DISAPPEARANCE OF AN OPAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6053, 15 December 1897, Page 2

DISAPPEARANCE OF AN OPAL.

■ . As a sequel to the account of the Mount Peel opal mines published yesterday, the following facts, which came to light at the directors' meeting held at Ashburton yesterday, will be of interest. After the blast had been fired in the mine, in the presence of the gentlemen who went up to inspect the fields, a fine opal was found in a piece, of the rock that was blown off. The directors of the company, who were present, decided to take the piece of stone back with them and let Mr Wilson, the Gorernment Inspector, take it to Wellington to show to the Minister of Mines. The manager of the mine (Mr Lyons) at first demurred to the stone going out of his possession, but finally acceded to the request of the directors, and volunteered to carry the piece of stone, some 201 b in weight, down the hill himself and put it in the conveyance. The stone was put in an old sack, and Mr Lyons swears that he carried it straight down and put it into the conveyance under one of the seats. The party in the trap did not think of examining the stone until they, reached the hotel at the Rangitata. There, however, one of the directors lifted the sack out, to exhibit his treasure ib some friends and his fellow - travellers, but instead of the bit of red sandstone rock' in which the opal was imbedded being found, a common water-worn river-bed boulder was the sole contents of the sack. At first the matter was looked upon as a huge practical joke, but as it was important that the Inspector of Mines should have the actual piece of rock with the opal in it that he had seen come out of the mine, a man was despatched back at once to get it. On receiving the news, the manager, Mr Lyons, also thought he was being 1 trifled with and pooh-poohed the idea of the stone being lost. He i .turned with the messenger to Ashburton yesterday, and before a meeting of the directors of ithe company, he swore positively that he had placed the ston*3 with the opal in it into the conveyance himself, and that he knownothing whatever of its whereabouts. The directors decided to send some one back to the mine at once, to make tether inquiries. Meantime, the affair is involved in mystery.