MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 12

MISCELLANEOUS.

We learn that Mr O. S. Reeves, having received a communication from Mr Seddon, M.H.R., regarding the procuring of samples of ores and minerals to' be sent to the New Zealand court at the Melbourne Exhibition, interviewed the representatives of several mining companies on Tuesday and received promises of support Now that the defect in our court has been pointed out, and the Government have removed all restrictions, it is hoped good samples will be forthcoming. Mr Beeves has kindly undertaken to do all iv his power to assist, and if those interested in developing the mineral resources of the colony who are in a position to send samples will communicate with him, he will give them all necessary information as to the best course to adopt in forwarding them. 'As some of the stone will be crushed this is a goad opportunity for showing the richness of New Zealand quartz. It is hoped, however, that other ores and minerals will be forthcoming, to" give an idea of the varied wealth of the colony in its mineral deposits. Queensland experience goes to show that couch grass, usually classed and cursed as a weed, has its uses in dam-making. A dam at Fine Creek is about 200 yds long, and the breadth on the top is 20ft. It is of no great height, only a few feet, except in the aotual narrow channel of the creek, where it perhaps is 10ft high. The interest about it is that it is an overshot dam, and that the water has frequently poured over its entire length a stream 2ft thick. Yet the embankment remains as firm as ever. To enable it to withstand this great rush of water great care was taken to establish a dense couch grass sward on tho top. Thi3 was done by sodding with turf taken from couch grass pasture land. Also the back of the dam is of pine logs, placed at a slope^not deeper than lft in 12ft, and carefully braced together and to the ground. Sand is from time to time strewn over this, which thus gets washed into the interstices of the logs ; and so ali becomes a solid mass upon which couch grass is encouraged to grow. A yearly top-dressing of sand 2in thick is also spread over the couch sward on the top of the dam. No animals are allowed to graze on it. Thus the couch becomes long ; and when the top-dressing is applied the roots seize hold of it, and ramify it in all directions, forming a dense matting which the water cannot break through. Mr Fritchard Morgan is iv the highest spirits at the prospects of the Gynfyndd mine (writes the London correspondent of a contemporary). He has 150 miners at work again, and does not hesitate to say that if the present rich lode held out he could make a profit of £500,000 a year, and soon be able to buy the Rothschilds np. But, even apart from that, he holds that he is "at the beginning of the biggest gold boom the world has ever seen." The ore he is meeting with is richer than anything he has ever met. One day lately some tourist visitors inspected bis workings ; and at luncheon time Mr Morgan merrily told one of the party to remove a shabby -looking old bag out of a lady's way. The attempt was gallantly made. First one hand, then two hands, were tried. But the bag was motionless, until at last the effort was abandoned, with the cry that the bag had been nailed to the bench. Then Mr Morgan explained tho deception. He opened the bag and showed 12 bars of solid gold, each worth £200, and declared that that was the output for the first fortnight. He has since announced publicly that the mine has yielded 1338 tons quartz, from which 4008oz of gold have been obtained. The statistics for the past month (writes the Oroydon correspondent of the Queenslander, August 7)^ are reassuring notwithstanding that the crushings for June are lower than any recorded this year. This is fully explained by the fact that there are now only six machines at work, the other seven machines having long ago* hung up for want of water. I therefore think that the 60 heads of stamps now at work have done well to beat out 45400z of gold. As this terminates the half-year I will briefly enter into statistics, which though dry reading are eminently encouraging as to the progress of the field. Last year we turned out 31,3070z. For the six months ended 30th June our output w&s 38,0270z, or about 675002 in excess of the yield for 1887. The total yield for the 18 months was, therefore, 60,3340z:, which, at £2 13s 6d— • the warden's estimate— gives a value of gold won since the opening of the field of £184,000. As it will be several months before we have a sufficient supply of water for crushing, I do not anticipate a heavy output of gold for 1888— say about 65,0000z — but as we shall have 16 machines, with over 200 head of stamps, at work in 1889, I feel confident that in that year we shall reach over 100,000oz. I estimate the yield for July at about 3800oz. In commenting on the floating of the Longwood Sluicing Company, the Southland Times says: — "That gold exists in the Longwood is undoubted, as instance the auriferous nature of the Bound Hill arid Orepuki districts, which for years past, and at the present moment, produce gold to the value of about £30,000 per annum, all of which is obtained by sluicing. ... It seems strange that a goldfield of such promise, lying at our doors, should have so long remained undeveloped, and we hope the efforts of this company may open the eyes of the people of this district to the hidden treasures which await enterprise." Under the caption "Mine Salaries in Australia," a San Francisco paper says : — " It is pretty well understood that the salary of W. H. Patton, who left the Comstock to take charge of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company (Limited) in New South ;\Vales, is 20,000d0l a year. It is stated that