Dredging and Mining.

Cromwell Argus, 13 March 1905, Page 5

Dredging and Mining.

The Undaunted Company at Nevis are having a new race brought in. We hear that the Crewe Co, No 2 was anablo to bottom and are shifting up stream some distance.

The Clutha River's wash up of 28oza mußt be pleasing to the shareholders, and if the san>e standard san be main»t*ii.ed it will soon be a dividend paying concern.

Junction Electric 2 resumed dredging on Friday evening. Loch Lomond has got to work again, and made a very good start. With her email capital and low working expenses 2ioz3 is a good return. The Puut dredge did not wash up last week.

The dredgemaster of the Rising Sun reports—' Dredged 125 hours, and worked ahead 12 feet. At present the western end of the cut is poorer than the eastern Tho average depth of the ground is 38 feet, and the bottom is Bandy clay. Prospects continue the same and the machinery is running well.' The crew of the Electric No 2 met together on Tuesday evening to bid farewell to Mr Jeffries, one of the crew who is yoing away to South America. Mr Bedley, in a few well-chosen remarks presented him, on behalf of the crew, with a s lver mounted pipe and silver match box. Mr Jeffries thanked them, and said they would remind him of the happy days he had spent on the Electric ]No 2 dredge. * Auld Lang Syne ' was then sung and the meeting dispersed, wishing Mr Jeffries every success in his new sphere. Cromwell 11., recently purchased by the Junction Eleotric Co,, is on her way down the river, and should be en or nearly on her claim by the time this is in print. The Junction Co, has purchased a claim comprising the bank where the top has been sluiced off, above the coal pit, and where there is evidently a run ot wash leading in at a low level from the river. This ground will give a dredge work for years. There is also some workable ground above the river level on the Cornishtown Bide. These extensions of the sphere of operations have given the Junction Co. a new lease of life, and caused a considerable rise in the value of the snares.

We clip the following from the ' Alex* andra flerald ' :—We hear that it ia the intention of the dredgemaster of the .New Fourteen-mile dredge to Btart dredging on Monday next. Should the river keep falling, it will not be long before the jest of the Gorge .fleet make a start. The Moa'a return for opening out las' week ia highly satisfactory, and a much bettar return ia expected this week. The dredgemaster of the Golden Beach intorma uo i hat he was compelled to stop dredging at the end of last week owing to insufficient water in the paddock, caused by the Alexandra Eureka dredging in close proximitj to the Beach, aa a result of which the face slipped away and the water broke through. LOWBORN MINING NOTES. (From our Own Correspondent There is no further progress made by way of bringing more dredgea to this locality. Curiouß to relate dredges are now being broken up and sold for about a tenth part and less of,their cost of construction, which fact goes to prove that there is either no money or else no enterprise left in the district, otherwise some of those dredges, at present on worked out claims, would be shifted on to the Olutha where at present several dredges are getting fair 'returns. The business people in theae parts, with a few oxccp> tiona, simply take all they can get, but if they are asked to take aharea in a mining enterprise they look horribly shocked, and meet the question with an indignant refusal ; so it gradually dawns on the working man that upon him devolves the duty to push enterprise ahead. This could easily be done by combining together in either purchaaing or leasing dredges from some of the about to be defunct companies, and carrying on dredging on thbir own accounts. On the Olutha there are good chances for parties of working men that understand their business, to not only provide themselves with many years work of profitable returns, and even in Bcme instance attain an iodopondancejwhich they could never get by working for wages, But it seems to me that the greatest part of the rising generation are more given to going in for pleasure than saving their earnings no as to be ready to take a chance of gaining an independent livlihood When the opportunity occurs, for a person cannot even go in for anything in the line I have pointed out without some little capital ; and success, without some amount of self* denial and control over our desires, is not often attained unless by a luoky fluke that seldom occurs. Some of my friends will think I am reading them a sermon. Perhaps bo. But it is certainly good advice, and it is given solely because I hold the future wellfare of the district at heart; and a lifetime's experience in mining should act aa a guarantee that my advice is Bound.

At the time of the dredging boom expectation ran high, and in the excitement alluvial digging—upon the returns of which people had subsisted up to that time—all at once fell out of position, not because the gold gave out, but it was expected that dredging was going to give fortunes to all and sundry that took up dredging claims even on the top of the mountains, but the bottom fell out, and now we have to either try to make use of the old dredges by shifting them to new ground, or else fall back on the old alluvial diggings, either of whioh should pay parties of practical workmen, is there is yet more gold by far in the district than has been trken out.