MINING NEWS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 392, 12 November 1903, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

The river was about 9£ft above the "normal" mark at the Alexandia bridge last evening.

The Moa, Alexandra, Molyneux Hydraulic, and Golden Beach dredges •re working steadily. An examination «jf candidates for dredgemasters' certificates will be held at Duuedin on Wednesday, 3rd February. Particulars will be found in or advertising columns. The river San Juan de Oro, in

Southern Bolivia, has recently attracted attention as a possible field for Eld dredging, and several New Zeald experts have lately tested the bed cf the river in order to report on the various -concessions which have been granted by the Bolivian Government Along some hundreds of miles of the river's course. •ccording to the * Buenos Ayres Standard," the tests hitherto made disclosed a yield of gold ao much in excels of anything shown in the statistics of dredging operations published in the colonies that that journal hesitated to publish them until they were confirmed by the New Zealand experts. It is stated, however,

that the gold is distributed through a stratum about 30ft in thickness, below which lies a false bottom of compact mud. It is thought that it may not be necessary to dredge down to the actual bedrock, and that the layer of mud will greatly facilitate dredging operations and enable the whole of the gold above it to be recovered, According to the "Standard," there is but little doubt that the valley of the San Juan de Oro was one of the principal centres of gold washing and placer mining in the time of the Spaniards and of the Incas, as thousands of f ancient workings remain. They, howaver, were compe led to leave the river bed untouched, on account of the Volume of water in the gravel, The "Bruce Herald" reports the discovery of a valuable find of hematite on the property of Mr A Forsyth at Table HilL # I The " Argus " hears that the Meg; and Annie dredge has been purchased i by a Cromwell syndicate. We hear that the New Halfway House struck good wash when she

started in the old backwater and is

likely to do well; a little time was lost last week through the bending of a •haft.—" Argus." In reference to the petition, signed in this district some little time, and forwarded to Government, asking that the Alexandra Bonanza Co.'s waterrace and reservoir be resumed for mining and irrigation purposes, the Minister of Mines has replied to Mr L. Ryan, through-Mr Bennet, MH.R., stating that the question of acquiring the property must be left to the persons locally interested. The Olrig dredge resumed work on Tuesday evening after completing repairs, including the putting on of new screen plates. The dredge was stopped for eight days. Half of the cut the dredge has' lately been operating on, was previously dredged, but this was necessary in order to open out a wide cut on virgin ground, and this has now been accomolished