Notes from Arrowtown. (From Our Own Correspondent.)
Otago Witness , Putanga 2515, 28 Haratua 1902, Page 22
Mō tēnei niupepa
Notes from Arrowtown. (From Our Own Correspondent.)
ARROWTOWN, May 20. The Lafranchi's Freehold dredge had a most successful trial yesterday. Tiie dredge is worked by O'Brien's wateT power system, Hvhich answered very well in. this instance. Regxjlar fcvork will begin as soon as the engineer has bassed the dredge, which is expected to be on .Thursday nert.
The Lone Star dredge is stopped for the want of coal.
The weather shows an improvement to-day, and there are indications of the frost setting in again.
Mr Ibllston, with a gang of men, went through on Monday morning by coach. They aie, I understand, to caulk and float the pontoons of the Grand Junction dredge, situate below the Victoria bridge, by the junction of the Nevis and Kawarau Rivera.
The Arrow Falls Company are opening out a lot of ground. This company has very good prospects. I understand there is a probability at them putting on an extia shift.
The weather is fine and mild, with abundant •unshine. which, haa the effect of eiadjijUlx. in
fact imperceptibly, reducing the lately fallen snow, which was by no means so heavy as was represented generally. DBEDGIN-G. Dredging, though by no means dead, is in a comatose srtate. All the Gibbstone dredges have shut down. The Arrow Junction dredge kept at work till last week, when she ceased. T!ia Grand Junction pontoons, which have for some months been sitting on a spur of rock 4ft above river level, being left there by a recent flood, are to bo floated off. Mr C. Rilletone_ has received the contract for the floating, and is now on tho epot getting things ready. The dredge sitting midships upon the rock makes the job a precarious one. Fortunately there is no machinery on board. o-he Maori Point dredge is reported to be on good gold, but the party being- a semi-private one the returns' are not made public. The Moke Creek dredge (the Prince Alfred) is progressing very slowly. The Lake- County Council are making certain repairs to the track, which will facilitate the delivery of material at the site of the dredge. CARDHONA. The Lafranchi's Freehold dredge will ere this appears in print be at regular work. A trial run made last Monday was most successful, everything working in perfect order and with the greatest ease. Mr O'Brien's system of'anbsfcituting tho turbine for the boiler and engine , is making its way wherever water pressure is available. The Lone Star drodge has suspended work for the want of coal and difficulty of carting it. j sluicing. i The winter wash-ups of the large claims are generally understood to be satisfactory, but I nothing definite percolates as to the amount of gold obtained, the parties being all private ' cne3. j Amongst the smaller parties a good many j claims have changed hands of late at figures to show that water is rising in value. { The King Edward VII Company, Arrow Flat, has come to grief after spendmg something like on the claim. It is, however, expected the company intends to make another trial of the ground, next time, perhaps, with a dredge. Mr Walter Little, Cardrona, purchased the pipes and plant of the King Edward Company for £671. The whole is now in course of transit to Cardrona, where Mr Little, induced by the gold the Lone Stcr obtained, intends to &t»rt hydraulicking, feeling confident that there is a payable lead of gold m the Cardrona Valley. Air Littkj deserves to be well recompensed for his plucky undertaking. j EIVER MIXIXG. J This is the harvest time for the river miners, ' and most of them are doing well, especially so the older parties. Messrs A. Smith and Sons are, and have for some time, been on rich gold. Peat and Schnstedt are getting gold that reniinds one of the olden times, and others are ! doing equally well. A DEAD CA.T YIELDING 15OZ OF GOLD. Mc.srs Ben Rogers and Johnston, whose claim joins Messrs Smith's, had an experience the other day. In the course of work Mr Rogers perceived a dead cat buried in the wash, and hfimg it with his sluice fork to fling it away as an offensive nuisance, a perfect shower of gold fell through puGsy's decaying ribs. Without much delay it was deposited in a tin dish, carefullj dissected, cud "the result was that the nuisance yielded 15oz of mc«, waterworn gold. When the crevice where pussy had reposed — for heaven only knows how many years — was cleaned up 31oz of gold were obtained. This little incident discloses the rich- KCcd of the Shotover River. It is also a proof that much gold still travels dovrn the iiver, especially during times of floods. I The Kia-Ora dredee, Kawarau, shut down last Saturday after prospecting the claim throughout its length and breadth. This claim comprises a portion of tho defunct Frankton claim, over which there was a great controversy during the boom of 1889-90. May 2-i. The White Star dredge (Cardrona) Inst week made a great improvement in her returns — something over 15cz for three days' work. Owing to a shortage of coal, consequent upon the bad state of the coal-pit road through the snow, a temporary Btoppage became necessary. It is confidently expected that on resuming good returns will be maintained, as the ground opening out is of a very promising nature. The Kia-Ora dredge haa finished prospecting the ground of th« Golden Vein Company. The : result will not warrant a continuation of operations on the ground. Mr M'Kechnie is to take charge and prospect the Horaeshoe Bend claim, it is to be hoped with better results. The claim is situated higher up the river than the , Golden Vein. j Mr Frank Luke, who has for a long time worked a claim on the Kawarau at the Horseshoe Bend, and who is well known in mining circles, is leaving for a trip to the Old Country. Another well-known man, Mr Kenneth M'Lay, has sold out his claim at Brackens to Messrs Payne and party. Mr Hoy_. lately caretaker and formerly dredgemaster of the United Morven dredge, has received a similar appointment down about Alexandra, and commences his new duties on Monday. Mr W. Stevenson has been appointed caretaker m his place.
The Memmac dredge has been shifted to a. moia of— axuent ulace ux> the rivex to t« tli^mantled.
The. machinery is to be transferred to the Golden Molyneux. There should be no stoppage in the supply of coal for the river dredges during the winter n>onth3. The Gibbston Coal Pit Company's tramway is about completed, and a few dayB 1 work will put it in first-class running order. A trial run was held on. Saturday, everything running smoothly. Three trips were made, 68 bags being brought down. The time taken per trip is about 20 minutes up and 15 down.
