PRESERVATION INLET GOLDFIELD

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 2321, 25 August 1898, Page 18

PRESERVATION INLET GOLDFIELD

The Preservation Inlet correspondent of the Southland Times v-'iiles.— Winter, which is never very severe in these paits, has passed away, and we have had some! splendid weather lately— in fact, much too dry, as all the alluvial diggers are complaining of want of water. Mining in all its branches .'s fairly brisk, and very few men are out of employment. Alluvial work is getting more attention than it has had for many months, and, what is more, it is attended with considerable success. Some new giound has been fouiid

lately by Messrs Fcssy and Johnston, ii. Sealers No. 1, formerly known as Burgin Gully. The gold is heavy and rough, some of it with quartz adhering to it. Messrs Ferguson, Clearer, and Roberts have taken up the claim in Wilson's River known as Gobbetts. They have flumed water across the river from M'Fadyen's Creek, and they should do well, as the claim is an exceedingly rich one, only abandoned on account of scarcity of water. Several men have taken up alluvial claims lately on Coal Island, at the southern end, and all report doing fairly. One lucky digger while walking up No. 2 Creek the other day picked up a nugget ■weighing 3oz sd\vt. Ifc was lying on the top of tho wash, and had been exposed by the rain. The Beach ai Sealers' Creek, which lies about half way between the lighthouse and Windsor Point, has been pegged off as a dredging claim. It has been known lor jears that a rich deposit of fine gold v>as raised with the saud on the surface, where the creok meets the sea, but it was too low to be saved by any of the ordinary methods, A dredge of course will easily get it, and it is quite possible that heavy gold may be found on tho bottom, but so far this has not been proved. Messrs Seator and M'Ken/zie, who have taken up the claim, will be deserving of success if they introduce a dredge to the 1 district. In reeffing matters everything is much about the same. The Tarawera is still at a standstill waiting for pumping machinery. The> Alpha Company will commence crushing very shortly now, and have abundance of stone to work on. At the Golden Site the reef hag been cut at the low level, but although tlie formation is wide the quartz is somewhat broken snd mixed with pug. The manager is now putting in a level half way between the top and lower level. He is highly pleased with tho prospects obtained from the reef thus far. TheMorning Star battery was idle for a few days, but is now going ahead steadily under tho management of Mr Keam, who has succeedpcl Mr Davis, who left to attend to his alluvial claim at QuewiHtown. Another claim has bo^n taken up adjoining the Just Reward; ifc is called the Beta.