THE GOLD DREDGING INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2372, 17 August 1899, Page 18

THE GOLD DREDGING INDUSTRY.

IN ITS PRACTICAL, ECONOMIC, AND GENERAL ASPECTS.

(Bt Oub Special Reporter.) XX.— WAIPORI. The W-ufori Consolidated Gold Dredging Company (No Liability). This company's claim joins boundaries with the Upper Waipori Company. »* The claim is one mile in extent, including some of the ground partly worked by the Upper Waipori Company's dredges. The dredge to work the ground is now in course of erection, being the late Lion Rock dredge from the Manuherikia River, shifted to Waipori for » new phase of action. It would appear that dredges, like human beings, have a great deal of knocking about during the course of their existence. Mr A. H. F. Nees, of Dunedin, has the contract for re-erecfcing the dredge upon her present site, and is making good headway with his work. The dredge is afloat, and the machinery in a forward state of readiness. It is expected that within a few weeks she will be able to begin work upon the new chum. Mr J. M. Walker is the dredgemaster and engineer. The dredge is of moderate dimensions, her pontoons being 66ft long by 24ft ovei all. They are built of kauri planking and red pine lieartwood framing. The buckets are of three cubic feet capacity, and were made by Mr J. Sparrow, of Dunedin. The engine is J2 horse-power, by Robey, and the boiler of 14 horse-power, by the same maker. The steam winches, which have six barrels, were made by Messrs A. and T. Burt. aftei Cutten Bros', patent. The ladder is long, capable of dredging to a depth of 30ft. The Perseverance Party. This \3 a private concern of six shareholders, four oi whom .are working men, taking their shift on board the dredge. The claim, was taken up originally by five men, who decided to put a suitable and competent dredge upon the ground, but, the ccct exceeding their estimate, they took in a sixth shareholder, which move «*as the means of setting up the party. In this way a very strong and efficient boat vras put ■upon the claim at a cost of £3300. The dredge was built by Morgan and Cable, Cutten Bros, being the designers. The pontoons are built of kauri planking on blueguin framing, *nd ire by Knevrstubb, of Port Chalmers. The came firm supplied the ladder, which is 38ft long, and Luis worked witi to a depth jf £jit, vith buckets of three cubic feat; capacity. The engine is a 10 horse-power ] M trenail and Sons, and the 16 korse-»ower

• boiler is by the same makers. The steam winches were supplied by the New Zealand Electric and Engineering Company (Stevenson and Poole). The gold-saving apparatus comprises a j iMam box, 80ft long by 4ft wide, with j return boxes 25ft long and 4ft wide. The I water for washing the stuff is supplied by a 10-inch centrifugal pump. The ground ' :cuns from 10ft, 12ft, and 20ft deep, and a width of 13 chains is taken on a face, with- , out picking anything as the best or leaving what is thought not payable. Everything, in fact, between the two side reefs in the valley is put through down to the pipe- • clay bottom. , The recognised head of the party is Mr James M'Neil, a man with a good deal of practical insight- and experience in his line. He pointed out how he and his party were • ! the first, to start their venture so far down . the valley, where it widened out to such an extent, giving rise to the opinion that the gold, being so much scattered, would not pay. However, they stuck to carrying ' out their idea, and as soon as they touched ■ the gold and proved it to be payable half , a dozen other parties rushed in, and made dredging the success it now is m the valley. Tho Perseverance party have done very well, and are perfectly satisfied with their venture. They have still 100 acres to work, , but Mr M'Neil holds, like so -many other parties mentioned, that a 100-acre claim is not large enough in shallow ground, where a dredge of moderate