MINING NOTES.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 28, Issue 1431, 3 April 1897, Page 3

MINING NOTES.

THE MANIOTOTO FLEET.

.As a result of-the visit of. Messrs Gnffie. I M'Laren, and Paisfley to the dredging centres 9f Otago, these gentlemen have returned fully convinced that ttiatform of the industry will pay well ,in. such places as Hogburn .Gully. It was at Waipori.that they found circumstances most resembling: , those here. , There one of the. dredges is doing very well op a flat, somewhat resembling the Nasetiy gully below the town, which was regarded as very poor. "We understand that plans are being prepared for a first-rate well-equipped dredge of the newest type, and that its construction will be proceeded .with shortly. ._ It is nojt too much to say that this undertaking may have the greatest results, not. only to those whose enterprise has set it afoot, but to the district as a whole. For there are many other place : where dredges will almost to a certainty .be placed when,the.pioneer of the new Maniototo fleet begins to bring wealth to her 'enter- ■ prising proprietors. :

MINING AT HYDE. (Br Qor Own CoRRESi-oxDEXT.) The recent rain : that fell here was hailed with delight by miners and others after, the lengthy spell of dry weather that prevailed. This /enabled Mr Joe Kelly to Avash up a certain amount of wash, although he.informed me that he had only sufficient .Water for about five hours to. use. He is still on good gold. , He states that in some parts of his claim fie has taken out i,n a block as much as odwts to the 'dish, but then jn other parjts it is very light. However, this last washing up, at a rough guess in-order not to overestimate the yield, he reckons that his claim has averaged 102 to the load. He considers it has been something considerably over the ounce, but confines himself to the quantity stated in order that he may riot be ■ accused of exaggeration. He believes that he will come, on "some .heavy seams ot gold shortly. Judging by the look of the ground it will eclipse his previous experiences since he opened the.claim. Messrs Hughes arid Salmon who aire prospecting at the head of the Mareburn Creek brought in on the 19tb ultimo a nice sample of rough gold for two days' work— viz.. 19dwt 12grs, and are now on th'e Border of a gold reef. ... ' Messrs and "Finlayseri were until recently prospecting at the Sisters, arid I believe were fairly rewarded'. They commenced previous to the raiii setting in to drive a small ttinnel or culvert while the river was low in the vicinity of the Fillyb'urh, with a view to strike on ground that \ was daserted about 30 years ago through th'e \ inflow of water. I airi unable to state bow far they got on with it, as they left to work some ground at the he'ad of the Ca'pburn range; which the recent raiii will enable thein to sluice. ; , Messrs M'Aulay and Fuller are believed tb have struck some good gold above Joe Kelly's claim at the Four-mile, but it is very hard to get anything definite from such as the four old veterans last named for reasons best known to themselves.

Messrs Crabbe Bros., ; as also is ( Mr Carlisle, were satisfied with their returns (previous to the wet weather setting in) from the ground that I previously informed you they were working, and since they will be able to have a fair share of water now, I presume they will be doing even better on this once deserted field.

One or two hatters are. fossicking in the vicinity of the Kock and Pillar, aifcrseem to be getting a little gold occasionally fudging by their general bearing. The Mount Highlay Battery Co. was getting good stone, but I hear they have given their hands notice of their intention to work half time owing to want of water, but a day or so after announcing their intention welcome rain set in, much to the satisfaction and delight of both employer and employe, and the mine has been kept going since. Fillyburn Dredge.—The management in connection with the aboV'e dredge having decided to remove her from her present site where she is moored at the Fillyburn, commenced operations a' few days ago with a view t<s floating her to what they consider to be more payable ground above the Fillyburn bridge ( the process adopted being by darning the water and also the.district road, which th'ey will have to take her alcross. They expect to have her safely anchored at her new Berth in a few days. For the sake of the district and all 'concerned it. is 'to be hopped she will meet with better luck than she has done previously, both financially and otherwise.

The (Jrnriameh in this district seem to be getting a bit of gold.

The Argus reports that the Electric Dredge is again on gbdd gold and : got 25ozs last week.

The wages sne'et of the Consolidated Goldfields Co. at Reef ton last month amounted to £3.000, or about £750 per week. The Government of Westralia are entering on 'a large water supply scheme. Tenders are to be called for a reservoir to hold four thousand million gallons. The amendment of the cyanide patent is being 'opposed ,by a strong committee of Sydney gentlemen.

For a dredge to raise 500 tons ah hour seems incredible, yet that is the quantity a new sand hopper dredge, how being constructed for the Queensland Government, is to raise fr6m a depth of 35ft. A ( Wellington wire states : :—That a Government official will be selected to prepare an exhaustive report in connection with the scheme of the Minister for Mine's for 'conserving water on the various goldfields.. The abundant rains of a fortnight aeo have set all our miners agoing. The-supply of water at Naseby has been, sufficient to provide & night supply for those claims where it was required, but it is again drawing in aid the night water was stopped on Thursday. , ~ ' A parcel of 40 ton's of stone from Grace and party's Alpine claim, Shotove'r, was recently crushed at the Leviathan Co's battery, 'the return being 350z Bdwt of retorted gold.—Wakatipu Mail. t The Wakatipu Mail states that the Londonderry sluicing claim, Shotover, has,passed into the hands of a Dunedin syndicate, one of whom is Mr J. Scott, formerly connected wifh the mine. The Achilles mine, A'rrow'town. is on wonderfully good gold. Last fortnight the return was 5780z from 461 tons, the month's total being 10490z of a value of £4038 from 856 tons. .

Very little work has so far been done at Laffey's claim, Canadian Flat, but the party evidently intend to begin active operations shortly.