MINING.

Grey River Argus, Volume 21, Issue 3047, 22 May 1878, Page 2

MINING.

ORWELL CREPK.

Our correspondent write 3 : —

Tha Napoleon Hill Company, under the manigeme&t of Mr Pitman, is making good progress towards opening up tho claim, so that blocking out will be comneocdrt at an early date. At the present time the quantity of gold obtained is not large, but the amount will be greatly augmented when several blocking-out parties are at work.

The Working Miners Company have sue* ceeded in striking payable gold. Several sets of timb r have been driven in the wash, and the prospects seem to be still improving. Mr G. Hays has been appointed mining manager, under whose guidance it is to he hoped the operations of the company will make satisfactory progress in the future. The Waimate Company are at a standstill for want of funds to carry on operations. So far, the company's leasehold cannot be said to be proved satisfactorily, as the deep ground has not been tested from reef to reef. If the shareholders do not make some effort, and provide funds to continue carrying on the main drive until the back reaf is proved, their property might pa3s out of their hands into others that might prove the leasehold to be a valuable one. :

■REEFTON". We take, the following items from the Herald of Saturday : —

A meeting of shareholders of the Monirch is to be held on an early date, when business of considerable importance will be transacted. Some time ago a proposal was made to penetrate through the United Band of Hope Company's main tunnel, but on a survey being made the distance to be driven to get the line of reef was found to be too great, viz, 710 ft, nearly double the distance to be driven to get into the claim from the south through the Perseverance Company's ground ; the proposition has therefore been rejected. The Maori Chief is peg and peg with and north of the Monarch. Ah application for a new lease to -embrace the whole of the ground (aboaß 25-aores) demised to the respective companies is to be applied for, and designated as a special claim.

The Energetic battery stopped crushing stone on Saturday las!;. Repairs are being made.

Thirty chains of the Perseverance Company's Murray Creek tramway are finished.

All the stampers of the Wealth of Nations battery were started on Mooday morning, and have since been running at full speed.

The sinking of the Keep-ie-Dark shaft was a contretemps productive of more serious consequences than was anticipated A great flow of water w s struck at the bottom of the shaft 70 odd feet below the braco. An effort was made to keep- down the flow and continue sinking, but without success. This happened three weeks ago. The shaft is now nearly full of water, and, save an occasional bucketful taken out during each shifr, nothing is being dove. On Wednesday night the flooded river backed up tail water, six feet deep in the wheel pit and stopped the r-attery ; the following morning the limb of a tree knocked a hole in the bottom of a section of fluming ia the head race. While the race was being repaired the flood subsided sufficiently to clear the wheel pit, when crushing was resumed, after five hours' stoppage.

A slight improvement in the appearance of the Victoria reef has taken placs during the past week, and a corresponding increase in the market value of scrip has also obtained.

On Friday Jasc the main reef in the fJainy Creek mine was struck ia the lower tunnei, somethiog over 100 feet deeper than the old Workings. The stone appears to be richer than any before found in the mine.