capacity can turn over one acre per month, or nearly so. The initial cost of the boat and the subsequent outlay of working her is out of proportion to the inducement offered by a 100-acro claim. Thb Success Gold Dredging Company. Registered in July, 1897, with a capital of £2400, the company started work in : November, the same year, and sinco tbat time has paid 8s in dividends per £1 share, and paid off £700 of debt incurred through ■ exceeding the amount of available capital, . the dredge alone having cost £2900, being a very serviceable boat. \ The claim was originally one of 90 acres, < of which rather better than 20 have been ; turned over, but this deduct-on has been ! made good by taking in an equivalent piece . of .ground, which is well spoken of. The pontoons were built by Knewstubb, and are 70ft long by 25ft over all, and are '< of red pine planking and blueguin framing. ■ The machinery was erected by Morgan , and Cable, who furnished the ladder, which is'4sft long, the buckets of 4ft capacity, and the winches. The 12 horse-power engine is by Marshall and Sons, as is also the 14 horse-power boiler. The gold-saving appliances consist of 90ft of boxes in all, 4ft in width, fitted in the usual way with ripples, perforated plates, matting, etc. Mi 1 W. T. Hanley is the dredgemaster, and having had five years' experience in the trade, is well up in all its branches. The engineer of the company is Mr T. G. Jefferson. Kaitangata nuts is burnt, and Mr Hanley remarked on the expense in a feeling manner. The depth of the ground runs from 14ft to 15ft deep, and is taken to a width of 14 j to 15 chains, everything being taken on a ; face as it comes. The gold is of the same ! description as that found in other claims m the valley. The dredge has been doing very well of late. For the month of April last a dividend of 2s was paid, for May a dividend of 3s, and there has just been paid another 2s dividend for June. This is speaking -well for the claim, and as, there is still from eight to ten years' work of similar productiveness (at the rate of 30oz per week) it will be seen that the property of the Success Company is a valuable one. The'Empibe No. 1 Claim and Dredge. The Empire Company holds two claims, I between which lies the Golden Shore — j, I private party's claim. Upon each Empire claim a dredge is at work, and the two claims are designated Empire No. 1 and Empire No. 2, the dredges being distinguished also as dredge No. 1 and dredge No. 2, in relation with, the number of the claims. Taking Empire No. 1 claim and dredge fh'st, we find that it joins the Success party next in order going down stream. This is a new dredge, and the contract for fitting her up was let to Morgan and Cable. Considering the high charges for carting material to the site from the nearest lailway stations, the prica of the dredge (£2950) is a very moderate one for so 'serviceable a boat. The dredge was finished in May, 1898, when work began, and by May, 1899, she had paid lls in dividends. In the meantime the company, having acquired another claim beyond the boundaries of the Golden Shore party's ground, the capital of the company (originally £3200) was increased by £1800, making ft total of £5000, in 5000 £1 shares. Tha increase was fot the purpose of putting a dredge upon the new claim, which was done at a cost similar to that of the first dredge. The increase in capital not covering the cost 1 of the second dredge, the proceeds of tha ■irsfc were drawn upon, and dividends susjvuided till the debt was wiped out. Iluo .ia» now been accomplished, or nearly so, es^d increased dividends will soon bs> *he. order of the day. The dimensions of the Empire No. 1 dredge are : Pontoons, 72ft, with beam of 25ft, built of red pine heartwood framing and kauri planks by Morgan and Cable, who also supplied the ladder, the buckets (of Zi, cubic feet capacity), the steam winches, and the 16 horse-power engine.

