GREY VALLEY GOLD FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1456, 3 April 1873, Page 3

GREY VALLEY GOLD FIELDS.

(FROM OT7R OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Slight as the rain which fell during the last week was, it did some little good. It was expected the weather had fairly broken on Thursday ; but, pleasant as the sunshine may be in other respects, there is unfortunately still a great scarcity of water on the gold fields in consequence of its continuance. Great preparations are being made to make the most of the rainfall when, it does take place in those districts where work of the sort can be advantageously proceeded with. At No Town, the work of dam building and race cutting is going aheak rapidly, and the pity ia that operations of this description were not more generally carried out long ago. Near and above the junction of Abe's and Jarroan's Creeks, Taprell and party have built a reservoir capable of holding a good supply of water, simply by taking advantage of the natural formation of the ground and throwing an embankment across the creek bed at a place which looks as if nature intended it for such a purpose. The work is well and strongly done, being .almost entirely formed of earth, with a base of 50ft, and a breast of nearly JQQft in the clear, Whitnell and party, on Stewart's Hill, have juoi completed their reservoir. The height of the principal wall of the embankment is 26ft, with a base of 25ft, and a clear span cf 110 ft. Another similar work is about being finished by Tuckey and party, at the head of Big Bill's Creek. This reservoir will com- ] mand all the ground on both sides of the range. Porter and Gnnn have finished uR building an additional two feet to the top of their large dam at the head of Bell's" Creek. This will give them an extra supply of three weeks water when the reservoir is filled. They have also placed in position a quantity of iron piping,' to regulate the escape of the water. This piping had to be procured from Melbourne at considerable expense, but the cost and carriage from Victoria was scarcely anything compared to the trouble of getting the pipes to the place where they were to be used, from No Town. This was for the want of a few miles of track which should have been made seven years ago. Ashcroft and party, at Paddy's Gully, are cutting a new head race to &tart from a spot in the main creek where a permanent supply of water may always be depended upon. It was at one time thought that the water in the old race would never fail this company. All these works, comparatively unimportant as they are singly, taken collectively, show an increasing determination on the part of the miners to place themselves beyond the reach of entire dependence on the state of the weather. The fortunate possessors of even the smallest dribble of running water during the last two months have had an advantage which cannot be overrated, because they could proceed with their operations, wind and weather scorning, .and it is an encouraging sign to see a general desire existing among the miners to proceed with similar permanent works, whenever circumstances admit of their commencement. At the rush at Orwell Creek gold was found in another claim last week. This makes the fifth claim now on this lead. A curious discovery was made at Orwell Creek on Thursday. A miner named Carroll was fossicking about on his own account, and obtained a very good prospect almost among the roots of the grass on the surface. He marked out a claim and set about forming a party to work it, and even, it is said, sold a share for L4O. When they took formal possession of the ground and began to work, it was found that they were within the boundaries of the prospectors leasehold, but at the opposite side from where the gold was first found. This shows that the gold is not confined to one spot, or even one level, for the wash found by Carroll must be en-

tirely aeparate and distinct from the run on which the prospectors and the claimholders are now working. There are nineteen tunnels going in, and in some of them the lead is expected to be found this week. In the last claim in which the gold was struck, the tunnel is about 200 ft in length. The prospectors have their shoots finished, and a good job they have made of them. They are nearly 500 ft long, and so arranged that they cannot easily get out of older. Hansen's party, with the assistance of some of the claimholders on the lead, are extending their head-race. When this water is in it will do away with the great expense attending the fixing of these shoots to convey the washdirt to the creek below, for the race being at such an elevation it will command all the workings on the lead. There is every probability of this becoming a populous and important place during the winter. There is a good deal of prospecting going on at the upper branches of the Ahaura river at present. The weather recently, if bad for sluicers was very favorable for prospectors, and advantage has been taken of the opportunity of getting easily about the bush in several localities. The upper Ahaura is a favorite resort of several of the long resident miners of the district, and there are reports now that something very good has been found at last. Reliable information from that quarter will be to hand during the week. Baxter and party at Riverview, a few miles from Ahsura, were busy for the last month or two extending their head-race. They have completed their improvements, and finally set in to sluice again, Some of the works connected with this extension, especially portions of the fluming, are worthy of something more than a passing notice.