UPPER MOLYNEUX.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 26

UPPER MOLYNEUX.

June 6.— The Molyneux Hydraulic Company's dredge has been moved about a quarter of a mile up the river. This step, I understand, was necessitated by the fact that the silt was not being drifted away by the current, but was coming in " on the dredge, and so preventing her working to advantage. She was taking up a big cut of the bank, and doing fairly well, netting 30oz a week. The diedge has done very well since making a start, her average earnings being fully 250z a week. Thi3 dredge has amply demonskrat«d the fact that bank claims will pay, and that the leads of gold are running into the fiat

The contractors forthe Golden Beach Company's ! dredge are making capital progress with the eveo- \ tion of the machinery, which 13 now all on tbe ground. The elevator and winch have been placed in position, and the gantry completed. , The contractors anticipate having the dredge at | work by the end of the present month. The Island Basin Company's dredge, Victoria, has dropped down to her claim about four miles below Alexandra. Since being built this dredge ! has been a failure./ She was built to work the claim she is now on, and as a current wheeler she proved a source of expense to her owners. Some Bay that she never got down to the wash, being unable to beat the running drift ; others assert j as positively .that ehe'did bottom. Whether she ] Kpt down" to the wash or not there can be no quests tion about the fact that' she did not pay. Before deciding to abandon the claims the owners gave it a good trial. She was then moved up the river to about four miles above Alexandra,, whoro her bad luck still followed her, being unable to pay even wages. Here she sank at her moorings, and with difficulty her ownors saved htr from becoming a total wreck. The company was then reconstructed, the owners writing down their capital considerably, and takiug in new capital ts the amount of £800 She was turned -"into a steam dredge to work the Central Otaso claim After undergoing the necessary alterations and repairs she was moored on to this claim about one mile above Clyde. Here, owing to the sbortnees of her bucket ladder, she was unable to bottom in the deep ground, aud on the shallow bars where she could bottom she got no gold. Consequently she was laid >ip Tbe Island IBasin Company then made for the dredge an offer, which was accepted, advautagepuato both parties. The Island Basin Company h^ve lengthened the ladder Bffc, put up a new revolving screeD, strengthened the gantry, and rcade some other small repairs, which make the dredge now fairly fcerviceable. On the paying profpects of the Island Basin claim, in face of tbe Victoria as a current wheeler being s.uch a failure, I would not lik« to advance :i decided opinion. Otago Central Railway.— The indifference-

evidenced by the residents of Central Otago at the slow progress made with the construction of the railway to Ewebum is most marked. Surely a Government that boasts of » surplus of nearly half a million can spare £109,000 to push on such an important work as the Olago Central railway. There can be no question 'of do.ubt but that progress in Central Otago is greatly retarded owing to the want of cheap carriage. To place a firstclaas dredge on the Molyneux at Alexandra or Clyde costs for carriage alone nearly £800. In face of this drawback it is amazing tho progress the dredging iadustry has made during the past few years. Thi3 industry is capable of immense expansion, as not only has the bed of the Molyneux proved payable auriferv ous, but also the immense aurifeicu3 drifts on ita bauke, apd the drifts in the Manuherikia Valley. There can be no reason to doubt ■fout that the immense flats, which consist maiuly of. auriferous drift, will yield, handsome returns to skill," 'enterprise, and industry, combined with powerful dredging machinery. What is wanted in Central Otago is cheap carriage of goods, timt>er, and machinery. Given these/ the progress of Central Otago would Le both rapid and permanent. TKe extensive area of Crown lands adjacent to the iailway line would be settled on by a prosperous yeomanry — the backbone of every prosperous country, such as farmers and fruit■groweris. In natural sequence industries would spring up giving employment to many thousands of persons. The speedy construction of this rail- ' way T is- a public need, and we do not ask for too much from a Liberal Government, having a big bank balance, when we ask for tbe work to be gone on with as speedily as possible. A Daily Coach to Alexandra.— As soon as the railway shall be opened for traffic to Eweburn, steps should at once be taken to urge on the Government the necessity that exists for daily communication between Alexandra and Dunedin. ! This is quite within 1 " the bounds of reason, and j •would in all probability be acceded to. This is ' the route by which all traffic between the seaboard and Central Otago in future will be carried on. The instance by direct road, which is comparatively level from Alexandra to Ewebuin, is under 50 miles. When we consider the class -of xoad, this distance could, without undue haste, be traversed in six or seven hours. If the people bestir themselves, next summer should see tipper Central Otago in daily communication with the ! seaboard. Large quantities of dredging material are now coming by the Otago Central railway, j the freights being cheaper and delivery quicker. -Cycling and Football Tournament.— These i Bports were almost a failure this year/ The com- ! mittee had prepared an excellent programme for May 24, but the weather being so stormy, they were adjourned to Saturday, June 4. Again failure followed. Although the day was beautifully fine, the keen frosts which have obtained this past week completely spoiled the cycling track, making it so sloppy that cycling was out of the question. The public, who loyally support legitimate sport, are now full up of this class of sport in May. Jt now behoves the Carnival Committee to consider the desirability of holding their sports not later in the year than April, ' otherwise the public of Central Otago will not j countenance them. However, the weather was j quite suitable for the football matches, which on the whole were ably contested by the different teams. Concert.— The concert which took place on I May 24 was again repeated on Saturday, June 4, but ifc was a frost. As to the merits of the ! concert I will simply say it was not up to the j usual standard of concerts for which Alexandra is noted. _ On May 24 the concert was well ] patronised, but on Saturday evening there were very feyv present, notwithstanding that the price ' of admission was only a shilling. ! A Narrow Escape.— On Suuday a. large n umber of persons bent on enjoying a few hours' skating on the ice went out to a dam which is about eight 01 1 ten feet in-, depth at the deepest parr, and about half a mile from the town -The ice was hardly strong enough to bear Bach a large number. Consequently, as two young men, Leo. Ryan and Henry Sinimonds, were skating hand in hand over the deepest part of the dam the ice gave way and they immediately stnk. I They kept swimming about, grasping tbe cdffs of the ice, which gave way with their weight. None ! on the ice daved approach the drowning men. There was no plank to shove to them, and no one | seemed to know what to do. Just in time, one more resourceful than the reot snatched a bridle off a horse's head, and stretching it to its fullest extent threw one end to the drowning men, which luckily they had sufficient strength to grasp and bold. By this means they were both safely rescued, but quite exhausted and benumbed. They acknowledged -that had their rescue been delayed two or three minutes they would have sank and been drowned, as they were fast losing their strength.