The 12 horse-power engine is by Brown and] - May. ' The gold-saving apparatus consists of a | main box 66ft long and 4ft wide, with re» turn and side boxes fitted with steel angld ripples and perforated " steel plates, sifting the fine sand and gold into cocoanut mat* ting and Hessian, held in place by woven, wire netting. The depth of the ground is from 10ft to 16ft. The width of the present face is four chains, which, however, does not represent by any means the width, of the payable ground, and is taken only as a matter of convenience. The gold is of a fine bu€ well-rounded character, and, being heavy, is easily saved. Mr R. Pilling, jun., Lawrence,is the secretary of the company, and has adopted the plan of having the gold assayed at the bank. The last parcel of 3190z, byreturns of July 5, showed a profit of £9, ■ after paying 2s per ounce for assay. The total amount of gold obtained up to lasfc month was 1208oz 14dwt. Westport ooal • is burned at the rate of from three and ahalf to four bags per shift. The coal, brought up by way of Outram. costs £2 7b delivered at the dredge. Mr Pilling has also adopted the system of plans of the* claim, divided into equal squares by vertical and horizontal, lines, intersecting each other at right angles. One of these plans is kept in the office of the company, and the other on . board the dredge, the dredgemaster indicating every • j week upon which square the dredge ha? | been working. The system should be more - J generally adopted than it is. The size of j the claim is 99 acres, of which, five liava : been worked. Mr G. P. Gooday is dredgemaster of the I Empire No. 1 dredge, and Has had a good I deal of experience in that line. Mr S. i Campbell is the engineer on board. The Empire Dredge No. 2. Although this dredge resembles in its main features and general capacity No. 1, a brief mention of its parts will show its points of difference The pontoons are 66ffe long by 24ft over all. They were built of hard wood framing and kauri planking, by Mr John Knewstubb. The . ladder, by the New Zealand Electrical and • Engineering Company (Stevonson and Poole), is capable of dredging-to a depth of j 20ft. The buckets,. by the same firm, contain 3£ cubic feefc. The engine is of 12 , and boiler of 16 horse-power are by Marshall and Sons. The winches are after Cutten Bros' improved design, and are by the New eZaland Electi-ieal arid Engineering Com pany. Instead of boxes this dredge has v revolving screen 16ft long b<> 4ft (lUmetcr, sifting the sand and gold into tables, 213 ' square feet surface area, upon which is ' cocoanub matting and iessian, weighted • down with woven wire netting. . An iron- - stone shoot carries off the stones and coarse gravel fron? the discharge end of . the ! cylinder. The depth of the ground is from 14ft to 16ft. As -the dredge only started on tho ■ Ist of June last, nothing can be said of the returns or the Avidth of the run of gold. The dredge has started work at the lower - end of the famed Waipori drainage channel, on which £12,000 of Government money . was spent and lost, it being filled up and otherwise rendered useless by a, flood a few months after its completion. However, the Empire No. 1 dredge, in conjunction with those above it, will bring up and complete . a drainage channel no flood will affect. The dredgemastev is Mr G-. Larking, and " the engineer on board Mr A. Low. The Golden Shore Drgdcixo Party. A3 already stated this party's ground 1 • lies between Empire No. 1 "and No. 2 • j claims. The Golden Shore party is a private one of eight shareholders, who bought? the second dredge of the Upper Waipori Company. They have been at work only . since the beginning of February last, but are t3ioroughly satisfied with the yield of fcheir claim, the returns being steady and regular. The area of the claim is 80 acres, and the depth of the ground runs from Bft to 14ft. The gold is found sometimes on. a> clay and sometimes on a hard rock bottom, which is often very rough. The dredge, which was originally the Cfolden Bar dredge, Shoisover, was then shifted to ; the Upper Waipori claim, and is - novr^doin'g duty on the Golden' Shore pro-, perty. The pontoons are 70flfby 26ft over, all. They are of . steel, . and were built by R. S. Sparrow. The ladder, which ' is by.the same maker, is 56ft long. The new buckets are of <5£ cubic feet capacity, and were furnished by the New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company (Stevenson and Poole). They are made to travel so as to discharge at the rate of 14 per minute. The 10 horse-power engine and the 25 horse-power boiler are by R. S. Sparrow, and the screen and running gear by A. and T. Burt. The gold-saving apparatus consists of al main box, 60ft long by 4ft wide, with return and side boxe3, 30ft long by 4ft wide,fitted with the usual ripples, perforated plates, etc. A lOin centrifugal pump by the New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company