Mining- at Kawaran.

Otago Witness, Issue 1765, 19 September 1885, Page 3 (Supplement)

Mining- at Kawaran.

'The following items are from the Cromwell Argus of the Bth inst. : —

As there was hardly any snow on the ranges* and the weather seemed so favourable, the Carpick Race Company were congratulating themselves on being able to make an early start, and put on a number of men to clean out the race on Monday last ; but since that time a succession of storms have prevented them from doing any work. The men, however, have pluckily stayed on the range during all the miserable ■weather, ready to make a start as a change permits. This delay will be a serious drawback to many of the sluicers, especially those on the range and at Menzies' Terrace, who cannot get water until the Carrick race is brought in. Messrs Alves and Hoffman, who are treating the Star tailings, are also delayed, as they can do nothing without a constant supply of water. So that taken altogether there will be a good deal of loss by the untimely weather.

The- dredge on the Kawarau is pretty well finished, and is expected to commence work next week. Quite three months of the most valuable time of the year for dredging has thus been lost through the delay in getting the machinery in order, the blame of which is said to lie on the The Company have a prospecting a r ea under the new regulations of two miles of the river, and we believe they intend to start near where the dredge has been built. In the <early days, before the banks w«:re sluiced very gooil ground was worked as far into the river as "it was possible to get, and there can be no doubt plenty of gold remains. The greatest difficulty that the dredge will have to contend with will be the quantity of big stones that have been •rolled into the river from the sluicing chiims, but there are other portions of their claim where there are comparatively few stones to contend with.

Messrs Cooper and Co., who have also a prospecting area of two miles of the Upper Clutha, near Sandy Point, have entered into a contract for building their dredge, and a large portion of their ironwork and timber for building the boats is already prepared, and next week a quantity of it will be on the ground. They expect their dredge will be completed and at work in less than three months from now. Leys and party, • who are working a small spoon dredge by manual

labour on the Clntha at Maori Point, are said to be getting very good gold, but they can get over but very little ground with their present appliances.