Mining.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1819, 18 June 1897, Page 5

Mining.

Shares in the Clyde Dredging Company (The Moa) parted yesterday, in Dunedin, at LBS. It is reported in Dunedin on very good authority, that the last wash up from the Electric dredge at Cromwell was 6200z. This seems almost fabulous, and we cannot understand why the directors of the company do not have the returns published in the papers. That it would do a great deal of good for this district we have no doubt. The rOpairs on Hyde and Party's dredge are almost complete, and she is expected to make a start early next week.

ALEXANDRA, ' (from our own correspondent.) Now. the river is low, I hear of several parties (European and Chinamen) who are fossicking along the beaches between Alex* andra and Doctor's Point, and if reports are true some of them are making very fair wages. The pontoons for another dredge on the Manuherikia river will be started building in the course of a fortnight. The Moa dredge washed up last Saturday for 460z 7dwt, and on Wednesday 89oz lldwt. The Molyneux Hydraulic Company's dredge washed up on Saturday last for lloz 13dwt 15gr, value L4419s 4d, making a total of 28oz 13dwt for the week. She washed up again yesterday (Thursday) for 270z lldwt 3gr, value LlO6 Is 9d. The dredge has been working steadily all the week. The Manuherikia Co.'s current wheel dredge is still paddling along, and I hear, getting some splendid returns now the river is low, as it gives the owners a chance to work the deep ground. The Eureka No. 1 and No. 2 both appear to be working very steadily. The Kgapara dredge is reported to have got close on 90oz last week. It is expected that the pon*""— * Turakina drerW - ~ r"" 8 . 10 ? **? ivu • „ 0 * wilt be launched on The Enterprise dredge washed up 240z sdwt 6gr for last week's worki , Rivers and Gartley, at Tucker Hill, have been working for a week, but were com.pe!led to shut down again on account of the frost. - MATAKANUI.

The claims at Matakanui and Drybread are all at a standstill, owing to the which shows every sign of continuing for some time. _ OPHIR. The Eureka Quartz Mining Company's first crushing reports the satisfactory result of 40oz lOdwt. This result is very satisfactory to the shareholders, and we hope to be able to chronicle some big returns before long. The Ophir and Ind Coy's drerlge is still working away, but not with very satisn factory results.

CROMWELL. (from our own correspondent.) The machinery for Hotop and Co's dredge is now arriviog and this being a purely local enterprise I trust the most satisfactory returns will result therefrom. I learn on good authority that two dredges will be shortly placed on the Kawarau river one claim extending from the Victoria Bridge upwards, and another will be placed at the mouth of the Nevis river, I believe that Mr G, L. Tacon is interested in one of them. THE LION ROCK DREDGE. The firs!; of the material for the Lion Dredging Co.'s new dredge has left Dunedin and is expected to arrive at Alexandra early next week. The dredge is being built from designs prepared by Mr L H, Reynolds. C.E., Dunedin. Some distinct departures are being made in the method of strengthening the hull against hogging ; also in connection with the revolving screen, which is to be extended for a distance of 16ft aft of the hull, and will discharge the material Bft 6in above the water level, thereby not necessitating an elevator. The drop chute is arranged so far as to automatically adjust its position with respect to that of the ladder. The hull is 56ft by 24ft,. and its lifting capacity 70 tons per hour.

ROXBURGH. The Golden Gate dredge washed up on Saturday for 18oz. The return from the Ettrick dredgo on Saturday last was 17oz, and the prospects for this week are promising. The Roxbuigh dredge's return for last week's work was 6oz. The Edina dredge, under Mr Ryley, has veiy rough ground to work. Some very large stones nave been brought up in the buckets, which have occasionally to be stopped to remove the stones. The wash up for the week ending the sth inst. was 12oz, and for last week 7oz. The Dunedin dredge is likely to do pretty well if returns like 18oz are regular. This was the wash up on the sth inst. The Golden Treasure for the same week won 14oz lOdwt, and the Golden Gate for three days' work got 4oz.

Tho Duuedin dredge for three days' work won 10 z ISdwt 3gr. The Dunedin Dredge did not commence working till Wednesday morning, being engaged in putting on a new screen on Monday" and Tuesday. The Golden Run Shiicing.Co's claim has commenced work again, having had a continuous spell of idleness for want of water. It is satisfactory to know that the cl urn is on good wash, two days' work being rewarded with 17oz 6iwt of the yellow metal. Louden and party are going on apace with their stripping. Leary's claim, above Louden and Party, has about 15ft of wash. Ho works his claim by sluicing, and does fairly well con* 3idering that the quantity of dirt shifted is small.

