Notes from West port.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 22

Notes from West port.

(Fbom Otjb Own Coebespclndent.) WESTPORT, September 3. "We have had a little excitement here lately in the shape of rumours of attenuating to juinx) the Island Creek Comjiany's claim. On receipt of authority from the company in Dunedin the local solicitor, made the necessaiy arrangements to make the claim a special dredging one. Accoi'dingly the ground was repegged by two men in company, and the ai> plication lodged. Some days after an apx3lication apiaeared in the Courthouse for the same ground by another x 3ar ty, who did not understand the ground, and concluded it was not properly pegged. It is stated that the party concerned aent to the vendor to say they ■would withdraw if given 150 paid-up shares. Several letters have ax^peared in the local papers, which clearly show the position. However, the affair will end in smoke, I am told; but I really think actions of this nature should be severely punished. No doubt some of the shareholders in the above company would be anxious to know the results. The Wareatea claim has since been made into a sxsccial claim. Although several peoxsle here wished tp get shares (knowing the ground), they •were unable io do so, the comxsany's list being largely over-subscribed. The Mokoia dredge has not yet commenced operations. A party prospecting and boring in i>rivate property adjoining the Island Creek have struck good gold, and seem very well satisfied. The properties of tho Geneial Exploration Company aie to be sold by auction shortly. The Mokihinui mine is being worlced very successfully by Messrs Lornas and party. A recent wire from Wellington states that the Cardiff mine is either to be sold or leased very soon. The fire still continues to burn fiercely in one part of the mine, and smoke can be seen issuing from the' ground in several places. It is a great pity such a valuable property is allowed to be thus devastated.

A party here have taken tip a lease of the Old .Ked Queen quartz reef mine, having found a seam oi very nice quartz. I have seen se\eral lots of stone, and if there is any quantity of it I am sure it will X3ay handsomely to wik. The stone is very similar to that got at the Nenthom Rush, _ Lut bears a great deal larger proportion of gold than any I saw there, vncludmg the Bonanza and Eureka.

Numbers of applications i ontinue to pour into the court for j>rosx3ecting licenses. It igpuld seem some of your readers are scejitical as regards some of the x^rosx^ects obtained in this district. Now, all I can say is that if an3"one sees an opportunity of coming this 1 way I would be only too x>leased to verify any statements, for, although not an interested x^arty in many of the claims mentioned, I am very careful to see. for myself that the reports are genuine, and £> do so sx>are no time.

Mr Jones, an old rnoneer of this district, passed away at the hospital this morning. He had in the early days traversed a great deal ■of Otago, prospecting, etc., and was working on the Sliotover for some time. I saw him on Saturday evening. He had just been receiving ihe old-age pension. Mr Jones has had considerable experience in mining matters, and any information gained from him was always Reliable.

The weather here is excex^tionally fine, and iust the thing for sxoeedy finishing of the Si-edges well under way up the Buller River. A syndicate has been formed here to bore

for coal, and I believe they will receive a&-sis-iince fiom the Government. At present the Westpoit Coal Ccmxsany nave been unable to cope with the demand for their coal. It is generally believed that coal exists all along the Buller flats. I know of a seam 30ft thick only 34 miles liom Westpoit, and the only thing necessary is Ihs cax^nal to develoxJ it and to get a railway to bii.ig the black diamonds to port.