supplies the water for washing the stuff. The gold resembles that of the other claims at Waipori. It is fine, but easy to save. It is well known that the Golden Shore claim is not behind its neighbour, the Empire No. 1, in productiveness, the returns averaging about 30oz per week. Westport coal is used, and between four and five bags are burnt per shifbof eight hours. The last resurrection of the dredge was entrusted to the New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company • (Stevenson and Poole), during which the boat was considerably altered, and supplied with jntirely new and larger buckets. Mr J. E. G. Donaldson, who has bad considerable dredging experience, and is o£ <t decidedly practical turn of mind, is thedredgemaster, Mr M Allen being the engineer on board. It will thus be seen that there are seven dredges at work at Waipori, and an additional one is about starting. There is still room for more, and no time will be lost in putting dredges on the ground already marked out. There is a very well founded outcry for a road down the Waipori Valley. The present road goes over Maori

rut« and drains, through swamps, over tussocks — everywhere, in foot, where you can get, there being really no road at all. Not even are the tussocks chipped off to mark its whereabouts. Never in all my journeyings dfd I get so jolted about as in the six miles from the Waipori to the Empire No. 2 dredge. My driver told me that about a fortnight previous to our trip, he took a man over the same road, who had unfortunately been smitten with a paralytic stroke. The joltings of the trap acted like so many electric shocks, and before long the sufferer was able to move his paralysed arm and leg with considerable freedom. This speaks for itself, or, rather } for the xoad. The Waipori Valley is interesting in other than its dredging aspects. As is well known, it is the site of the Otago Pioneer Quartz Mining Company's claim, lately acquired by a London syndicate, who are now busy opening up the mine on a scale not hitherto attempted in the valley. Mr W. Inder, the well-known mine manager, is conducting the works. Close to the township is situated one of Mr W. "J. FarrelTs consolidated mines. It is on the hydraulic elevating principle, and is one of the most successful ventures in New Zealand. In addition to this, rumour has it, that in on* place the main bottom of the valley has been touched, and that coarse gold in highly payable quantities has been found upon it. There are other possibilities in the near future before Waipori, which ill point to ifc as the most permanent "vnd richest gold mining district in Otago. Recently some of the branch gullies have been marked out as dredging claims, as, for instance, Post Office Creek, where Cotton and party have marked out a dredging area below the gorge, and Caudwell and party another one above the gorge. All this points in the right direction. The return journey, though widely different, was not much better than the trip to Waipori. We were promised snow, and the promise was fulfilled, with sleet and rain and wind thrown in. However, I had Mr Michael Tohill, the driver, to myself, and that made amends for a good deal. From him I picked up a good deal of mining and other Information about the locality, where he started sz mail boy, when 11 years of age now_abouc 12 or 13 years ago. For many years he has handled the ribbons of a four-horse learn upon what, without exception, is the worst road in Otago, which is saying a good deal. Mv Tchill, who, as " Mick," or " Mike," seems to be a feature in the Lawrence and Waipori social landscape, and a general favour ite, is certainly fitted by intelligence and education for something much better than driving a trap upGn the worst road iinOtago. However, I was kept posted up hy him in the history of the road as we sped along. Here was Boulger's Flat, inhere some very rich gold was got in the early days, now marked* out with dredging claims ; there, behind the fog oi driving snow, was the spot where the biggerfc nugget in Otago wus got, .veighing up wards of 30oz ; now we were near the spot where the Valpy sticking-up case occurred. Next we passed the now deserted site ai Bungtown, which for * time (sheltered j Sullivan and Burgess, the West Coast murderers. For years after its disappearance the site of Bungtown was famed foi the piles of empty whisky bottles, jam tins, and the like These are only * few samples of the narrative with trnich Mi Tohill shortened the journey. When a % last we reached the ?teep gradients dipping into Wetherstone Flat the horses' feet began to ball, causing them to slip and slids about in the most ridiculous manner or. tke filantine road, over the greasy clay. Hadat not been for the discomfort of the poor beasts and the danger to the driver «md passenger^ the performanca would hay* been entertaining. As it was. we were travelling not only the worst road in Otago but