GREY VALLEY GOLD FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1625, 20 October 1873, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD FIELDS.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.^" NO TOWN. 'fx MINING. ' . . ' . A rush on a small scale tonk place last week to a terrace about half a mile ' south of the township, and below; Rough T andTumble Creek. The prospectors, Richard* son and party, are said to have.driveQ into payable ground at a distance of about 100 ft from the face of the terrace. ■ ; \Afew claims are marked out, but the locality^ not one in which it is probable anytLMp extensive is to be found, although one^ff the adjoining shareholders expresses an opinion that the rush is "up to "some chips," and may eventually turn out to be a " juicy " arrarigemerit. Some entirely new ground has recently been opened below Black Jack's Creek, in a terrace on the southern side of the main creek. In . one of the claims the owners have driven some 200 ft, crossing several narrow runs of washdirt, that w6uld pay well if they could be easily separated* from the surrounding duffer ground. This is not practicable, and in consequence a deal of very poor dirt has to go into the boxes, - which lowers the average yield. There are two small creeks intersecting this terrace, in. which very good ground was formerly worked. The gold was found some distance up- these creeks, and as it could not be tracednear the bottom of either of them, it is supposed that the leads may have slewed into the terrace, and may have some* connection with the gold recently found in it. If so, there is plenty room, for prospecting under favorable conditions, for water can be readily obtained. There has been less actual prospecting done in this section of the main creek than in any other' part of the district, which is as easy of access. It has also been remarked that if there be anything worth the notice of practical gold-seekers in the theory' that auriferous deposits occur in meridianal lines of direction, this. part of the No Town district is in the direct strike of the best of the diggings on the Arnold, and those of Moonlight and Canoe Creeks. PSIN4JJEN. The Chinese miners are still in posses* sion of nearly the whole length of the bed of the main creek from Surinybank to Abe's Gaily. They appear to be working very systematically, turning over the old ground, and washing everything before them. They have built themselves comfortable and substantial huts, and have already commenced to make gardens. They seem to be increasing ia numbers, and they all appear to be earning at least wages, judging by the manner in which they patronise the billiard-rooms and other places of amusement. Some of them are accomplished billiard-players, and it ia said the majority of the Celestials are^ktremely "good judges of whisky/'-fiid can describe the difference between the^, flavor of Kinnehan's LL and Kirkliston, with unquestionable accuracy. It is stated' that several of the Chinese 'here are Christians, and many of them; well educated. They say that they are so well satisfied with the prospects of the Grey Valley as a field for their peculiar enterprise that they have recommended a number of their countrymen, now in other places, to follow them hither. There is almost unlimited space for occupation, and work that would -just suit them, in the bars and beaches of the Grey River, from the Arnold upwards, and particularly above the Little Grey JunQtiqq. , , Ail AROUND. There is little alteration in the other parts of this district. Cockney Terrace still gives employment tothebulk of the miners, and some of the claims are reported to be paying astonishingly well. The different terraces on the left branch of the creek support a few, and there are still scattered parties ; in the Deadman Creek division. One of the matters which should first occupy the attention of the new Road Board is the necessity of-open-ing a communicatibn between ]Jd Towjj and the locality of Deadman and llaugis Greeks. The coarse gold an,d n,eavy, nuggets are in the latter direction, and a fair opportunity of getting at them should be afforded. A horse track to Red Jack's was promised by the Government years ago, but the Government, with its usnip4 foresight, saw the R^oad Board coming, and of course would not deprive it of thji honor- and glqry of inaugurating such an 1 important work. A^ share was sold last week in a. claim on a new terrace at tng he.ad of Joyce's Greek for. L4Q, which is. ; said to be about one-half its real' value \ and another share changed hands at IS-ougbrand-Tumble Qreek : for L 45. fa this case the purphasers. consider thpy would haye made an exceUg^tbatrain at ' ' a much higher figur.©.: . . . '„ U?#E BOEING GOMRANY, It has been found that the boring machine will not effectually perform its

work in the loose drift in the beds of these creeks, and after repeated unsuccessful trials operations are suspended with the apparatus which was in use at the junction of Steel's and No Town Creeks. The machine used to get clogged and unworkable, and often the vibration caused by the concussion of the drills on the hard boulders shook the loose sand and gravel from the sides of the bore-hole, filing up the lower part of it, and jamming the gear. The company was partially dissolved, in consequence of some of the members retiring, but it has been re-formed and re-modelled. It now consists of eight shareholders, associated on . the co-operative principle, four being working, and four unworking members. The workers receive 30s in cash each per week as wages, and they hold an equal proprietary interest with the paying shareholders. They are now sinking a shaft through the reef eastward of the deep ground, and the intention is to drive under the gutter, which is known to exist, and when fairly below the deepest part of it, the boring apparatus will be used to pierce the ground upwards through the roof until the gravel is reached. Whether the plan will act remains to be seen, but it seems feasible enough. The shaft will be sunk to a depth of 100 ft, and then driven 160 ft, or until the position of the gutter can be ascertained. It is not yet decided whether the ground will be ' finally worked by means of a tail-race, or if machinery with water or steam power will have to be erected. There is scarcely a doubt but that the ground will pay well, when woik is fairly under weigh ; but of course the necessary preliminary outlay will be considerable. But on the other hand, there is the positive knowledge in the possession of the company that a rich run of gold was traced to the very boundary of their leasehold. This assurance was an inducement to the promoters to commence the undertaking, and it now gives the shareholders encouragement to : continue, in the face of great difficulties, until the actual value of the mine is determined. •«