THE WOODSTOOK RUSH

Otago Witness, Issue 1602, 5 August 1882, Page 12

THE WOODSTOOK RUSH-

July 26th. As this new goldfield is engaging the attention of many who are on the look-out for fresh fields and pastures new, a few remarks concerning it might interest some of your readers engaged in gold-mining. The locality of the discovery is situated about five miles from Hokitika, on the main south road to Ross. A large township is rapidly springing into existence in which can be observed all the hurry and' bustle incidental to a new rush. As the main road is close to the prospectors' claim the means of communication to and from the rush is totally different to that generally experienced on the Coast. Visitors trorn any part of the Middle Island can coach it right on to the ground. There must be about 1500 miners and others already on the field. The greater portion' of the miners are engaged in claims of a more or less payable nature, and a large extent of ground has been taken up, and proved to be gold bearing. Tho auriferous ground is evidently the former bed of a river, which had its source in the adjacent mountains ; but the wash-dirt is not— as a rule— so rich as that which the coast produced in the early days. The gold seems to be scattered through a good depth of wash and over a large area ; and in nearly all tho claims a good quantity of wash will require to manipulated before anything like fair wages will be earned. There are a few claims that no doubt will pay handsomely ; yet on the whole, it is a poor field in comparison with other's that have been opened on the Coast As alluvial mining has been very quiet on the Coast for some time past, the present rush has received a good deal of attention, —more than it otherwise would have done. The ground already opened will employ several hundred men for some years, and perhaps will be tho moans of opening out the district that lies between the rush and Ross—a tract of country which is in the the line of the golden belt that runs along tho Coast several miles inland from the sea. At the present time Woodstock offers very little inducement to parties at a distance to come and try their luck About two miles of the lead is already taken up, and at the lowor end it seems to be wotliiitr poorer, the gold being of a finer description—a sign that the western limit of tho lead is reached, After a prospect has been ob-

tained in a shaft a great work has tO ( be done before the claim can be put into working order — high paddocks have to be built, and water has to be flumed to them from the Water Co. 'a flumed race. As this company charge ten shillings for every paddock of dirt washed, they will reap a splendid harvest from the miners. Several claims have washed up paddocks which yielded satisfactorily, and in three or four months 50 more claims will be in the same forwrad state. A great quantity of gold will be produced from the field, but it will take a deal of time and labour to win it ; while a large proportion of the claims will not pay over £2 or £3 per week. .It will be a good place for business, as the poorest claims will pay all necessary expenses, and allow a trifle to be spent on luxuries,- but the chance of getting a ' ri&e 'or a ' pile ' is very poor on the Woodstodk.

A. G. N.

MfNING NOTES FROM REEFTON. ' (FROM OUR OWf* 0OBRB8PONDBNT.) '; Reefton, July 30th. Tlio result of the week's operations in the Keep-it-Darlc was made known late laat night : 13900z lOdwfc amalgam had been obtained after a crushing of 180 tons; for the week. The total yield for the month came to 890oz retorted gold, as against 6320z for the previous month. This, although a very good yield on the whole, considering that comparatively poor stone passed through the mill during the previous week, waa somewhat below the expected total, and shares fell to 80s, at which some late transactions took place, local men who had during the last few days bought at the top figuro, being the principa buyers, with a view to reduce tho average. , Rekfton, August Ist

The directors of the Welcome Company met last night, and declared a dividend of 4s per 16,0G0th share. The dividend in the Koep-it-Dark was fixed at 2s 6d at the Board meeting, also held last night.

Mr Nicoll, who is sent up, to report on our resources by some Dunedin speculator*, has arrived in Boattnans this evening, en route for Reefton, having come up from Westport to-day. It is understood here' that he is a practic-1 man of vast experience ia cement and quartz-mining. If so his, reports will b& valuable, not only to tho field bub also to the whole country, which is now beginning to take aa interest in the Inangahua and Reefton mines.

One of the smartest stock operators in the city (says the.World) has set the prices of Indian gold-mine shares a-moving within the past tew days by a decidedly clever dodge. We believe he is a very large holder in some of these mines, and would be glad indeed to see his money back : but he professes to be an eager buyer, and has inundated his fellow-sharebrokers with circulars stating that he has some large orders to fill, and would be glad if they V° uld ,J el himl what their intentions are, whether tney are sellers, and, if so, how many shares they canilet him have. Naturally the effect of a , notification of this kind, so practical-looking , and! yet so full of mystery, is just the very, reverse of the ostensible object of its author. The! recipients at once conclude that something is up," and that the something must ba veryf good indeed, else this sharp person would not want to buy. So instead of selling what they hold, they become buyers of more, and . the astute operator works up the price for,tneir benefit to a point that enables him to sell at a, profjt. Mr Bayfield, manager of Johnston's United • Company/at Collingwood, has received |a report'from Johnston, Matthey, and Co., assayers to the Bank of England and the London Mint, riving analyses of samples of galena, blend, ■ and. pyrites from the mine at Collingwood. The 'galena gives 62 per cent, lead, with 14oz of silver per ton of ore. The blend gives 58 per cent; of zinc, with a small percentage of silver. The'pyrites give the highest payable yield— ot 4oz of gold, 15£oz of silver, and 3oz of copper per ton of ore, which is worth in London from £15 to £18 per ton. A vein of pyrites from 2tfi to 3ft thick exists on the Company's property. A tunnel of 400 ft to cut the gold-bearing reef, which is supposed -to be the same as exists m the Hope claim, is nearly finished. This tunnel ia to be driven 500 ft in all.

Letters regarding the assay and sale of about 10 tons of antimony ore sent Home to be tested have been received from the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. Ihe following particulars are extracted from the letters :— " The ore was assayed by Johnston, Matthey, and Co., Hatton Garden, London, B C, who give the following as the result :— Produce of antimony, 41*5 per cent. ; produce of gold, 2'9000z per ton of 20 cwt. ore." Having been requested to test the bags and any mullock adhering to .them from the stone, they burned the bags and assayed the remains. The' produce of gold was l'SOOoz per tonof 20 cwt.' of stone. It' is now believed that tho words "net result eleven" cabled must mean net! result £11 per ton. The ore was sold aftei> assay, and the account sales will not be to hand before the middle of August.