MINING NEWS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 378, 6 August 1903, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

Tbe river has fallen 4 or 5 inches daring the week, the height last evening'being about 3ft 10m above the " normal" mark. . '

So severe was the frost on Saturday night and Sunday morning last that many of the the dredges were obliged to keep going on Sunday, to avoid the freezing up of the machinery and the bursting of pipes. The Perseverance No 1 dredge is working steadily on payable wash. The No 2 dredge ia still in the repairers' hands. . ... -1 , The "Mt Benger Mail" says that Mr J Watt, late of the New Roxburgh Jubilee dredge, who has been appointed manager of the Fraser River (British Columbia) G D Co, is taking with him four dredgemen from the district—viz, Messrs R Smith, G Fitzgerald, F Laloli, and James Kirkwood. The party leave Dunedin on the 15th August, and Auckland on the 21st. What might have been a very serious—even a fatal—accident happened at the Gold Bank dredge, Glenore, on Tuesday last (says the " Bruce Herald.") A young man named Pettigrew had just stopped the driving .engine, but going too near the fly-wheel belt, the weight of his body touched it, and the wheel made several revolutions. The young man was eaught by the belt and carried along and thrown down with considerable force, sustaining severe bruises and cats about the head and chest.

On Saturday next, Mr A C Murray will sell by auction, near Felton's, on the Clyde-Cromwell road, the whole of the timber and material of the Great Central dredge pontoons, in lots to suit purchasers. Particulars will be found in our advertising columns, The Golden Chain dredge was sold by auction at Dunedin on Saturday last by Messrs Park, Reynolds and Co, Mr Isaac Stevenson becoming the purchaser at £795.

The Sailor Bend dredge resumed work on Friday afternoon last. The. annual general and extraordinary meeting of the Stafford-Waimea Dredging 00, called fer Friday evening last, lapsed for want of a quorum. As the adjourned meeting of shareholders lus been called for to-morrow evening, a larger attendance is requested. The Earnscleugh No 1 dredge is working away steadily. The Earnscleugh No 2 had the misfortune to break her top tumbler during the week, but will not lose a great deal of time, as the company have a spare tumbler on hand. /'' Mr JH Jones, late of the Chicago and Chatto Creek dredges, has been appointed engineer of the Rising Sun dredge. The f Cromwell Argus " full number of .buckets required to complete the bucket chain of the Rising Sun have arrived, and will be placed in position at once. The dredgemaster, Mr Wm Kane, has his crew on hand getting ready to drop down to the bottom boundary of the claim.". :..',-. >.'/ '-- ;^£*\-

The response to the levy of Pd per share made by the directors of the Golden River Company a'short time ago is very satisfactory. The levy is payable in two instalments' of 3d per share, and carries a preferential interest of 100 per cent. As a good many shareholders appear to be laboring under a false impression in connection with this matter, the secretary informs us that if, in the opinion of the directors, sufficient funds are not obtained by means of this levy to pay for wages, coal, and working expenses for a fortnight, the money so subscribed will be returned to shareholders.— "Star."

The returns from the Molyneux Hydraulic dredge have been very disappointing during the last three months the being very poor. Last week's return was only 6oz. On account of the very severe frosts lately experienced, the sluicing operations at •the lower end of the claim are at a standstill, but as soon ait the weather breaks the water will be turned on again and another start made. Tbe directors are of opinion that after about six weeks more sluicing the ground will be ready for dredging, when they propose to shift the dredge down. The dredge has never been right down to the lower boundary since she started, but, judging by the amount of gold won with/the elevating plant some few years ago, the ground should prove payable. At the end of last month (20th July), after paying all the accounts, there was a credit balance left of £325 lis 7d, including the reserve fund. There has been a good deal of money spent on the dredge lately, and' she is now in very good working order. The dredge is, at present, continuing on the cut she has lately been working, and the directors hope shortly to see' an improvement in the returns. j I

Last week, a young man named Albert Labes, working on the' Greenstone Creek dredge, met with a terrible accident, which resulted in his right arm being completely torn off near the shoulder, while he also received severe, bruises about the head and body. The Kumara correspondent of the Hokitika " Guardian " says that the unfortunate fellow was in Ah aet of tightening nuts in connection with the winch gear, when the coat he was wearing caught a protruding nut of the revolving shaft, his coat and shirt getting entangled round the Shaft Labes had only lately gone from tbe Lawrence district to the Wett Coast. At latest accounts the sufferer was doing as well as could be expected. A Perth (W A) wire says that Lang and Hatt treated 3cwt of stone from their claim at Southern Cross, and the : extraordinary yield was given thereI from of 210oz of gold.

