MINING NEWS. : : GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1274, 29 August 1872, Page 2

MINING NEWS. : : GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

[from our own correspondent.] Ahatjra, Aug. 28. There was some exritement about tho quence of a amallrush tq shallqir around opened between the Junction and Noble's Creek, and ~ dose to~tfoe.Xlre.y.~River. Noihing or any. im£9rtSncenSfyerbeeii found, although may lead to the prospectiug of the belt of country lying between Duffer, and Jfpble's Creeks on the Grey fall of'^the r^^ which has never been thorongbiy^gelrpfid for gold. It is rather difficult'^^riSien this place from either Noble's or Duffer Creek^ QwiiJg to the: absence of bracks. . Tue and undergrowth are very thick and dense, and there are swamps whiflh render travelling, in the locality laborious and tedious work. It is in a direct line with the auriferous creeks' and terraces' worked on the older fields of Duffer and Noble's, and there is no doubt rich ground; will yet be discovered in the neighborhood. There are similar tracts of unexplored land lying between Nelson Creek and Bed Jack's, and between that stream and No Town Creek. Gold was found along here- some years ago by the surveyors who laid off the line of the main road, and the largest nugget found recently in the Grey Gold Fields was found in a creek anfchis watershed byaMaori, at a spot only a few miles from Cami»tbwn. ' ■ : The lost Half-Ounce Lead has not yet been recovered by sny «f J the parties trying for it at the lowSfbr^Br^iville end. The holders of the two gold mining leases near Granville are proceeding vigorously with their* stork*! but, up to this, without a satisfactory result. Mabille's leasehold is, it is^siud, nearly worked out, the ground id the south of the main shaft has mostly been taken out and washed, and it would seem the- party have a very poor opinion of tije nortfiero portion of their claim. This has been the most systematically,; Worked claim in the district, and it is ov^ihg to this tnat.it has been made to pay as well as it has, for the ground itself is said T to beveiy poor on the average. It is a pity the expensive and efficient machinery and plant of this party cannot b^uti|Hwl profitably for a longer period^ vjiji^^^ble the lead may be picked upby^onWefiTO parties in search of it lower down. During the hearing of a dispute recently in the Warden's Court at Ahaura, between some* miners from Granville, one of them swore that he could make from L 8 to LlO a week fossicking in ground formerly held by the Federal and Union Companies. The claims on the lead at Duffer Creek are being rapidly blocked out, and they are mostly paying well. There is a difficulty in tracing the gold at the lower part of this lead also, but it is the general opinion that the auriferous wash has become scattered through thp headings, gafford'ff lead, on the terrace bptween Sf.uiton _ and |Jalf t Ounce, gives employment to between twelve and fifteen parties. The ground is dry, and although it may not be as rich as some portions of the wet lead, the claims pay better, because they can be wrought to greater advantage and with less expense. Between Mutton Town and Mabille, Oustram and party are intending to prospect the "higher ledges for this run of Hafford^, ; "which they think comes along to the TsS§tward of their present claim. '/ « The party prospectihg^for the Napoleon lead, cjose to ,tbjkd£B»ship, have not come on anything but -thpy met r it is said, good 'indicatxpns~.' ; '--v r ' ' / . The Nelson Creek district is all alive in expectation that the Sotihjstettier waterrace wilt now be commenced. The Secretary for the Gold Fields "recommended the construction of the work, and as the Nelson Government offered to guarantee the interest on the cost, there should be much cause for further, delay. An application was made to the Warden recently by a company of working miners for permission to maps $iis large saop 43 a private speculation, but they did not suc r ceed in obtaining the necessary certificate. The Kennedy Water-race; Company are taking their water to Try-Again Terrace ; they are in the locality of Paddy's Look-out still. It will be necessary to make a tunnel here, and it will be three months before it is completed. The "Pointdexter" Company hiie finished their race. It heads at German Gully, with a right to the Brian Boru Creek, and terminates at Tobacco Flat, below Try-again. There were great re joicings at the" completion "of^his work, the greater part of the denizens of Tryagain joining the proprietors of the race in the inaugural ceremonies. Sonic of them are keeping the jubilee still, and the "marine" himself gorgeously arrayed in gum boots to the ears- is now the most important personage in the place. This is likely to be one of the most successful speculations ever brought to an issue in the district. It lay for years waiting for some party with sufficient enterprise to tackle, it, and like many similar apparently difjjcqlt undertakings, the obstacles were easily overcome when attacked with spirit and determination. The water of the Pointdexter's will command an area of country sufficient to give remunerative employment to the shareholders for the next ten years without further outlay. There is another spec to be initiated in this district, and whoever has the luck to oaj«ry ft oijfe -successfully; will astonish the mmmg -world* This is the exploration of the flat below Tryagain Terrace, for the rich' and probably' deep gutter which must exist in it. If a knowledge of what has happened at other places be worth anything, or if previoi g experjence and observation of the natural laws regulating 'flbja fojrnia^on of aurifer* ous drifts enables one to form' an opinion by comparison, ttVan there must be a welt defined, and in all reasonable probability, an exceedingly rich iaurifef»ua alluviaj deposit at this particular spot. ( The ground ft]) the terrafce above was rifeh. t§ the very edge of the precipice, and a patch of seven or eight ounces of ooaps^ gold was found years ago some distance out on the flab. A party organised and equipped such as are, for instance, any of the dozens of companies working in the Half-Gunge, digtrictj would thoroughly test this ground 'ln si* months, Ifltye, water to work an overshot wheel coula be obtained from the drainage and tailwater from Try-again and Tobacco, and there is every reason to believe that the dept'i would not exceed 30ft. ■p^e $o Town district is very lively, which may in some l^eajmre be attributed to the plentiful supply qf water ' recently available. There i§ gorge talk qf a D9W

