AFTER TEN YEARS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 March 1931, Page 2

AFTER TEN YEARS

RIMU DREDGE NO. 1 SUCCESSFULLY FLOATED. (From Hokitika Guardian, April sth, 1921.) The launching of the pontoon yesday for the Ilimu Gold Dredging Company was carried out without ceremony. As one of the management stated previously when mentioning the fact that the launching was taking place, “We shall just slip her in.” The efficiency of .the work of preparation was thoroughly evinced as the huge pontoon slid along the skids and took the water making one wave as she entered the dam, side on, and then settling down into its element, in such an easy manner that it made the work of launching look a very simple matter. r As is well-known the Rimu Gold Mining Company is an American financed concern, Mr 11. A. Cranston being the local manager, and he has gathered together a large and efficient staff. The scene of operations is on Rimu Flat, about miles from Hokitika, access being obtained to the claim by the South Hokitika road, past Kerry’s sawmill, along Adair’s Road, which connects through with llitnu, the site of the claim being about half-yvny between the Ross railway and llitnu town ship. The present site of the dam is where the old Ilimu Dredge Company carried on operations for some time with a smaller dredge which was found ‘to be too light to deal with the very heavy wash that has to b e handled. ‘Before th e old dredge was dismantled tth<? present paddock was dredged so as to provide a resting place for the ponfitoon that made use of the excavation yesterday. The present pontoon is ope of the largest structures of its kind '-easily the largest erected in New Zealand. It is 115 ft in length and 50ft wide at the bottom,’ the deck being 56 "feet wide, while the depth is 10ft Bin. the pontoon drew 2ft, as it lay after launching. The timber used w .,iu the. cpnstruction is mainly Oregon piue, with some totara, and hardwood. The whole has been put together in a manner that speaks for solidarty and strength, which of course will be needed to carry the machinery for the powerful dredge that will be placed on This machinery is practically all on tip the ground)ready for erection and this pX will now be gone on with as rapidly as possible, a large staff of men being em S''gaged on the ground. The Company have gone about the, work of erection jn a most systematic manner and to vC-this € ntd have substantial shops erecttogether with a handy saWmill for ft-cutting Up the timber leqttiJred, the Oregon pine having Wi bf blight In bulk and cut Up hero. In this cohfiec- , tinti it : might be mentioned that the . County Council gave permission to ■f; erect a tramway along the centre of the road from South Spit. This while j;|L -proving of great advantage to the Com jjjt.-pany in the carriage of their material iff bto the dredge site has also proved most «jit;: 'advantageous to the Council as the ' tv: "tramway ’ has prevented the cutting up Ijlbi' of the road by the otherwise exception ally heavy , traffic that had to take m place while it must have saved the k Council a .substantial sum in th e upof the new road, which is now in | silvery fair order. The power for the |?op>driving of the dredge will be electric derived from Kfinieri Lake. has already been installed at the - and is in use for driving the JigWmill and other works, simplifying iMfeand assisting considerably in the gen-. progress. The venture is a subf|#!'stantial one and it is estimated that al- | ready a sum of £IOO,OOO has been ex-f.-fended while the ultimate expenditure expected to reach upwards of a quar- •) plater of a million. jjg%f Now that the pontoon has been float||4!|:ed the work of installation of Die ,|i%,imachiner,v will proceed and the course JSp??df -operations till the dredge is com- i ®g&s?pletecl will be followed with the closest : interest, its huge proportions drawing J special notice and interest to the venture which will have a most important 1 bearing on the. future, of gold dredging ’ in New Zealand. l EDITORIAL COMMENT. cr=f.- ] (April 5, 1921.) ‘ The success attending the launching * yesterday of the huge pontoon for the monster dredge to work Rimu Flat was a very pleasing augury in respect to til© very considerable undertaking itself. The pontoon is of huge -dimensions and it is intended to. house machinery of great power. It is very substantially built and its solid proportions combined with the complete preparations made for a faultless launching indi- . ca:e that the operations of the company itself are no less substantial & than its powerful plant. The intimation in regard to tho launching was not blazoned abroad. It came to be known quite casually and without any special heralding. The management work j-. as quitely as they work thoroughly, j, but folk got to know of the event, ■ and a very considerable gathering un- . sembled to witness the event. It pass- j,. ed off quite unostentatiously. Unhon- r< ored and unsung, the bulky pontoon slipped from her dry land cradle to her ( native element, and then the gather- f c ing broke int ocheers. Tire recognition was well deserved, for it had been s j well earned. The dredge it is expected will be outfitted and ready for m its important mission by July next, pj The machine is to dredge Rimu Flat n( first working seawards from tho pre- c ]

sent position. Th c ground ahead has been cleared of standing timber so that the machine will deal solely with mother earth. There is good ground ahead. The prospecting has revealed that fact. Some of the prospects went as high as being equal to ten shillings per cubic yard. As prospects go, the venture promises to tap some very ground. It is improbable that this will include the southern run from Craig’s freehold gold, and if that run should be picked up it is conceivable that the yields wil lbe exceedingly rich TTie prospects for the mining venture are thus very bright. Naturally they need to be for an undertaking so costly as that now in hand. Yet the fact that so much capital is being put into the project is proof that after carrying out extensive prospecting there is confidence in the whole position. Success means a great deal to the company; it means much to this district; it is of the highest importance to the Dominion at large. Electric power dredging on a large scale such as is to be undertaken, marks a new era for dredging in this country. It is something that this immediate locality is the pioneer scene of operations. It is an exp r es«!irnn of opinion by outside capital that the mining industry of Westland is not done. When we see a quarter of a million of money being put into this project by people from overseas who have had a wide experience in operations of this character, we must be convinced that behind the project ar e very substantial assurances of success. There is more than mere hope in such an undertaking, and the whole community must readily join in w(shi,n,'j {the project every success, combined with the fulfilment of the highest expectations of the promoters. So notable a scheme means much to he district in common with that of the company’s success, and if for no other reason success would he gratefully looked for. Hut the sterling enterprise shown, the complete preparations made and the thoroughness of the work in hand, all point to the fact that the project is destined to demonstrate -successfully the opening of a new epoch in Westland gold-mining.