MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 14

MISCELLANEOUS.

A very pretty piece of solid gold was found at Little Chinaman's, about three miles east of Dunolly, recently, by an old digger, a native of Switzerland. The nugget, which weighs 470z 6dwt, was discovered in old ground, about 14ft helow the surface; and its discoverer was working within a foot of the precious lump more than 20 years ago. The locality has been famous for its nuggets, of which over 500oz were found by one man in this gully some years ago. It is reported that the XflUiman Company will! start work this week.

The agreement with respect to the new boilers for the Kawarau Big Beaoh and Wakatipu Companies' dredges is that they will be forwarded from Dunedin within 21 days of the time of the signing of the contraot. In the case of the Kawarau Oompany the contract was signed on the 2nd inst. It is expected that the boiler for the Wakatipu Company will leave Dunedin about the same time as the other.

The first orushing of stone from theKuaotunoa goldflelds. Auckland, produced 1620z gold from 75 tons of stone. There is an unlimited quantity of orushing dirt. Mr Harrison, of Whangarei, has brought to Auokland a bar of bullion, mostly silver, weighing 750z,. the produce ot 36owt of Fuhipuhl ore. The crushing is fully bearing out the assays previouily made, and the direotors of Prospectus No. 1 mine, from which the ore was taken, are satisfied that it will go 450z of silver to the ton.

It is reported that the Sew Hoy Big Beach Company's dredge is again working on good gold. At a meeting of the direotors of the Golden Bar Dredging Oompany (Limited), held on Saturday' evening, a letter was read from the company & manager In which be states : "I am trying to geteverything as near perfect as possible, and am pushing all I can. I expect the dredge to be launched on the 15th met." It may, therefore, be reasonablycalculated upon that in a week thereafter the dredgewill be at work on tbe company's olaim as everything else is favourable for so doing. Mr Jabez Burton telegraphs that the manager of the United Hercules Hydraulio Sluicing Oompany washed up on Saturday, after exactly six days" running, and obtained 950z of gold, value £357. An Auckland telegram states that a crushing of SO' tons of stone from the Kuatonua goldfleld gave a. y The Upper Waiporl Alluvial Gold Dredging- Company obtained 230z sdwt of gold for five days r dredgr mc last week. The Fair Maid Gold Mining Compdny (Limited) report:— "Weather very dry, and only 27 hours' sluioing, yielding 33oz amalgam." Tests of argentiferous ore from the prospectors' claim at Puhipuhi have been made during the pasb week at the Thames School cf Mines. One parcel comprising 37001b of ore from the winze on No. 3 reef yielded by Che raw pan amalgamation process 750z of bullion, equal to the rate of 760z to the ton, and represents a saving of 65 pr cent, of the assay. It is considered that the working tests have proved that auriferous stone of a payable oharaoter exists at Puhipuhi. The Cardrona correspondent of the Cromwell Argus writes : — " Frost has set in, and all hands have stopped work. There have been no new finds of any note for the last 12 months. The Robertson Brothers have pretty well worked their eMm out, but it will pay good wages yot, and would be a very rioh olaim if there was plenty of water to sluice with, but there ia not enough water, and the price charged -£2 2s per head per week— is too much for a cUim that lequires from four to six heads running constantly. I may state that the £2 2s per week Is for one head of water for eight hours per. day, or 48 hours per week. The claims on the Cardrona are all averaging fair wages, although there is nothiDg very rich. Mr Sew Hoy had bottomed a paddock at Branch creek in his dredging claim, and has, he says, eot pvrab'e gold or prospects. He has also started to sink another paddock in Cardrona creek, near Boundary crec'k. and half a mile nearer the Oardrona township. If he find* payable gold in this paddock, it is expected that Oardrona will be aaoene of great excitement." The following items are from the Tuapeka Times : -•• Mr John M'Kinlay, formerly of the Otago Oomnanv Blue Spur, a well-known miner in this district,' has bp.en engaged by Messrs Battray and Sons to thoroughly project for gold on the Craig Flat, below Honeshoe Bend, and nearly opposite the Island Bl< ck Company's claim la company with Mr John Tea^dale, who is an experienced miner, Mr M'Kinlay will commence work at the Craig Flat to-morrow. An impression prevails that a very rich lead of gold runs through the flat in question.— Mr W. Adams, working manager of the Island Block Gold Mining Company, writes as follows -.—Having noticed in a recent iisue of your paper that Captain Pearse was trying to introduce a hydro-atmospheric elevator for hydraulio sluicing in the Tuapeka district, and that Mr Charles Campbell, of Blue Spur, has lately patonted a similar kind of elevator, I may state that eight years ago I introduced air through a 3in gas pipe at the Gabrlel'a Gul y Tailings Company's workings. I think I can fairly lay claim to be the first In the colony to introduce air into the elevator, although I did not go to the trouble of taking out patent rights.— An occasional correspondent at Roxburgh sends us the following items --I paid a visit to the United HeroulesNo. 1 olaim the other day. Mr Peters has reoently got another branob of pipes In position, a part of the race hat been widened, and tbe greater number ox

the old leaks have been made good. The manager ■howed me a piece of ground which has lately been tested with very satisfactory results, and which he intends very shortly to wash away. A handsome dividend may then be expected. He deserves my acknowledgment for the courtesy with wbioh he showed me over this valuable property. The Amalgamated Oompany is also pushing on and hope to be getting gold shortly. Their race is certainly a magnificent affair. Some 22 men are at present employed on it. I shall send you fuller reports Bhortly."