discovery of some value at the upper pail of the creek j the precise locality is nol generally known, but the neighborhood of Bell's Greek is mentioned. The un accountable gap in the Cockney terrace < lead is not yet filled up. Galbraith and ]$ftty,' whose claim occupies the breach, have, not yet come on the lead, although thejpvj&ive been in constant search of it *tfght for nearly a year. This vjarty certainly have ''Jonah 'abepd)" to account for their bad luck, or - jOTeHhey must have driven thorugh the *isjjji^ ill 9 poor place, and thus escaped oTMliang it. Such a circumstance has ; Ocwlrred before, and quite recently it is satd to have taken place at Candlelight. Thertis some anxiety at No Town about ithe survey of the new township. It will be- impossible to give satisfaction to all parties in endeavoring to get the town into shape, and vested interests will have to*:be interfered with in some direction. Tslielc© would not be any difficulty in arranging this matter, provided people T^fere dealing with a Government on much any reliance could be placed. The Nelson Government may promise comgjdnsation to parties who will be compelled Vb shift, so that regular streets may be |»id off*: but will the Government " part" %feeti the time comes ? Echo answers— Not ifVtbey are aware of it. The people gOtftp'-old Ahaura were induced to take %jpMt&u>nSvin the new town on the distinct assurance of $he representative of the Government then in charge of the district that the land in . the new Ahaura would be sold at once, and that the road from the Arnold would be made. Although these things were to be done in one night, as it were, after the manner of Jack-'a beanstalk, in the fairy tale, nearly a quarter of a lifetime (such as life is in a new country) has' passed sway, and neither provision has been fulfilled. No Town was built by degrees, and the^ sites were chosen entirely in an accidental manner. A waterhole, an abandoned paddock, the carcase of a dead bullock or horse, or any other accidental obstruction, in many instances determined the choice of building sections in the beginning, and therefore there is neither " head, tailj nor middle" to any street in the town. Everything is jumbled up, so that «ach individual house appears to stand in the centre of a gangway, and consequently a ruinous expense will be inflicted on many persons, if removal withput equitable compensation be insisted upon, The whole of the Grey Valley is now in a ferment about the proposed change of the government of these gold fields. Meetings are being held and memorials Mgned in all directions, and if, after this almost nnanimous expression of disgust and indignation at the actions of the Nelson Government, Mr Curtia ever again makes the statement that his Government has the confidence of the gold fields community, his Honor's reputation for wild and reckless assertion will be fully confirmed. There were riot six refusals throughout the valley to sign the memp,yjal to the General Assembly praying for emancipation from Nelson control, and Out of the half dozen the only reasonable excuse for refusal was given by an old buffer at Puffer CreeV, who objected to affix hig signature to the document, wtan it was presented to him, because he did not happen to have his spectacles with him. On being asked what his goggles had to dor with, the prayer of the petition, be explained that during Feargus O'Connor's time in England he was induced by a designing knave to sign wh,at he thought was a Chartist petition to the House of CJommoofl, but which eventually turned out/ much to his disgust, to be an IOU, and. he made a vow that on principle he would never pat his name to paper again until he had personally perused the contents, of the document he was asked to sign.