Notes from Grey Valley (W.C.).

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 20

Notes from Grey Valley (W.C.).

CFkom Otjb Own Cobhespoxdent.) little geet. September 26. — About, five- or six months ago • a good deal of attention was paid to this~ locality by"a number of people interested in mining. A large number of dredging areas were taken up, and a good matiy of them- prospected: Several mining experts who were engaged prospeouing some of the properties along the .Little Grey esk pressed themselves satisfied with the xeaults. Yet mining matters here are very dull. There a^c a good many individual rnineis working in. several of the-neighbouring creeks, but the result of their labours seldom exceeds wages. Up to the present there are no dredges under constrtiction on the Little G-rey, which v/as at an early stage of the West Coast dredging boom considered to bs one of the most favourable localities for this particular line or mining on the West Coast.

One thing noticeable at this part of the valley is the state in which the niain ro?.d is kept. In many parts the road itself stands badly in need of fresh metal, while the bridges in most casea appear to be nothing "more or les3 than traps. The topwork of several of them is all mossgrown and decayed, whilst in one or two instances they resemble a switchback railway, being the possessors of a most neculiar cant, and also considerably out of plumb. Sound about the Black Water and Snowy Eivers, things appe.tr to be a little better. A good deal of mining is being carried on at both, places, with fairly satisfactory results. Both, of these places were rushed in the early da.ys. but they appear -!o have only been run over, and! cannot be said to be worked out. Indeed, fcha present outlook for both localities is ve-y encouraging. There is a large area of highly

r auTjferous country in these localities, and there are signs of its early development. ''"The dredging iudustiy is also showing signs of advancement, and m both the IBlackwpter Creek and the Snowy R:ver, dredging areas ?re being extensively prospected, and I expect to see seveial dredges mirier construction during next year on both these stieamc, which appear %O be highly suitable for dredging operations.