THE GOLDFIELDS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2045, 24 November 1869, Page 2

THE GOLDFIELDS.

SKIPPERS. Both the alluvial and quartz reef mining at Skippers is looking remarkably well, 'harehoiders in the tunnel claims, in particular, are doing an excellent stroke, ha ing been earning at tho rate of L 25 and L3O a mun per week, The sluicers aro getting scarcely so much ; still they arc realising quite sufficient to pay all expenses, and loivc a very handsome profit. Tbs average length of the tunnels is from two to three hundred feet, and Skippers Creek from top to bottom has been completely taken up. ith the exception of three parties, the whole of those claims are wrought by Chinamen. and some idea of tho estimation in which the ground is held may be gathered from the fact that L3OO was lately offered for an interest and refused. Between Stony Point and that of Skippers a good many giound sluicers are at work, and all of them are reported to bo doing very well. At tho Sandhills a s milar deseript on of work is carried on, with results equ.dly satisfactory. At tho date of our advices the new dredge for the Shotover was sufficiently advanced

for enabling as to say that in all probability ic baa now been launched. It is constructed on the ordinary dip spoon principle—in fact, it is in every respect similar to the machines at work on the Molyneux above Alexandra. The current of the Shot-over is hardly so rapid as that of the Molyneux ; still the machine will have sufficient work for a long time to come on the beaches and eddies. In early times these beaches were wrought by means of piles, and for a time they turned out very well. As much as fourteen and fifteen thousand pounds is known to have been taken out of them in the space of a couple of weeks, but the heavy floods to which the river is exposed rendered the work so precarious that for some time past it has been comp etely abandoned. The dredge will remidy this difficulty, and there is every probability that when brought into operation a new and important era for river workings will be brought about. 'The quart* claims in the vicinity are again beginning to show signs of vitality. The late Scandinavian, now named the Phoenix, is at « ork and there is some talk of an attempt Deing m-ide to put it into a public company. Thu golden stone is dipping rapidly ; the estimated rate being 45 degrees. This will necessitate driving another tunnel to open tho claim at the lower dip. The battery comprises thirty head of stamps, wrought by the turbine wheel. South bergs and Co. have likewise been crushing of late with their new machine, consisting of sixteen head of stamps. The British and American Company will also be in operation within the nest few days. Further down towards the Shotover some very rich reefs have been struck, but as yet no machinery has been brought on the ground. One of these, known as the Nugget Beef, has been in dispute for the last three years, but operations have only be n snspen ed for the last twelve months, during wnich time an injunction has lain upon tne works. Some of the crushing* previous to the operations of the injunction realized as much as lOozs to the ton. The claim is to be hrou k ht into the market for sale by judicial authority. The adjoining claim, the property of Mr Hale, is producing ai the rate o: sozs to the ton. The stone is packed up and crushed at skippers battery. 81 ill nearer the >hotover the Bonny Dundee claim i, at present producing some excellent stone which also requires to be packed to to -Skipper’s. Each of these claims is situated on the same line of reef. It wne discovered as far back as 1866 by Messrs Hale and M*Kattie, but has only recently been wrought to advantage. BANNOCKBURN. From this district we learn that serious apprehensions are entertained respecting the water supply. The snow-fall during winter was not only lighter than usua 1 , but the hot weather set in eo early that what little had fallen rapidly disappeared. Tho result is, that the principal source of supply has, practically speaking, faded ; and the district has nothing to fall back upon but the rainfall. 'I his at best is precarious, consequently the chances are that we shall hear tell of a good deal of broken time. Every drop of moisture from the coterminous water sheds has been economised ; and if the supply is to be augmented, it must be brought in from a distance. The question is one that has been discussed with deep interest, and the only apparent solution is that a race, heading from Coal Creek a tributary of the Nevis should be cut. The distance is estimated at fifteen miles, and the most reliable information on the subject is that the creek carries not less than twenty heads. An application, however, for twelve heads to be put on the Garrick range has been made; still the ba’ance, if brought on the Bannockburn, would be of immense advantage to the place. The diggings are confined to three gullies, and with eight heads distributed amongst them, thee would lie work for at least 300 more miners than are at present employed. Besides the direct advantage these gullies abound with quartz re-fs, and if the popula- ; ion we re put upon them there is a strong probability that the reefs would very soon be developed. The subject is one for the earnest attention of the Government. Past legis’ation s owed a strong tendency on the part of the legislature to aid the miner in providing an efficient water scheme, and if that legislation is to be aught but a dead letter, it is of importance that cases like that of the Baunockburn should be attended to. The district races arc, Stewart and Men* zies, brought in from the Long Gully, and carrying eight Government heads; and tho All Nati-ms, from Shepherd’s Creek, a distance of nine miles, carrying about two heads. A third water right has been applied for, to be taken out of a brach of Potter’s Gully, i he length will be about seven miles, and r he water brought in will not exceed more than one sluice head. Alth ugh the snpp’y is at best but limited, ifc must be underst od that every care is taken to utilise it to the best ad van 1 age. .Stewart and Mcnzies’ right, for example, is a good one. In the first instance it is used by the parties working the deep leads ; after which it is again turned into the main race, and re-used «t other workings on a lower level. A very large proportion of the resident population are Chinese. Indeed they number at present over two to one of the Europeans. They have got a camp established in the district, consisting of three general ‘■tores and a gambling house. Their estimated number is 23D, all engaged in box sluicing. Th-y work in parties of from five or six, and although sonic of them are known to b« making as much as Lo a week, it is gener -Ily believed that the r average earnings do nob exceed L2. Of European* there are a!>ont one hundred, engaged tunnelling, deep sinking, and ground sluicing. They are very ranch scattered ; in fact, the radius is computed at 20 mile<. Their average earnings are set down at 1.3 10s ; some, bower r, are known to be pocketing as much rgs LlO, and even Ll2 1 r l he most important feature of mining enterprise in this district at present is the deep lead*. 1 hese have now been in operation for, the last twelve months, and although none of the workings are yet pronounced to bo what is known in digging parlance as “pile claims,” they are by far the most promising branches of the calling. The existence of deep leads first suggested itself to the All Nations company. Tho party had opened up one of the terraces by {a drive, i lose upon 500 feet long. 'The further they went, the indication* of rich leads became tho stronger. This induced a prospecting party to put down a shaft from the top of the to.race, and after overcoming the usual amount of difficulties, they succeeded in finding the reef on a pipeclay bottom. An amalgamated party consisting of Messrs Chilton, Blue and Bryce are now working the ground with shafts varying from 85 t#

