ALEXANDER

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 188, 14 September 1871, Page 5

ALEXANDER

(From our own Correspondent.)

The result of the crushing at Conroy's has instilled fresh hopes into the residents of this district, and has partly dispelled the feeling of depression which they, in common with the residents of other districts, were suffering from. A feeling of renewed confidence in the auriferous resources of the district has been inspired, and during the ensuing summer I have no doubt that many mining ventures will be started.

At Conroys, • Iveraon's Reef Company, on the 2nd inst., cleared up the result of the crushing of 16 tons, and secured a cake of 40 ozs. some odd grains of the precious metal. This is considered equal to 3 ozs. 2 dwts. per ton, as only 11 tons of stuff from the reef was crushed, the remaining five tons being mullock put through the machine as being the handiest mode of getting it out of the way. The reason for cleaning up after such a small crushing was to fit on a filter, and retort the quicksilver, as it was feared that in consequence of the water being cold and dirty, a quantity of gold was being lost. Long before this reaches you, this company will have resumed crushing. There is a paddock of 100 totis ready to b^ operated upon, which will, it is confidently believed, yield far more than the trial crushing. I hope it will, both for the sake of the district and the plucky shareholders. Halliday and party are at work on the claim to the westward of Iversons, and I hear that one or two fresh claims are pegged out. Bennet and Co. are still tunnelling for the reef on the Butcher's Gully side of Conroys. This party have done a good deal of work, and well deserve to be highly successful.

The old Butcher's Gully Reef Company has been formed into a freah company of 20 shares. At a meeting of the new company, it was resolved to erect a pump and wheel to drain the shaft, and to thoroughly test the reef. It will be in the recollection of many of your readers that a crushing from this reef about 18 months ago yielded an ounce and a-half to the ton, and there is a good body of stone.

The Ovens' Company, I am exceedingly sorry to hear, made a sort of mess of their new atmospheric pump, which recently arrived from town. Instead of getting a pump similar to that manufactured by Mr. Tyrrell, of Clyde, for Williamson and party, which worked very well, the Ovens' Company constructed one on a principle of their own, the result being that instead of pumping water out of the paddock it pumped water into it.

The Committee of the Public Library have recently taken steps to rescue th.it institution from t,he state of collapse into which it had sunk, and by the exercise of a lirrle energy, have every prospect of restoring it to its former flourishing condition, and making the library a credit to the district,