also the most dangerous However good generalship and lengthened experience on the part of the driver prevented all mishap, and after an anxious houi oi sc wo rollea safely into Lawrence, vhere. thouph not quite drenched to the skin, I found nvr journalistic paraphernalia in a soaked yon dition — my notes literally held together by a number of postage stamps Although I cannot «iay much ii. tavoin a\ Waipori . weather, I rould bo wanting ir. courtesy did I not «ay that N he people there made tht fultaat jnetidr o? Vt br many kind Attentions. WAITAHUXn. Aftes my return from Waipori I apen^ D day at Waitahuna, The one dredge ht work there is a private, concern. The bos«i was fitted ap by Morgan and Cable, and, judging by the amount of ground turned over since February last, the dredge mv.at be of a good calibre and the management in competent hands. There ate eight shar* holders, mostly local men. The depth of thn ground o/verages from 12ft to 14ft. the face being taken something like 200 ft or wide, or perhaps more. Part of the ground has been previously worked, cind proved to be very good. Here, as in most plr.ces m Central Otago. the gold occurs upon a ftlr-s bottom, which is chiefly a kind ol pipeclay. The party is credited with winning on an average 30oz per week. Besides the above, there is lowei down the Waitanun*. River the Waitahuna Dredging Comnany, also a private venture. The party started with a second-hand dredge o.? email calibre and capacity, by way of pro* pecting the claim. She belonged formerly to Mr J. Perry, and was worked as a suction dredge on the Bengerburn at Ettrick. Tbe dredge proved very successful, considering her size, earning from 12oz to 20oz per week. But the work proving too heavy for her, she got hopelessly out of repair, and tbe owners and powerful boat, which h to be supplied complete by the New Zealand Engineering Company, and the material is now arriving on the ground. There is also some talk of a third dredge being proceeded with before long, and, from general appearanc3 and the success scored by the parties who have tested the ground, there should be a good opening for ouite a number )f dredges. The proximity to the railway station makes the building of dred£es and the supply >i fuei, whsn buut\

a much easier • nwttwr than wV«r* wuh facilities dc not ».ti?i. XXL GLENORE. A euphoniously ringing and suggestively Sonorous name, the place conjures 'up visions of the oldest and newest goldfield in Otago. It was here where, amongst several other first places, payable gold was first found. However, there is good reason for believing that Black Peter discovered gold in the Woolshed Creek, now called Glenore, some time prior to Gabriel Read's discovery in Gabriel's Gully, thus making the Woolshed one of the earliest diggings in Ofcago. By some freak of surveying perversity, this Woolshed Creek was excluded from the limits of the Tuapeka and Taieri goldfields. Thus, left to itself, the place lingered along. Some very handsome finds were made, and when the rich and easily worked ground was exhausted, the Government was induced to do for Glenore what they had done for other parts of the goldfields — that is, to construct mining facilities in the shape of water races, out of public money. When this was decided- upon, Glenore' and the surrounding hills — all more or less auriferous — were included within the golden bounds of the proclaimed goldfields. In this respect Glenore is the newest goldfield. Glenore, judging by surface indications, presents a number of gullies and hills, all of which appear to be more or less auriferous. Everywhere old workings are met with. In many of them numbers of Chinamen are still busy hunting the golden spec, and about halfway between Glenore and Adam's Flat there is quite a Chinese township. Occasionally the gullies open out into flats of moderate dimensions, as at Adam's Flat., These spots are particularly suitable for dredging, while many of the gullies are rather steep and narrow, and the great majority must be pronounced as not fit for dredging. "Besides, few contain water enough for the purpose. t Coming down the Glenore Valley from Lawrence, Thk Glenobe Gold Dredging Company's Dredge is seen lying so close to the railway line that a timid person might well apprehend a collision. The dredge, however, is rendered harmless, as it is lying inactive, having met with an accident to its machinery. The dredge must be described as of the ancient type, having done seven years' work VYJiat more than anything else led to trouble on several occasions were prospecting attempts of a nature for which the dredge was not constructed. She was working beyond her strength. For many years it had been the prevailing idea with miners that good gold existed below the fake bottom. Numerous attempts have been made by them to penetrate through the clay, which forms this false bottom, and so far as they went they proved the idea correct. Gold