GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1881, 15 August 1874, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

[from otjr own correspondent.] NO XOWN. The state of mining affairs in this district show a slight improvement, but the position is still a long way behind what it should and would be made, if the auriferous treasurers lying around could be utilised. Mountains, hundreds of feet in height, composed from the surface to the base of golden drifts, are waiting the operation of the hydraulic sluicer, and valley after valley, containing miles of golden gutters, are waiting the advent of enterprise of the right sort to make them "yield up their valuable contents. The following detailed items of the work now doiug in the different localities are for-; warded by a reliable correspondent : — I . told you in my last letter that the "old; soger " had got on a good claim, in the ; LEFT FORK of the main creek, and I am pleased, for the old Veteran's sake, to say that it is turning out better than he expected at: first. Some parties have taken up the ground ahead of him, and have now commenced to make a tailrace. It will be a; long and expensive job, for they intend taking the tail-ditch to ground situated' higher up the creek, than the claim formerly worked by Smith and Dawson — " the claim that all the gold came from." M'Donagh and party have just finished their head race in this branch. They intend washing away the points of the spurs abutting the creek, along its course, and from the manner in which this ground shaped in the old days, when a tub and cradle were considerd a ' ' valuable mining plant," it is expected they will not be long repaying themselves for their outlay and labor. There is one solitary hatter working at '■-..:■.' ■ IiUFF-UP TERRACE. He is alone in his glory, but he evidently is not enchanted with the loneliness of his condition, for he is visible in the township at least three days of the week "happy and glorious o'er the ills of life victorious," as our local poet would say, a long way, after Burns. I mention this pleasing personal peculiarty of our hatter, not because I object to even a hatter enjoying himself as long as he can pay his way, which he does no doubt ; and this reminds me that it is singular this terrace is passed by without attracting more notice, for there is money coming from it. The few claims that have been worked on it paid well, but the great drawback here as everywhere else is the scarcity of water. This particular locality is especially badly of in respect to water, for from the configuration of the .terrace a reservoir would be useless, because there is no water-shed of any consequence. The little water now obtained is collected in holes made for mining purposes. ; . There are two or three

parties tunnelling further up the creek, but with what result I have not been able to ascertain. CANDLELIGHT CREEK is attracting attention again. It ia stated here that those claims on Candlelight Flat in good working order are paying firstrate dividends. The report is that Olegg and party, who employ two wages men, to assist them, have ground thatis paying from L 5 to LlO per week. The original Candlelight Bill stands in, but it is quite a rarity to catch all the company " grafting" at once. They enjoy the merry merry sunshine do these codgers. The next claim, owned by Marshall and Co., is not quite as good, but still pays handsomely. The superior description of cottages the claimholders here have erected would appear to show that they intend remaining. permanently. At all .events, they can reckon upon two or. three years'^ work at fair wages.' : '' There is another hatter here, and. he; is said to be doing best of all theiholders'pf, ground. He has only just returned from* the New South Wales Gold-fields.; -iHe went: there from Abe's : Guliy about .two years ago with a good rise, which he? was dropped, of course. He : isn'.t > the only one who has tried to " bottom holes") in Sydney with ' money from this district, but they don't as a rule strike good 'pay' dirt. ■■■'::- ■■"■•. :~ . ■:'•:-:; : ;- ; f;,- r .'_ . The next working of any consequence is that of Farr and party in MOD GUILT, and all that need be sad. of this. party is, that they have been here for the last three years, and they are likely to remain for three or four years more if their ground pay as at present. There is one , claim in work still at MENCHIKOFF CREEK. The work is carried on rather.extensiyelyon the hydraulic-sluicing principle. This and the company at Mud Creek have the control of all the water coming down the lower end of Candlelight and its tributaries. Leaving .t.he- ? F.lat^'and- : .mikih» for higher ground^' the workings pn:;/^ fATHE CANDLELIGHT TERRACES ; K ., 0 are reached. ' • Seeing : the place : where Korman and party are working, the first idea that strikes you is, that they ought t©>~"J be well paid to drag out . life; in: such - a place. It is dangerous and ;unhealthy, and the men appear ill. When, you; inquire how they are getting on, they.iwiH tell you with a genuine continental shrugg of the shoulders that they Tare work out next week before last, and the claim not pay mosh. " On the Terrace I met an old familiar face, the owner of which 1 imagined was away on his annual tour, on the New- South Wales fields. I discovered that he had been away, and returned a few weeks ago, to replenish his exchequer, or, as he described the financial operation, filling the " shammy" again. Knowing him of old, I asked him with the confidence of old acquainticeship, how he was doing, but I didn't find out. I heard, however,, that himself and his neighbors, the Frenchr men, are doing very well. • This sojourner thinks that New. .Zealand miners should go to Australia, for four months of the year, for a niaiji . sHpuld make sufficient in New Zealand^ during eight months work, to allow him to enjoy, himself the remainder of the year ma warmer climate. It seems that -at Mcl- • bourne and Sydney there are numbers of miners " from New. ; Zealand, "' who winter there and have , plenty . of money from their savings here, and yet they say this country is worked out. ' abe's gully. James Law and party have surveyed a tunnel into the groudd that they have been prospecting at, this, creek. It is not known if they have got bn.any gold, but it is supposed they have, and they deserve it. They have called for tenders for cutting and delivering 2000 ft. of timber ipr, tramway rails, to be delivered at the foot ot Abe's Gully* ■..■.'■ ' :. : w GENERAL. The members of the Duke. of, Edinburgh and Pro vincial Councillor Companies struck work last' week. The claims were abandoned, and everything was in a state of utter misery, while very few kuev? the cause of all the desolation. . It now turns out that one of the Duke's crowd was a-yay getting married, and the rest were with him, consoling him. It. was rumored that the great Duke, himself was about throwing himself away, but - he. hasn't — worse luck.' .''.'".....■ I hear there is some disturbance- among the gold-buyers about the price of the metal. One is. afraid the other .gets an ounce or two more than his neighber* j We* miners, are not slow to observe this jealousy among the traders, and we glory in it, on the principle ijhat when certain people fall out other people come by their own. 'Only we cannot help thinking if , one buyer gives 6d an ounce more i"than' ali the rest are ready to take oath,they can; afford to give, the man who gives .tbe^higher price must have a.y.ery 'accommodating banker. However, it is nothing to us who loses if we gain ; and by way of encouragement, we exclaim— '-' Go it' ye cripples, wooden legs are cheap." * --- In matters political, the report is that one of the chosen of the land,~and'bf our choice, fell among the Philistines at Nelson Creek. It is not at all unlikely, for for weknoiv that the inhabitants of Ahaura or Nelson Creek have a rao3t. excellent love for the political stars of No Town. The story is that a distinguished legislator went forth from here to explain to' his constituents up-country all the benefifcsie had obtained for them, and that he was satisfied with his visit, and with r the , biilliancy of his conquest of his opponents, for he went, saw, and conquered, "up to handle" by all accounts.: . On his return he stopped on the brink of a creek,,, to observe the beauties of the landscape, and the next thing we hear is that a waggoner happening to -pass the spot finds a man floundering about in a water-hole. Tie waggoner pulled him out, and enquired, naturally enough, who the stranger was, and he was awe stricken when he learned that he had sa^ed the life of a" member of Parliament." He parbuckled the'member into his waggon, and thef last.lh&ard from him, previous .to" the occurrence "of a silvery snore, was to the effect that if "O'C. didn't put another bridge over. Nelson Creek," he, the newly rescued member, " would turn out the Government next session." There is anpther story- afloat about another of our representative men, but it would be uncharitable to repeat at. ', ■■. HALF-OUNCE. v-,-; ; An old resident, but. a recent visitbir^o Half-Ounce, thus gives his impr^sipjajPf the place after an absence of :sometinie ;> :~ " This is, one of those districts which

