THE WEEK'S MINING SEWS.,

Otago Witness, Issue 224, 28 May 1896, Page 16

THE WEEK'S MINING SEWS.,

A local correspondent writes as follows to the Bruce Herald :—" The Glenorc Gold - dredging Company's dredge, is on very good ground, and, 1 am glad to say, the affaira of the cotnpauy ate in a very healthy condition, and the pro»pec.s are in every respect .most encouraging. Tha company deserve all their auc-ess as they hive shown a . very enterprising spirit, aud have conducted their affairs with much judgment aud caution. The j .company's profits for theinonilr ending. Match 31 amounted to £141 8s 6d. The company now consists of five Bhaiebold-ra, and tluir returns for April,"*thougli I have not beard of the extcfc amount, are large onough to prove that the company have a good property, and one that will'grow in value with ita development." Tue Tupanni Courier says : -" MrChailes Todd, of Heriot, showed one of o ir nipresentasives a maguificent sample of gold and quirtz specimens obtained from Parker's reef, Campbell's Gully, on the Old Man range. This reef is now being thoroughly prospected by Messra I'aiker Broi., and carries ftood gold llrroughout. There is some excitement in the Tnviot district over tbe rpcent di-covery of several promising lodes in the- ranges. A party consisting- of Messrs \V. <-.ra.y and Co. have recently di o covereJ a reef in Nuggity Gully supposed tv be identical with the lode found by Mr Richard Kirk in the sixties, ami afterwaids lost trace of. This reef shows good gold. Mr Ziman, the representative of a Rothschild syndicate, has an expert in the Cluths* Hiver Valley on the wok-out for good ruiuing investments, and he is looking after some of the reefs now mentioned. CousidtrinK that the 'Campbell's' country is practic-Ur^ closed by snow during tbe winter months, very little further work is lfkely to be done before spring, when a mining boom may be looked for in that locality." The Preservation Inlet correspondent of the Southland Times writes :— "Reefing matters here are at a. standstill, vritb the single exception of the Morning Star. This mine- has within the last' three weeks put out nearly £1000 worth of gold, which is a big step in the right direction. Good utone continues to show at both the nonb and the south ends of the mine. The company who were driving on tbe Nugget claim, Crayfish Island, have found the reef, but it proved to be quite barren at the point struck, and does not promise anythinggood, as tbe reef is quite shattered and tumbled about. JFor the present the drive is locked up awaiting the decision of the owners at Christchurch. Those who were working at the drivesay that if the eef is proved payable at all it will have to be found in tbe Monto Cbristo adjoining. Notjiing if> being •lone *t Cuttle Cove or any of tie other reufs VVt.ite Mi M'Kay, Government guoli'gisfc, i\as in tit- ili-tnet, he discovered some reefs routnniiig silver and lead in the granite belt, and one in the mica schist which ou being tried proved to contain copper and iron, but no gold. It is quite possible, however, for all the reefs to contain gold at some other part of the lodes not yet exposed. In alluvial matters alsovery lit tie is doing, very few cUims paying wages. Some nice pieces vrere unearthed lately by Cullen and Clark at Moonl ght and by Hodge and party No. 2, Coul Island. There has been an abundant supply of water for many weeks, which always helps matters a lifctla. A rush in a very small way