was met with in every instance. The knowledge oj this fact induced Mr John Nelson, the dredgemaster and a shareholder in the Glenore Company, to try and get to the main bottom. This he managed to do after great difficulties, which were only overcome by dint of dogged perseverance. Bottom was reached at 60ft from the surface, the whole of the stuff cast by the shaft averaging eight shillings, or nearly 2£dwt, per cubic yard. Here was a golden wealth lying almost within reach of the dredge. The next step, of course, was to turn this treasure to account. The dredge was set to work upon it, but, unfortunately, the gravel below the false bottom was mixed with a most tenacious clay, which made it difficult to obtain from it the gold it contained, and, in addition, the ground was veined with a hard cement similar to that of the Blue Spur, Gabriel's Gully, proving too hard for the strength of the dredge to break up, often leading to breakages of the buckets and machinery. So far as could be ascertained, the bottom was hard and rough, and, if such were the case over the whole of the valley, it might be difficult to clean up. It would, however, be an unwarrantable conclusion to draw from this isolated trial, covering at most a limited number of square feet in area, the conclusion that tTffe whole of the valley must have the same hard bottom. As contradicting such a conclusion, there are the surface indications, where soft rock , shows above the water line of the valley, and where this is found upon both sides of the river it may be safely concluded that the bedrock of the river also is soft. However all this may be, we have here a- disclosure of the greatest economic value. Mr A. Mackay, in his " Geological Report on the Older Drifts of Otago," points to Waitahuna and the Woolshed as the direction in which to look for a continuation of the peculiar gravel deposit of vhich the Blue Spur is composed, ;md it appears it is now found in these places overlain by another old drift, completely hiding it from view. Instances are known in different localities where one auriferous drift rests upon another, but these occurrences, as a rule, are of only limited extent, and are chiefly found at the junction of stream*, or where old water channels have emptied into lakes, or other still water. Here we have a river valley filled with gold-bearing wash of two distinct periods of geological time. As the case stcinds, and limiting deduction to ascertained facts, it must be admitted that the claims in the Glenore Valley have their value enhanced to a truly marvellous degree by an addition of, say, 40ft of wash in depth, yielding at the rate of, say, 2dwt per cubic yard. It is ' true that there are dredgemasters at Glenore who decline to believe in such good fortune, and prefer better evidence than is a', ailable at present before they accept it as a proven fact. But, whatever reason there may be for doubt, there is not a vestige of refutation in the known facts. If it is wise to believe in the evidence of your eyes, here is an opportunity to exercise such wisdom. After mining * had been carried on in Otago for nearly forty years, dredging opens new fields," that have been lying at i our doors without their presence being sus-

pected even. This subject is of such 1 importance that the attention of the Colonial Geological department should be called to it, so that systematic boring tests might be made to ascertain, first, the fact, and, next, the depth, extent, and, as nearly as possible, the characteristics of the deposit. That the Glenore dredge did not make a success of the experiments tried by her is easily accounted for. The dredge is not of a calibre to battle with such material as she had to deal with, nor were her goldsaving appliances fitted to treat tenacious clay containing gold. However, the presence of the gold having been ascertained, the manner of getting at it is only a question of time. Mr John Nelson, the dredgemaster, intimated that as the old dredge was too small, and nob powerful enough for the work she had to face, she woiild not be repaired, but a larger dredge put in her place. In the meantime, however, the case of Dunn v. Nelson would have to be de- j cided before anything was done. This is an action similar to the Jutland Flat ease. Dunn, a settler, seeks redress from alleged injuries to his land, from the party owning the Glenore dredge, represented by Nelson The Goldbank Dbedginc Pabtv. i The property of this party lies a short ; distance below the bridge crossing the Gls- \ nore River, near the railway, and is next ! the Glenore party going down the river, j This claim and dredge are also owned by a j private party. Mr Augustus Thomas, one j of the shareholders, is dredgemaster, and } also acts as engineer on board. j The dredge started work about three j years ago, and has given general satisfac- j tion as to the manner of her performances, j as well as in respect of