THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2317, 28 July 1898, Page 20

THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS.

The KawariU Dredging Company's dredge, at Victoiia bridge, designed by Mr h Koberts, is thua described by the Eur,st!.n Times:— "The dimensions cf hull are 90ft long ; wi-Hh, ffift Gin ; depth, sft 6in ; framing, bin- gum ; planking, kauii. The ladder will dredge to a depth of 45ft, ami the buckets have a capacity of three cubic foet. The dredge is designed to cany one elevator, if icquired. The screen presents some features of novelty. It is 4ft in diameter and has no fall, the centre live being parallel with the deck. ]fc is fitted with a helix to carry the material afteru to stone shoot. It has no tooth segment, but is iiuvea by two friction wheels fitted on n shaft parallel with screen, and supported by the^c and two other supporting lol'ers on a thaft at the opposite side. As a. cons-equence the rcreen im>"» very qivetly pnd without any jerking. The absence of fall or pitch t-liows of a coiißidevable dccrer.FO in height of tumbler framing, a poini of great importanca, The hull was constructed by Mr P. Sutherland, Port Chalmers ; engine and boiler, by Mwhall, Sons, and Co. ; macliiiuCiy, J. Andeison, Christchutch ; and laddei an-1 i.'-rkciF, by the Ne^v Z-al?nd K'-EWH-crifg C<n 1 'inedin.

Mr Chuke, the tuauager of the - .i..v.i,iiaiari C4old Milling Company, has been inionued that hid services will not be rrquhed at the end of Mo present engagement The re^son given by Mr I£. A. Goidon, the f.Piitral mait^Ktr, is that the return from the mine is not suflicient to pay woiking expen.'e?. 'Jin Auckland Ih t aid utidbi.sUnds that Mr ClaiUc will be succeed' d by a pen Unman at presciit conueried wi'Fi the gold minicg ind';3(ry in Otu^o. Mr Jabez Buitrin leporfa :— Tho Ettrick (n-ld Steam Dirdging Conipnuvs dreiigc was having her bo'ler re-r.i>yored and uiide.r genera' r<p*h" last week, md did not wash up any g Id. I)iedging will be started again this week. A oce-sixth .'•hare in M'Lay and party's dredge was bold at aucliori^on iSa'iudfy by Mr Salomon, and lealibeJ £"103. Mr J Jly vvi-s the purchaser.— Cromwell Aigus.

The Waipapapaßpach is 3g"in to lertivc n test of it 3 auiifeious qualiths. The Wjnuh.vm llt-mld is icfoimed that ore of the Most-jn patent goUswing muchiucs hai btcn takeu to the bffach for practical tiial. The WCitei n Star of tha 22nd inst. says : - " Mr To. Ciriick went up the rourspourakino on Wednefeday to a«cert(tiii its suitableness fur cariyingon diedgingoporations. 'J hcie should be a Rood opening for buoh an indusiiy, which, if s'.arted, >vill Rive an imp' l us to the district."

The Mount Ida Ch'ouiclc says :— " '1 he w. lk of construction of the Mount Ida Company's dret/fje h p'oiceding spare. The pontoons are now fi:ii t -hed 1 am' in .ix weeks' time it is hoped the diedge will be >eariy to btait v/irk. Mr W. 11. Cutte I.',1 .', the ron^nltinK engineer, lias thii week been on a vitit to the district", and exiiresses him Kelf a c v. e!l cat i-fied w ith the progress bein» made. It is intend' d t'i woik from the lower end of the claim upwiids, fjet, as in the rase of the Naseby Cjjopui'j's dicdße, from the upper boundary down wait's. Already rmiiic of the hands have been engaged, and the directors have eveiy prosppct of a highly efVicitnfc staff. Th? new juaster has token charge of the Kyeburn drecifre, which was fatoppcl for tt-vcial days laf-t week J^or little c\t;r two d.'iyj' dredging the ruluiu was 81 z."

The V\*ooc!stock Company, Auckland, crushed 461 tons for X'73l worth oi bullion. Only secondcla&s 01c v, ,(.'■> ireaLod.

An Auckland telegram slates thai the returns from the Ifaxirpki mine give £1105 worth of gold from HO ton?; the Golden Pah, ,C 76 worth from •!') tons; the Kapanga, £56 worth fioni 15J ton= ; do, tributers, £226 worth from four tojn.

A& fhowing the iniporLaucc of the cyanide process to this colony, it may be stated (says the Mine 3 Eccord) that eight of the principal mines in the Ohineruun Gololfields, giving employment to about 1500 men, milled 105,073 tons <of ore f-v the yci'r ending 31st Mwh, 1898, and

the crushed materials were Rftei.varJ? submitted to the cyanide treatment. The quantity of bullion produced was 280,5G00z, worth £300,107 17s Bd, being an average of nearly J33 per ton. Six hundred tons of tailings treated by the Cumberland cyanide plant at Mcrrijigs, £•2 12s per ounce, or about .£520. During May in the Heefkm district, during the month of May, yielded nearly 200oz of gold, valued at and June the Big Eiver cyanide plant tieated 1189 tons of tailings ior 24Goa Bdwt 12gr retorted bulJjon.