MINING INTELLIGENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 209, 5 September 1870, Page 2

MINING INTELLIGENCE.

o MR. H. J. L. AUGARDE'S WEEKLY REPORT. Although the Lady Barkly brought good news from the Perseverance mine, backed by a return of 127 ozs of gold, it scarcely made any perceptible difference in our drooping share market. Culliford Shares, £1 17s. 6d. paid, j Transactions iv these shares, nil. There is no disposition for business, a few shares on the market, but lhe absence of speculation gives nothing to report, and shares are on hand at par. The work is proceeding favorably. 125 feet of the drive, which was abandoned by Mr. Bray, art completed, and the work is being proceeded with under the management of Mr. Gill the working manager, instead of being let by contract, a system which seems to answer. Perseverance Shares, £2 paid. Notwithstanding the continual influx of sold from this mine viz, 127 ozs crushed from 135 tons of stone, shares only advanced from ss. discount to par, at which price a few shares changed hands. The new drive No. 3 exposes a reef about 7 feet thick, and should it yield in proportion to the appearance of the stone, we may look for activity in these shares ere long. Pioneer Shares, £7 paid. The shares in this Company are most inactive, indeed there is nothing to make them otherwise. The contract taken by Bray is proceeding, and the water is being got rid of. Before long a good report is anticipated with regard to the copper. Lucky Hit Shares, £10 paid. Business dormant in these shares. Work proceeding. No new feature to record. Masonic Shares, £11 paid. No transactions. A meeting is called for Saturday to consider a proposition from Brace and party, relative ato site for machinery. Commercial Shares, £18 paid. Meeting on Mouday last. Nothing of moment to record, shares sluggish. The non-interrupted accumulation of gold from the Perseverance mine, does not at present tend to give activity to our Share Market. There is another miue which will be worked ere long in this gold yielding district, viz., the ground held by Messrs. Bray and Cook. This will not be thrown into a company, but be worked by individual enterprise, which will tend to solve a problem, viz., whether small or large compauies are the most payable, and which are most suitable toour circumstances. The Wangapeka can boast of possessing a battery on the ground at last. Fawcett's two- stamper having been got on to the ground during the week. This small battery, aided by plenty of water power, can put through a good amount of stuff for all the reefs in this valuable district. It will be a race between the Waimea and Culliford Companies, as to which battery will be No. 2 on tbe ground. With two or three machines at the Wangapeka as well as at Collingwood, we may look forward to brighter prospects than have ever yet dawned on Nelson. A company is being at last formed to work : Doran's Reef. The prospectus comes out at a bad time, when our market is dead and inactive, still the largely developed reef they possess, added to the uniformity of results produced from all the testings will aid much to advance it in the eyes of the public. A Severe Thunderstorm, accom- j panied with hail, recently swept over a great part of the Australian continent with unprecedented violence, and was attended with disastrous effects and loss of life. Five children were struck with lightning at Eaglehawk, one being killed and the others injured. The barometer registered exceedingly low.

Earthquake Shoch at Christchurch. — An earthquake shock was felt at Christchurch at 6.23 p.m. on the 31st. It was not quite so heavy as that of the sth June, 1869. Tho direction was from easfc to west; and the duration thirty seconds. It stopped many clocks and threw the tops off several chimneys, particularly on the south side of the town. It also set bells ringing and glasses jingling. The Town Hall is severely skaken; but the shock was felt mo3t severely iv Lyttelton where several chimneys were thrown down. Sunken Rock. — The master of the ketch Pelorus which arrived iv harbor yesterday morning, reports that the schooner Cauterbury, of Wauganui, struck on a sunken rock, between Chetwode and Forsyth's Islands, aud laid there for eight hours, breaking 20 feet off her keel and doing other damage. Fortunatelyshe contrived to get off, aod now lies ia Pelorus Sound repairing damages. The rock is said to be within the boundaries of the Nelsou Province, and in the route of steamers proceeding from Nelson to Picton, but ot the correctness of this latter statement we are somewhat boubtful, as the steamers usually pass inside of the Island, whereas the rock appears to be outside. There seems no reason to doubt that ffax may yet be used as a substitute for hops. In the appendix to Dr. Hector's Dunedin Exhibition report, after describing a method tried for cleaning the flax by steeping in hot water with sulphuric acid, the repot says: — "The liquor from the experiment was perfectly clear, of a pale yellow color, and had to a remarkable extent the odour of bitter beer ; aud undoubtedly a kind of bitter beer could be made from a strong infusion of flax, mixed with a moderate quantity of sugar, and theu fermented. The bitter principle of flax is a very pure intense bitter, capable of being retained by charcoal, by which it is given up to alcohol, and might be usei to communicate a bitter taste to beer in the absence of hops, It would at least be les3 objectionable than drugs that are said to be used for this purpose. Distressing Accident. — The Otago Daily Times of the 19th says : — A very distressing and fatal accident occurred at Otakia ou Thursday, which resulted in the death of a little boy, four years of age, son of Mr. M'Ewau, farmer. The little fellow had apparently been amusing himself outside for a short time, and upon Mrs. M'Ewan looking out, she noticed a portion of the pigstye ou fire. She immediately ran towards it; with water to extinguish it. In the meantime the fire was observed by Mr. M'Ewan from the field where he was engaged ploughing. He at once unhooked one of his horses and galloped to the spot. Upon his j arrival he, commenced to pull down a portion of the stye, and was horrified to get hold, amongst the debris, of one of his child's legs. The body was lying upon its back dead, and quite charred with the fire. It is supposed that before the boy had gone out he hv.d got hold of matches, aud the pigstye being empty had wandered in there and ignited the matches, setting fire to the loose straw, the smoke from which had so overpowered or confused him that he was unable to get out of tho way of the flames, Ity which he must have been speedily euveloped. Much sympathy is felt for the family in their suddeu and terrible affliction. The Telegraph (says the San Francisco Bulletin), gives a brief account of aa occurrence on the railroad near Plata River, which may be taken as typical of the rude, but necessary manner in which civilisation is disposing of savage obstructions. A lar«e party of mounted Indians were descried by the engineer upon the track ahead. As the train neared, the ludiaus set up a yell ; and the engiueer, fearing an attack, put his engine to its speed, and the consequence was a miscellaneous hustling of Indians and horses into the air, thirteen of the former and a number of the latter being killed. The engineer apparently could not have yen« tured to do otherwise than he did, for the cousequences might have been worse if the Indians entertained hostile intentions. The loss of life is pitiful, especially if it resulted from Indian ignorance or indifference to rail-oad regulations. But the opinion may be ventured tbat the same party at least will not again attempt to stop a railroad train with horseflesh. Aud Indiau objections to railroads

genearlly will have to take some other form than making war upon them. Later accounts would go to show that the Indians meant to capture the train. They were armed and mounted, surrounded it in large force, fired several shots into the cars, and made other hostile demonstrations. But they hadn't sufficient head of steam to back against the locomotive, and speedily came to grief. § i Neat Simile. — An American paper puts a matter which it wishes to enforce in the following neat manner: "You might as well attempt to shampoo an elephant with a thimbleful of soapsuds to attempt to do business and ignore advertising."

Monday £3ep. 5 ... 4.55 5.38 Tuesday „ 6 ... 6.17 6.46