John Howell, late manager of the Beno Seduction Works, resigned his position to accept a similar position in Australia at a salary of 10,000dol a year. If the people in the Australian colonies continue to offer such salaries all the mining men on this coast will be looking out' for berths over there." A correspondent of the Lake County Press, writing of a visit to Glenorchy, says : — " Messrs J. Williams and party seem to be well satisfied with their prosp'cts. All the 'passes' are full of stone, and a large quantity of quartz in the reef has be*n laid bare, so that a good crashing may be expected shortly. It is anticipated that the mine will yield a handsome return to the working men, who are also qualified to act as their own managers." Mr Clayton, manager of the Blue Spur and Gabriels Consolidated Gold Company, has (saya the Tuapeka Times) been vigorously pushing ahead the work during the past three weeks, and notwithstanding the limited supply of water, caused through the severe frosts and heavy snow falls in the high country whence the watpr i 3 lifted, an immense area of ground has been turned over and put through the boxes Three jets are now in full operation, two of which are kept continuously at work night and day. Tho men are employed in eight hour "shifts, and there are three relays of men duriDg the 24 hours. The other jet is only working one shift of eight hours, but up till recently two shifts were employed on this one. The large paddock on the east side of the gully, which has been worked for some time, is now being cleaned up. Large returns are not expected, as

a quantity^ of the tailing 6 that had been previously put through the boxes had to be lifted in order to get the tail-race clear. The jet tha^ is employed on the old road line on the west side of the gully was got into working order on Wednesday last. There are about 30 boxes attached to this run, which empties into the large paddock recently made. This jet will have a good run ; and it is anticipated tbat the paddock now commenced will yield something handsome. The jet at the head of the gully took some time to get into position owing to the accumulation of debris, which is of a soft character, continually closing in when the pipes were being lowered to reach the bottom. The manager intends to take a course up through the tailings on the east side of the old paddock ; and as there wiil be some solid ground met witb, the returns from this jet should be good. Two lifts are at present used here. If 15in pipes were used instead of llin it would greatly facilitate the removal of the drift, as the smaller pipes are liable to get choked. The jet that has been used in the paddock now being cleaned ud will be removed to the upper paddock and kept incessantly at work. The present water supply has been sufficient to keep seven shifts going per day. Two men are engaged at each jet, one to guide the nozzle which directs tbe dirt to the jet and the other to remove any obstruction that might block the pipes. Two men have been employed ever since the company commenced operations making ripples for the bottom of the boxes. The ripples are made out of old rails, which are cut into suitable lengths and rivetted to iron btraps about 3in or 4iu apart. They arc found to be very suitable and durable. Messrs Dawson and Morton, who have an extended claim between the boundary of the Tailings Company and the N elson Company's old claim, have put a shaft down and are now tunnelling. They are on a good run ; but the inconvenience of having no water greatly retards their progress. A gentleman, largely interested in one of the foremost dredging claims on the Clutha river, returned to Lawrence (says the Tuapeka Times) after paying a visit to the Welman dredge, the working of which he has been carefully watching since it commenced operations. He pronounces it an undoubted success, far above anythingof the kind yet introduced into the colony. The dredge is now working on the Manuherikia ; and the quantity of stuff she is treating is something prodigious, being upwards of 60 tons an hour. The gold-saving appliances arenotof the faulty nature which has been represented by certain parties, some very fine gold being saved. Owing to the recent flood, which brought down an enormous quantity of tailings from up river, the dredge has been delayed in getting down on to the w/>shdirt. The proprietors of Jenkins' dredging claim at Horseshoe Bend (near Cromwell) are so satisfied with the perfection of the Welman that they have decided to have their claim worked by one, with the difference that while the one at present afc work at Alexandra is worked by steam, the one at the Bend is to be worked by hydraulic power. A powerful branch of water is to be carried from tbe bank on a kind of floating punt, and applied in such a manner as to obviate the necessity of almost any machinery on the dredge whatever. This will mean a great saving both in fuel and labour ; and as the idea is an entirely new one, it 3 development will be watched with great interest. The Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company's Prospectus appears in our advertising columns. The mines are situate on the east bank of the Clutha river. The Victorian engineer who has reported on the mine estimates the annual profits at £20,000 a year, and states that the area is so extensive that 150 years working would not exhaust it. It is proposed to add an hydraulic plant and new goldsaving apparatus to the works. The new works recommended by Mr Hedloy, the engiuer, are estimated to cost £10,000. The capital is £45,000, in shares of 10s each, one-third of which are taken by the vendors in part payment for their interest in the property and the remaining two-thirds offered to the public. Mr Dochorty, the West Coast