LONG WOOD NOTES.

Western Star, Issue 346, 24 April 1880, Page 5

LONG WOOD NOTES.

Several shareholders of the St. George Company visited their claim on Thursday last, with a view of considering the best place to start driving the tunnel from the now ground recently held by Grey and Garvie under miners’ right into their St. Georg* lease, an amalgamation of this party with the Company having been proposed -last meeting. The reef struck by Grey and Garvie was ■inspected, which showed a splendid body of stone about 2ft. in width, running as nearly as could be judged N.N.lfi. bySS.W. It was thought most advisable .by those present to start driving alongside this reef where it was exposed by the above, and continue the funnel into the Bt. George lease until a junction with Port’s line of reef was effected! 'Although the groun i was rather flat for driving, it was thought sufficient fall could be obtained to,carry the tunnel from the new ground into the old! The Invercargill Company’s old lease was also visited, but there were no signs of anything having been 'done on the ground since the Company bad ceased working, further than a notjee posted on the hut signed by 11.. Daniels and Beveridge prohibiting anyone,,from entering on pain of prosecution. Whether this, party intend applying for this lease, which has now been declared cancelled, could not be ascertained, as there was no one to be seen on the ground. A bait having been made at Port’s hut, where the inner man was refreshed, the party were shown over the -Arethusa workings by Mr Poit. In the old drive, about 20ft. long, a prospect was obtained from the reef by the visitors, which when washed in the tin dish showed about a grain of gold; one front the shaft exhibited a much similar result. '.The stone thrown out is studded more or less with specks of very fine gold visible to the nuked eye. The party are at present working iu their new drive, and are in about 70ft. They intend to drive some distance yet before they touch the reef. Hopcroffc’s party have pegged off a claim southeast of the St. George, which we hear they are going to apply for a lease for. Enquiries have been frequently made as to the result of the crushing of stone from the Balmoral claim at the public battery, Dunedin,-to where it was forwarded three weeks ago. On enquiry we learn that the crushing has nob yet been completed. A considerable number of alluvial .claims have been taken up during the last week or two. Some twenty or thirty men have pegged off and are starting to give the ground a trial.