is taking plaea to some ground discovered by Forbes and p*rty at Kiwi Burn. It is abont eight hours' walk from Oromarty in an Easterly direc« tion. There is » considerable quantity of likely ground, and it has only been tried yet at one end. The ground has been formed by theses, and ia in; reality »n old seabeach. Fine gold is got in. tha black sand and fine gravel lying' on a bed of boulders, and. amongst the b ulders gold of a coarser quality is obtained. Further back are terraces also containing gold. Pieces of &dwt have been got, and no doubt when tha claims are worked back to the larger boulders pieces of a much greater weight will be obtained. At present there is very little water on the ground 1 , b 't if tlie gold extends over any great area plenty of water can be brought on from the neighbouring creeks. Gutting food and wo- king plant to this place will always be a great difficulty." The wabh-ups for the winter at the Low bar a are (says the (from well Argus) not numerous. One party, Werner aDd Swarm, we hea>vliad » very good one. At the BAnnockbiira we hear of only Lhrea parties who intend wanhing up— viz.. Crow's P'irty, the Carrick" party,_ and Hancock and party. Water at thp Bowburn is getting scarce. The Athol rwreapondent of the Sou' hern Standard w«C p s :— " The Sew Hoy Company are working «wu.y us the water will allow them. They have started to extend the water iace to DiggersCreek. Mr Sew Hoy had ako the^rater lights to tbe Nokomai Creek water, but a3TUs time is now up and as he has not done anything with tho wa'er, he has forfeited his rights. It is to be hoped that another compiny will avail themselves of it ; there is plenty of ground to work foi years to come. My-sr* Muider and party wi'l put i-n a battoiy to Wi-rk their qiiaiiz >eef as soon as thty have secured tho neefs-yry water rights, which they expect to get next Warden's Court day at Waikaia." The following items are from rhe< Tuapeka Times :— ln consequence of the shortness of water caused by the recent severe frost, work, has lately, been v«ry uiuc'i retarded at Blue Spur and Gabriel's Gully. There has been a great deal of # broken time dining the week, but the mildness of the past two tiii,hts will doubtb ss allow of fulltime operations being renumtd forthwith. —Our Miner's l'"lafc cm respondent write* : " Great tbipgs are expected from the new prospecting machine (mentioned in. my notes, some time agp), which has been built byNilr Malcolm ft ona designs by Mr M'Oregor, engineer of the Otago Company's dredge. T he machine bay just been npiched, bat as vet w c have notliad a practical test of itbusofulnes*. In general apui arauce it is uot uuliVe a wool* pressing 1 niachint;, having a double frame, with. ths innt-r one working up and down) whila tho ouler frame is fitted with fixed casting , attached to which is a handle and cog-«herl foi the purpose of taibiug -or luweiir.g a* m iy l>e found necessary On tbe top of tho machine is fixed a wooden tumbler, ai-d round this- au endless chain and buckets revolve, jn-opelled by a shaft and pinion coiim" ted with the tnoti' c power in the sanie way a 3 a '•hrillcutfer The ma.rhii.e, which ata&ds ab > it 30fr high and is txiWteri to prospect 25ft do p, i-> con^tiuc-ed on vvh'ela, so that it can bo easily moved to any lequiml pc-itton. It is proposed to me it for the firct time to prospect some ground near the luouth of the Bonger Civek " The 'luapelta Times reports that a rich specimen of quwrlz ba3 been pickid up in a gully on tbe^soufch side of Mutno's Gully, ab ye what is known as (he < oinishuicn's ''am The fo>mation of a quartz reef, running nmtli am' south, underljingto the w<'rt, was loii'id, and tevtrid «iehe»i of stone and mullock having buon bioken out, each washing »hov/td line colours of gold. Tho mullock between the walls is paitly a fine soft quartz, which, from appearunc s, will piy well for sluicing. Ia the opinion of an expert who visited the vl*o» the flssuie is well wotthy the attention of the prospector. The Mil r's Flat co>re-poriJerit of the Tuapeka Times- reports that tbe GoUlm) Tr<-fihi»re dmlge ia workii g away stmdil). but th' gold icturoaaro not sutisf.ictoiy In the couis^ of a few week*, when tU« dredge leM'he- maidsn ground, tber' »"re certain to be some very large and steady yields. Mews- i'ritigle and pa>tj' continue to do very Wrll It h currently reported th&fr the party have been aveiagjn;* £80 per nwn for Beyfral weeks past. The Gol en Qalc (hedge, is 6aid to be on a very good run (<f nul 1 just now, with every indication of (jivmsineney. Tbe annual general meeiing of tho New EUlor.tdo Sluicing Coni|»au> (1 iinTrod) was held on Wedjieidnylast atthecomiiany'ticmc-r' in Orawfoid Rtreefc The report and b.hiuce sheet were adopted. The nrine manager rep irfced that some progress had bern mu-de with the tuu* el, but, owing to delay in the delivery uf 'tha timb-.r, not bo much work had been done as was anticipated this beivsob. Auxtralian Tiu, Blue Tier, Tasmania, May 12 (by t Irgram) :— Gh aned up ; 15 tons crushed for 12cwt ore ; resume crushing to-di*y, 'llie D.instan 'Jimea lvports that Hyde and party obtained 13uz8dwt for a week's work. Th- same piper .states that on Tuesday last the whole of the Tnckei Hill mining properties were ofFered for sale by auction at Alexandra. The prop*ities, which were put up in one lot, included bead race (19 miles lonf), <• d<un of 20 scree, li-c i-ed boWin<;, and plant. Tin- inddi g l<egaa at £700. and quickly lav up U £W0 ; th<!n a jump to £1000 *»** alAde, and no further bidding being received, the whole lot was Knocked down to Mr James Kivers at that sum. Mr Jabez Bui ton advises us that tbe Roxbnrgb dredge washed up for the- week 10.>2 gold, and th# Kttrick dr-dge 4Joz &<>ld ; all old gr und. Mr C. S. Reeves rep'-rts the return of 250z 4dwt 4gr ('f gold from thff Entdpriae dredge at Alexandra for tha week ending on Friday— l 26 hours' dttdg'ng. The Mount Idi>. Chronicle hears that one party at Upper Kyeburu is at presetit on excellent goldi the daily return being from h'oz to Boz.