GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1664, 4 December 1873, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

[from our own correspondent.] NO T0WN. ........ ■ The Cooper's Creek Lead ia still the chief point of interest, but except that those who have claims on the lead and those who hold ground in which the gutter will hereafter be found to a dead certainty, as soon as the requisite amount of driving is done, are jubilant, over their prospects of a speedy alteration for the better in their fortunes, there is no. great change observable. In other parts of this extensive district (although: matters do not ! wear the lively appearauce they did during the winter, which is always the best season here, or when the Cockney Terrace Lead was in full swing) the miners on the whole aeem to be at least getting on as well as in the other mining centres. Rundle and party, in Maori Gully No. 1, expect to have an extensive and profitable cleaning-up the week before Christmas. The party who some time since taped Rundle and Co.'s claim off, and obtained a portion of the ground formerly held by themj are on gold, but they have been delayed by having to deepen the tail-race to their workings. There is great holding out in the ground about this Maori Creek. More than six years ago a ring of enterprising young . fellows, some of whom have since become famous or at all events notorious in the commercial world of Greymouth, made a clean sweep of the even then old ground in this creek, and took such a haul of gold out of it that it was supposed they left nothing of any value behind them, but the locality, it seems, is not entirely exhausted yet. On the opposite side of the main creek an old tunnel formerly driven 400 ft is reoccupied, and, after being taken in 600 ft further, good washdirt has been found, so that it is hardly safe to consider any ground altogether worked out. At Cockney Terrace one of the original pioneers of the, district has, it is authoritatively reported, dropped on something very good at the back of all the old workings, and there is no doubt he deserves his good luck. There are other good claims still in work at Cockney, notably Galbraith and Clare's; which is yielding as remuneratively as ever. The sale of a share in the prospecting claim on M'Kenzie's Lead, at the Joyce's Creek end of Cockney Terrace, is by some confused process of of reasoning attributed to the recent election for the Provincial Council, and it is said that the price obtained, LSO, by the seller, who was not by any means a candidate — "quite the reverse"— -barely sufficed to bring him triumphantly through the contest, or rather through the series of contests oi which the flection was productive. The left fork of the main creek seems to be under a cloud at present, for there appears to .be very little doing there. Lang and Millar, at Luff-up Terrace, and M'Donagh, at the head of the creek, are the only parties spoken oi as getting anything. Fisher and party have not yet succeeded in their efforts to revive the fallen fortunes of Irishtown, and conse-; quently that once upon a time very, very,; lively neighborhood still wears that ap-i pearance of rustic simplicity and quiet-r . ness which has for the last two years or so characterised it. At Steel's Creek, Hines and Brien's party are making high wages, sluicing with water raised from, the main creek at the bottom of Big Bill's Creek. The No Town Gold-mining Co., which has been formed from among the shareholders in the company got up to bore for the Steel's Creek lead in the bed of the main creek, have finished puddling back the water in the prospecting shaft. At the depth of 70ft sinking was stopped for the purpose of lining the shaft with timber and : other materials to secure the drift and keep the water from; breaking through in sufficient volume to impede the work. This is now done successfully, and sinking will be continued to a depth of 100 ft when driving, will be commenced. It is intended to drive; across the deepest part of the ground; under the creek bed, a distance of pr©- : bably 350 ft, and then set the: boring apparatus to «v6rk to find the wash. There: is very little to be said about the new ground recently opened at Big Bill's.! Creek. Paddy'a Gully is all but deserted, and very likely will remain so until it is chosen as the site of one of the numerous LSOOO reservoirs the new Curtis Govern-! ment intend to construct in this district. From the great, natural facilities in the formation and configuration of Paddy's Gully and the vicinity, a reservoir could be made if the necessary capital were forthcoming, of sufficient capacity to contain enough water to supply the No Town and Red Jack's districts very decently. When ! oh, when ! will the right man turn up in the right place, with the required pluck to have such a work performed? Ashcroft and party, who were so long sluicing and cutting tail-races in Paddy's Gully, have finally abandoned that now forsaken place. Fred Ashcroft and his , par£y are at present cutting a head race I from the main creek, and with the inf;eiiI tion of taking the water along the Western | Range to sluice at Bullock Hide Creek. The race will occupy nearly twelve months in the construction, but it is said it will be a small fortune when it is completed. The owners of the large reservoir on the summit of the dividing range between the watershed of No Town Creek and the Arnold River have run a race into Piper's Creek on the Arnold fall. The water in this— Porter and Gunnis's— reservoir is at such an elevation on the mountain that it can be taken to any of the working on either side of the range. Tuckey and patty are building a similar dam, but of: less extent, at the head of Big Bill's Creek. The more encouragement is given! for the construction of this class, of work, the greater the advantages will be to the whole district. The greeks on the Arnold watershed are hot so thickly populated as; was the case eighteen months ago. Olegg'BJ large dam at 'Candlelight gave way; recently, inflicting serious loss on the; owners, and necessitating a stoppage of* two weeks in sluicing operations; before repairs could be effected. Roman, one

of the original prospectors of the Candlelight Terrace, is sluicing the bed of the creek in a face before him. Two lone hands are hattering among the blocks and pillars still remaining on the terrace lead, and they are doing very fair, when water is available. One of these hermits' has to resort to "sharp" practice now arid then to get water, which he does by damming the mouth of a -tunnel and y flooding the surrounding workings until he collects a sufficient quantity to go onwashing with. There are scattered parties tunnelling and sluicing at Portuguese, Menschikoff, Cariboo, Greek's, Maori, Mud,iarid the.other creeks running into the Arnold river from the eastward. The sluicers at Abe's Creek have had a rare ■, harvest lately. The fine rainfall^ has done them a world of i good, by giving them an opportunity which theyjhave made the most of: 1 A party of miners who are working the bed of Abe's Creek at the lower part of it, are said to be mak- ; ' ing LlO per week, aud if, so they deserve their luck, for between tunnel tail-race making and frequent swampingaout they have spent years in tryirg to get at the ground .hey are now working. Another party have taken up an open tail-race of great length to the ground adjoining the claim last mentioned. Shares in Whitnall and Co.'s reservoir and claim on Stewart's Hill are now worth. Ll2O. The water in this reservoir covers an area of 120 x 300 ft, and is 20ft deep some distance from the embankment. A practically unlimited extent of auriferous ground is commanded by the water. The Chinese now number about 130 in the No Town district, and it is said there are as many more likely to arrive shortly. They confine themselves to re-working the old ground in the beds of the creeks, which they^iurn inside out in a most systematic and exhaustive manner. They seemto; get on very well with the rest of the inhabitants, for since the slight .objection, made, to them coming at first they have remained unmolested. : The . high prices obtained at the sale of Victoria of Messrs Campbell and Co.'s propertyj which is still in the hands of old residents of ,3STo Town, shows that there is commercial vitality still existing in the district, and the opening of new and extensive estab-, lishments like that of Messrs Skoglurid and Co. 6n the Brunner Parade is an indication that there is faith in its continued prosperity. . . ■-.-.