LATE MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 31

LATE MINING.

(Continued from Page 19.) MINING AT CROMWELL. (From Our Own Correspondent. April 26 —What was jocularly known as the £5 syndicate has struck a reef between tbe Gentle Annie and Roaring Meg Creeks. A couple of specimens from the reef that I have seen show veiy nice gold indeed. The reef is about a foot wide where laid bare, but as it has only just beeu struck and not opened up it is impossible to say what it may ultim»tely develop into, Messrs Holden aud Richards are the leading men in the syndicate, which, by the way, is not, so they inform me, the £5 syndicate, which is another capitalistic concern prospecting in the same locality. The pontoons of the Bowman's Flat Dredging Company are now launched, and as soon as the machinery is on there will be another gold winner at work. The Lowburn dredges are working away steadily. 1 visited M'Lay's dredge lately aud found that she was working beautifully. Captain M'Lay showed us some nice gold in the ripplea and a very pleasing prospect he had got from the buckets. The dredge was not working on the bottom, but the amount of drift gold was payable, so that the Rold got from the bottom will be dividends. This party intend to work into the bank, and are at present dreding with the intention of taking the current into the bank with them. Crookston and Ray are bard at work dre<lging away steadily in the same position. On the Kwarau tbe Electric is getting the filthy ore ie abundance. The boiler for the company's No. II dredge is expected shortly, and ■when that dredge is at work they will begin ihc 1 construction of dredge No. 111. The quartz reef prospecting party are at preBent idle waiting for timber. The current wheel dredge is working up the river above M'Lay's claim, but with what success I cannot hear. On the Lowburn side Werner, Swaij, and Woods arc applying for a large sluiciug area, on one of the temce.s which has been proved auriferous. The extent of the claim applied for shows that even in sluicing the daya of small claims are past. Mr J. O. M-itthewa has departed lo ihe lands whevo the capitalists grow, and in the meaHtinie j mining on the Uannockburn is proceeding aa usual. MINING AT WAIKATA. I (Fjrom Our Own Correspondent.) | April 26.— Theve in nothing very startling to chronicle in mining matters. The Ayrgle Com- , pany seem now in a fair *vay to reap some reward I for the enterprise and perseverance they have i shown since coming to this district They arc 1 reported to have struck good payable gold in their hydraulic claim on Winding (Jrnek Flat, and as the Riound is comparatively shallow, with their increased pressure they will soon have a large paddock cleaned. They deserve all the success ! that may attend them, for they have given an impetus to mining here which otherwise might have lain dormant for many years. The dredge which is.iv cour.-e of construction ■ near the landslip is making fair progress towards completion. Great results are expected from thiß venture, and it is to be Loped that the3e expectations Mil bs realised, a? no doubt it will mean that others will follow, there beiug plenty of room and equally j;ood prospects for them. MINING IN THIC WESTERN DISTRICT. (From Our Own Oorre9Pon»knt.) • Rivekton, April 24.— Things are jogging along merrily at Round mil in consequence of the | abuudunt supply of water, which is now sufficient I to keep the company's three elevatori at work. j At West Waiiu work oa the new field goes steadily on, and there is now no doubt as to tha i payable nature o£ tbe alluvial deposit. At last • sitting of the Warden's Court au application was I in^de by the discoverers of the field for a. reward. After certifying to the area taken up the warden referred them to the proper authorities. | The latest discovery is a reef at Pahia, but as yet very little is known about it. Discoveries of this nature have been too frequant of late. | MINING AT CLYDE. : (From Our Own Correspondent.) I April 2d. — I have been informed that a party of working miners have leased tbe Golden Qate i water race with tbe view to further testing the ; auriferous spurs and gullies in the neigbourhocd of Waikerikeri Valley. This race was, until rerently, leased by Xicolson and party, who failed in their attempts to discover payable ground in the valley. The present lessees have my best wishes for their success. Mr C. H. Biss, district engineer for Southland, has been transferred to Waogacui. The official scrutiny for Wellington Suburbs gives the figures : — Wilson, 2036 ; Atkinson, 1900. A Greymouth Chinaman has been fined £25 and £6 costs for carrying on a Chinese lottsry. The purchaser of a line of 3000 sack* of Messrs Paterson Bros.' (Waikaka) oats at Is ll^d has since resold at a profit of 3d per bushel, making £150 over the deal.— Mataura Eosign. During March tbe rainfall was : Auckland. 12 days, total fill 3'29in ; Napier, 5 days, total fall 3 82in ; Wellington, 11 days, total fall 2 16in ; Christchurch, 9 days, total fall l#3s:nl # 35:n ; Dunedin, 13 days, total fall 417 in. The ketch Huon Belle, coal laden, has been wrecked near Grahamstown, Thames. The crew are safe. There are no insurances on the vessel. Mr D. Whyte, of Taurito, the advocate of a light railway to open up the Poverty Bay district, declares that a railway from Napier to Kotorua would not cost over, say £1000 per mile, and would give access to 5,000,000 acres of land-