THE TAIRUA GOLDFIELD.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2349, 21 June 1876, Page 3

THE TAIRUA GOLDFIELD.

(fbom oub own coebesfondent.) JTevesville, Monday. Taibua.—Mr Seager sent up his boilermakers last Saturday week to commence the making of the boiler, but on arriving at the company's works they found that only a few of the plates had arrived at the site; they were, therefore, unable to commence operations, and the manager has put them to work excavating for the boiler foundations, to keep them employed until stuff arrives. The machinery is coming up very slowly from the Tairua side. I suppose the bad weather has had a good deal to do .with it, for as thereare such a number of crossings of the various branches of the Tairua river between here and Tairua, it is almost impossible to get through when thore is the least fresli.on. I hear that the new engine lately purchased from Messrs Fraserand Tinne has been landed at the Tairua landing, partly below high water mark, so that the tide flows partly over it, and wlien a fresh occurs it is entirely submerged; It was placed there about six weeks ago. If such is the case, there must have been gross negligence on tho contractor's part, and the company will do well to send a competent mau to examine it beforo bringing it up, for should the water have got into tho cylinder the chtnces are that it will be found necessary to soud it back to the Thatnos to get it bored out again. The contractor, Mr Sommervell, has the stamper-boxes in position, and the tables and blanketstreaks laid, and is now only awaiting the arrival of a few pieces of machinery to corcploto his contract. Mr Frazer will send a man from Auckland to complete the erection of the engine when it arrives. The wire tramway has boen lowerod 70 feet, and works splendidly, and appears to be capable of sending down from _ six to soven tons per hour at a mere nominal cost, tho only labour required being a boy at each ond to attond to tho buckets. Iu cutting out the ground for tho hoppor at tho head of the tramway the mauagor, Mr Hall, tried some of tho stuff, and. finding it to bo gold-bearing, sent a parcel of it to tho battery, which yielded very favourably. Although not rich, it will pay vory well when tho new battery is cvooted. It appears to bo looso stuffthat has from time to time been washed down tho hill: iu fact, tho wholo sido of the raugo appears to contain similar stuff, the wholo of which carries nioro or less igold.

Goiden Aebow.—Men are still engaged in sinking tho shaft, and the prospects continue as rich as ever. The whole of the shaft is now covered with a solid body of rich looking quartz, and there is every' appearance of its forming itself into a well defined lode. The shaft has not been sunk with a view of working the claim from it, but merely to test the value of the ground at a depth, it being the impression of most practical miners that the whole thing was a jumble on the surface, with gold scattered through it, and that on sinking a few feet it would come on to the belt of the hard conglomerate and be entirely cut out j. hence the little display of confidence in this part of the field, but tho sinking of the shaft has dispelled that idea, and made it assume quito a different feature altogether, so much so that it is.now the general opinion of those who seo it that it will prove to be a monster lode of great richness, and of much greater dimensions than any reef yet worked in tho Thames district.: Tho ground is so situated that it canbe worked'at a great depth from tunnels, and the reef traversing the fall of the range little or no dead work will be required at the different levels to intersect it. This will prove a wonderful saving to tho company, as they will be able to run their stuff direct to the tramway leading to the battery, by which means quartz of a very low grade with a good battery can be made to pay. Tho manager, Mr Campbell, has men engaged in clearing the bush half a chain wide, from Jackson's track to tho shaft along the line of .reef. He intends to clear.all tho top surface away and expose the lode to facilitate future, operations. Messrs Barty and Rowe,' two of the directors, accompanied by Mr Girvan, a large shareholder, came up last week on a tour of inspection, in order to satisfy themselves of the absoluto necessity of at one'e proceeding with the erection of machinery. Thoy examined tho fow claims'at present working, and appeared astonished at the good prospects throughout, and particuarly so in the. claim they, were most interested, and went back determined to lose no time in getting a ten-stamper, battery on the ground, so 'that after .the next meeting of directors I shall expect to hear that operations have been commenced.- As the company will find it necessary to construct a tramway to the battery, I think they would do well to. consider the adoption; of tho revolving wire tramway Bystem, feeling assured that it would prove the cheapest and best mode of transit) and tho cost of erection would be much less than a wood tramway. .

Ajax.—Mr Bawdon is getting on very well with tho. machinery, although the weather has been very much against him. All tho heavy parts are now at the corduroyed portions of the track, and should the weather prove -favourable* another week will see a good deal of.it landed at the site. Two pair of sawyers arrived to-day, to assist in cutting the timber for tho construction of the water-race from the Measletown Creek. : The reef going north and south still maintains its' usual appearance, and the yield of amalgam at the battery is fully up to the last fortnight's . average. A cross-cut has been started about 70 feet from the mouth of the main tunnel to intersect the lode going north. This will lessen the distance for trucking considerably, as the reef is running nearly parallel with the tunnel, with only.a wall of about 15 feet betwixt them. They expect to break through to-day. A contract is to be let this week for driving on the lodo 100 feet south. ■' Great complaints are made at the irregular mode of mail communication to this place. The present system is altogether unsuited to the requirements of this important district, and the sooner the Government can make an alteration the better. The mail is brought to Puriri (weather permitting) daily,'and a contract has been let to Mr Bead to convey it to Nevesvillo, twice a week, viz., Tuesdays and Fridays, deliverable St 10.30 a.m. The' mailman, having to leave Puriri early in the morning, cannot bring up' that day's mail, excepting on such days when the 'Buona Yentura' leaves Short-' land very on the Tuesday morning, so that letters posted at the Thames, say on Monday, seldom roaches hero until the. following Friday. It will therefore bo seen that, although we are within four hours' walk of the Thames, it takes nearly a week to get a letter delivered; the consequence is, that for evory lotter sent through the post thoro is more than a dozen sent through private hands. I think the better plan to adopt would be either to make arrangements with.some of the packers to bring it up daily, or to get it brought by a horseman direct from the Thames three times a week. . MrCarthew, Deputy Mining Inspector, favoured us with his usual monthly' visit last week, the object of which I am not aware of* I bolieve it is intended to call a public meeting this week to petition the .Government to ualoek the

various non-working claims of tho field. I think it is quite time that the people both here and at the Thames tookthis matter up, for the interests of each .are identical with each other, and whilst the field remains in its present state it is impossible for it to progress. We have had very boisterous weather during the last week; nothing but a succession of gales of wind and heavy rains. The roads are in a fearful Government appanc-yory aluii-hirimprov-ihg them. The new road from here to tho Ajax will soon be impassable unless it is corduroyed. This should have been proceoded with immediately after tho road was formed. The contract for clearing the bush half a ciiaiu wide from the Taiaua battery to the Consolation claim has been completed. ; .