XXV.—THE NEVIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2373, 24 August 1899, Page 20

XXV.— THE NEVIS.

Difficulty of access to a suitable locality does not seem to be a deterrent to dredges. Cumbersome though they be, they have climbed to the highest and most inaccessible gold deposits, such as Waipori and 'Naseby. Even the Nevis was not secure against their attack. With many miners the Nevis has long been looked upon as one of the most likely quartz-mining localities in Otago. I believe there are few places in the southern part of the Middle Island where were found so many quartz Specimens containing gold. Until frost set In and stopped all work, Messrs Robertson JJros., of Cardrona fame, had been prospecting, with a considerable promise of success. They intend returning to their work jin spring, and go to a considerable amount pf expense and labour in proving their location. ■*- Large sluicing operations also are still carried on at the Nevis, and it is one of the few places in Otago where the individual miner still survives in any appreciable numbers. However, it is with dredging that we are concerned, and to dredging we must turn. It goes without saying that a visit of Inspection to the Nevis at the present time of year is out of the question, and tho following account of the dredges and their doings is compiled from information obtained from thoroughly reliable sources. Though the account may be short and sketchy, the information, so far as it goes, is trustworthy. The Nevis, as a dredging field, is of too great importance to be left out of a compilation professing to give a comprehensive account of dredging in Otago. The Nevis is naturally divided into the Upper and the Lower Nevis, by what is known as the Gorge — a succession of rapids. Local opinion was about equally divided when dredging claims were first marked out as lo the relative value of the two portions- of the river for dredging. Practical tests now have decided on the point, and there can no longer be any doubt but that the Upper Nevis, in spite of its greater elevation, is by far the better of the two divisions. Access to the Nevis is had by dray road from Garaton, rising a saddle considerably over 3000 ft high, and, like most mountain roads, it is not tbe best. The road was made at considerable expense by the Lake County Council, in whose territory it is, but all the rateable property lies in Vincent County. Government subsidy aided in making the road, but Lake County is under the responsibility of maintaining the work, while the revenue goes into the coffers of another county. As may well be expected, from its elevation, the cost of maintenance is a heavy tax on Lake County, as

