THE REEFS.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 958, 2 April 1872, Page 2

THE REEFS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT,) The cry is " still they come." Sinco the Greymouth races took place, hu n . dreds of people have taken a look at this locality from the southern districts. The St. Patrick's Day events attracted a number of our business people over the saddle, some of whom cut it heavy on the Greymouth racecourse, and conveyed, from walk and converse'tion that they hailed from the land of mines! where alone did wealth abound. They have since returned, accompanied with innumerable " capitalists, speculators and others " from all quarters. If i a ! quiries for sections and shares in claims are to be taken as an index, this place is likely to relieve Hokitika of a con. siderable portion of its surplus popu. lation during the next few months. The tide of population has fairly be«un to flow on u«, and the next fortnight's news from this quarter will give "it an unmistakable impetus, or I am much deceived. The great event looked to is Mace's crushing. Tou have heard of the cause of delay. The machineij new in working order, and the crush, ing is expected to commence at the end of this week.

MINING being carried on with great vigor. At Anderson's the race, so far as the cuttings and framework are coscerned,. is completed, and in a few weeks more the boxes will be laid Some of the machinery is on the company's ground, and the wheel is fast approaching completion. On Adam Smith's line, No. 1 South, the Enterprise, got the reef on the surface. They have driven a hundred feet, and have called for tenders to dike further with the view of striking it at a lower level. No. 2 South are takinj out stone from their well defined reel of from four to five feet in thickness! They mean to register the corapam: shortly. Since the Energetic had the:! trial crushing, which turned out sk favorably, the company have been puJ ting in a tunnel of 200 feet; expec%. to reach the reef at a lower level. W is expected that machinery will short!; be placed on the ground, as Langlandi Foundry Company have received uY order some weeks ago. In many otk claims there are appearances of ati tivity, but to enumerate all would rel quire a special column on reefing, an as I have a few other topics to tout upon I will proceed to give you some TOWN NEWS. "We have now a live Progress Con mittee, as a substitute for, and it is t be hoped a forerunner of> a To* Council or some more authoritafal body. The Committee consists £• Messrs Pitt, M'Lean, Davis, Toe!" Stitt, Slattery, and Ivess. On Mondaik evening last Mr Pitt was elected pel manent Chairman of the Committee! and Mr Davies was chosen as Honorary Secretary. They have arranged ti hold meetings on the first andthirWednesdays of each month; In addition to the formation c Oddfellow's and Forester's Lodgeupon which meetings have alreaf been held, the establishment of Masonic Lodge is contemplated atf early date. A branch of the Hit* ' nian Australian Catholic Bene: Society is also to be opened here; aiMessrs Monahan, Creed, Deek Parer, Ivess and Clinton were chose as a committee to carry out the pS liminaries of the object. We i' shortly to have bi-weekly mails fa both 'Westport and Greyinouth, whifi will be a great advantage to thecofl munity. _ Mr David Isaacs, formeJH of Hokitika and Charleston, has cofl menced business here as an auctioneeH and is likely to do well, as the servicesg| tho hammer has of late been frequenaH wanted. A large nugget found W way to the Camp this week. « weighs between fifty and sixty ouriajjH and is lodged at the Camp for 4H keeping in the meantime. The luflH finder was named Antonio ChartH It is reported to have been foffiß about half-way between ChrisijH Accommodation House and the 1«H There will be a great rush onin'tlflH direction soon, rf nuggets be continuM to be picked u|) as they have beS lately. Indeed it is a wonder U\ ground has not been rushed alreaffl The price of timber here is still frS up at 35s per 100, and carpentersiH scarce at 25s per day. The saw ifl is expected to be in working oriffl next week, when there will be a nicH plentiful supply. March SOU • Mace's crushing has commence™ They got st< ui up on Thursday M mid-day and nave been crushing SB Friday and Saturday. About twe«H-. tons of quartz have been passed throw the battery up to the present tflj and by tho reports of tho WardenJH others who have inspected the mac™

the past two days, the copperites'bespeak excellent results. They U not probably wash up for fourteen