DUNSTAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 659, 16 July 1864, Page 10

DUNSTAN.

(FROM THE DAILY TIMES CORRESrONDEHT.^

Dunstan, Bth July. The new postal arrangements aie anything but satisfactory to the people of this district, especially as our correspondence is decidedly on the increase from the imp ovemeut in business, consequent upon the going down of tue river and the ariye aocession thereby to our population. After an interval of five da>s we received a mail, or rather two mails, on Tuisdvv ninht. The mail via Tuapeka arrived about fonr o'clock in the afternoon, and tha other via W.akouaiti shortly after midnight. Looking at the post office notices the mail communication between l)unediit and the Dunstan appears very- evenly distributed among the six working days of theweek. A casual observer, wh j n he -see? that mails are made up twice a week via Tuapeka, viz , every TuesJay and Friday, and twi<-e a week via Waikouaiti, every Thursday and Siturdiy, woull conclude we were very well off, considering the degeneracy of the times. But, however conyei.ient this arrange ment may appear in theory, in practice it is the very reveise ; and instead of being blessed with four mails a week to and from the metropolis, we are virtually re luced to two. The miil from Bunedin on \ s atu"lay via t'uapeka, and the one on Monday via VVaikouaiti, arrive both at the sirnetime, or in fact wit in such a short period of each other that there is no necessity for the two; while the other leaving on Wedneday morning via Tuapeka, and the one on Friday morning via VVaikouaiti, will again come in so close together that the one would suffice If the mail made up on Tv sJa\ night anl despntchelhy way of Tuapeka. oh Wednesday morning came through in two days it would be a great convenience, and fill the ga . betwepn the arrival of the coach on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but as the mail I'aviner on Saturday, the 2nd instant, did not arrive here till the following Tuesday, we' may suppose that, via Tuapeka, the time occupied for the transit of a letter will be something like four days. In the best of times the mail, via Tuapeka, was perfectly of no advan tage, but now it is positively a nuisance. What we require, and which would be most economics*!, is a tbrouijh mail from Dunedin via Waikouaiti and Himilton'3, three tinie> a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a-'d a branch mill to Tuapeka via the Teviot and Mille. 's Flat say once a week, which, considering the small amount of correspondence between those places, would be amply sufficient But it appears the requirements of the public are morely second rv to the convenience of Cobb and Co., who have managed to monopolise s 'nearly the entire con vevanee of - our epistolary correspondence, thit'it really seems as it the mails wre made for Cobb and Co, and not Cobb and Co for the mails.

Mining matters are consideiably improving and once again the wave of prosperity, in the shape of an increase of population, is setting in upon us. The river still keeps daily falling, and work along its banks is being very generally resumed. At the Manuherikia, the miners are everywhere busy ; and both beach an 1 b ink claims in all directions are being opened. The Frenchman's, in whose claim Mr J. D. Feraud, one of our townsmen, has a share, as well as that belonging to the United Bendigo Company, situate on the " point," still continue to turn out almost fahulou3 quantities of gold. The immediate vicinity of the Junction presents a scene of extraordinary activity, such as nevfr before was witnessed eince the palmy days of 1862. Evary sand bank, rock, and corner of both rivers is alive with miners, who may be saH to be turnins; the beds of the Molyneux ,anti Manuheiikia bottom upwards. Machinery ia coining very extensively into use, and within half a mile of the township of Alexandra. 1 do not think I should be beyoad the mark ia leckoning the total aniou it of the power of the numerous water wheels nt present at work less than equal to a 50-horse Bteam engine

