MINING

Evening Star, Issue 17314, 30 March 1920, Page 3

MINING

I CROMWELL NOTES, 1 [Special to the ‘Stau.’> _ Never for many years has mining been ~ at such a low ebb as at the present time. In the Cromwell district only one dredge— | the Rising Sun —is at work. r i he rivers [ have been remarkably low for many j months, and the three other dredges in the l j locality are in the peculiar position of i i wanting a high river to enable them to | float down to the lower end of their | claims. Right through the summer months | the rivers have been almost at a winter j level, and never since the times of the | boom has such a low level been known over such a long period. As an illustration of this it may be mentioned that the once-famous Electric, now privately owned, has completed a steady 12-months’ run, with only enforced stoppages for repairs—a thing hitherto unknown. That the machine continues steadily at work might bo ' accepted as an indication that the famous area still contains payable ground. The prolonged dry spell, which has been responsible for the .dislocation of the dredging industry, has also had a disastrous effect on the alluvial fields. On the Nevis there has been a serious shortage of water for some weeks, and very limited time has been worked. This is particularly unfortunate, as the season on that field is confined to the summer months. Given a constant water supply, the Nevis field would produce handsome returns. Until the water supply failed the property known as Graham arid party’s was giving splendid results. k On the Garrick Range several men are still at work in the low level tunnel, but * little information is available as to the > progress of the work.