SHAG VALLEY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 252, 28 November 1872, Page 8

SHAG VALLEY.

(Froni'tpur oion 7 CJop esponfytip. ), , , , Although all the companies here are working with 'the sinie amdimfc" of en ergy and' perseyei-iince,* I have 'very little fresh intelligence'to" communicate since my last "•report ; but" still, lam j~}bl<? tp report' th»t «t last, and a-s -T ( ■predicted, this place is beginning to emerge from 'its hitherto obscure position, there now being active preparations carried onlfor the-ereetiou'of four lf 'new bafiteries. — Shag Valley Co. one • Pei-server-

ance Co. one ; Shanirock Co. one ; and Cooper and party one, T.he -labt uanied party I am happy to hear, have obtained some good- prospects, i ''And' they richly deserve- theiif'in r(£fcoinpense;for tlieir perseverance^ , and: by. Tstiekinsf 'to the 61ainV after the' : sm'a'll 'return "frbni their {rial criishing,?3 d,wt's. to the .ton. „ Mr. Copper ? , mates, , being i-, -working niinersj.dfctifliv'^euergy < I think contrasts very -favorably -when- compared ■with a certain "capitalist,' "who collapsed when getting a 'return ,of 7 8 d\vfs.^per' ton, and pl'entyi 'of^sbohe 'lying' a.bbi\t t the sin-face," as . »-jelL us. a. battery alr^ficly erected.. Cooper'^ party, expeejfc their, battei.y to be finished before-Christmas. The Perseverance~'Clovu^ash.ed>,aip" oa Eridaylasb,)thepYesuJtMllo^ >^eing 'knO\Vn. ljji,ear the araalganuvas. carried.dQWn:to Dtmediu fbr-Pioie^sorrßladk 4o operate: thereon jthe siim'yil BelieVeljeirig -very dirty. - > : -JTu^*'av© not'crusMiig-^at-pre- 1 seii V bi^fc' are : busy 'TJiisirig std^^-'^hicl^ I* heai'', J l6pl?s ; veL^' : Vfetij^hey ' aW also' Kusy-ejcfifyvntj 4g - .tu4 .$h c - ,f 01 ? , &8 PP wlljattery.". 'Th^.Sbaayatleyj're^hold.Qo.' are not at present working their mine, ,but have'ii"'4arge rr rirnwll)eiJ"6o:h'i6n employ^' . :rl)akin'g., roads,} j ontti tfg- . oiit -site 'fg^.rnap^iingf^ erjecting rTheqo^tr^pto^.rvyljQj ,has )rf \mdertaken. the> puUmg.-4axf,n i :and' l^ecectioti lof 'tlreif; . battery ' h oa r mraeu.Qed,opeFaHoiis lasfe-we&k^ • an-d s^M-|6a^'M tilfe =»-plahV *liaVß ; %W ■ re'afty arrlV €jd " " _ papery ising makQ^tJie, r inajjhine"; it' i.uciJes.^j.^Tih^ , Shamrock .Go. are tbnsy/a'r^ising l^bQ\m<\ •in anticipat^on_oCJjieir'j)atterT. I hear it rlQsfcsmry j*shh&b*t;issß!toQt r <rf Ijands employed by-the-seyeral compan>iesj. vfed-V-'givesF •t'na^pKi6o l^M^jtir^ely 'appfiaranloe^tnJd'i* wUt4«J* -belling be--fop« staji^persji^hedKl. ! Nvkuti^eirfi^P'in.'imft- ! tHxk-.\<&iri(a&''bf ! %at;th^ §?^fi^^ f o.Kr^ra L .p^ g^t f jtj^ei fuli hendt%MtW^i^9m jftjooßjtaiiv8 4r .i l ..tlf'> tH .toaehme's and all cotfixeelia^j'thepe-'; "tfhkH* ■ -is - ©n'«th,e 'latest * j>rii*eip!e, m^reTfs^KfamtbU'tlie %tijvn^ wi!^'p4y, ! < ,^ "\ \\>' i*::vv &&*■;• f^i-u-. r.. ..7 h., '.• the resuiti? » to practical f 1 rae^ can^ ibe. ♦ J>et^e^ (^io^iiginfi4 y^aii ' j^osei?ibed.. 1 ['l&t frieud' of wJDeiitii|d^pff«p/ug/fe3" jshovsr me , diflferent reefs!' id -thj^ iwßi^Wsouriwnd^l- gfa^tjr -reurt»Jaced tte «pppi>^nltyf aiad^cco-tfi^oie^ b-^hi^-