gold-getting, and though nothing definite as to the gold won by the party is known, there is an air of completeness about the dredge that shows i she has been a financial success. Like most- I of the dredging claims at Glenore, Lhc ground worked is either lease or freehold, , which is mostly worked on terms, the settler holding the land being recouped by a percentage on the gold obtained from his holding. This may not be the absolute ; arrangement in every case, but I believe it ] holds with the majority of cases. The dredge, which is evidently a wellappointed boat, has pontoons 90ft long, i measuring 21ft overall. They were built i by the party, there being a shipwright amongst them. The ladder is 65ft long, '; capable of dredging to a depth of 45ft, the ! buckets are of 2^ cubic feet contents. The engine is of 12 horse-power, with a boiler ; of 20 nominal horse-power. The winch ?<* are hand winches for shore lines, and step-in winches for the ladder. This dredge has an ( elevator capable of stacking tailings up to ! 25ft or 30ft high. However, it has not j been found necessary to touch these ex- i tremes ; so far, from Bft to 20ft has met all '• requirements. ; The gold-saving appliance consists of a ; revolving screen 21ft long by Sit 6in in dia- ; meter. The tables are lined with the usual I cocoanut matting, weighted down by chains placed longitudinally along the tables. Ex- , panded metal is also used. The dredge has gone to a depth of 40ft without touching ' bottom ; the general depth being from 14ft to 15ft below water level, to the false bottom, which is chiefly pipeclay, rock being touched occasionally at the sides of the valley. A face of from 6 to 7 chains is taken, everything being put through the cylinder. The gold in this claim is of the same nature as in the adjoining claims, and gives no trouble in saving. It appears ' that in the Glenore Valley there is not , the amount of clay over-lying the wash as j there is in other places. j The Stirling Gold Dredging Party, i Next below the Goldbank comes the Stirling party, also a private one, of which Mr John Nelson is the dredgemaster, he being also a shareholder in the party. The present holding comprises about 150 acres, and is part of a cultivated lurm, worked upon a royalty agreement with the owner The dredge started work about five months ago, having done very well. The return for the week previous to my visit was 30 ounces, which gauges the average of the ; weekly yield. ! The dredge was fitted up by the New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company (Stevenson and Poole), after designs by Mr E Roberts, the New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company furnishing nearly all i the gear. Tbe engine is of 16 horse-power, j by Marshall and Sons, who ajso supplied the 20 horse-power engine. The capacity of the engine and boiler shows that the ! boat is intended for other work than mere- : ly scooping up the loose drift off the false* bottom. The ladder is 65ft long, which enables the dredgemaster to go down to , a depth of 40ft, or, perhaps, a little deeper. The buckets have a capacity of 4 cubic feet — another sign that the dredgemaster intends business. The pontoons, which were built by the owners themselves, are 80ft long by j 24ft overall. The winches, also supplied by the New Zealand Engineering Company, j are worked by steam. | The gold-saving appliances are a cylindet [ 18ft long by 4ft diameter, and there are ; the usual tables, with cocoanut matting i and expanded metal. A 12in centrifugal pump supplies the water. The erecting of the machinery on this bout was under the 1 personal supervision of Mr John Nelson, the dredgemaster, with the result that a job entirely satis- , factory to the party has been turned out. i A feature in this dredge is a ladder with "a , solid top, being covered in with iron plates. • By this arrangement all the spill from the buckets is returned to the bottom, to be ' picked up again. There can be no doubt j but that in time this provision will pay j for itself. There is, of course, besides this the ordinary " save-all," which is ,now found upon every dredge. The average depth of the ground is 18ft. The dredge, starting work in a wide part of the valley, estimated to measure 30 chains across, h»d to do some opening work, which is not yet completed, although a cut about 18 chains has now been made without the gold having been cut in cross-section of the valley. This item shows, not only the value of the false bottom, but what is of much more importance — it conveys some idea of the toeasure contained in the wash

