COAL CREEK.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 184, 17 August 1871, Page 6

COAL CREEK.

. (From'awr own Correspondent. j .~\ -I have beenl. out of sorjts-'tbis week, and when in that unhappy Rtate I have an utter aversion'- Uo\ writing . on any subject. ' Yon mnstX naturally expect my communication thia week to bear some relation to my present disorganised condition. There is, nothing in the way of mining news to record this week, the river being at such a high level as to nearly stop all work. Macdonald, who had such a narrow escape from perishing on the ranges in the late snow storm, is>now convalescent thanks to a Vigorous constitution. Thf»re are not 'iHJlTay' raeff who would survive an. exposure of fourteen hours in such a storm, particularly when it is taken into aocouafc tihafc 'the previous fatigue

in buffeting the blinding drift must have necessarily reduced his ability to withstand the lethargy which invariably follows in such cases.

Coal Creek has one remarkable feature, which I now desire to call attention to, with a view of putting a stop to the wholesale waste of the excellent lignite with which it abounds, aud I do this the more nrgently at present because there is a likelihood that the area known to contain coal may not improbably be circumscribed, by the granting by "the Government a pre-emptive right to the squatter. A portion of the seam, about a quarter of a mile from the road, has been burning for the last eight years, and the result is that a considerable extent of the surface is now tumbling in, leaving ugly chasms, through which dense smoke is constantly ascending. It is believed that the tire originated at the edg? of the creek through some miners casually camping there. What I would particularly point at is, that what may in* the course of time become an extensive conflagration, can now, by the expenditure of a few days' labour in cutting a small race to the fissures above described, be effectually stamped out ; and in order to attain this objpet., I would suggest that subscriptions be collected. ]

Our friends in the neighbouring township of Roxburgh are greatly exercised in respect of the advancement of morality withiu their borders, and the way in which this is proposed to be done, is by erecting two or three additional places of worship. With a view to compassing this desirable end, several respectably dressed men. of n conciliatory aspect, hearing rolls of blue paper of the kind call- d foolscap, have been seen perambulating the district, and from what I can learn, with results of a very satisfactory kind, taking into consideration the depressed condition of affairs. Now, there is little doubt that the people of the Teviot greatly needed something of the sort, but I think it no breach of confidence to inform you that there is a good healthy spirit of rivalry, approaching in keenness that to be seen in the commercial world, in the present activity of the various religious denominations. Tt is to be hoped that good may result from this movement, and that the increased facilities will be taken advantage of by the large number who at present do not attend any place of worship. It is a good deal cheaper and safer to use strong expletives down in your quarter than up here. A wellknown individual was brought before the Bench at Roxl>nr«rh the other clay, and sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment for using profane language.

As a proof that the Mount Bengerites are not behind the age, I may mention that the celebration of the Centenary of Sir Walter Scott, promoted by the Qnidrille Club, passed off very successfully. The celebration took the form of «i concert ntu) hitt. At th& fovnun 1 , the new Glee Club, under the efficient leadership of Mr. John Reid, fairly took the audience by surprise, by their plea^i ig execution of several glees, choruses, &<i. Mesdames Woodhonse, Francis, and Al'Pherson, gave several " auld Scots sings," and others appropriate to the occasion, and the enthusiastic manner in which they *vere received, was of itself sufficient to secure the success of the entertainment. I should not omit to mention that Mr. Burton, the pecretary of the Club, accompanied the singers throughout on the harmonium. Mr. J. A. Grant, Benger Burn, gave an excellent pro logue and oration, commemorating the genius and character of the worldrenowned novelist I regret my inability to <lo justice to tlie really creditable manner in which the whole affair was conducted, and I hope it will prove to be the first of a series of similar reunions. I understand the proceeds of the concert was handed over to the School Committee, but I did not hear the amount.

About three o'clock on the morning of the 1 Oth instant, a loud report was heard all over the 'township, said to' he caused by some chemical compounds, in the hands of individuals who it is to be honed will before long get their deserts. It is high time this lairifcinisra was put a stop to. i

I find I have devoted the greater portion of my letter to news away from my own district ;• but seeing your Roxburgh correspondent " so vei'y tardy of late, T- dare^ say this poaching of mine may be the means of rousing him from his. comatose condition.