COAL AND GOLD.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1239, 30 June 1920, Page 5

COAL AND GOLD.

DISCOVERIES AT LOVELL'SELAT

Mr rJoltn Mosley, while prospcel ing tor coal with his raSJio-indicator on the farm of Mr D. Lyons. ;it Lovell's Flat, made an unexpected discovery the other day. To a • Five Press ' representative Mr Mosley stated that lie located an aueient river lied full of rich gold deposits at a depth of from 1 (sft to 00ft. lie is of opinion that the "dirt" would prove highly remunerative, and that the precious metal could begot by dredging. He believes that there is untold Health in that ancient river bed now lying so comparatively near the surface in places. A few shafts could be put down at com-' paratively small expense in order to test the liud. The river bed averages SO yards in width, and Mr Mosley considers that it forms part of the same aueient stream wherein the first payable gold was found in Otago by Gabriel Kead in 18G1. Mr Mosley traced the river bed through Adam's (Hon Accord), then south to Lovell's Flat, then,east as far as the boundary of Llliotvale property, and he thinks it will probably debouch to the sea at Measly Beach, on the Wangaloa coast. There is gold at Measly Beach, as was proved by diggers some years ago Mr Mosley thinks the old river bed ought to be traced from Blue Spur to see if his theory is correct. He belives it was attempted in Gabriel Head's time, but the search was abandoned at Grlenore andiuanyca.se the parties who imdertojk it did not have the aid of the "radioindicator." At Mr Lyons'* farm the Wash dirt of this ancient river bed rests on a coalfield, and the indicator showed 10 sams of eoal on the farm, ranging from the common lignite to a semi-bituminous coal, only one grade below Westport, and the seams vajry in thickness from Oft to 21ft. This property is only two and a-half miles from the Lovell's Flat railway station, with which it is connected by a good road, si) it should only be a matter of a short time before development work is undertaken there.

The whole neighborhood is rich in coal and the adjoining Elliolvale property has been held by the Kaitangata Company f>r 40 years oa account of its. rich coal measures, although these, liave never been developed. If, however, a superior.coal could actually be put in the market it might lead to the opening of quite a number of new ejal-pils, as lias been the case at Wangaloa within the past year or two. The circumstance that at Lovell's flat there is a likelihood of striking payable gold should add to the zest of the coal miners.