Gold dredging in the Nelson district (says the " Colonist") cannot as yet be said to have proved successful. At Aorere and Parapara respectively two dredges have recently been wrecked end another stranded. There- is a growing feeling that dredges mutt not be allowed to destroy agricultural 1 land by sending rich soil down to the sea and. leaving useless masses- of boulders and silt in place of soil that would provide for the wants of men for all time. A RECORD RETURN. Quite a state of excitement prevailed in Alexandra on Saturday afternoon: last, when it become known that the' Manuherikia dredge had washed up for the magnificient return of 4340z lldwt of gold for 138 hours' work (the record for the Alexandra district), and Dredgem aster Anderson was heartily cheered on the announcement being made. An enthusiastic crowd immediately proceeded to the Alexandra Lead dredge and courteously demanded, the surrender of the rooster that has been crowing defiantly from 'the poppet heads of the latter dredge for over 12 months past, with a record of 4120z 16dwt to his credit. The skipper (Mr R Ross) cheerfully admitted his ship was beaten, and handed over the! trophy, which was presented to Dredgemaster Anderson with much imposing ceremony. An adjournment was then made to the town, where the dredgemaster's health was enthusiastically drunk with musical honors. The above return was obtained notwithstanding the fact that the dredge was a good deal troubled with drift, and we congratulate the'dredgemaster and crew on the result of their week's work. We understand the dredge still keeps on good wash. DREDGING RETURNa The following are the returns for the week ending Saturday, August Ist, 1903:

osdwtfrra Manuherikia, Alexandra, ISShra 434 11 0 Roxburgh Jubilee, Roxb'rgh, 323h 98 8 0 Rue and Shine, Ur/er Olitha ... 79 IB 0 Electric No 2, Cromwell 78 15 0 Cromwell Ko 1, Cromwell 78 1 0 Earnscleugh No 2, Alexandra 12lh 71 g O Dunstan Lead, Alexandra, 8dys 80 0 0 Sneddon's Freehold, Waikaka, wk 49 0 0 Blectric No. 1, Cromwell 47 3 0 Honey's Waikaia 43 3 0 Golden Run, Millers Flat 41 0 0 Waikaka United No 1, Waikaka 37 18 O Enterprise No 1, Alexandra 34 11 0 Waimumu, near Gore, 34 10 O Upper Waipori, Waipori. 139br... 34 0 0 Alexandra Lead,. Alexandra, ... 34 0 0 Golden Gate. Millers Flat, 6dys 32 14 0 Ettrick, Roxburgh, 86hrs 31 15 0 Enterprise No 2, Alexandra ... 80 0 O Moa No 2, Alexandra, . ... 30 0 0 Majestic, Miller's Flat... 30 0 • Muddy Creek, Waikaia, wk ... 28. S e Tuapeka, Tuapeka Flat, 9dys ... 37 12 0 Perseverance No. 1, Alexandra ... 27 10 18 Central Mataura, Mataura, 25 13 0 Success, Waipori ... 25 0 0 New Paul's Beach, Beaumont ... 24 3 0 Inch Valley, near Palmerston ... 23 0 0 Taniwha, Tuapeka River 22 8 0 Otago No 2, Beaumont ... 21 O 0 I Golden Bed, Miller's Flat, Bdys.. 20 11 0 Unity, Clyde, week... 20 0 0 Mystery Flat, Waikaia, » 20 0 0 Golden Treasure, Miller's Flatj w'k 18 0 0 Lawrence; Tuapeka Flat, 6dys 17 18 0 Island Block, Beaumont, 17 8 0 [Enfield, Waipori, 16 8 0 Empire No I, Waipori 16 8 0 Incbdale, near Palmerston, 16 2 0 Earnsoleugh No 1, Alexandra, 80h 15 10 0 Otago, Miller'a.Flat, 6dys 14 0 0 Globe, Waikaka, 134hrs 13 7 0 Olrig, Manuherikia, 190b 13 0 0 Davis Bend No 2, above Clyde ... 12 0 0 -Spec Gully, near Gore, * .,< 10 8 0 Junction Electric No 2, Cromwell 10 8 0 Waikaka United No 2, Waikaka 9 5 8 Lower Enfield, Waipori, ..; 6 0 0 Molyneux Hydraulic, Alexandra Total for 49 dredges ... : 6 0 0 1906 1 3 Average per dredge 38 0 0