Lyell Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1886.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 287, 21 August 1886, Page 2

Lyell Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1886.

A decided improvement on last week's returns from the Alpine battery is apparent in the amount of amalgam collected yesterday. For 180 tons of stone treated 394 ounces of amalgam were taken from the plates, an increase of six ounces oi amalgam for thirty-six tons less stone. Mails for United Kingdom, Continent of Europe, and United States of America, via. San Francisco, close 1.30 p.m. Thursday, 9th September. Money orders for this mail will be issued, up to 4 p.m. Tuesday 7th September. Mails for United Kingdom, &c., direct mail service per "Aorangi," close 1.30 p.m. Sitfutday, 21st August, due London, October' 7th. All correspondence to be specially addressed " Direct Mail Service." Two oases of disorderly conduct were dealt with by H. G. Youngman, Esq., J.P., last Monday, in each of which defendants were fined 10/ and costs, or 48 hours imprisonment. Dr Bruen left Lyeil yesterday morning for W^tport.

The Manager of the' Nile Company, Mokihinui, reports that after driving the low level tunnel 50 feet he struck a 6 ft. reef, showing gold. This is encouraging news. « Amongst the Public Works Estimates passed is this item :—Main road, Nelson, Wesport, Gieymouth, and Hokitika, £BSOO. The Rev. Father Rolland will reach Lyell to-day, and conduct services tomorrow at the usual hours. We direct attention to Mr H. Asmuss' advertisement in another column. The advertiser informs the public that he has opened a new Saddlery Establishment in Westport, offering a reduced scale of charges. Services will be held at St. Matthew's Church to-morrow by the Rev. Mr InnessJones, morning and evening at the usual hours. Thomas Hobson, the miner who was injured in the Tyr Connell mine lately, is progressing well at the Westport Hospital. There is no longer any danger of his eyesight being injured. We hear that interference with the head race supplying the reservoir has caused the supply of water to decrease to two feet. Parliament was to have been prorogued on Wedaesbay or Thursday last. The session commenced on 13th May, and will have lasted a little over three months.

We observe by an advertisement in the Westport Times that tenders were invited for erection of schoolhouse at Inangahua Junction, closing yesterday at Westport. We haye in Lyell several first class tradesmen who would only be too willing to compete for a work of this character, and we think the committee would have acted wisely had they afforded them the information and an opportunity of inspecting plans and specifications, especially when taking into consideration that the locality where the building is to be erected is situated within eleven miles from Lyell. I Notification has been received by the manager of the Victor Emmuel Quartz Mining Company, Limited, from the Re ceiver of Gold Revenue, that the application for a special claim of 50 acres at New Creek has been granted at a rental of 10/ per acre. It is the intention of the directors to commence operations shortly by bringing in a trial crushing to the Croesus battery. The present company have already expended nearly JG2OOO on the ground, in driving two levels, rising, and sinking, and had, when ceasing operations, about 100 tons of what was considered payable stone to grass. At that time the difficulties in the way of transporting stone to a battery were almost nnsarmountable; however, the Buller County Council have now completed a good track from Blue Creek to the mine, thus obviating the greatest difficulty in the way, and that, together with the reduced rental, has decided the company to make en effort to recommence operations.

The contractors for driving Lyell Creek Extended Low Level Tunnel, (Hunt and party) have driven 55 feet since taking up the contract at the latter end of July last. The ground for that distance has been very hard, but at the present time shows indications of becoming softer. It is to be hoped that the Buller County Council will soon make it expedient to fcfrm the road from the Alpine battery to the Low Level Tunnel, as the inconvenience experienced by those engaged working this claim is considerable. A meeting of the Hampden and Lyell Jockey Club was held at the Hampden Hotel last Saturday, when it was decided to hold a race meeting on Boxing Day at the Four-mile Plain. Mr F. J. Hodgson was elected honorary secretary and the next meeting of the Club was decided to be held at the Fern Flat Hotel, on Saturday, 28th instant, for the purpose of electing stewards and preparing programme. The first instalment of £6OO, out of .£ISOO set aside lor road to owen Reefs, has been received, and we expect that the work will be put in hand as soon as possible. When this amount is nearly expended no doubt the balance will be available for completion of the road. There are several claims on the field having stone ready for a battery, and we have not the slightest doubt when treated will have the effect of opening up a large and payable quartz-mining district. We see by the estimates for public works that the sum of AISOO has been passed as subsidy for bridle track between Larry's Creek old township and the Buller road between here and the Junction at a point near the Dee Creek. When completed the distance between here and Reefton will be considerably lessened, apart from the fact of the connecting portion of work going through an almost entirely new and untried country laying a considerable distance back from the Inangahua river. The member for Inangahua, Mr Menteath, has been, according to the Inangahua Times, instrumental in obtaining the vote, as also the sum of .£I6OO for bridges between Nelson and Reefton. We have been requested to furnish some information with respect to the New South Wales Company, the cancellation of the ground, and, subsequent application for same by other claims.. The facts so fur as we are aware of are as follows :—The Company held a special claim of 60 acres, in such a positiou that opening up the ground would involve a very heavy expenditure extending over three years. The directors have made repeated efforts to induce shareholders to incur this expenditure, and we believe have failed to obtain a working or rather paying majority

for that purpose. In the meantime the rent, at the rate of .£6O per annum fell into arrears, and the Company failing to induce Government to reduce the amount, although recommended by Warden Bird, and the directors neglecting to strike a call to meet the liability, the lease in the ordinary course went up for cancellation. The cancellation was Gazetted in Wellington on the 21st ultimo, and locally advertised on the 14th instant. On the 7th instant the legal manager of the Alpine Company, Mr James Inglis, received telegraphic instructions from his Reefton directors to peg out and apply for the ground on behalf of the Alpine Company, and at 10 o'clock on the following Monday morning the application was lodged in the Warden's Court. Since that application has appeared two others have been put in applying for 16£ acres of the same ground and each nearly identical as to boundaries, the applicants being Mr F. Feddersen ; and Mr P. Brennan, on behalf of the Lyell Creek Extended Low Level Tunnel.