MINING.

West Coast Times, Issue 676, 23 November 1867, Page 4

MINING.

(FROM THE HOCIriKA LEADEP.)

The reports that have reached us during the past.week from the various goldfields of the Grey district, tell of fewer disasters by the late fearful flood than we dared to anticipate, and further confirm the good account we have before received of the improved and improving condition of mining there. The losses appear to have principally fallen upon the agriculturists, as a great deal of cultivated land was submerged, the crops destroyed, fences torn^-away, &c. "With respect to the mines, there are a few claims in Moonlight Creek that will require a fortnight's labor ere they are again in working order, whilst the terrace JJclaims escaped scot free. The Upper G-rey diggers were equally fortunate. The Moonlight correspondent of the " Grey Arcjus" states that " a few days before the flood came down a paddock was bottomed on the left-hand branch of the creek, and a twelve-ounco nugget and several smaller ones obtained. This speaks well, as the creek is not taken up more than a few weeks, and the inclemency of the weather is against creek working. Several parties were up the middle branch last week, who speak of its likely appeamce and wellformed terraces, and are waiting to give it a trial when the weather clears up." There is also a steady rush setting in to a branch of the Calrdonia Creek, which is thought a good deal of, as the prospects are good and the ground bh&llow. The Upper Grey correspondent of the " Argus " gives a very satisfactory account of the doings of the Nelson Creek and German Gully Diggings. He says — "Nelson Creek, the next over the range, is par excellence the one which in an incredibly short time fortune has smiled on. Not much more than three months ago, the population of this creek did not number over 100 men, and three stores appeared more than sufficient to supply the wants of the creek. I mentioned in a former letter the rush which had set in on the terrace below the dry gully, but at that time I could hardly have believed that the terrace would have been peopled in the manner it has. The prospects in many cases exceeded the most sanguine expectations, and on this once almost deserted terrace, deserted although right in the track up the creek, and diggings close at hand, there is now a population of over 300 diggers all hard at work, and very many realising most satisfactory results. The gold is, however, very patchy, as in more than one instance I have heard of paddocks taken out and yielding gold to an extent to,promise the lucky claimholders a speedy ' homewardbounder/ and the very next paddock, apparently right on the same lead, with results almost nil. Altogether, however, the men seem satisfied, and I see none leaving the place who once set in. Kennedy's party up the creek have brought their race to the terrace below where they were formerly working by means of very lofty and expensively constructed fluming over the old Nelson Creek, the one first found by the prospectors. There are now seven stores, two butchers, two bakers, two bldcksmiths, one large hotel, one shoemaker, circulating libraries, &c, up this now really flourishing creek, all appearing in full swing, and, better still, likely to last for some time. The large race which has been some months in construction, has, I believe, lately commenced operations, but with what result I have not yet ascertained. German Gully has also^l am happy to say, received a strong accession to its working population, a hundred men being now employed there and in its immediate neighborhood, and this once really rich gully, after a period of stagnation and that dull lonely appearance a large gully presents with a population of about thirty, now begins to resume its wonted lively appearance. I heard of a share in almost new ground sold by a Cornish party last week for LSO, not a bad price for ground in a creek pronounced s6me time ago as completely worked out. The recent floods, although giving the miners on the terraces what they are incessantly praying for — water — and that in great abundance, had still their drawbacks in more than one way. The creek rose higher than it was ever known to do before, and all communication being stopped for such a considerable time the stores and bakers got gradually emptied, and a semi-famine was the consequence. In fact if the river had kept up a day or two longer the consequences might have been serious. At M'lntyre's store, on the flat, two men were in imminent danger of drowning, as the river carried away two of the sides of the'store and the chimney also. lam also sorry to say that the well known hotel and receiving store at the foot of the creek, belonging to Messrs Clare and Brosnan were carried away by the force of the flood, and a large quantity of goods destroyed, and much more seriously damaged. The greatest sympathy is felt by all inhabitants of the creek with Messrs Clare and Brosnan, to whom, by their energy in keeping supplies, and promptitude in erecting new stores, as circumstances /varied, much of the 'prosperity of the creek is due." Dull times appear to prevail on the Buller goldfields, as according to the reports of a few of the many diggers who returned here last week by the steamers Bruce and Tasmanian Maid, Addison's Flat is a failure, the Mohikinui but little better, whilst Fox's is described as having collapsed altogether. "We receive these statements cum grano salis — believing that although the worth of Addison's Flat was ridiculously exaggerated, the place is not the " duffer" — many people would make it out to be. They are simply flying to the opposite extreme of criticism. Many claims there pay remarkably well, but the ground is excessively patohy and difficult to work, being deep and wet, At the same time the Flat is not capable of supporting more than one-fifth of the diggers who rushed it so madly. The " Westport Times" reports a new rush near the Bald Hill. It is situated about six miles from Westport, behind the Bald Hill, on the left hand side of the track to Addison's. The diggings are on the edge of an extensive pakihi of about 1000 acres. The sinking ranges from eight feet to thirteen feet. The " Time's' informant states that there are about a dozen shafts sunk, and he tried prospects in eight of them and obtained from half a grain to a grain and a half to the shovel. The bottom is a hard black sand about thirteen inches thick. The lead runs north and sonth and tends towards the Caledonian. It is also reported that new and payable ground has been opened north of the Buller River near an extensive lagoon. The old Pakihi is described as the most bustling part of the Buller District, its extensive beds of auriferous cement having induced the .<■ iiflement of a large and industrious com-

