TAIRUA GOLDFIELS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2170, 11 October 1875, Page 3

TAIRUA GOLDFIELS.

(PBOJI OUB OWN COBBBSPOHDENT.) ' .Nbvesville, Saturday. The Progpeotors' battery had to cease crushing early on Friday morning in consequence of the, contractor's inability to deliver.tho quartz'at the mill. When I last wrote, or immediately after the clean up, I met him taking his first load down, bu.fc it appears that the two bullocks jibbed on it, therefore nothing was left but to hang up the stampers. Mr , Beeche at onee wrote a note to the con-

tractor stating that every latitude had been given liim, but henceforth the quartz would be Bent down at any cost, and he would be held responsible. In the meantime a messenger had been despatched to the Tairua upper landing for eight or ten pack-horses, several of which'arrived last night, and the remainder .to-day, so that tho: mill will bo at work before this appears in print. There are fully a couple of days' crushing stuff at the bottom of the skids, which will bo whipped off in a few hours. The horses on their former trips, which extend over a mile and a-half in length of very rough , country, carried about four tons per day, and it is estimated tliat the same number of horses will carry from the bottom of tho skids 15 tons per day. The skids .are laid over the sidoling to the edge of the flat, ; which ia a quarter of a mile from, the battery, and almost a dead level. The skids are capable of carrying down, easily, twc tons per hour," which was done com' fortably yesterday. It is just possible that "the contractor will come to terms with the owner of the pack-horses, to gel away the stuff from the bottom of the skids, and if so, it would prove advan : tageous to the company, and remove al. doubts' as to keeping the mill supplied with quartz. At any rate, should this arrangement not bo agreed upon, the company's manager will not remove the horses.until the contractor is. able to deliver daily the specified number of tons. The North Star drive is nowin fullj 37 ■ feet, and reached, a • country thai appears to be a quartz formation. Severa. veins have recently crossed.over the drive and yesterday two of a larger size than usual were intersected, and formed con jointly a body of stone 6 inches wide The loose rubble surrounding this shows a very encouraging prospect of gold, but | tho solid stone has not been tested suffi ciently to form any idea as to its value 1 The country through' which the tunnel is passing, as I stated in my last, is aboul ' the best I have seen in the district, anc I gold ■ bearing veins having been cut should induce them to push ahead wit! ; ' their tunnel, which should eventually cul a large lode. . The Britannia Company s manager has been setting things in order, according'' t< his own liking, and the chamber will b( completed ' about Tuesday night. Tin cutting down of the winze will be the first work, and. sinking [will then .be re sumed. \ The Star of the South have at" lengtt commenced work, and their first day i operations resulted in finding gold, notii any defined lode, jbut in loose boulders Wow that this company have commencec it is to bo hoped that' sufficient men wil be placed,on to make up for lost time. .'lhe week has been very quiet indeed news being very scarce, but 1 expect thai the forthcoming one will be more lively ; as one or two companies have almost completed necessary dead work ere the] could operate upon the lodes.- The weather the last few days has been

frightful, rain coming down in torrents, reminding one very forcibly of the early days which we passed in thejold Measlestown camp.