REEFTON LETTER.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 259, 6 February 1886, Page 2

REEFTON LETTER.

(from our own correspondent.) February 2nd, 1880.

The glaring heat and discomfort of the last few weeks has been dissipated by a welcome rain, which has also served to totally quench the fires raging amongst our hills and clear the atmostphere of the heavy pill of smoke which has hung of late over hill and valley. A sudden but brief downpour caused our creeks to assume somewhat the dimensions of a small flood, the river rising also considerably, but is a»ain subsiding to its summer level and diminutive proportions. The rain tell within a small area. Boatman's being almost entirely out of it, though ram must I ave fallen in the immediate neighborhood as the creek commenced to rise, and the Welcome battery was started, but, after running a few hours had again to put the break on, the water having fallen too low. The Fiery battery crushed four days last week, but if ram holds off will again be compelled to stop. There is, however, a freshness in the air which is quite exhilerating, and the cloudy sky which threatens rain is far more appreciated than the glaring heavens with a red hot sun which has been our daily experience for some timo past.

There h:is been somewhat a mild excitement over the new iind in the Reform which I mentioned a week or too ago. Alter finding the stone, the air dull, work was discontinued in the face, and has been devoted until the last week to gaining improve! ventilation. Further operations upon the stone proyes its payable character, and the fact of its being an entirely new block with, should it continue to the surface, about 200 feet of backs to operate upon has greatly raised its value.

The Fiery will be in a position shortly to keep the battery going steadily. They are still driving to connect with the north winze, and carrying a good reef in the face.

In the Jnst-in-Time the uprise intende I to break into the bottom of the winze has not so succeeded. Some weeks have been spent trying to find the bottom of the winze, but they are still at sea on that subject, ami the present move is to bail out the winze and the intermediate level from which it is suuk, and endeavor to establish communication by sinking and rising.

There is not much news from the Globo now. A few hands only are employed, and they have been engaged cross-cutting. Their labors have determined that the present line, or that on which so much work has been expended, is the true one, but the block in which the shot of gold was traced to the first level has been missed, or otherwise, if the stone operated upon be its continuation, it is at the present level too poor to pay.

The Inkerm-ui is still idle for want of water, a few hands being employed in the mine timbering and prospecting.

The winze in the Dark is now down over 70 feet. Last week a splice occured in the stone, the reef they were sinking on suddenly tapering and going out. For a day and night there was quite a scare, especially among the non-shareholders, who at once pronounced the whole district as damned. The next news was that stone was making again, and there is now a good show of stone underfoot; the occurrence being simply one that may be observed almost weekly in the stopes. The sink ng of the main shaft to open up another level has been started. It is taken thus early in hand to enable the company to perform the work deliberately, and also not to interfere with the regular work of breaking stone and keeping the battery going. The depth to be sunk will be about 150 feet.

At the Inglewood there is a good show of stone now in the stopes, and the paddocks and passes being pretty well crowded with stone, rain is anxiouslv looked for to enable them to start crushing, as the 1 ite supply is rapidly diminishing. The winding engine of this company—a 30 h.p.— is showing sigus of weakness from working underground an I by the daily and monotonous routine of hauling water and rock, the staying power of the engine being scarcely equal to the amount requiring to be raised.

The stone in the Gol len Treasure that g:ive such excellent returns just belore Christinas has disappeared, and efforts to agiin pick it up have up to the present been futile. The stone was first met with in the battery level, 250 feet above where the last crushing was obtained, in the hading stope of which it pinched out overhead. An uprise is now being put up in that spot with a hope ol finding a continuation ol it to the surface.

The Venus company is in luck, for rarely on this Coast has such a spell of fine weather continued as since this company first started operations on the surface. It has enabled them to get rapidly on with the work without hindrance or drawback ; a saving to the company and a boon to the men. The rope has been stretched along the line, both ends lying now at the battery ready for splicing. The work of hanging the buckets will then be proceeded with, and allowing for delays and alterations, unavoidable in all new undertakings, everything should be in good working order and the battery crushing in a fortnight. At the mine they are blocked up with stone and are anxious on many accounts to get it away and hear the old battery stamping out a dividend* Thady.