KANIERI.

West Coast Times, Issue 134, 21 February 1866, Page 2

KANIERI.

(from our special reporter.)

(Concluded from yesterday.)

The old Kanieri terrace has a most deserted look, very few claims indeed being in work on it. Marshall's party have at last worked out, having from first to last obtained about 3820z. This result is not so overpowering, if the time they have been working be taken into consideration. They may, however, be considered very foituuate since their arrival on the coast, for during the wet weather of the past winter they were comfortably settled down, and making good wages week after week. There will soon be thirty heads of water running from one end of the terrace to the other, as the Pioneer Race Company have half finished their fluming, and hesides that, have cut a tail race from tho river through the flat, along the foot * of the terrace to carry off the sludge and tail water from the many sluice boxes that soon will be in work. In a few days some few parties at the upper end will commence sluicing, and in six weeks I am sanguine the work of removing the terrace to the bed rock will have fairly commenced. And that it will be sluiced away to a level with the river there is but little doubt, for O'Brien and party, who have for many months worked steadily on the point, overlooking the river, taking it Bodily away to a lovel of about thirty feet above the stream, sunk a shaft to test the ground they were working over, and by so doing cut through three fresh layers of golden drift, from three to six feet thick, and which would prospect from three grains to six grains the dish. They sunk to the river level, and could get payable prospects in the water, as far , down as it was possible to thrust a shovel. It lis their intention to sluice away t,he whole of the face and give it a thoiough trial as soon as j the P'cmeer Company can supply them with

wftler. One of thoso miraculous escapes from instantaneous death that occasionally ht^pen on the gokltiold occurred to two men, named Gill and M'Ewan, whilst driving in a tunnel, running in from the face of tho terrace, a little above Beattie's old store. As usual the timber gave

way, but in its fall fortunately interlocked, and thus kept the drive from entirely closing in. - JBoth men, however, were caught by the falling timber, and so comptetely jammed up as^ to be unable to extricate themselves ; but assistance being at hand, they wero with some difficulty released, and fortunately, excepting a few bruises, both uninjured. The extension of tho Kanieri workings in the direction of Hokitika has at lost commenced, and it is a matter of some surprise that the large alluvial flatj bordering the main stream this sido the junction of tho two rivers have not earlier attracted tho attention of miners. Somo months ago a shaft was sunk on the flat next below tho ono on which tho Kanieri township is built, and gold struck in payablo quantities at a depth of twenty feet. Tliis depth, however, reached tho level of tho river, •whovo tho water proved bo troublesome as to compel an abandonment of tho ground until machinery could bo procured or tho flat extensively rushed, when by tho co-operation of many parties baling together, tho water might ,bo overcome. Until last week, however, this flat has laid fallow, no one, apparently, having any desire to further test it, but a patty at lost took it in hand, and sunk anothor shaft.

out of which thoy obtained such prospects as induced thorn to bring up a toil race from tho river to tako off tho surpluß water, l'his wbb ' finished and a large paddock is now boing taken down, with "a view, if possible, of thoroughly testing the capabilities of the ground. Various rumors aye in circulation respecting the prospects they obtained, some saying a pennyweight to the dish was the result, others much less. But, I believe the truth is that below water level a heavy bed of gravel was touched from the top of which, and under a vein of fine sand, some coarse gold was fished up. A week, however, if the weather continues fine, will decide the question. Most beneficial would it be to the district, were this flat really proved fo be payablo, as it is of sufficient extent to carry a large population, who would, in all probability, run tho gold for a mile or two nearer Hokitika. At tho same time, the depth and superabundance of water render united action necessary, besides tl\e employment of a certain amount of capital to provide appliances for draining it other than those merely worked by hand. It is certainly not a poor man's field. Trade is still dull at the Kanieri, but the good folk live in hope, believing that when the three flats are fairly in work, business will improve ; and although tho population may nofc be so numerous as in bygone (times, it will be permanently resident instead, which will more than conpensato for the numerical difference. Woodstock appears as if suffering from atrophy, so contracted are its workings becoming. There are only one or two parties getting really payable gold, of whom Ryan's in the Maori reserve rank first. Their washing up the week before last amounted to 80 ozs. Mitchell and Ward's party are also getting fairly paidj but the remainder of tho claims are poor, too many of them having fallen short in their yield of the expectations raised by the first prospects obtained. At present there isjno probability of the deep lead extending, all efforts to trace it having so far provod futile.