Mining.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1842, 12 November 1897, Page 2

Mining.

. * OTAGO GOLDFIELDS, CLYDE. ALEXANDRA, AND BOXBCROH, The Mining Registrar for Clyde, Ales andra, o and Roxburgh 'furnishes some ir teresting statistics, which f ive ample pro* of the bona fidt advancement of the minin industry in our district during the past te years : Number of Special Claims and License Holdings.in force at Ciyde, Alexandra an t* ox burgh on the 31st July, 1887, and th 31st July, 1897, respectively ; showin Iso the total area and the rent payable. July 31st, 1887. XT Purpose for- . Annual No * which granted. Area ’ Rental. Acres. £ s d 4 Dredging ... 148 18 0 0 1 Sluicing ... 5 5 0 0 1 Quartz ... 9 9 0 0 6 162 32 0 0 July 31st, 1897. v Purpose for ' i Annual I °* which granted. rea> Rental. Acres. £ s d 43 Dredging ... 2315 942 10 0 31 bluicmg ... 1013 362 15 0 8 Quartz ... 232 66 10 0 82 3560 1371 15 0 In a foo note to the above table th Mining Register states the increase in ren paying holdings, as shown by the abov ffguies, would lead to the supposition tha the inuivioual and small party miner hm been largely superseded, but, he goes on t say, this is not the case ; the number in eluded in the latter class appea-.s rather »< have ircreased, than otherwise. Tiding a a guide the ordinary appiicutu ns. such a xi ndeu claims, tail-races, &c., whirl indicate to a great extent ih o the sunJi miner, the number u. ng . i,< y r coded 31 at July. Itß7 w. s 350 w..nc for the same penoti in 1897 tin number increased to 532. During the past six weeks fifteen addb tioual special claims have been applied fci at Clyde and Alexandra, including'paits o: the Molyneux River and near the lonr.ei and below the latter town, Some of the areas pegged off embrace reaches of the river known by the names of Green Point, Doctor’s Point, Butcher’s Point, Island Basin, nine-mile, fourteen-mile and six-teen-mile, all of which places bear traditions of * untold wealth," lost to the old identities in the early sixties by the rise in the river. Five years ago most of these claims were looked upon as presenting insuimountable difficulties for working by the then known appliances, but the experience of five years has brought about considerable mpiovements in dredging plant, and that, coupled with the fact that the current-wheel dredge working iu the gorge below Alexandra has been so success/ul in its operations, despite die rugged nature of the surroundings, proves that the difficulties can Lc overcome, CLYDE, Six weeks ago a dredge which had been converted from a current-wheeler Co steam commenced working on the Victoria Company's claim just above Glyue. So far she naa been unsuccessful—not that she Las fairly tested the ground and found it wanting in the precious metal, but from her own incapacity to cope with too depr.li of the < tonne. She succeeded in reaching the i-ottom m two or rhice shallow places, but no wash was found. Her efforts, however, i-. obtain this iu the deeper poitious of the liver, where the gold is supposed to be mated, have so tar been fruitless. The company contemplate lengthening the ladder by about Bft, but as the river will soon attain the summer level, which cam not be less than 6ft higher than its present condition, it is doubtful w'hether, even aLcr tiie addition has been made, the dredge will be in a position to do what is required of i er.—“N.Z. Mines Record.’