and gravel beneath it. In fact, it would seem as if we were only just touching the real auriferous wealth of Olago. The Rivebbank Gold Dredging Company. Joining the Stirling party downstream is the Riverbank party, who hold ground which promises to be as rich as its neighbour's. This is understood to be a public venture. The company appears to be licked into shape, and it is said that Mr E. Roberts," of Dunedin, has been instructed to prepare designs for a new dredge. Induced by the success attained by the dredges at work, the party are anxious to push on the building and completion of the dredge with all possible speed. The Woolshed Gold Dredging Company. This last dredge at work downstream on the Glenore River belongs also to- a private party of eight shareholders, who hold all the low-lying land upon Mr William Cameron's freehold farm, including the river bed. At this point the valley opens out into a very wide, flat-like basin. The depth of the ground is from 16ft to 20ft, and the whole width of the low-lying ground (from 12 to 16 chains) is taken on a face down to the false bottom, which is chiefly pipeclay. Mr William Mercer, the dredgemaster, and also a shareholder in the concern, stated that when the main bottom at the sides of the valley is struck no gold is found upon it. The ground in this claim, as in the others upon the Glenore River, has been partly worked in the early mining days, but owing to it having been always wet solid blocks were left here and there, and when these are hit upon it always shows in the yield. Mr Mercer admits that his party have no reason to complain about the measure of their success, the weekly yield running from 20oz up to 40ob. The dredge has now been at work rather better than 18 months, and for the first year has paid 100 per cent, on, the outlay, the current year promising equally well. This is a very satisfactory return, although, as Mr Mercer pointed out, so far as is known of the valley no phenomenal yields need be expected. The four dredges at work have yielded returns remarkable for their regularity and steadiness. During the whole time the dredge has been at work there has been no. mishap of any kind. It has done exceedingly well from the beginning, the ground being fairly easy to work, as might be seen when it is stated that the bucket lips last on an average for about 10 months, and the dredgemaster being an experienced and careful man this tells its tale in the yield of the dredge. In this dredge we have the lesson repeated, as taught by Mr M'Lennan, of the Dunedin dredge, near Roxburgh, that small buckets and plenLy of power are the secret of success. The pontoons, which in this case were also built by the owners, there being a shipwright amongst them, are 60ft long by 22ft over all, the workmanship and material being of a first-class description. The ladder is 50ft long, while the buckets have a capacity of 2$ cubic feet. The engine is of 33 indicated horse-power, and the boiler of 16 horse-power. Up to the present hand winches were used, but they are now about to be replaced by steam winches, which are expected to arrive very shortly. The dredge was fitted up with all the gear on board by the New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company (Stevenson and Poole.) A screen, 15ft long and 3£ft in diameter, revolving over ample tables, fitted with the usual matting, etc., acts as the goldsaving apparatus, the water for which is supplied by a lOin centrifugal pump. A stone shoot delivers the stones and coarse gravel from the mouth of the cylinder at a point where it is out of the road, and gives no further bother. The top tumbler is at an elevation of 14ft above the deck, affording ample fall for the gold- saving plant and the stone shoot. *Mr Mercer has had seven years' dredging experience upon the Molyneux and other rivers of Otago, and is fully up in his profession. Being a blacksmith by trade, and having had ample experience amongst machinery, he acts as engineer on board the dredge. The gold won is assayed at the National Bank at Milton, giving a return of something like £3 19s per ounce, after paying 2s per ounce for cost of assay. The above party of eight shareholders are also about to put a dredge upon the Waikaka River, near Gore, where they have made a start with building a dredge, one of the shareholders being on the spot supervising the work. ADAM'S FLAT. Adam's Flat, an outlying mining locality, is about to be attacked by a dredge put on by a public company. The dredge, which was the property of the Perseverance Company, near Alexandra, has been shortened in her pontoons, which are of steel, and is otherwise altered, is now nearing completion, and is expected to be at work in a few weeks. At the time of my visit the boiler was being shipped on board, the engine being already in position, so that the boat will soon be out oU the contractors' hands. The New Zealand Electrical and Engineering Company (Stevenson and Poole) are the engineers carrying out the work. The company ho^d 100 acres of ground, all of a promising chai'acter, parts of which have been hand-worked by early parties of miners. The ground is from 6ft or Bft to 14ft deep, and is of the same nature as that in the Glenore Valley — that is to say, easily worked.