There is at present a very abundant supply of lignite, ft ia delivered at the Dunstan at the Uw rite of two guineas per ton, and about ten shillings less at A'exandra, Oa Wednesday last, I paid a visit to *he pp r of Charnock and Co. at Coal Point. This pit has) for some threo months past yielded a very

large supply of coal of first rate quality. It is Bituate on the west bank of the Molyneux, and within a few feet of the water's edge, -vn ex tt-nsive bed of coal is known to exist al.out her- 1 , and it has 1 een oiscovered to occupy the while bed of the river for at least a quarter of a mile, but how far ie ex ends into the banks is unknown, but probably on the fast side of the river it runs for a distance of two miles. a 9 fir as the junctioiof the M.mu'ierikia and STanorburii Rivers CRarneck an.l Co. have pierced th« sara in two places, about 50 yards from each other ; one shaft is sunk well into the brink, -mdis both timbered and puddled jo as to be workable, let the river ri<e ever so high, the other shaft in nenr the edgp of the water, and as the seam of coal is onlys me«ix feet un»ler a bed of gravel, while the river is low it is more easily worked. From the surface to about four feet into the coal the shaft is well puddled with play and timbered, or rattier cisked, portpr barrels with the heads knocked out to do duty for sabs, ad form at pnsentthe oulv means of ingres* and e°:res3: so, elongating my body and pres rvintr a uprftctlv vertical position, I descended by means of the windlass this rather novel shaft, laudinar at ahout twenty f. et on a plank stretched across the mouth of the v/ell which keeps the workings clear of water, there being scarcely a ray of light from the top, together with the intense black color of the roofs and diles of the drives, through which the water percolates and trickles, looking as black and shiny as polished ebony, and being bo recently out of the full glare of the sun, it is some time beforo you can accustom your eyesight to the intense gloom which prevails. Beyond the flicker of the candles, absolutely nothing can ba distinguished for some few minutes. Recovering my eyesight, I proceeded to examine the mine. For a depth of ten feet there is one solid unbroken seam of lignite, Mng on a bed of soft white pipeclay. The drives are six feet in height driven _on the lower portion of the seam, the remaining four feet being left over head for a roof. All the drives run nea 1 ly at rie,ht angles with each other, and are about ten feet in width, pillars of solid coal being left between them for the purpose of keeping uo the ground. One drive, horn which some splendid coals were obtained, extends for about fifty feet under the bed of the river but was obliged to be discontinued in consequence of the excessive leakage from the waror above, which cannot b3 wonleredat, con sidering there are only four fret between it and the roofot the drive. In pait of the roof and sides there are numerous nodules of black resin, som« as large as yaur fi«t, and although everything iso damp and wet, they readily ignite upon the application of tte fl.ime of a caudle. Leavint tliis portion of the workings, I explored the par of the mine extend ng into ths bank, but here the coal was beginning to break off in layers, intermixed with rock, giving evilent signs of its speedily runnirg our, and necessitating the excavations being continued more in' a line with the river. About 500 r/uis of coal have been token from the pit, which considering that all the slack U turned back into the drives, this subterranean cavern is of pretty conn ierable extent 1 was then shown some pieces of wood, probably totara, which had been imbedded in the sod Coal, and which wsre in a perfect state of preservation. Aftei wards examining some Vtjry fine specimens of resin, I once more arranged myself " straight up and down as a yard measure," and was speedily drawn up to the surface. The dredging m ichiue b 'ing moored within a short distance of the miae, I next paid that a visit.

