to contend with, and the systematic manner in whioh the ground is worked, together with the great natural facilities afforded by the situation of the lead, enables the miners to make ground pay that would be entirely valueless except for sluicing purposes in many other places.