explorer, returned to Dunedin about a week ago, having been engaged during the last five mouths exploring the country inland at the head of Dusky Sound and Wet Jacket Arm, with the object of discovering a practical overland route to Lake Manapouri. With this object in view he has been blazing lines through the bush, and has succeeded in gettiug a pass at the head of Wet Jacket Arm. While at Dusky Sound he obtained a number of specimens of minerals containing sulphide of iron, sulphide of copper; also quartz and iron pyrites. These were ou view at the Perpetual Trustees' premises on Saturday, where they were inspected by a gentleman who has had some years' experience in raining in Cornwall. After inspecting the specimens, he expressed himself highly pleased with them. Mr Docherty states that th« outcrop of the copper lode at the sound is covered with oxide of copper, and the specimens of the minerals containing copper ore which he has brought to Dunedin had shell fi^h adhering to them, showing that the lode is in close proximity to the harbour. Not far from the copper lode there is also a large lode containing quartz and iron pyrites ; but as Mr Docherty left the place hurriedly after discovering it, having to meet th 6 steamer-early in July, he had only time to examine it very superficially. The presence of the quartz and iron pyrites in the lode is, however, an indication of the presence of some higher class mineral in their vicinity. Iv addition to the specimens already referred to, Mr Docherty exhibited some garnet sand on Saturday. This, he stated, he had analysed at Wellington, and it was found to contain tin ore (cassiterite). We may add that the specimens were shown in Wellington to practical peopio, who spoke very hopefully of them. A meeting' of the Golden Treasure G»U Mining Company (Limited) was held at Mr Logan's office on Monday afternoon, Mr E. C. Quick being in the chair, when it was resolved to confirm the action of the directors of the company in selling the mine and plant to Mr J. B Beeche, of Reef ton', for tho sum of £855. The United Hercules Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Limited) was on Monday registered under " The Companies Act 1832." Sir Robert Stout, Messrs Robert Wilson, E. E. C. Quick, Joha Robert Perry, J. B. Borton, R. J. Pitchers, and Bedford Butler have been appointed directors. Mr J. Burton has been appointed secretary. The office of the company is at Roxburgh, but there will be a Dunedin agency at the office of Mr John Mouat, solicitor, Princes street. In order to make an early start a large order for material and plant has been telegraphed for to Great Britain, and tenders will be shortly invited for the supply of timber and such other material as can be supplied locally, so that when the order from Groat Britain is fulfilled, as it is expected to be in about six weeks, it will not be long before a start is made. The Lake Wakatipu Mail says :— " Reefing is looking up in the Cromwell district. We are informed that a new and rich quartz reef has beea discovered at the Rise aud Shine, near Bendigo, and judging from the prospects got on the surface, is estimated to go between 3oz and 4oz of gold to the ton. The thickness of the reef is about 22in, and gold can be seen plainly ob the surface of the stone, which is very nice-looking for quartz carrying gold. A local party has

been formed with a capital of £2000 and under the title of • The Jubilee Quartz Mining Party.' Mr W. G Mouatt, a well-known miner and one of the prominent shareholders, has been appointed manager, and he is busy taking out foundations for erecting a large waterwheel and crushing and winding machinery. A shaft of 120 ft is also being suak to strike the underlay of the reef, and it is at present down 60ft. A stope of quartz is being taken out on the surface to keep the battery going (when erected) until the reef is struck in the shaft. The country is of rather a wet nature and water is getting rather troublesome, but this is probably a favourable sign, and can be overcome by the erection of pumping machinery. The mine is likely to be in full working order about two months hence. Things are said to be looking lively at the new Cromwell Company's claim. The manager, Mr G. Hilton, is making good headway with the erection of the pumping machinery, and the mine will shortly be in full working order again." A Nelson telegram states that a meeting of shareholders in the Bulmer Creek and Wakatu Gold Mining Companies, was held last evening. At the firstnamed 4869 shares were represented, and at the latter ,31,670 shares. At both meetings resolutions were passed to amalgamate the companies' properties at the Owen and work them under one management. A joint committee, comprising Messrs Cooke, Silcock, Marshall, Merrick, Saxton, and Atmore was apointed to arrange terms of amalgamation and report at a future meeting. We are informed} by Mr Robert Neill, agent for the Cyclone roller crusher quartz machine that he has despatched the machine to Green's Ueef and Seam Company, Ophir. The Mount Benger Mail states that the claim owned and worked by Messrs Carlaw, Fish, Smith, and Louden, and wbich is included among those to be taken over by the Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company now being floated, has during the present season yielded on an average 80oz of gold per week, or an average of from £70 to £90 per week per man. The present yields are quite up to the average stated. With claims like this, worked by improved machinery, it is easy to forsee the success of any company that might be formed to work the large auriferous deposits at Roxburgh east. The run of gold in some of the claims runs back into the large flat, and may probably still further improve on going into the flat, as in the instance quoted.