The machine, in the first place, consisfs of a punt or barge of about 40 tons bu- then, built about twelve months back at tho Kiararau, of pine wood, fljated down from the Lakes. On the deck of the barge, nt the bows, is fixed a very powerful double purchase winch, and about amidships, on the starb>ard side, is a stout woolen davit, through the head of which runs the chain, to which the spoon or dredge is attached The spoon is an iron disc, of ab ut 2 feetin/lia neter, Bix inches in depth and about half an inch in thickness ; to its upper edge is alfixe 1 an iron lip for entering the ground, while from the lower c g*. is suspended a stout leathern bag for holding the gravel. The spoon is firmly secured on the end of a pole s>me twenty leet in length, and what may be called the handle. As the operation of dredging causes an immense strai 1 upon the barge it has necessarily to be very firmly secured and retained in one position. To accomplish this the barge is anchorei stem on to the current by a powerful anchor and cable. Besides these are three guile., consisting; of poles about the same 1- n^th as the shaft of the spnon, thp poi»ted ends of which are shod w>th stout Cast iron shoes. These guides are firmly secured, one on each bow and one on the portquaiter of the barge, and the iron-clad points burying themselves ia the bottom of the river preserve the barge -notwithstanding the enormous strain when the spoon 13 in the water— in an almost immovable position. The process of dredging is thus. The di c being suspended in it' exact centre, after the fashion of the handle of a bucket, it is drawn up to about midway between the head of the davit and the deck by a chain connected with the winch. The nnptain of the works th'U seiz s hold of the spoon and sways it as far over the side of the barge as he cm reach, and cryinc out let go ! the winch is thrown instantly out of near, and away the spoon goes with a treiue-dous splash into the river; as it descends into the wat r and goes astern with the current, the shaft falls almost across the deck, but presently assuraps nearly a perpendicular position nlongside of the barge, when this is attained the captain grasp* h' Id of the pole and passes round it several times a stout rope stopper ; he then call* ont to the men at the windlass to heave aw iy. The effect 1 1 this is to bring the lip of the disc firmly into the ground at the bottom of the river, an 1 which operates the same as if the blade of a shovel were thrust into the gravel ; from being dragged along by the winch, and the shaft or handle held firmly in its upight position by the stopper in tho hands of the captain, tliß bag if the ground is not too lnrl, is spe dily filled and rises to the surface the moment the sweep of the spoon comes on a level with the davit, which of course is its fulcrum. When the bag reaches the level of (he deck it is hauled aboard and emptied of its contents, and is washed by means of a sluice box fixed on the deck, the tailings being ejected at the stern of the barge. To work the machine the labor of seven men is required, thres are at the winohv_ three employed washing the stuff, while the captain guides the operations of the spoon, by no means an easy task, as it is a job requiring enormous bodily strength. The machine, without being moved, will work a piece of ground about ten feet long by six broad, anl if necessary as much as eighteen feet under water. Breaking

tb.3 surface is the most difficult operation, as the bed of the river is mostly all paved with boulders, many weighing two and three hun ]red weight, and placd as firmly and evenly as on a paved r ad ; but when once this top layer of atouss is remove I',1 ', the spoon will p?nffate easii., and nearly half a ton weight of gravel can be raised from the bottom of the river every five or six minute*, and pia^e-i on the d.-ck of the barge. A3 yrt, the pwty have nut made more than wages, greit delays being occasioned through breakages anil imperf ctly constructed machinery, but the captain i,Mr Kuight,) who has been employed for tnvny \ears mi-ing ballast from the bottom of •'Old Father Tlmnes" thinks that when once his men and material are up to the work, there is nothing to prevent the undertaking proving au entire success, and considers that ultimately the whole bottom of the Molyneux will be thoroughly denuded of its auriferous deposits. Any stuff th \t a pick will loosen, the spoon wul take uo, boul iers requiring four men to life ate repeatedly brought to the suffice ; and to all appearances th' h system of mintng will come very generally into use.

July 11th 1834. Since my list we have bad a slight rise in the river. On Friday, apparently through a thaw in the Lake districts, the Molyneux went up about two feet, and great fears were entertai led that there would be a flood, but, lv 'kily such wa3 not the case, as on Saturday and Sunday it rapidly fell, and the next three or four days will no doubt be sufficient to reduce it to its former level again.