Michell and party at Coal Creek, have finished stripping and are taking a ' cut' the ground being very stony. Their list wash up for a week's work was decidedly good. At the Wai don's Court on Thursday there is a fair amount of business set down for hearing. Tne adjourned applications of B. Brooks and another, an I Rowland Parker for water races, will no doubt exc to some inters. Tlurj are fifteen adjourned cases, six being for special claims and thiej for license I holdings; and seventeen .'.new applications, seven being for extended chums. Five of our local citizens at the last s'tting of the Warden's Court at .Waiitaii, were grante I prospecting quar;z areas at Upper Waikaia. 1 see by a letter published in tho ' Mt. B.mger Mail' that the Government have received the petition sent from here praying them to take over the Dismal Swamp reservoir, the property of the Amalgamated Company. The matter has been referred to the Minuter for Mines. The matter will no doubt be considered when the Premier returns from Eng'aud. Negotiations have been opened by the Government with the Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company, with a view of the Government taking over the dam, the company's water-rights being reserved to them.

SPLENDID RETURNS FROM THE ' MOA.'

The chief topic in mining circles during the week has been ihe splendid and imnie* diate success of the 'Moa,' working at the lower opening of • Frenchman's' lead in the river opposite Alexandra. The returns were 45£oz for about five shifts, after she struck gold for the first week, and 89Joz for the three following days, and the returns I to-morrow may be even greater. The is reason for so much interest being taken in I this dredge's operations, is that so many of, our old miners have worked in 'Frenchman's' and have seen the marvellous returns of this perhaps unequalled lead; It has always been an open and vexed question whether the lead continued into the river or not. The ' Moa' lias 'settled all doubts on the subject, much to the satisfaction of her lucky owners. It 13 hard to estimate the real value of this property, In the excitement and first flush of success, it possibly may be over-estimated. At present any estimate from four to forty thousand pounds according to the temperament of the informant—can be heard. Miners who have seen 'Frenchman's' in the early days, are of the opinion that the lead has been struck and proved workable, and that the returns are likely to exceed anything yet known in dredging. The new generation who have no experience of the good old days thiuk less of it, We think the find is interesting to the general public, and mining public in particular, because it proves that, given dredges of sufficient power and capacity, suitable portions of the river iu the gorges may now be worked- the drift overcome and our river made to yield up its treasures, But large di edges will be required, even larger than the 'Moa.' Another point of interest is that although a rock and boulder bounded claim, no large stones have yet been lifted by the * Moa,' proving that though the sides of a river may be rough, ir. is no reason that the bottom - " river will nen»«»- ■' -.- or ued of i a a— ...ooariiy be unworkable. Ut vourse there is a limit to the possible work-* ing of the gorges by dredges, yet we confidently expect to see at no distant date, many suitable sites in the gorges dredged with satisfactory results. We congratulate the ' Moa ' proprietors on having acquired such a valuable claim, and Dr Hyde on the manner iu which he has engineered the fortunes of this dredge. The property contains, iu addition to 'Frenchman's,' the points known as 1 Butler's ' and ' Prospectors' and that porlion of ground on the south side of the Manuherikia, at its confluence in the angle formed with the Molyneux, which from its situation cannot fail to be payable. As far as we know, no shaft has been bottomed at this point, although of recent years one tunnel was put in, which proved the ground to contain in the higher levels large quantities of payable wash. When the ' Moa ' bottoms this ground-, we predict the result will be surprising to many. It is hard to real.se that such a property has remained so long at our doors undeveloped. But it must be remembered that modern dredges have, with their big bucketsaud high elevators, but recently enable J miners to cope successfully with difficulties which present themselves in working this claim, and we must not rashly.condemn our mining predecessors for lack of enterprise or want of ' savey.' We shall watch further developments of this claim with much interest, as we believe valuable experience will be obtained which will be found of greatest use iu future dredge working on the Molyneux. To illustrate the remarkable richness of the deposits of this claim, the 'Moa,' we are informed, has woiked in a straight oat into the river some sixty feet only for the return chronicled above, neither has she 1 drawn ahead or dropped back a siugle foot. Those who have worked ou Italian Bend expect equally good returns from it.