UNKNOWN

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 1 September 1880, Page 3

UNKNOWN

(FROM OCR OWN CORREsfrOSDE>'T). August 31. Mining is being punned here too much m the jog-trot style to afford matter » character worthy of comment or of public interest. Nevertheless there are ®ne or two claims about which it will not fa out uf place to make a few remarks, in magnitude and importance is the ttck tunnel tail-race in course of con•truction in Sutherland's Gully. It was commenced some weeks since by Messrs. Oliver and Williams ( with whom is Mr. Siehnlson), two practical miners, who •eem thoroughly to understand the work they have before them. They had at first lotue very hard schist rock, frequently intersected with quartz veins, and very difficult to work. Kapid progress through was simply impossible. They are according to mining phraseology, in ®nch better country, aud are making «tter head-way. Still their undertaking ■ A heavy one. They anticipate its ultilength will be about 300 ft, and ilthoagh in the opinion of such as have the peculiar features of the Maere*nenna gold deposits matter of observaand study. there can be no doubt ™it the ground of which the tunnel taillace is the only ontlet will handsomely F?? f° r the labor and outlay involved, let the spirited tunnellers are to be cumPhmented for their pluck and energy. »ot far from the work I have imperfectly cribed, Mr. Baker, a comparatively arrival at Maerewhenua, bat of efy extensive and general experience as •gold miner, is opening np what, if his ranges prove correct, will probably connce materially to the permanent prosperity of the field. He is working what •Ppears to be a gutter or lead of auriferous grit on the main or rock bottom, t although two or more claims of a milar character were worked with good «ults years ago, the distance between " bein »' rORI three to five wiles, The results of Mr. Baker's , 1 I _ trust, will be such as to afford tantial encouragement to those who to search for claims in this A-**p CU ~ r formation. Its extent is prac■wlj tuutleu, and is identical with

many of the richest deposits of other fields. I hope to bo able to write vou more on this subject aft a future date. One-«f our miners has just returned from Mount Misery, hit" report of which is far From encouraging. He has, however, supplied ns with one piece of information that may be of service to such as have to manipulate very light gold. He says the gold obtained there (at Mount Misery) is so exceptionally light that the miners have recourse to a novel way of cleaning it. It strikes me as being so novel that I commend it in its perfect simplicity to those of your bankers who are not adepts at blowing gold. It seems they pan off as clear as the lightness of the gold will permit, then allow the result (sand and gold) to dry in the dish, afterwards pour in water and agitate the sand, and the gold, being the lighter of the two, floats on the surface, and can be skimmed off. No comment i 3 necessary. # The illness of Mr. Osterberg, our local carrier, has resulted in a serious inconvenience to the residents. As he has been unable to visit Duntroon since the 21st, we have had no Oamaru papers during the whole week, and consequently when the Rev. Mr. Wilson arrived at Livingstone on Sunday morning to hold service, there were none to meet him. Uis intention to visit us had been duly advertised, but of what use was this when our papers lay at Duntroon. It strikes me this inconvenience calls for remedy. I note with pleasure that Maerewhenua was not forgotten by Mr. Shrimski in his place in the House, and I trust his efforts in connection with our petition re the pollution of the river will be as successful as they deserve to be, and as the importance of the field demands.