The lately introduced system of, obtaining money for charitable purposes, entitled '• A new way to pay old debts" ia to be tried on behalt of the Dunstan Hospital, which institution, by the by, is most terribly in want of funds. The sale is to be he'd on the 25th Inst., and I am informed by the 3ecretary ihat a large number of articles will ba contributed. Even the squatters hive promised their assistance in the shape of donations of decrepM old horses, and cittle and sheep too old and too tough for the butcher. Mr Brown has his newly invented current wheel in full work, and it answers admirably the purposes for which it was intended — that of keeping his claim free from water ; it works the California pump with much ease, and although, the wheel is a long way oat of the full force of the current, it has sufE ient power to do double the work it is now performing. The Fo tuaa Mining Association are making great exertions to butom their rtiaft on the Dunstan Flat, and the sum of LIOO is intended to be raised foT that purpose by the issue of preference shares. On Wednesday test a meetiug of the ahareh. riders was held at the Dunsfan Hotel, Mr J. D. Ferand ia the chair. After the minutes of last meting were re,ad and confirmed, the Chairman proceeded to business by explaining the objects of the meeting, said that as" they bad spent nearly L3OO upon the shaft, which waa now down, some 93 feet, it would be a great pity tint the money should be wasted, and the bed rock left unsearrhed, especially as a further sura of about 150 or L6O would complete their un lertakinpr. and would recommend those present to devise some plan of bringing their labors to a successful issue. But before processing further, it would be necessary to elect a Board of Directors, the term of office of the present one having expired. Mr S. Samuel proposed -" That fresh officers for the association be elected, to consist of a treasurer, secret iry, and five directors." Seconded by Mr Cambridge, and carried The following gentlemen were than elected— treasurer, Mr Auckland; secretary, Mr Cope ; directors, Messrs Feraud, Carroll, Morrison, Cambridge, and Samuel. The meetin? then adjourned pro forma, and the s ime chairman wa3 again elected. The Secretary then read a statement of the r "ompany's afiairs as shown by the books of his prede-essor, Mr vfaasfitfld. The only liability was a sura of L 29, due to Mr Holt, the party who had sunk the shaft The assets were LlB, deposited in the hands of tha Government as security for lease, a large quantity of timber, as well as a lot of valuable tools. These, he explained, would be more than sufficient to pay all liabilities, should jit be desirable t > wind up the concern, but which course, he hoped, for the credit of the Dunsfcan, would not be adopted. The proving that payable gold existed to a large extent in the Duustan Flat waa of such vital importance to the prosperity of the township, that those who^had already spent a few pounds in the enieavour to bottom the shaft, would not hesitate in spending a trifle more now that their object was so we.l nigh on the eve of beins accomplished. To look to the Government for assistance was a poor spec; if they wanted the shaft bottomed they must subscribe th > necessary funds themsslves. The Enterprise Company ha t given to them a sum of lilOO, but as that ha 1 not brought forth fruit he thought the lioveram nt would be slow to assist another company, and if the shareholders in the ''Portuna" wished their shaft bottomed they must rely on their own exertions to do so. There was scarcely a doubt but that theirs was a golden claim, and when the shaft was bottomed the credit of it would be solely theirs. "" He thought that if LIOO was raised by the issue of preference sharps— sny fifty at L 2 eich— they could bring their 1 ibors to a close. He felt certain tint they would all be quickly ta*<en up, and now that population was again seeking this district we should do all in our power to finl the new corners employment. Mr Samuel said that he fully concurred in Mr Cope's views. He was ready to subscribe his mite towards the undertaking ; not that he would do so from any motives of personal gain, but that by the bottoming of the Company's shaft every individual person on the Dunstan would be beuefitted. Mr Samuel then proposed— • " That it is desirable that the Sum of LIOO be raised in fifty preference shares of L 2 each, for the purpose of bottoming the shaft ; and that due notice of the same be advertised in the local papers."

Seconded by Mr Cambridge and carried. About twenty of ths proposed • shares were offered to he takea ia the room, the Chairman alone taking five The mnii from Dunedin, via Tuapeka, whfeh left on Wednesday morning, did not arrive here till Friday night, consequently all letters for the L-ike District were detained at the bunsran till this morning:, The roads between this and Tuapeka are decidedly not bad. and the Post Otiice authorities should make it imperative oa the contractors for conveying the mail that it bd •■arried through, in one day. The loss of a mail in the middle of the week is a great inconvenience to the mercantile classes, and something must really be uoae to have the mail leaving Dunedin oa Wedaesday arrive bere on the. day {Allowing.