ADDISON'S FLAT.

Westport Times, Volume 1, Issue 136, 7 January 1868, Page 2

ADDISON'S FLAT.

(from our own correspondent.) January 3. The holidays are over, and ever? one thought that fine weather might naturally be looked for after so longs spell of wet, and the few fine dayi during Christmas gave promise of it. All the miners had made up theii minds to commence the new year well, but, I am sorry to say they wen doomed to disappointment. On Monday evening a thunder-storm bursi over the place, accompanied with verj heavy rain, which filled the shafts to the last flood level. This was disheartening enough, but the next evening heavier rain, if possible, completed the work of destruction. Of course, the old tale of the head-racas being allowed to overflow is again to *be told, and this time with justice. There is not« doubt if proper precaution had been used by the proprietors of these races that two-thirds of the damage would never have occurred. Flumes constructed to carry only one head of water running in all directions from these races are over-charged, and consequently overflowed in all directions, in some cases actually running down the shaft. I wonder no one tries the question of damages against the , owners of the main head race. Heavy { damages awarded in a case or two would make them a little more careful . and do a great deal of good to the ' miners in general. 7

btgi At Moonlight Creek the damage been fearful, and even the claims oWtowards the river, hitherto thought to ?llbe out of any danger, even by the ■swamping of the gi ound on the north "wside of the creek, have suffered. The 'dßhard nature of the wash would have wßseemed to warrant them in the idea ; tHbut, alas, this time the creek has overißflown, swamped all the claims in the '{■ neighborhood, and the water has found JeHits way into the deep ground. At iißpreseut the damage in the deep claims 'li is trilling beyond the increase of n /water; but, as every one knows, let £ the water once make a passage for n> and there is no knowing where ie ; hhe ruin may cease. The water on !• Jthis side first found an entrance at It '" Paddy's" claim, on the edge of the a -creek. This was the first time it had i| rfound a passage towards the claims :,• laying south of the creek, and as the ij .ground here is the deepest, until tl - 0 rain is entirely over, and every claim e in work again bailed out, no one can |~ .calculate the amount of injury the [' ...flood may have done. On the north ( end of the lead the tunnels were | swamped nearly to the cap pieces in [ two cases, and in one on the highest , ';. .ground the water rose two feet six ; inches above the level of the last flood. '! Two of the tunnels will be useless, and ( -.as one party have only lately bought i; this tunnel on purpose to drain their ; -claim, and have been for the last ! month continuing the drive, so as to | complete the channel, it is a very unfortunate occurrence, and I am they will not be able to make use of it again, thus rendering the work >of some twenty men for the last five 1 ..months almost useless. Indeed it is a s -great question whether the ground would pay to put another tunnel in. Talking of tunnelling, the men of the Southern end of the Lead have been thinking of putting in a tunnel -from the river. They calculate it would be 1400 feet to the first claim, -and even at the most favorable calculation they cannot get it done within three months. This will be a great undertaking, and ought to be supported Jby all the miners who have claims in the neighborhood. The names of 4hose who will enter into the scheme <are to be entered to-night, and the petition to obtain the right, to be taken into Mr Commissioner Kynmersley to-morrow. No doubt they will gain the permission. The only regret is that such a work is necessary, -as in a tunnel but few can work, and :among so many claims the idlers will amount to some SO or 100 men, as no work can be found beyond bringing ■in the timber, dressing it, and working at the face. Two months delay and idleness is inevitable for so many men as a tail-race in such deep ground is impossible. I. can give yon no adequate idea of the amount of injury ? done to the prospects of this place 'but that this last flood has thrown it hack two months ; I think one is a Jinoderate calculation.

Monday, January 6. In my last I did not exaggerate the amount of damage done by last heavy |flood. The water in the flat, better Known as behind the Omco Store, and where the leads are widest, and if not ;the richest, as payable as the deep ground, is level with the surface, nearly every hole full to the top. In the deep ground, where before the water was not increased by the floods the shafts are half full, and a day or two more will allow the water to find its level, which would be nearly to the surface even here.

Another meeting was held in the Australasian Concert Hall on Saturday night, to give the committee appointed the night before an opportunity of stating the result of their interview with the Commissioner. The meeting was numerously showing at last that -they have come to ia sense of the necessity of unan- , imity in the work of baling and carrying off the surface water not only when a flood comes, but at all times • and their sense of the want of some law to compel each to convey the water •the water they do bail by proper channels into one common watercourse out of harms way, not as heretofore, baling away without a thought -as to where the water was going or jiwhat injury it might be doing to ground next to them. Mr Gallagher \ was voted to the chair, and he explained [ to the meeting that the resolutions ; drawn up at the former meeting, tryi ing to get the Commissioner to compel all to commence baling at once, had fallen to the ground, as he said he i had no power to compel them. The i chairman said he had a deal of difficulty in getting signatures to the ■resolution, as some said they had money enough to hold on, and hold oni they would, and let the others bail if they liked. He only obtained 34 signatures. However, that did not seem to be the feeling of the meeting

unanimously resolved that a stormchannel bhould be cut, and a committee consisting of the following gentlemen Messrs Bryant, Dasney, Dwrin, Halfin, Nelson, Campbell, Leslie, Williams and "White—were elected to survey the line and take the levels on Monday, every one pledging themselves to commence the work of cutting on Tuesday morniug, every one to see that his neighbor is at the work, and if not to try and compel him or get his share jumped, on the plea of his not doing a fair day's work on it. This affair, so important to the wellfare of Addison's Flat and ever one on it, could not have fallen into better hands than it has. The gentlemen forming the original Committee have lost no time, and failing in their first plan, brought forward another and a better. The thanks of the whole community are due to them, and through their prompt action' a fortnight or three weeks will see v the men at work again. One party composed of the claim-holders who have not worked much of their ground, and consequently have a twelve-month's work to look forward to, were for bringing in a tunnel, and I believe that will still be done, although for those who have but a small portion of their ground left workable, it would be too expensive, and take too long a time to bring in—four months at least. But all the supporters of the tunnel are willing to assist in cutting the storm channel. I only hope that the channel will be cut in so short a time, but I think it is not saying too long a time if I say that little gold will be renturned for two months.

The storekeepers of course being compelled to stop credit. The only wonder is, how they have held out so long. The only question is, how one half of the men are to work at the channel, or indeed, to stop on the ground ? On looking at the post-office notices in your paper, one is led to imagine no alteration has taken place in the delivery of the mail on this place. The fact is, over a week has passed since any mail was received, or left this place ; What is the reason ? Before this, the mail was regulUr, and the only information I can gain is, that for the future the days are to be altered, and the mail to leave the Buller and the return mail to be received there within three hours ; thus giving no time to any one to answer any letter, however important. Where it only arrives and leaves twice a-week it is a great consideration.