MINING.

Evening Star, Issue 14574, 24 May 1911, Page 6

MINING.

The members of tin* load Slock Exchange <lid not hold any sittings to-day, observing Empire Day as a holiday. At the Karaiuuii claim prospects arc very fair, and if the dredge has an even run this week a good return should be obtained. Opening out is still being continued. .Repairs were responsible for short time being worked last week. The repairs to the Electric No. 1 dredge were completed yesterday and dredging commenced. The manager of 1119 Tairua. Minos wired to the secretary of the Stock Exchange yesterday afternoon Cut western reef 42in; no hanging wall: fair dish prospects." New Trafalgar report : —Half the lace next the boundary side was dredged during the week. For the most part this is very deep, am! a sealing off tb ■ reef was met with in the other half of the cut. A change came in on Thursday, the ground then getting very rough. .Repairs account for the poor dredging time registered. The Electric Xo. 2 dredge worked ahe;wl 9ft last week on shallow ground. The machine was then dropped down 50ft. At this part of the claim the bottom is soft, but in some places is very uneven. Some time was lost in repairing. The Lowburn dredge encountered a very rough belt of stones lately, which Ims been severely testing the machinery. A bad break in the friction gearing occurred on Thursday morning, necessitating several new parts, but as these have been procured in Cromwell the machine should soon be at work again.

At the Nokomai hydraulic sluicing claim No. 1 had a full week’s sluicing. Owing to the frost No. 1 is using all the water from the Lion race, and the dam is consequently taking longer 1o fill. No, 2 had only three days’ sluicing, but good progress has been in tide. The 909 dredge is on good gold at present. It is .staled that returns in the vicinity of three figures should be obtained during the next few weeks.

The Golden Sim return was for about three days;’ dredging, two days being lost in repairs to the Irottom tumbler bearings, and a section of the screen bad to be riveter). On Thursday the dredge was droppgj back to work nn the centre of the cm, and the silt in the paddock, was not cleaned out till Friday night. The west side of the cut will probably be cleaned out. this week, and as the best gold was being obtained on this side better returns' are expected during the next fortnight. I’y that time, if the river remains favorable, the dredge will be operating on the full width of the cut.

The Pise end Shine No. 1 dredge ■worked the usual cut hist week under conditions similar to those, that have prevailed for some time )wist. Our ('Vomv.'ell correspondent writes: Winter has net in with hard frost and dense fog every rnoinimr last week. The river is rapidly low cring to winter level, and every gorge dredge should he shortly in full swing. It is expected that It iso ajul Shine No. 2 will lie afloat in a day or two, a leak discovered in the hex covering the pump having delayed operations last week. The overhaul of the Rising Run will he completed this week, and the dredge dropped down as far as the depth of water in the Clulha will allow. The Golden Sim had a good hit of broken time last week. The T.owburn dredge also had a breakdown. On the Nevis all the, sluicing and elevating claims are hu«v washing-up, as the frost is very severe in that .Alpine country, and alluvial mining ©iterations arc always suspended from the end of this month to the Ijcpinning of September. The paucity of water experienced during the summer will, of course, tell on the wash-ups. Still, soma good vields are expected. On the Upper Nevis' Messrs Sarn Graham nncl party averaged only six weeks’ elevating since Christmas, still it paid the shareholders £lO per man weekly for the flyc months, they having ouco 'noto struck the rich rum of gold worked on two vears ago. The New Luggate. Hydraulic Company have struck very promising-looking ground, and matters look brighter than they have done for some months. The manager found it impossible to clean tip the Iwtton'. of the paddock he hue stripped as the bottom dipped off six feet lower than where the elevator was sunk. There is six feet of heavy wash j n the dip on the main reek and the ground is thirty-seven feet deep—the deepest struck yet in the claim. The elevator ra being shifted into the deep ground, and the cut widened out.