Notes from Grey Valley (W.C)

Otago Witness, Issue 2400, 1 March 1900, Page 19

Notes from Grey Valley (W.C)

(From Otto Own Correspondent.) Orwell Creek, February 19.—Miners depending upon rain to keep up their water supply have had rather a hard time of it during the past four or five weeks. Day after day the sun shines in all his glory, greatly to the annoyance of the miner who has his paddock full of wash dirt or his tailrace ready to wash up, and who perhaps wants "hi 3 ounce or two as soon as he can get it. Things are not the same with the digger now as they used to be. In the olden days he was always able to have a few ounces by him, then when he was unable to wash up it did not matter so much, for he always had the " shammy" to fall back upon; but diggers who have a " shammy " to fall back on now are very scarce. Although the late long spell of dry weather may have been injurious to one class o{ the mining community, it has - been a great benefit to another. Prospecting, for instance, has been carried on with wonderful rapidity. Quite a number of men have been busily engaged prospecting on the G-rey River in various places. Amongst the most conspicuous of these is Mr N. Sligo, who has been engaged prospecting properties for dredging on JaehiaU oj the Zealand!* Syndicate^ Dunedin.

Mr Don, whom I mentioned in my last letter, commenced to ~siftk on one of" the Ma« cooler dredging leases on behalf of the Zealandia Syndicate. A shaft was sunk about 24ffe with great difficulty, and although Mr Don and his men did all in their power to bottom the shaft, they failed, owing to the influx of water. This ia the first shaft ever attempted to he put down in the Maeooler Flat. The ground where the shaft was being put down is considered by experts to be about 35ft deep. Things on the Paparoa Eanges have been looking very well of late, and before long I expect to hear of something in the quartz mining line being struck that will knock dredging into a "cocked hat." So, now then, Paparoa, show the world where the treasures of the Coast are concealed. At Ahaura Kiver things are looking capital. A good many men are still working along the banks, and seem to be satisfied with the re-tiu-ns from their various claims. Several dredges are to be placed on this river to work some exceptionally rich ground that has lately been discovered.