MINING.

Evening Star, Issue 13145, 29 December 1908, Page 6

MINING.

On Thursday last the Nelson Creek Company's dredge suspended operations for the holidays, and washed up lot a return of 230z for eighty-one hours' work. The final return for the year from Otago No. 1 dredge was 20oz, and from No. 2 dredge lloz. The Enterprise dredge won lloz of gold, for three days' work last week. A return of lloz for fifty-one hours' work was got from the Riley's Revival dredge last week. The Rising Sun dredge-master reports having dredged 117 hours, and washed up on Thursday afternoon, when the return showed an improvement in the ground. Dredging will be resumed after the New Year. Out Lawrence correspondent informs us that Messrs M'Donald Bros., of Blnespur, are still pegging away steadily in their efforts to pick 'up the old Gabriels quartz reef, but so far without success. They have now driven a distance of 285 ft, averaging about Bft per week. At present the. country that is being traversed is very hard, and chiefly a succession of "blows" (or blocks) of quartz. Now and again seams of rotten, mullocky stuff, full of small quartz veins, are met with, but invariably the stone, of a bluish color, is hard and tough, and not easily driven. A good deal of Umbering is required, entailing a certain amount of expense, and the cost of gelignite is no small item. So far the Messrs M'Donald have had to rely entirely on their own resources, and as neither of them is too well off a portion of the promised Government subsidy for prosecuting the work would prove very acceptable at this juncture. A promise was given some weeks ago by the Mines Department of a subsidy of 5s per foot for driving up to 600 ft. but although the Inspector of Mines has paid more than one visit to the scene of operations, and was apparently well satisfied with the work that has been done, nothing in the shape of a progress payment has yet come along. Every possible encouragement should be held out to the Messrs M'Donald, who have entered on a pretty heavy job, and the least the Minister of Mines can do in this connection is to make prompt progress pavments. "Our Own" at Cromwell writes :—As the dredges all washed up in mid-week the returns were therefore smaller. The Rising Sun washed up on Thursday afternoon, yet her return equalled the previous week's.