CROMWELL FLAT GOLD

Evening Star, Issue 21253, 7 November 1932, Page 8

CROMWELL FLAT GOLD

PROSPECT OF HUGE UNDERTAKING

LOiiOOH SYNDICATE S,'COSES OPTION

IFruu Oub ConnnsroNDENT.J

CROMWELL, November 4. J. L. Stewart Wright, acting on behalf of Mr J. Roche, of Dunedin, who represents a London syndicate, reports having secured an option to purchase over tho mining area held by Messrs Percy Bell and William Kilgour on the Kawarau, The terms of the option, though not revealed, are said to bo such as to ensure a very comfortable competency for both of the young miners for life.

A meeting of those who have pegged areas on the Cromwell Flat was held in the Council Chambers at Cromwell on Thursday evening, and Mr J. L, Stewart Wright, who convened . the meeting, was voted to the chair. There was an attendance of close on fifty applicants, and the meeting was addressed by Mr Wright and Mr J. A. Roche, of Dunedin. Mr Roche stated that he was representing a London syndicate, and was in the field to secure options over as many areas ns he could possibly get. The terms of the option were of a somewhat unique and fairly liberal nature, and Mr Roche urged that the prospective claim-holders could not do bettor than give an option. His principals would immediately solid a competent engineer to report, and if his report was favourable tests by way' of boring, etc., would be commenced immediately, and the field would be developed by the most modern and extensive methods.

Mr V,'right, himself a claim-holder, urged those present to accept the offer, and stated that it would be well nigh a physical impossibility for many of the claim-holders to work their respective areas, for it would be found that the ground in many cases would bo very deep, running to considerably over 100 ft. Working expenses in such cases, if sinking and driving were undertaken, would bo very heavy, and then when the dirt was brought to tho top how was it to be treated in tho absence of water? Amalgamation of interests would mean success, and the opening up of what promised to be one of the richest alluvial fields in the dominion.

Several claim-holders asked questions, and many having expressed the desire to have an opportunity to consult thenpartners, it was decided to postpone the meeting until Tuesday exening next. Messrs Bell, Murray, Mitchell, and 801 l are now working into wash very similar to that struck by- the other parties, and it is confidently expected that their next wash-up would be a splendid return. Though they have been doing a lot of dead work, and have bad to shift a lot of overburden, gold has been seen travelling in the chute and tail race by many visitors, and all kinds of rumours were current to-day ; but Mr Murray, the claim manager, seen to-night, stated that they had not yet washed up. but that prospects wore certainly improving. No strike will bo more popular than that of tin’s undaunted band, for the task that they commenced cannot be regarded as anything other than Herculean. Mechani-cally-inclined, these men have many weird and wonderful contraptions for the handling of tho heavy overburden in an expeditions manner, and no more popular or hard-working minor is to be found on the river than “ Bill Murray. They deserve what it coming to them. The whole of the Nevis River from immediately below the crossing at Lower Nevis to its confluence with the Knwarau has been pegged by a local syndicate, and big developments there are spoken of. The river presents opportunities in the confined gorge for the development of a huge hydro-elec-tric scheme.