munity. A sample of the cement was submitted to our inspection the other day. It is merely caked sand easily reducible to powder by ordinary crushing processes. Of the goldfields nearer home we can mention the Kanieri district as moderately thriving albeit too large a minority of the diggers obtain but meagre returns for their six days' work. Our reporter ran the Kanieri terrace up and made the tour of Tucker flat, which he describes as a most wretched-looking place, held by about fifty fossickers, who make from " bare tucker" to small wages. We are, however, convinced that not a tithe of the gold has been taken out of the flat, acres upon acres of deep ground, proved both by boring and sinking to contain payable gold, being yet scarcely touched. It needs the aid of no diviner to fortell that a rich harvest will be reaped there by the first company of sufficient enterprise and capital to provide the requisite machinery and other appliances to work the ground systematically. The old Kanieri terrace seems to be inexhaustible, and promises to maintain its present yield for at least twelve or eighteen months longer. One-and-twenty sluicing and tunnelling claims occupy that section of it between where the terrace rises so abruptly at the back of Kanieri Town, and a point about 300 yards from where it turns into Tucker flat. The majority of the claims pay from L 6to LB, and LlO per week, but there are' two or three in the centre of the section that can be considered as little better than duffers' Of the sluicing claims that of Henry and party is one of the best, as the men stated they could earn L 8 per week, and felt assured of at least eighteen months constant work. The height of their cutting is about fifty feet, of which thirty feet is mullock, the remainder the top of a heavy bed of gravel, constituting the washdirt. This bed has been penetrated to the depth of fifty feet, and found to contain auriferous strata from top to bottom, but as the sluicers cannot command more " fall' 1 than is sufficient to carry away the upper twenty feet, the lower part is unworked, and will remain so until a large tail-flume, almost at a dead level, is brought up from the Kanieri River. The gold runs through the terrace in a tolerably defined wide, but patchy, lead, that evidently proceeds from Tucker Flat, it having been traced to within a few hundred yards of the old workings there. The Welshmen and two other parties above them have secured the end — or rather bend— of the lead, where, we believe, it turns from the face of the terrace towards the flat. These men are tunnelling, with capital results. The Welshmen hold an acre lease, and are in 200 feet with their main drive. They say the ground is good, but difficult to work on account of the enormous bouliiers met with. The parties above them have driven 300 feet, and proved the lead to be forty fret wide. They admit to LlO a week per man, and occasionally make double that amount. Several prospecting tunnels were driven beyond them again — one to the length of 500 feet, but without touching gold. Hen^c we infer that the lead has turned short off towards the flat; but whether it will be traced payable throxigh the intervening space is a question alone to be decided by sinking at the back of the terrace. The companies upon Kanieri Flat have resumed work in right earnest. The Western men are still employed in cutting an outlet for the mullock and water from the centre of their claim to the river. The Co-operative Company recommenced pnmping (for the first time since the floods) on Saturday last, and got the water down by Wednesday, and, if not swamped out again, will continue their large paddock across the flat, sinking here and there as they go, to test the main bottom. The knell of steam power, however, has we believe been sounded on the Kanieri, engine-work being too expensive. It is to be superseded by waterpower, to supply which the two companies have united to bring the wafer-race wo alluded to in last issue. Ten men have been told off by each company to proceed with the work, v and so soon as the necessary survey (now in hand) is completed the ditch will be commenced. We can report favorably of the progress making by the United Company, which leased one and a half acres of the old ground upon Shenandoa flat, constructed a branch flume from their main head-race on the Kanieri terrace, and are now sluicing the ground away upon a face. The tail-water is carried to the river by a small race, but great difficulty is experienced in getting rid of the tailings through an insufficiency of fall, which necessitates their removal in barrows by hand — a tedious and expensive process, as it keeps four men constantly employed doing that which under ordinary circumstances is the werk of one only. The Company meditates laying down a tram and running the tailings out by means of a horse and truck. The United Company numbers eight shareholders who are in the receipt of from L 6 to L 7 per week per man. The news from the Kight-mile diggings and those of the right-hand branch of tho Kanieri river is uninteresting. The diggers at both places are making moderate wages. The prospecting party of ten men who are sinking for the lost Kanieri lead on the Totara side of Arthur's Town and the Maori Reserve, have not succeeded on striking gold. We expect they will bottom either two or three shafts at the commencement of next week.