100 feet in depth. The bottom carries a •wash containing medium shotty and quartz gold of from six to seven feet thick, but the richest part of the deposit is found in the lowest layer resting two or three feet on the bottom. The ground is very hard and can be can be wrought safely without trouble. It is patchy although indications of a gutter lead are apparent. It has made as much as 130 12-gadon casks of water in the day but the average does not exceed 80 or 90. It is wrought by a horse whim and the stuff in bring brought to the surface is parsed through the ground sluice. The opinion is that a well defined lead will yet be found entering somewhere about Smith’s gully and passing down through the centre of the fiat. This induces a prospect which ought to recommend the district to the attention of the digging community as likely ground is to be found in abundance. In a direct line on the adjoining terrace another deep sinking claim has been taken up by Mr Fred Shamrock. Three shafts were sunk, one of which turned ont a dnffer. The other two were bottomed on a formation similar to that of Chilton and party’s at a depth of 80 feet. The one is being wrought, and the other as a foiling shaft Three other claims were lately taken up on the same terrace as Chilton’s but operations have not yet progressed far enough tor enabling any opinion to be expressed regarding its intrinsic value. It was wrought out into a paddock four years ago and the main bottom was found lying in a hard reef 12 feet from the top. The prospect taken out of their deep lead shafts varies from four to six dwts to the load, although a new reliable st&t-ment is in circulation that in some instances half-an-ounce has been got. In quartz reefs the Bendigo gully has _ got something to show. Smith’s reef in Smith s gully has been sufficiently prospected for enabling us to state that a lead of 18 inches has bcn got. The stone is a blue solid quartz, with gold perceptible to the naked eye finely distributed throughout. The lode runs north-north-east by south and as yet it cannot be said t'> be well defined. It is found in four distinct veins, but (rom their lay it is evident that they will cut each other out, and foim one solid. Before long several other quartz claims will be taken up on the Bannockburn.