BIG DREDGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 18 August 1933, Page 4

BIG DREDGE

ON MATAKITAKI RIVER OPENING CEREMONY On Thursday in brilliant sunshine and in the presence of a huge crowd of local people and visitors, the chairman of directors of the Matakitaki Dredging Co., SMr Mahoney, declared the company’s new dredge open, and wheels began to turn, ana steam issued from all quarters, followed by a raucous “cock-a-doodle-do” from the whistle, as the great buckets tore into the gravel of the artificial lake in which the dredge floats. EARLIER DAYS RECALLED This is not the first dredge to operate in this district, but it is the largest, and its prospects of success seem brighter than those of its predecessors. The first dredge was of the “spoon” type, operated by man-power, and stood near Fern Flat in the early ’eighties. It was too small, however, to stand up to the heavy work, and was not a huge success. Then followed the Matakitaki Dredge, erected on almost the same spot as the present one. It paid its way for a while, and then continual breakdowns and heavy work caused it to fail, and it was finally destroyed in a flood. Another dredge worked on the Four River Plains, near the Matiri River. Then came the Kohikohi, near the Six Mile, which produced as much as 50ozs of gold per week for a long period. The Amikatea also worked at the Six Mile, and lasted about one year. It is interesting to note that the engines of the two last-named dredges were sold, and did duty for many years in a country saw-mill. The Belle Vue worked near the big slip at Morels. Some of its machinery, which was sold to a southern dredge, was brought back and is incorporated in the present structure. These dredges worked in about 1900 and 1901. The last ventures were again at Fern Flat, and good returns were secured, until a flood washed the dredge away. AGAIN, THE RUMBLE OF DREDGE MACHINERY Now, after a spell of over 30 years. Murchison will again hear the rumble of dredge machinery, and the whistle announcing the end of the shifts. Before cutting the ribbon on the gangplank, Mr Mahoney, the chairman of directors, pointed out that this was his first visit to the dredge. He .extended a hearty invitation to the visitors to inspect the new undertaking and to partake of the company’s hospitality, then at afternoon tea, and later at a big free dance. The 17th August should prove a red-letter day for Murchison. Comprehensive tests indicated litat the gold was there'in payable quantities. The dredge has taken a year to build, for the greater part of the machinery had to be dismantled on the Waikaka dredge, near Gore. The transport of the materials, too, was a big undertaking. Most of them came by rail to Inangahua Junction, and thence by lorry. Lorry drivers could , tell of hair-raising moments manoeuvring the huge iron components around' the comers of the Buffer Gorge,. and of anxious minutes crossing some of the bridges. The time came when all the materials were on hand, the site was a mass of iron and steel, of all shapes and sizes, and huge baulks of timber, kauri for the pontoon, and hardwood for the uprights. It speaks much for the ingenuity and skill of the dredge-master that from the apparent chaos of materials, he has bpen able to erect the present structure. ;•{< .• m . , .. . ' OPERATIONS. DESCRIBED The pontoon is 110 feet long and 33 feet wide. There, are 34 buckets on the.“ladder,” which is 68 feet long, and weighs 23 tons. Each bucket holds 7 cubic feet of material, and twelve buckets per minute shoot their contents into the screen This screen is a huge cylinder perforated with holes, and is 33 feet long and 6 feet in diameter. The holes are from | to -f inch in diameter. The gravel is shot into this screen, as it revolves at 7 revolutions per minute. The fine sand, gravel and gold pass through the holes on to the “takes,” which have an area of 382 square feet. They are covered with calico, cocnut matting, and expanded metal, which catches the gold. The big boulders pass along 'the screen to the stacker. This is an endless belt which deposits tlie big stones astern. This machine is 55 feet long and can stack a pile twenty-five feet high, Thus as the dredge eats its way forward, its trail will be marked by huge piles of bare boulders. . ■ A 24 HOUR DAY When operations start properly, as from Monday next, the dredge will work 24 hours a day, six days a week. Three men will operate it at night, the boilerman, the winch-man and the stackerman. LOCAL COAL USED It was interesting to discover that the boiler will burn the local Wyndale coal, and that all the materials possible will be procured locally. The dredge should be a considerable asset to the Murchison district, and everything augurs well for its success. If this dredge, proves a success there, is everv indication of similar concerns being undertaken in the district.