WARDEN'S REPORTS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 248, 31 October 1872, Page 5

WARDEN'S REPORTS.

Mr Warden Beetham, under date October 12, writing from Queenatown, reports as follows :—: —

The population has been slightly affected towards the i-nd of the quarter by the rush to Chinese Towers and the JRopcr Hiver. I should say about thirty miners ha^e left. I havo no new discoveries to report either in quartz or alluvial mining. On the terraces at the Upper the workings are extending, and the yield from those claims already in working order continues to be satisfactory. The dredge at the Sand Hills is in full work, and although the party may be said to b 3 as yet only prospecting, the returns are, I understand, very good.

1 have no new feature in quartz mining to report. The reefs already opened up continue to yield fair returns. At the Big Beach, Arthur's Point, the ground is now eutirely owned by Chinese, who are working the beaches in a very systematic and complete manner. The whole of the ground is held under mining lease, and is fully represented. In most cases the Chinese have purchased the claims of those miners who have left for Australia : in seme instances ground yielding L 4 per week per man haa be:;n sold by parties leaving. They will certainly not find the Chinese so ready to sell as they were to purchase, should the new fields not prove so attractive as they anticipated. The total amount of gold escorted during the quarter is 4933 oz. 18 dwts. 672 acres Jr. 37p. of land have been taken up under the Agricultural Lease Regulations, and 40 granted under mining lease. 59 acres have been granted as extended claims. 134 miuing applications have been dealt with, and 4i> new water races granted.

The population engaged in mining is estimated as follows : — Alluvial miners, 700 "European, 780 Chinese ; quartz miners, 60 European : total, 1461. Machinery : 111 nlnices and toms, 3 water wheels, 30 hydraulic hoses, 20 pumps, 500 sluice boxes, 1 quicksilver and compound cradle, 4 crushing machines, 97 stamp heads, 3 watewheels for quartz mining. Totat value, L.24,800. Tho area of ground mined upon is about 48 square mil s. The approximate value, number, and extent and appliances for storing and utilising water are as follow : — Water race 3. 252, costing LIOO.OOO, supplying 340 sluice heads of water ; tail races, 192, value and c ist LI 9, 200 ; dams, 28, value L 280 0; reservoirs, 15, value LI 500. These figures, Mr Beetham says, are not reliable, as in order to secured a strictly acturate return, on outlay of Ll5O might be necessary. ,

Mr Warden Robinson, writing from Naseby to the Provincial Secretary for the Goldfields, uuder date October 1, reports as follows :—: —

A long dry summer, followed by a hard wiutei, had pressed very heavily upon the mining population, and in the early part of the quarter the miners were by no means in good spirits. Lately, however, a change for the better has been apparent. Water has become plentiful, frost no longer interrupts mining work, and sluicing goes on merrily. Now is a busy time, and there is likely for some months to come to be no enforced idleness for the miners. The mountains still carry a good coating of snow, and there is every prospect of a sufficient supply of water during the coming summer. At JSaseby, the great subject of interest ia the prospect of the construction of a main channel and of a large race to bring in a supply of wa,er to flush it. The survey for the maiu channel has been completed, and the engineer is now engaged upon the survey for a large race from the Manuherikia River, which it is expected can be brought into the Hogburn. Should this scheme be carried out, there will be a fresh lease of prosperity for the Mount Ida diggings.

The miners at Maerewhenua were lately put into a state of some excitement by the statement that a large piece of auriferous land, including many claims and races, had been sold to the Hon. Robert Campbell. ! The assurance of the Government that their | interests would be secured has allayed this alarm. On the occasion of my last "visit (in September), I made a little tour of inspection round the workings, and was agreeabljf surprised to see how much progress had been made. Several claims have been opened out in a very thorough and business-like fashion, and as more water becomes available, other ground will be opened. Fresh applications for water-races continue to come in ; and as those who are now entering upon their enterprises have the advantage of the dearly-bought experience of those who so lamentably failed in their endeavoi* to construct large races, it is only reasonable to expect that they will be able to avoid the losses which proved ruinous to their preeessors. For my otto part I La-re the utmost con? fidence that good races once made will prove sources of wealth to their owners, and lead to the development of one of the very best sluicing districts in Otago. As an instance of the sort of enterprise which tends to benefit a district as well as the parties more immediately concerned, lmay allude to the large race now being constructed from the left branch of the Manuherikia River by Halley and Co. This race is held by a party ef ten men, who are all engaged in its construction. It will be over thity miles in length, and will bring in a splendid stream of water to work a large area of ground in the vicinity of Smoker's Flat, near St. B^hans.

There has been some agitation recently caused at St. Bathans by applications being made for water-races to take water from Dunstan Creek. It was contended that all the water of Dunstan Creek was required for flushing the St. Balhana main channel and for keeping the discharge end of it from being tilled up by tailings. After a very careful enquiry, I came to 'the conclusion that I might safely grant two of the applications, with conditions for securing an ample reserve of water for flushing purposes. <me of these races (that of Fahey and Co.), for six heads, is intended to lead water to Blue Gully. It will be a very costly work, owing to the bad, rocky siding along which it will have to ba brought ; but the holders of the grant say they are confident of being able to carry it out.

The reefs at Rough Ridge have lately been again engaging some attention, and it seems probable that tiny will soon be tested in a more thorough manner than formerly. A lease has been applied for on behalf of a company to be styled the " Energetic," and if ttie company does not belie its name, reaults may yet be obtained from Hough liidge which may surprise those who have formed their opinions of the value of the reefa merely from the failures of the companies that have previously been concerned with them.

An enterprise of some magnitude is projected at Macraes. It is intended to bore a tunnel from Macrae's Flat, near the township, to Deep Dell Creek, This tunnel would have to be through rock, and about threequarters o! a mile in length. It is intended to make a tail-race through this tunnel, by means of which, not only would the flat be drained, but the ground could be sluiced. The promoters have applied for a special claim of acres of the Hat. Most of this ground has already been worked over in an imperfect fashion, but the promoters believe they can get "no ugh gold out of it to pay them for their h'javy outlay. The Shag Valley reefs may now be fairly said to have established their reputation, not exactly for richness, but as payable mines. I visited the locality in Augiist. There were then two crushing mills (Duncan's and the Perseverance Company's), each with five heads of stamps. At that time work was temporarily suspended, but it has since been actively resumed. Ihc longpending dispute between Duncan's party and Ball's party, about the prospecting claim, having been amicably arranged, both these parties have been left f i cc to devote their energies to the development of their mines, and, as some recent crushings show, with most encouraging results.

The total number of miners in the district is 1755—1370 European alluvial, 60 do. quartz, and 325 Chinese alluvial miners, lliere are 136 hydraulic hoses, and 245 sluice-boxes employed in alluvial mining ; and 5 machines of 35 stamp heads, and 1 water wheel employed in quartz mining. The approximate value of the whole of thi3 plant is L 9325. There are 231 water races of 956 heads, valued at L 72.300; 247 tail races, valued at L 30,300 ; and 117 dams, valued at L 15.500. Twenty square miles of ground are being worked upon ; the price of gold is L 3 15s an ounce ; the rate of miners' wages 10s a day ; and the quantity of gold escorted during the quarter SSGOoz. 17dwt. — 27420z. 13d\vt. from Naseby ; 418oz. 4dwt. from Macraes ; and 700oz. from St. Bathans.