• t^S&'sttea-'tUe 1 ' 'WtmX ''lines :rffid '$£&[ 1 ;, and to the^Jitne' gentleman 'It am t indebted for most of "the particulars concerning the reefs, of, which I now send you: a curtailed description. A person visiting these reefs, will .leave 'the' main road from Dunedin at Eoss^ r Hotel;; Shag Valley, hp will, "thdn.'haye to travel about 4 miles over 1 the" ranges', towards .the Dunbank J^idge. The first ,reef he'co.m^s to is the ,-LQUg. Gully,- on which, the-Per-severance and Shag VtiUey "Freehold Co.'a are working. • lfe presents at present 1 the greatest activity, in fact, the l '6nly 'work of any consequence ia carried on r on- this line. This. reef was first discovered by working an alluvial' gully— rparlieulars as ,to the workings, prospects, &c, I have sent iyou .in -former communications. Leaving- the liong Gully Beef and striking Scroak country, due west, the next reef, is the .Granite Hill, or Harp of '^rin/' : qn ! ' which Mr. Duncan, the Shamrock Co., Pincher and party, •Garland^and party, Oxley and party, 'and othersihold claims. Cooper and party are also working on this line, •not on the Dtike line, as I stated in a former letter.' ' The best crushing (up to^ the' present) from this line was rl9dvfts. 'to. the ton (Doyle and party), width of ,. reef from 4 to S feet, well defined,., and splendid , looking stone. The-next-reef you -come to is the Pake p.C Sutherland. Mr. Duncan opened up this reef for a short distance on' the surface, and rose about »40:toivo'f stone, iwh'ieh is -now stacked on the* ground/- He crushed' some 3 -dv 4'tbnVfrbiri 'it," ( but mixfed'it with 1 a '^ifc*e\ qha"'n'trty'"'frohi another', rep^ I stvtlvcit it" ,% as ' .^nev^ev " ascQrfcainecl .wjVat^this . sjjpne. .would yield; per ton 5 , >Ti\isi Ujx very, well defiued reef, i | fi-om 5 to G feet iv thickness.. Gold is plainly visible' when breaking down j 'tl'fo • atone. • Wnter for a small 1 battery is close, lotlie reef. Tiie next is the Stoueburn-Keef. Tjiis, in'my o^piuion, aud the next-following (Surface Hill) will ultimately : prove to be the two reefs par. , excellence of . the district. This- one was first prospected about 3 years" ago by two men of the name of Pttersen and Sutherland. Thej were joined by soino two or three Dunedin . capitalists, aud went under the name of Harvey and Co. A trial crushing of 14 tons was made at the Duke-of Ediubucgh Co.'s machine, Macraes, the yield being 9dwts per ton. It was then abandoned in favor of tho J ' -' Long Gully \Reef just discovered, as they considered the "prospects obtained- from Long Gully held out greater inducement for ,the investment; of capital. Mr. Duncau took it up:.sotrie 6 or 7 months ago; that gentleman crushed two lots of stone 40 .to 50 tons from the same place .aa 'Harvey aud Co., which, yielded .Sdwts sgrs per -ton. .The stone was .from the,, reef on- the .-surface — loose stones lying., about <the surface— aLl was 1 taken. This* reef- is from 3 to 4 feet in' width/ but making' as it g&es down.' Itis divided (what little- of it \.i to be seen) by a. bar hi slate— in .miner I.**1 .** parlance—crossing and malting it bulge out on both sides. This r.eof when properly worked will, I. feel confident, -.not be disgraced when brought to the crusher, an instrument" which fully estimates the worth of •■* blowing." There is a splendid opening on this line, for a properly .orgauised party of working' .mineps, . not requiring much ,, 7 capital e.ither,' ,but rather a perfect, knowledge of quartz mining and' thev management of ' a small battery. ■ Thero are thousands of tons of ;'s"toiie- ready lying" on the surface for them, a"; splendid creek of water (Stoneb'urn), close to the' reef, and fi leading, spur, fro in the. reef to tbe creek, oir. which .a -self-acting .tramway can be erected at- a very* small outlay. I aai informed 1 that saffieieiifc wjiter onn be relied on' foi*^ seven months in the' year, for driving a wheel. ' The next reef I visited was the Surface Hill one ; "but I could only make a cursory inspection, of it, my- time, being short, .ami there t being .little, or no. work doro ou-'it-. Mr. iDuiican, I was in ferment, had one man employed on it for a ifortnightj and ju r st cut a treu'cii across the cap of it; ; it fa from sto 6 feet in vvi^th.^ The reel" id situated on a high c;one or ,hill, "sloping down to the S'tbneburn -Creek,; ., It also .crosses the Dunbank Creek, both of which have yielded -satrrert-idy "patches. "~*"TKere is 'also, mid way db'\Vh' the spnn from the reeif:^"o:.."die; c'F.ek, .a small .-area of; ! anuVial 1 ground^ ori-.wh'fcy* a miner of Ithe name of C:impb'i»ir has now boon ! work ing. f about- -S-- r-y^are.r -y^are. ' Gold has ialsoj.ll lioai%.. been -.traced on the 'siirifaee. ftowf.hjsuelaiint to/the-Iree£■;''-suf-ificiep€-> proof j It tlhiftkv tha« tiie reef' |l«w'-::*fe6»^ flie I!: fe6Ke'r' df [ €?A^beHV tgi'ound, the washdirt id 'n'^blaliii' !! e 9ft° »B a {jW?i I.««V.vh»tt-|w ((jailed, .reef. Igolii/ ..HjoanapbeU •, has' '{v.-.itiirgeH'dani"; I enecte«b, *tco-uriected«'? with , Vonnerdiia' ismnlllivkje^rttf^lon*' th'g : sVcfeW' of-t'lie; s|)uW/«fcrf'Co l lle;cting i the d'i;aih'n^'e wheir crfn;n^. (^\bqbu j gljt' i .to bear/ 'upon'"; it, fu/i|es8 j! a£^a"yprjy, J:reat; exnep^a', ho^ i'.h^4-oasipi)elli^duifins drxA^entho^, ia r ■ bttsyj.'gettmg stufll r<Jad"jp ifor - waghing; ,so asj to t&fto iidvant-age^anyi' little" %'aitt^ thatH tjftfe7 "He, 1 ma"nhges,} ; tp Fo^ifelr;|f'^W? .Dfttcb'^^somfeirimes; off itlVe; bot^^ so' 'as i s9.£W"sfXstffli : - lbads^f- wash'di'r/;'. < r s?synspi- w^ashhjgvTaS; the; tjlfeae^ qf my* iv^itw :^%vmf<mne4riTto M ;th|.t, if h> . had y only*cpftsfe4t'wa|;ef trp fhe-gr^iind^i

