CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 94, 23 April 1895, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

KEW DREDGE

To tiieEditok opthe'Evenikg Mail.'

Sir,— As you are doubtless award •was deputed to pay a visit to the new dredge that has been working for about a fortnight on the Aorore, about seven miles from Collingwood. Putting on my invisible cloak, I joined a small party of three, who ■were going out last week to sec the operation of dredging. We loft Collingwood about 10 a.m. on one of those beautiful days, with bright bluo sky and clear crisp atmosphere for which the district is so famed As "there was a very high tide, the harbour, along which our road ran for some distance, looked its best. Tho road (that for a mile or two runs through most uninteresting country) was in capital order, and we soon came to where it runs through good lnnd on each side. Most of it has been bush land that has been cleared. The remains, heavy logs, stumps, &c, can be seen in all directions. A little' has been cleared and ploughed, but it is sad. to sec so much of it being overrun with rushes, the expense of clearing which will be greater than the original one, of felling the bush. On the right one beautiful little belt of bush has been left that is quite a feast for the eyes in comparison to the surrounding landscape, and ono could not help thinking how much better it would have been for the cattle, and how much more picturesque the home steads would have looked had similar belts or clumps been left on most of the holdings. When we came near the pretty bridge that crosses the Aorere, just abovp where the dredge is now at ■work, we tethered out our horses in a paddock, one of the party remarking as he did so "that he had paid about £50 as rates for the bridge, and he saw it now for the first time." We Walked to where the dredge was, about a quarter of a mile off. On reaching it we feared that perhaps our journey was in vain, as there was not any steam up, but the workmen at the huts told us that they were cleaning up s\nd would soon commence dredging again. They whistled to draw tho attention of those on the dredge to the fact that some visitors wanted to go on board. After a short consultation (perhaps induced from the fact that the members of the party •were over 6ft in height, and one sportsman carried a gun) the remark was heard " That some cove -wanted to come off." This on the face of it •was a little infra dig as the party consisted of two magistrates, and a lpgal luminary of considerable ■weight. Very soon we saw the punt shove off from the dredge, and those who had insured their lives preliminary to starting felt it had %een an unnecessary precaution, as the punt was large enough to carry 30, and the water only two feet deep. On getting on board we found that preparations for dredging again were going on, and we tad ample time to have a look round. "The dredge was fastened •with strong steel ropes to each bank of the river, and a third one from the bows a long way np tho river. These ropes are tightened and loosened so as to move tho dredge in- any direction required, and wo saw when dredging commenced that one man was continually employed turning a winch here and there, so as to move the dredge to get fresh ground for the buckets to work on. The writer could not help thinking that this could be done with the stearr power then in use, which could be regulated' so as to keep the buckets always moving up to fresh ground, (when patented please remember the proposer) and prevent loss of time from the buckets going round empty. In one instance I counted thirteen empty ones pass consecutively.

The forepart of the dredge has an opening up the centre to allow the buckets -that, I understand weigh scwfc each — to revolve on what is called a ladder, the nose of which is raised^and lowered, according to the depth of the ground to be dredged, by a very strong pulley and Bteel rope. The buckets were braced all round with very thick iron, and when one taw the large stones raised (some SOOlbs weight) one could realise why everything was required of such strength. The gravel, stones, boulders, and gold went up the incline in the buckets, and were automatically shot out of each one on to an iron plate 3ins. thick, which in this instance was broken by a boulder from the third bucket emptied when operations were commenced about a fortnight ago, A plate 5 inches thick had been sent for, but one of the party suggested that wood bound round ■with iroD, would be more durable and could always be replaced. All the boulders, &c, are washed with a strong force of water down a shoot (properly laid with iron grating, to retain the gold), and pass off into the bed of the river again. I noticed a good deal of gravel, etc., stick to the bottom of the buckets, and fall back into the bed of the river. I do not know if this will fall on to the top of the shoot by and bye, when the buckets becomo smoother from wear. I could not help thinking that a shoot could be placed so as to catch this smaller stuff, but richest in gold, that was being lost— anothor patent; I trust another tip— and the whole could bo jnado to pass, at right angles tn the main shoot, whei-o the" wash dirt I saw, on looking round, was being passed over blankets. It was a pleasure to see bo much gold being saved, the result of two day's dredging operations, but here again some of the light, Hakey gold was being washed back into the bed of the river, until one of the party suggested that a narrow batten placed across at the bottom of Ihe shoot ■would save it all, a plan that was adopted at once, with success. , I feel sure there must be a good time coming for the shareholders o[ the Golden Bay Dredging Company No. 1, after seeing the gold lying on the blankets so thickly as it was, and I have no doubt that many more dredges will soon be at work also. I regretted very much that 1 could not [join with the others, in thanking Mr Cutten and men employed for courtesy, and explanation of the details of the different operations required for dredging, on leaving — they would have been astonished to hear thanks from the invisible one.

Cn reaching land again I heard one magistrate say to the sportsman, pointing to a tui flying overhead, " There's a shot for you." He was .snubbed by being told it -was pro- . tected, but a few seconds after the .Sportsman sank down behind a log L e^yibgi " Keep quiet, here comes a |gjwjj;!'r/He was ijpmecliately re-

minded that it was protected also, '• Protection be— hanged I hope he sa id I'll show it what protection is," but he didn't. After a pleasant drive to Coll ingwood, where we arrived full of appetite, we did ample justice to good thing provided by our hostess. I can assure you that your correspondent was more prominent with his knife and fork than he had been for some time previously. By-the-bye, for a short time' I lost sight of my companions, and when I saw them again, I found that our sporting friend had acquired a hare, which was conspicuously displayed on the sulkey. Knowing him to be a good sportsman, I feel sure that he did not buy it. I hope he did not steal it. At any rate, I know occasionally Mr Sportsman will be asked "How did you get that hare ?" I am, &c, AOREBE. P.S.— On reaching Collingwood I heard that we only saw the small gold, 'lhe heavier had been saved at first washing.