WARDEN'S COURT.-Yesterday.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1855, 11 September 1874, Page 3

WARDEN'S COURT.-Yesterday.

(Before W. liusfr, Esq., R.M., \feden.) THE DRAINAGE CASKS.

Imperial Crown and Others v. Imperial City G. M. o.—The first witness called this morning was James Watt, who deposed that he had worked in Lundon's shaft some years ago, when they had a great deal of water. In April, 1873, he went to work in the Imperial City shaft, when they went down 240 feet quite dry.—W. 0. Wright deposed that ho was a surveyor, and had been engaged on the goldfield since the early part of 1869, and during that time had surveyed more than once nearly all the claims in the district. The depth to the drive at the bottom of the Pumping Association's shaft from the sill was 400 feet. The drive led in the direction of Tookey's. ■• A cross-course is regarded as a cross-lode. A slide is where a portion of the country has given way, and left a fissure. There is a course in the Pumping Association's shaft, which is followed by a drive. He could trace what he believed to be the same course in the Prince Imperial ground. The oourse has been cut in two places in the Prince Imperial, and where cut was tending in the general direction of the cross-course in the Imperial Crown. He had traced a similar cross-course in the Crown Prince in two different drives. In the Imperial Grown it was very open and contained quartz; in the Prince Imperial it was not so open; in the Crown Prince, it was nothing but loose clay, that was at the 100 feet level. The genoral direction of the reefs was nearly at right angles with the cross-course. He thought all the reefs shown on the plan earned water. All between the Pumping Association and the Prince Imperial carried water, except the Alannkau, where the reef was not proved till after drainagewas effected. The Golden Crown reef was drained by tho Golden Crown shaft; all the other reefs have been drained by iho Tookey, the Caledoniau, the Golden Orowiifc and tho Jumping Association.',

The Prince Imperial shaft was very wet when it was sunk below the drift. Both the upper and lower levels are now quite dry, Some water came in when they cut the cross-course, but that soon disappeared. It sunk in the reef. He had no doubt it was taken away to the Pumping Association's shaft. The Golden Gate shaft commenced about January 20,1870. They were struggling with the drift at that time. The bed rock there was some thirty or forty feet in depth. It was puddled to the surface, and that would nearly keep out the surface water. The shaft was carried down to 165' feet from the brace. They passed several reefs and met with water in all of them. The water at the lowest level was very heavy indeed. They reached the lowest depth soon before April, 1870. They put up pumps and an engine, but they were not heavy ; enough to deal wiih the ; water. Witness gave details respecting the sinking of the Golden Gate shaft, the Oornstock. shaft, the Waiotahi shaft. The Imperial City were now driving from the latter shaft. When,ho took charge of the Waiotahi shaft, they were down 40 feet. The water was then very troublesome. The Imperial City have workings at 60 feet, and 138 feet, and the shaft was down 237 feet.—Witness was cross-examined by Mr lleskelh at considerable length..

After the adjournment, Mr. Macdonald said they had no intention of closing the ease to-day, They would consent to an adjournment to suit Mr Hesketh's convenience.—Mr Hesketh said that he had been asked what their defence was. : He was quite willing to rest his case as it' stood. In the morning ho thought Mr VVesion would be called, but ho could now do without his evidence from what thoy had had from Mr Wright.—Mr Wrig'it was then re-called, and reexamined by Mr Tyler relative to the workings of the Golden Gate and the reefs cut in it. In one of the reefs which, passed into the Imperial City there was a-'' good deal of water. He was also examined as to the 3-feet reef, upon which the Tm- " perial City was now driving from the Waiotahi shaft.—William Sims was ex- . amined: He was mining manager to the Imperial Crown Gold Mining Company. He knew the Golden Gate claim and the: shaft in that claim. He knew the drive driven from the Imperial Crown shaft to the Golden Gate shaft. He had the management of the Imperial Crown when the . Golden Gate portion, of: it ■ was ' let on tribute" to Mil- ■' lcfct J and party.- Donia- Hogan -was-. associated with him, That was in October, 1871.. He got into that portion of the ground through the drive and back to the Imperial Crown shaft through the : 100-feet level. The depth of the Golden Gate shaft at that time he wis not cer-"; ; '; tain of, but thought it 80 feet below the: /; 100 feet level. To the best of his know- . ledge it was quite dry. He never was down, but he could see down, and saw nothing of water there except a little lying in the drive. There was no running stream; it was only wet mud. At each end of the drive there was a shaft dry below its level. He never had occasion to go down the Golden Gate shaft. He could see down 30 feet, and so far as he could see it was dry. lie never tried '. for water in the shaft. The 'tributers'... were working above the 100-feet level.— Cross-examined: I was not manager when the Golden Gate shaft was broken' into. I became manager in the early .•• part of 1871- liis only business at the Golden Gate end was to iuspect the ground of the tributers, which was about 60 feet from that shaft. I have had experience in drainage for the last 20 years. While the Imperial Crown was pumping the question never arose as to whether the Golden Gate shaft was drained. There is no rule that I know of in regard ; to the fall of water for drainage. It would depend on the nature of the ground. The ground botween the Imperial.Crown and .' Golden Gate shafts was such as water would easily flow through. It was in the cross-course.—Denis Hogan deposed.that he was one of the parties in the tribute mentioned by the last witness, and knew, the Golden Gate shaft. James Garvey;' and Hugh Butler were with him besides ; Millett. Butler Sent a man in his place. He examined the shaft by throwing stuff down, and did not find water. It sounded . soft, like clay. The stone fell into mud.' He could tell by the splash.—Cross-. examined: He never told Mr Macdonald a word about this before. He told.him ; ; he was working in Lundon's,shaft.., He thought the stone fell 50 or 60 feet. He,. was going to work in that shaft if itppaird r him, but found it did not pay, as it was worked before.—James B. Hannah deposed that he was an old baud on the goldfield, and not a new one in the Warden's Court. He was one of the early miners on the flat, and took up the ; Imperial Crown claim in October, 1868. In' that claim ho opened a shaft. That was not the shaft where the big pump is now, it was near the corner of the Golden • Crown battery. The puddling he done in the shaft he opened relieved them of the surface water entirely. They did not meet with any wator then after puddling back the surface wator till they got to 33 feet. They'sunk to 93, the water increasing till they cut a lode at 84 feet. '" They used a windlass and bucket to deal with the water, and had to keep continuously baling night and day. _ They ] tried to beat the water by keeping six ' men at the windlass. They found they could not do that, and opened out at 33 feet. They were driven out there also.' They then got protection His party then sold out, and he was engaged by the : . shareholders to look after-the property., , Witness then gave details. respecting,; : fruitless efforts to bale out the water. He often met Healey, who opened what was now the Imperial City shaft; and he often complained of the water. He they would get on well if it were not for the"' water. Witness saw the shaft often, but • never went down. He saw the stuff ' coming up—the reef formation and water.-,: Ha saw more water coming up than any-" thing else. The shaft would then be from--30 co 50 feet. They knocked off two or three" times. That must have been " towards the latter end of 1869. Witness had a knowledge of Lundon's shaft, the Golden Gate, and the ■ Shannon. They were all troubled with water, more or j less. He thought the Golden Gate wasthe least troubled.—The further hearing of the case was adjourned till Wednesday next, '■'■"■■'.■