from all appearance becomes more permanent looking the older it gets. It is chiefly notorious at a distance for its wealth of old water-wheels, and the proficiency of its native inhabitants at freezeout,, doing the light fantastic, eating mutton pies, and other .similer elegant and useful accomplishments. The lively appearance of the two towns, especially the upper one, on a Saturday evening would seem to be a proof that the miners are getting gold freely, but a closer inquiry reveals the fact that the great secret is that very few are making a great deal, but almost everyone is earning wages either working for himself or others. There is a great appearance of domestic comfort in the neat and handsome cottages scattered about, all owned by working miners, but I am sorry to relate that, notwithstanding the frantic efforts made by many of the bachelors of the place, and some of them know how to grope their way about I can assure you, they are compelled to remain in single blessedness. If Dr Featherstone only knew how fast "eligible young persons" could be absorbed here as wives, he would send a special consignment before he finally gets the sack. If he could succeed in doing this, the failure of his administration of the department in other reopects would be amply atoned for. As it is, and under all difficulties, I am given to understand that a "one-horse shay," which adorns the place, and which, I may remark, cannot be surpassed as a jaunting car on the Coast, has been kept busy driving some of my old palls and their sweethearts to the parsons, and bringing them back decent married couples. The only mining news I hear is that Foldi's Company, at Mabille, have had a breaking-up and a reconstruction. There were too many shareholders to work to advantage, and the new company consists of six members only, instead of twelve. There is plenty of payable ground still to take out. Erickson's Company have about finished the extensive alteration they have been making to their water-wheel, paddocks, &c. There is a large area of payable ground still to be worked in the cojw^ny's leasehold, sufficient it is said tb Trep them employed for years to come. There is yet a good extent of the deep lead to work, and it is now all but proved that the shallow gutter coming down from Cumberland Jack's run is taking its course through the entire length of the claim. Cumberland's claim is, of course, giving first-class dividends, it couldn't be otherwise, for seemingly he can't go wrong wherever there is any gold about. Tabbie and Praas' claim is still to the fore with its dividends of L 7 to LlO per week. The plant in this claim is neat and compact, and everything seems to go like clockwork. lam much gratified to see all the old faces again. I can assure you that although I have been in a good many places, both in Austrilia and New Zealand, since I left, I have not found a better or more agreeable lot of fellows, boys and girls, particular the latter, than they are here.