THE MINES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1709, 23 August 1884, Page 12

THE MINES.

Tlie Australian Silver Mines.

Tho Bendigo Advertiser of a recent date baa an interesting article on the silver mines in the Bariier Ranges, irom which we take a few itoma. Ou/ c. ntemporary in tho first place gives a description of the two routes to the mmes, from which we gather that tbe journey is anything but a pleasant one. From Sydney the dis'.ances to be travelled are : — By rail from Sydney to Hay, 454 miles ; coach from Hay to SUverton, 420 miles ;— total, 874 miles. Fares : Rail, £3 2a 6d ; coach, £11 103 ;— total, &U 12a Gd. The distances by the Adelaide route are :— Rail from Adelaide to Terowio, 140 miles ; coach from Terowie to Silverton, 200 milea :— to'al, about 340 miles. Fares : Rail, 32a ; coach, £s;—total,5 ;— total, £6 12. Second-class rail would reduce the total by 18a. The South Australian Government purpose extending the railway to Silverton as soon aa possible. The hotel accommodation at Silverton is vory limited at present, are only three hotela open now, but two or three more are projected. The charges are about £3 a week, but working men can find accommodation at about half that rate in the town. Most of tho minors and prospectors provide thoirown tucker and c&inp Inaionton the Ranges and in this way they aio able to Jive on eight or ten shillings » weoli, o»- evon less. Many of them supplement their supplies of food by shooting kangaroos, which are fairly numerous in some places Hitherto provieioas have been very scarce and almost at famine prices, but during the past fortnight some fifty or sixty teams have reached Silverton, and this has placed the storekeepers and hotels in possession of plenty of {supplies of all kinds for some little time to come.

• A?' TUB MINES. The town of fcilverton, which has grown up during the past couple of mon^ia, is now a surveyed township with streets and reserves, ali^a for public buildinca &c It ia prettily situated on a gentle slopo, close to tho Unberumborka Creek, and within ten to twenty miles of most of the principal miuos Prospectors can easily find their way about tho ranges, as there aie well-defined tracks and plenty of camvs amonf Ci:o hilla. The country avouud Silverton and Mount Gipps, iind at Thackariuga, ia very mountuinous and ro'jky, end tjae travelling is exceedingly heavy through theso ranges, &nd renders the services of a guido almoat indispensable to a granger.

TUB MODDS OPERAJiSI.

The method of securing claims is by paggjng out a block of ground twenty, forty, or eighty acres square, and lodging an application for a mineral lease. Mobs of the claims are forty acrea each. Before pegging out a claim the prospoctor arms himself with a mineral tfconso; jvhicji costs him £1, and ,1b available for »

ymir Ho f. en rpK* out aiy '"orty acres on whii'h he h .» t und i.'iMc aiVnti ••{ » good liido, lor'gas an appliciti n on a prinw.d to>m w.th the mini'ii; registrar in S 1-^rto-i for a nnueiul lonso, arid p.iys £16 7s 61, wh > h coveia mney fee 13 , re.'istvnfioa fee", and a ,\e;»r\* re'it ii> a'lvaricc ; after Ih.t he tan uork the 'and or !e%ve i' aJone aa ru uhuuseg. until tbe land i« Mirvcyed, :inu lh= leaee i»BUurl, vhen he must put on it at lei- 1 two men permanently to woik the land. The probability U tbaii fr-.m six to twelve months will ekp : o before tnc lease is issued, and in the meantime tho land need not be worked. Many of the prospectois who are men of limited weans arrange with somebody with money to {jay the fees and reutal, on tho condition tbat tne person who does this gets a hr.lf or two-thirds 6havo in the claim. One man can take up aa mauy claims aa ho chooses, but mu9t apply for and pay for each claim separately.