Notes from Clyde.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 28

Notes from Clyde.

(Fp.om Oue Ovrx Correspondent.) CLYDE, November 23, T cio=se:l ovrr a shoulder of Mouat CairnjHuir one day this week, and dropped into the Frasar \ alley, mtcn' oi\ seeing how far miuing vciihues had progressed there during the past. y(.3r 01 two. The ole undertaking of ary im-poi-tance vi the valley is that conducted by Messrs Hookey and 14. 'Conn ell 1 found those two energetic goldmine?^ suffering an enforced idleness owing to the flooded state of the Fraser Kiver, which pievents them at all times of Hood continuing their woik of excavation in the bed of the stream. Tiia valley consists of a succession of numerous bas'ns, varied m ex tent, and connected onp to another by nariower atr^gs of liver bed. The Fraser River^

v.hich drains the north-western slope of the Old Man Range, takes a cotirse directly through those basins lor a distance of some four miles till the waters finally plunge into a -narrow, rocky gorge, where they seethe and whirl and loar over and around bottlcleis a!rno3t immeasurable in size.

Some year 3 ago this chain of basins attracted the attention of a Ciyde-Bannockburn syndicate, and a small company was formed for the purpose of acquiring certain mining pnvileges m one of the basms. A water race was constiucted at considerable cost, p, splendid hydraulic plant was secured and. laid down, and operations were started under the moat favourable auspices. But after a few days' opera^ tions the company had perforce to shut down owing to complaints mede by the then ownei of the private property attached to the Earnscleugh homestead. The complaint was on the grounds that mining operations on the liver would prejudicially affect the value of the lands through which the river had its course. The company shut down after washing up 750z as the result of their brief term of operations. In this result was discovered a fa.r estimate of the value of the aurifeous deposits within the chain of basins.

The locality became more attractive to the gold-digger subsequent to the discovery made by the company, and various were the contrivances by which it was sought to reach the bottom at a known depth of 15ft or 18ft. The loose nature of the superincumbent siavels allowed the water to percolate freely to levels below that of the river," and every aLtempt to reach bottom proved futile in consequence. Of course hydraulic lifts were out of the question for the reasons referred to above ; therefore the only other resource was to try Caiifornian pumps. This system was also attended with failure, and finally the locality was abandoned, though it was thought that fortunes awaited gleaming in the basins.

About three years back Messrs Hookey and M'Connell prospected the lower baein immediately near the outlet to the rocky goige. So favourable were the prospects obtained thai the two men set about tunnelling through the river bed in the gorge with a view to taking ap sufficient fall to enable them to sluice the euriferous contents of the lower basin, and thus also provide an outlet to the entire chain oi basins extending back for many miles along fche course of the river. Mr Hookey and his partner started by excavating a side course for the waters of the rivei, this work alone taking up fully a year of their time, as the operations were carried on through rock. When the river was turned into its new course the work of tunnelling was begun in the face of a huge boulder that filled tha chasm at a. place where it was decided upon to pick up the requiied level. The work has now reached a distance of five chains, at which length the gravels oi the basin have been reached, and tunnelling; has had to be abandoned in favour of sluicing io the required depth, the height and width oi the tunnel being still maintained! between walls built Fohdly of rock a:id covered ;n by huge covers that are conducted to their respective place by means of a " Jivv.v.'' Over these rovers are thrown any roc;-.s and coarse gravels that may be at hand, thus securing; them :isamst distmbance m time of flood, for it is the party's intention to allow the ri\ei 't.o issunie its old course ?o soon as their tunnel .s safely beyond the confines of the gorge. Thus it will be that, while the torrent rushes over its rocky course, the nihier will have outlet for his tailings thieugh and beneath the bed of the stream. The gravels already tapped by tlie tuanel are exceptionally rich — indeed, so rich that the party refrain from packing the centre of their flood-walls with the material, ehocving rather to cart the required packing froHfa considerable distance. The level of the floor of the runnel will give a considerable fall ifrom the beet rock in the basin, and as any quantity of water up to 200 heads is available in the there is every likelihood that sluicing will bo conducted on a most extensive scale -.-hen ouce the low-level acht :s completed. Considering that the undertaking is entirely conducted by' Messrs Hookey and M'Connell personally, tha work is testimony to their individual energy and eiiterprise, all the more so because it is of raie occuirence nowadays that woiking miners undertake to speculate their labour in the direction of having a " cut in " on " their own."