GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1340, 14 November 1872, Page 2

GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

[from our own correspondent.]

HAXF-OUNOE,

The rush to Frenchman's Creek has not resulted aa the sanguine people who had formed such great expectations of it desired. Hafford's party ; have driven across the deep ground, from reef to reef, without finding anything of value, and the prospectors have the only claim yet known to be payable. It is a pity that any rush of this description, where even the most indiapensible preliminary work requires such a considerable outlay in labor and cash, should not turn out well, no nutter where it takes place ; but one cannot help thinking that it will be all the better for the immediate progress of the Half-Ounce district that another wet lead has not been opened in it. The last one was, it cannot be denied, a most unmitigated "stringer," for the knowledge that there yfere a few really good claims worked upon if; led to a lamentable wa^te of energy and loss of time and money. When the time comes that a mining association of bonafide working men will be entitled as a matter of right, without prohibitive restrictive conditions, to occupy an area of ground sufficient to ensure them remunerative employment for a few years after the gold is found, then, and. not till then, w,ill deep and wet auriferous deposits, pay fop working. These arguments in favor of large^ mining claims are worn threadbare through constant reiteration-, but as long as the system is pursued of depending for a large proportion of the Gold Fields revenue on extracting the largest possible amount of Hjoney for the smallest appreciable equiyalent of vahie, out of the pookets of the. mining community, the present smallsized mining ;daims, and the consequent excuse for levying extortionate and oppressive mining registrars' fees will be perpetuated. It is necessary to the existence of the present system iof local Governmental control which prevails that the slightest excuse for inflicting taxes in the shape of registration fees should be taken advantage of, consequently black mail is levied without comp'unctioj}. or scruple qu the .slightest provocation. '"" ' A project has been started at HalfOunce for the purpose of working the old deep lead which will probably prove a successful adventure, because it has the elements of success in it. A company is formed on the co-operative principle to work that part of the load near the to\Vnslu'p, which, up to this, could not be made to pay, owing to the great quantity of water in the ground and from. other obstacles. The party consists of twelve equal shares, six working and the same number pf ' non? working shareholders. The sleeping shareholders contribute 50s per weelceadh, out of which the working partners receive L 2 per week as wages until the claim gives a nett dividend of profits. The whole of the shareholders contribute 10s per week each towards a general fund to defray working expenses, exclusive of labor and purchase of materialjtools, &c,andto provide a law fund to i meet the cost of the vexatious litigation bonafide mining companies are always ex-po-ed to from the inevitable party who

*' insists upon his right under the byelaws," which irrepressible individual appears to thrive upon : the insecurity of tenure of his neighbor's holding.. The company have applied for a lease of 10 acres, and the lease has been recommended by the Warden. The leasehold will include the claims of the Belfast, Muldoon, O'Hara, Wildridge and Sheehan,- and other companies. A tail-race has been commenced a few hundred yaids below Lonargah's old store. It is to be taken through the points of the spurs abutting into the creek, by which means a greater fall will be obtained than if the race were -taken through the b^i of the creek. .Gold in payable quantities, : if the g:ound could be advantageously wrought, was found on two distinct bottoms, on

most of the. ground included in the leasehold, audit is intended to take the entire depth of th^e alluvium from the second bottom to the surface, some 30ft, and wash the, whole of it. It maybe safely predicted this will prove a profitable undertaking, and this opinion is founded on an intimate knowledge of the value Of the ground, and an accurate calculation of the cost of working it. Economy arid integrity in the management enter largely into the chances of success in combinations of labor and capital, even on a limited scale, and if these qualities are not. exhibited in a practical manner by those who have undertaken the management of this venture, they need not expect to succeed, for it would repnire a "Little Wonder claim "

to stand the wasteful and extravagant cost

of working and management of some of the mining., .companies whose failures appear unaccountable to" unfortunate shareholders With over a superficial knowledge of mining affairs. .•"■■■'.' brandy jack's. A similar association has been formed to work the old and new ground at Brandy Jack's Creek. This company have also applied for a lease of ten acres, and the lease is recommended.' -The ground applied for is very similar to that taken up by the Half-Ounce Company, but the latter have the advantage of greater facilities for draining their workings. The company's claim atßraudy Jack's includes the patch of ground formerly wrought near the old township and the gorge below it. They intend to erect one, . and, if necessary, two water-wheels, /to work the drainage pumps, and great hopes are entertained that the ground will pay well. The lead on the first bottom was certainly very good; and it has the advantage over the old ground at Half-Ounce in not being so well tested, so that there is no knowing what may be found in it yet. At all events, from the acknowledged character of the operative members of this company as notorious " diehards," they are likely to give the place a fair trial.

NO TOWN. A small rush has taken place to Davis's Terrace on the northern bank of the right fork, and opposite Cockney Terrace. The golden ground is said to be a continuation of the Cockney Terrace lead, which some enthuasitic parties, insist will be yet be traced to Deadman Creek, but it will require a stretch of imagination to bring about that connection. The prospector and two other parties are said to be on payable gold. The ground opened at Sunny bank is not likely to be extensive, as up to this the prospectors are alone being paid. Maori Gully, No. 1, is beginning to be heard of again. A share in a water-race in that locality was sold -for Ll5O last week. The company whiph was ~ Uilku'a — ulKjf 1 1 -u,3- : iikeljr-ttr be - f prmed to search for the lost lead in the main creek below Lally's store, have not yet set into work. The ground about Candlelight and Maori Gully, No. 1, must be getting valuable, if the amount of litigation arid disputation going on about it be an indication. The last sitting of the Warden's Court was occupied for some hours in the hearing of a. case from that locality, about willful injury, caused by the intentional diversion of a head-race into a paddock, and the aforsaid head-race could haye been returned to its original course in the time, and at leas the expense it required to bring the matter into Court. The district of No Town may now be considered the mainstay of the Grey Valley, and notwithstanding the large revenues from it, public improvements long ago promised have not been effected yet. A track toward Bell Hill and the Lake Brunner district was promised, and a private individual, who has partly made this track, was promised compensation months ago, although the track has been officially approved of after examination, he has not seen the color of the Government money yet. The proposedhorse track from NoTo wn to Red Jack's, by way of Paddy's GuJlj, still only exists upon paper, where it is likely to remain. Cockney Terrace maintains its reputation as the leading place in the district The recent welcome rains have enabled the owners of claims here to set about washing the large paddocks of washdirt waiting an opportunity of being cleaned out. The population of this district is increasing. MOONLIGHT CREEK.

Another attempt is now being made to trace the long lost lead at .the upper, part of the creek. Nelson, tke famous the great purpose of whose life appears to be to set the question at rest of the continued or non-existence of the run of gold which was so very rich lower down, is prospecting again -at the rightbind branch. This mau dropped on a patch of nearly lOOoz some time ago, not far from where he is now prospecting, and he is very sanguine of lighting on a similar windfall. Some of the old resi-

deufcs of this creek are heard of as having good shows at the Inangahua and Lyell reefs, and they hold the opinion that the quartz lodes in the Moonlight district will, iii spite of the bad odour in which they are now held, turn, up trumps yet. The discovery and working of the hiuch-spoker,-of rich patches of ground between Canoe Creek and the Razorback, northwards of the Grey, have revived the almost forgotten speculations as to the probability of tracing a connection between the diggings. at Moonlight and the Black Ball Creek ajid tfyose on the coast range north of the Twelve-Mile Creek. The gold foiuid at high elevations on the northern terraces appears to be of tile same description and quality as that Jbund at Moonlight and the Black Ball. The sample of gold found at these places does not resemble that known to be existing on any other part of the West Coast, excepting at Canoe Creek and the workings in the vicinity of the Razorback. The value of the claims in that locality has been prominently shown by the high price— Lsso— which the share, of the late William Reid was sold for at auction at Cobden on Wednesday. Tho share id

described as a third in a double area granted as a prospecting claim to three men. THE LITTLE GREY. It is rumored that Anderson and party, at tne Big River, have found auriferous quartz in 'the prospecting tunnel they are putting in. An account appeared* in the last issue of the Weekly Argus of a meeting held at the Little Grey Junction of the shareholders in this company. Remarks were made with respect to certain reports, injurious to the character of the company, alleged to have been spread by some of the workmen whose services the mauager dispensed with. Your correspondent has received a communication from one of these parties which reminds him of the good old times in Ireland, when an obnoxious landlord or agent received a " first warning" in the form of a missive, with a pen-and-ink sketch of his future coffin depicted on the tittle page. I haye received "noatace" to retract the "hole" of the report, otherwise I 'will be waited upon personally and be politely requested to ' ' eat the fowl falsehoods, " together with the paper on which thty were printed, a Japanese feat not in the line of a mining reporter's business if he is aware of it. A mining correspondent at Reef ton was recently advised not to exhibit his ." pedestrian digits" in the aristocratic' neighborhood * of Black's Point when the next calico ball comes off in honor of the "luck of roaring camp," so that I do not stand alone in being requested toperform impossibiliiies, for the eating of " fowl falsehoods" and utilising "pedestrian dibits" do, at first, sight, seem to be rather difficult of accomplishment. This matter of the Big River dispute will be' disposed of at full length at an early opportunity. THE UPPER GREY. -•"."..' " Two prospecting parties are preparing to give the Upper Grey and its tributaries a thorough! overhauling. ' A boat suitable for the navigation; of the Bhallow riverg i and creeks is now being made at the ■ Little Grey Junction for one of these s parties. The company intend confining i their operations at first to the Alexander : River, a tributary of the main Grey, into i which it runs from the north-east, about twenty miles above the Little GreyJunc- : tiori. The Alexander has never been i systematically explored, as, owing to the great difficulty of the navigation, it requires a boat specially built for the pur> pose. The party will be well found in everything requisite, and they intend, ; whether successful in striking anything I or not, to spend the summer prospecting. : Some of the party have a good local • knowledge of the Upper Grey and Alex? > ander rivers, and they think there is a probability of discovering payable quarts as well as alluvial. The other company $ have started on their trip already; They I intend testing the southern branches and } beaches of the river. They have been at the work before, and it is owiDg to the , good indications they met with previously [ they are induced to make another at* ' tempt. It will be interesting to note the r progress made by these parties, for the ; Upper Grey is still a mysterious terra in. ' cognita to the more numerous body of l miners in the Grey Valley;