'hefcouldiiha'fcefrbhilei^ to^l^a'WSek. : I ha'd'tib^nte'to Visit" tH^'^effnrs, l bn 't'ae'bther %<s Western) side ? of the Stof^eburn, pn which there We several' reefs, to be .seen, but nothing yet pro»peefced.' Neither" had I. time {to, visit the Dunbank reef, .from which •Mr. Duncan rose some 40 or 50' tons of stone, which' is now lying on the ground. ' He ! crushed 'none, but I ; bplieve some 3 or 4 lbs. weight of stone was brought from .this reef anjl pounded ia i^iV;^* some 2 or 3 grs. were extracted;, and I believe that result was obtained by, a person who did not thoroughly! understand the' testing,' bufc did; it in a rough way. ' Although it is called the Dunbank reef, still, in my opinion, it is only * the' continuation of the Duke reef. There is certainly a large extent of country, .awaiting the : pick and shovel to uneartii its treasures. It orly wants a few energetic and enterprising gentlemen to give us a helping hand, for at present everybody seems waiting for everybody else to be»in. But as fortune has frowns as well, as smiles, intending prospectors coming to this place should net do bo with empty- pockets ; for let prospecting turn Out well, or let it turn out bad, they will have to abide by the issue. Herehave we withinadistanceof 2 miles as the crow fles, six distinct and well defined , reefs,' which can be traced on the surface for miles, all apparently springing from the Dunbank Ranges, and 'upon which you can scarcely say therd has-been even a little prospecting done'^-nothing but a little' scratching of the surface — : beitig more' in the na(;ur.eof fossicking than, mining. One peculiarity I, notice, •pf tho reefs here ■that they lib nearly flat on the surface, with so small a dip east as to be only ft dogreeSor so'ofthe horizontal; but from appearances, I think they will improve as they go down. To sum tho whole matter up, tlic populati m here are mostly poor men. There is no machinery for crushing for the public, so that the district is iv au undeveloped state, almost the same as nature formed it. Capital and machinery are all that are required to make the Shas; Reefs a success. My letter is too long this time for an account of the state of tho weather, crops, &c, so I shall reserve, it for my next.