Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE LYELL.

(FROJI OUK OWN CORKESPOXnENT) The last portion of Messrs Carroll and Cairns crushing plant is now in course of conveyance, from the Boat landing to the machine site. Some of the pieces weigh upwards of half a ton, and it is a work of great difficulty at the best of times to convey such heavy material over a track like that from the Landing to Zala Town, and at present the difficulty is greatly increased by the wretched condition of the track. Knee deep in mud and slush, as it it is, the effects of a heavy fall of snow and the late rains. Messrs Carroll and Cairns deserve not only the good wishes support of the mining community around for the energy and. courage they have shown in erecting this machinery, as otherwise the rich quartz now stacked "on the hill," might have lain there Until its owners grew grey headed, waiting for things to take a change, as it is termed. When erected the battery will for the present consist of five head of stampers weighing upwards of 6 cwt. each, but it is understood that the proprietors have already ordered another battery of five heads of stampers of equal weight, and should the demand exceed that crushing power they will add another battery. Ihey have plenty of water and the wheel will be powerful enough to drive the three batteries. The Breako'-Day, Maruia, and Maloneys, are busily engaged blocking out and stacking stone. Some of it is exceedingly rich and there cannot be less than from six to eight hundred tons of stone stacked ready for the mill on the Alpine Hill, or a quantity sufficient

to keep the machine going for a space of* three months at lea.it. Most of this stone is spoken of as likely to average from four to eight ounces to the ton, and from personal inspection I am inclined to think that five ounces to the ton will be near the mark, and supposing that there are only five hundred tons of stone ready there should be from this quantity a return, before, the New Year, of at least 25000zs of gold, or nearly 1 £IO.OOO in cash. Such a sum as this would clear off all liabilities, I may say of every claim on the hill, and leave each one a handsome dividend into the bargain* With such a prospect before U8 it is hard to account for the present stagnation in money matters that reigns around. In writing this, I believe a truthful account of mining matters here, J Would have your readers to understand that I have read and have not forgotten Anthony Trollope's remarks about " blowing," aiid as a rule I rather endeavour 1 to uuderrate than over estU mate the richness of this quartzfield. Contracts have been entered into by the Break-o'-Day and Maloneys for the Construction of tramways to connect these claims with the machine, so thero will be no delay when the erection of the machiue is Completed. It is not settled yet I believe as to which claim will first take, " not the benefit of the act," but the benefit of the 1 stampers. The Excelsior Claim having completed their crushing* Viz, some 220 tons of stone, with a result it is understood of close upon an ounce to the ton, the Alpine Company have resumed possession of their machinery. It is a pity that these two claims are not possessed of more capital* and a better class of machinery. Ido not say that any of the gold is lost in the crushing, but no harm would arise by having a few pounds weight of the tailings submitted to a proper test, new improvements are being effected every day in Victoria in mills far superior to this one* and with good results, and why not here-. Those who are acquainted with quart?' ] mining seem to think that it will r \*< neee»safy for these two claims to pu., in tunnels at much lower levels before the mines can be worked to the best advantage* if so it is surely to the interest of all concerned that the necessary capital should be at once supplied to enable the works to be pushed on withoiit delay. The other claims on the Hill that are deserving of special mention are the Oriental, Lyell Creek* Monte Christo, and O'Brien and Blair's.All these claims are in good working order* and some of them are uovV driving on very rich stone. Of these claims it may be said that they have d,\\ done as much as can be done with the amount of capital at Command and have struggled up to the position they now hold uuder great difficulties. They all contain gold bearing stoun y and the leaders vary in width from '3 to 10 inches.

As yet nothing Worth mentioning ha* been discovered in the new ground taken up above the Excelsior Claim though men are engaged prospecting it.

There was a sale on Saturday last of some scrip iu the Oriental and Central Buller claims, vefry low prices were idealized however; owing, it is but natural to assume, to the great scarcity of the " circulating medium," at present prevailing here. In the Way of local improvements we may be excused if (forgetting Anthony Trolope's advice for a moment) we do indulge in a " little blowing/' for have we not a building erected in accordance with that style of architecture so much iu vogue amongst the Meetinig Houses erected by the members of the Low Church Methodist persuasion, and diguifieci by the name of the Court house; to the left of which is a smaller building of the same architectural type, this is known by some as the Lock Up, and by others it is called the Logs. There is a smaller tenement or easement at the rear of similar architectural beauty, this is not the Court House, neither is it the Lock Up. In front of these three useful if not ornamental build--ings, the contractors for the work are busily employed making and forming a street, when finished this street will be nearly a quarter of a mile in length, and will be invaluable, because without it it was almost impossible to go " the length of your nose" after dark without great risk of sustaining serious damage to that useful appendage, and in that case it would be unnecessary for Sir Anthony to remind us of our common weakness, as it would be, with a broken Hose, physically impossible to "blow."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WEST18730829.2.12

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1102, 29 August 1873, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,096

THE LYELL. Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1102, 29 August 1873, Page 2

THE LYELL. Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1102, 29 August 1873, Page 2

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert