MINING.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 796, 1 April 1871, Page 2

MINING.

The correspondent of the " Grev. Eiver Argus" furnishes the follow ing items respecting the workings at Murray's and the various diggings in the Grey Valley : The recent quartz discoveries at the Big Eiver are likely to turn out well. The prospectors—Shepherd aud party —have secured their claim, and several others are taken up. The claim is situated on the saddle dividing the wa. tershed of the Inangahua and the Big Eiver; in fact, about 500 ft. of the prospectors' claim is on the Inangahua watershed. No. 1 North is owned by Messrs E Shiels (the first discoverer of.anything like payable quartz on Murray Creek) and five others. No. 2 is also marked out, and full handed. No. 8 is owned by the Murrays, who are the alluvial prospectors of that part of the country. A correct idea of the formation of the surrounding country cannot yet be formed, but in the small branches coming down from the reef—Murray Creek No. 2 and others —payable gold has been worked, and from the appearance one would think it had been " spit from a quartz reef," the smallest particle containing stone. There is one natural geological feature about the locality, which shows that a great disturbance has taken place. Within 400 yards of the spot where the golden quartz has been found, and in a south-easterly direction, the granite, and of the worst description, is run against, and therefora the expectations of getting payable reefs in that direction are not likely to be realised. On the other, or northern end, the range continues unbroken for miles, feeding numerous gold-bearing gullies, such as Maori Gully, Carr's, Merry Jig, Pinchgut, and so on, all of which were worked profitably, and all containing the same description of gold. In the reef itself nothing has been done to show which way it may dip. A leader, 6ft. thick, seems to sprout from the main body of Btone, running east and west, and bearing a considerable amount of gold, and well into the body of the quartz about 10ft. further into the hill. What is the true reef is supposed to have been met with running in a north and south direction. The stone also contains gold, but having no wall or casing, it is hard to form any certain opinion about it. The surrounding rock is a rotten blue slate from which prospects of a grain to the dish can be obtained.

The accounts from Murray Creek continue to be good. The supply of water has set the Murray Creek Gold Mining Company's machinery at work, and there are now thirty tons of stone from Newton's claim, No. 3 south, on Kelly's reef, lying at the mill, ready to be put through. When this stone is crushed, and the results become known, the real rush to Murray Creek will set in, for there is no doubt, after the yield from Kelly and Cooney's sample lot of stone, that if Newton's stone gets proper treatment, the yield will be astonishing. The place is now attracting notice from the authorities, for a Warden's Court is to be held there on the 19th April. Duffer Creek has recently been the scene of a small rush to a terrace on the second right-hand branch. The prospectors—Andrew Nicol and party —say they have not found anything to pay yet; but if this be the fact, they are certainly going to a great deal of trouble to prospect duffer ground. They have cut a head-race to the claim from the upper part of the creek, and they have taken in a tunnel nearly 250 ft. The claim is situated on a high level, and at the same altitude as Eoknd's Terrace, which is on the opposite side of the creek. It is the opinion of most people on the creek that they have struck good gold ; and, if so, they are on one of these terrace patches for which this part is famous, and on the same level as Hayes, Gladstone, Boland, Fireman, and other terraces, which contained among them the richest claims ever worked in the district.

At Noble's, the "Waipuna rush is slowly progressing. There is an immense quantity of water in the ground, aud the drainage is difficult. Kennedy and party, on the terrace opposite to the township, have cut through the point. Tbis claim presents a curious appear ance when looked at from a distance. The face is 60ft or 70ft in heighfc/and where the point of the range haa j been sluiced through, large masses of the original formation have been left standing in the shape of pyramids, obelisks, and pinnacles, as the action of the water may have left them, at fir*' sight resembling the ruins of some vast architectural structure, more than the remains of the devastating result of the action of a hydraulic hose. Half-Ounce ia attracting more »&■

jfcention every day, and both townships fare getting larger at a greater rate tthan the progress of the lead would at 111 justify. The Half-Ounce Lead [would need to turn out a good one ; [for thene have been between £12,000 tend £15,000 expended on it up [to this time, at a rough calculation, [reckoning labor at a fair value and jmachinery at cost price.