MINING ON THE OLD MAN RANGE. (From Our Roxburgh Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 30

MINING ON THE OLD MAN RANGE. (From Our Roxburgh Correspondent.)

A day or two ago I was able to glean a good deal of information as to mining affairs on the Old Man Kange. The Upper Waikaia Sluicing Company have been, or rather are. pushing on with the preliminary work as fast as it isposssible to do so. Fourteen men are engaged on the race, ana have been so for two months past. The cutting of the race is an undertaking of some difficulty, much of it having to be cut through solid rock:. The line of the race is along steep country, and the reef crops out often in places where not expected. The reef has to be blasted and the broken rock removed. The mean depth of the race is 18id, but it has to be cut deeper in the rock aad filled up

<with tampad earth to the average level. There are in places good sized ciacks in the rock, which would absorb a good deal of the flow of the race. A tamped earth bottom has therefore to be maintained throughout. It is expected that to finish cutting the race will take another month. The total length of the race is 88 chain*, of which 20 chains will consist of fluming. The mean width of the race is 4ft. Twenty heads of water from the Waikaia .River have been secured. Two men are employed prospecting. A considerable quantity of timber has been taken out, and a good deal still remains to go. On Saturday three teams went out with timber. M'Leod, M'Kay, Alexander, and Murchison, four parties working on the terraces, have plenty of water ; and. better still, are getting plenty of gold. Several extended claims have been taken up on the terraces. Kir win and Morgan are on pretty good gold at Bullock Creek, but their water supply is scarce. Ah .Sam's claim at Allan's Hill is doing well. Ned Vernon, a well-known miner, has had granted a claim on the Waikaia, on which he purposes putting a plant at an early date. M'Kay and party have got a claim of 40 acres on the Waikaia, 'and a water right of 20 heads from the Whitcombe Creek. - The Tunnel party below Potter's and the two parties at- Potter's are working away with good results. There is nothing doing at the Rise and Shine. Prospecting by the Southern Protecting Syndicate is still being carried on at wbat is termed the Round Hill. A water right of 70 heads has been granted out of the Waikaia River to work .the ground if the prospecting is satisfactory. The diggers whose claims sre on the very high levels will be coming ia this month for the winter, if they did not do so they would be snowed up. A good spec is awaitiDg anyone who has capital and enterprise enough to open a sawmill at the Waikaia Bush. Splendid timber for mining purposes is there in any quantity, and as mining is on the increase in the locality, thera is a certainty of a good market.