with the thawing of the snow extensive repairs are made necessary every year. The Ngapara No. 2 Gold Dredging Company. This company is a private one of eight shareholders, comprising nearly the same as the Ngapara, upon the Molyneux, near Alexandra. The party also hold a second claim upon the Nevis, named Ngapai-a No. 3. All the preliminaries for placing a dredge upon this No. 3 claim are completed, and building will begin as soon as the road is passable, and material can be delivered upon the building site. Ngapara No. 2 dredge is almost an exact repetition of Ngapara No. 1 upon the Molyneux, both dredges being from the workshops of the New Zealand Electric and Engineering Company. No. 2 has been at work -for two seasons on the Nevis Flat, taking the ground about 10 chains in width, including old worked ground, and solid ground flanking it upon either side. The gold is found upon a soft clayey bottom, and sometimes even upon a pure coal bottom. The solid ground is often very stony, but, as a rule, it gives no great trouble in its treatment. The depth runs from Bft to 10ft, and it would appear that the shallow ground is the best. From the work done, it seems as if the formation of the flat indicated either a large basin or else a very wide river bed, as the ground is deeper in the flat that at the sides. The returns of the company are kept secret, but current reports have it that they have averaged from 20oz to 30oz per week of full working time. Occasionally, when a block of solid ground is met with, the returns have been very much exceeded, and colour is given to the reports anent the gold got by the dredge by the shareholders admitting that they are doing very well ; and a further proof of such being the case is furnished by the fact that they are about to put a second dredge upon an adjoining claim. Thk Nevis Gold Dredging Company. This company, which is a registered one, is better known as Mrs Silk's dredge. This dredge has had a chequered career. She was shifted to the Nevis as an old dredge, and was the pioneer of the field, having completed her third season at the end of last summer. Her chief trouble is a deficient engine, which is far too small to deal with the ground. Through this defect and other causes the dredge lost nearlyone whole season's work. Speaking so much of seasons, as a measure of time, it may be pointed out that almost every kind of outdoor work is stopped at the Nevis by frost at the end of May or beginning of June, and cannot be resumed until the middle or end of August following, so that a season means about nine months out of the year. Small and light as the. dredge is, she has obtained from 30oz to 350z per week, a return that proves the richness of the ground. The company intend to fit the dredge with a new engine and strengthen her in other respects. The depth of the ground' runs from Bft to 10ft, and, like that of the Ngapara, is partly old worked ground ; but, it being now worked about eight or ten chains wide, it also takes in a good deal of new ground, which, though too poor to pay for hand working, gives very good results when dredged. The false bottom consists of coal and pipeclay, the gold being a mixture of coarse and fine grains, but presents no difficulty in saving it. The want of success of the company, therefore, is not due to the poverty of the ground, but to causes that they have within their power to remedy, and as steps are taken to have things put right, the next season will probably place the company on the dividend-paying list. The ground held by the Nevis Company is considered by many local miners as the best on the river, so far as gold is concerned, and offers many facilities of being easily worked. Coal, as with most dredging claims at the Nevis, is good and cheap, being delivered at the dredge at 10s per ton, and there is a practically unlimited supply of it ; in fact, there are few places in Otago that are so well supplied with coal of an equally good quality. The Carrick Gold Dredging Company. This is also a registered company, and has troubles of its own. Originally built upon and for the Upper Nevis, the dredge worked there in several places without success. After turning over a considerable amount of gold in different parts, and not meeting with anything encouraging to continue prospecting or opening a face, the dredge was shifted to the Lower Nevis to her present site. Here, also, she failed to meet with anything of a promising nature, and, good working boat as she is, she failed to come across anything to cheer the drooping spirits of the shareholders. Her best week vras lloz. The ground of the claim was very shallow, averaging from 2ft to 10ft in depth, and though moderate prospects were obtained over a wide area of ground, the constant shifting about of the dredge consumed so much time that it would require ground a great deal richer than that worked to pay anything over working expenses. The Carrick dredge works under the same disadvantages as the Kyeburn and some other dredges which have to deal with shallow ground, and that is a ladder so long as to be out of all proportion to the depth of tbe ground. A good deal has already been said on the .subject in a preceding article, but the subject of sufficient importance to revert to it again, and bring forward additional evidence on this point. A dredge with a ladder 40ft lonjr would find it difficult to make ground 10ft or less in depth pay expenses, while a fodder half that length, in ground of the same richness, might win enough gold to pay dividends. The Success Gold Dredging Company. Joining the Carrick Company's ground, the Success claim is the latest which has started work in the Nevis. Starting about March last, the Success dredge had to battle with many difficulties. It was known from the beginning that she. would have lo cut her way through an extensive bed of silt and tailings, but it appears that this bed of tailings proved more extensive and troublesome than was anticipated. This, together with the stoppages inseparable from starting new machinerj'', filled up the time between the beginning of work and the setting in of frost — in all, about throe

months. Although the dredge has made | , fair progress under the existing difficulties, she is still some distance from where it is intended to open out. Tailings appear to give out, and old worked ground seems to come in. In this payable prospects can be obtained, but the frost did not allow a face being opened and the ground tried in a proper manner. As the dredge is in good working order, and is generally a serviceable boat, it may be expected that she will give a good account of herself next season. General Remarks. When dredging at Nevis was first projected, about three years ago, great expectations were formed by those not at all interested in the place, and though it has been proved that gold in payable quantities exists at the Upper Nevis- the greater length of the river, from the upper gorge to its junction with the Kawarau, is likely to be payable only in parts. There also is a difference in the gold of the two portions of the river. The Upper Nevis gold is ' coarse and heavy, while that of the Lower s Nevis is fine and light. The river bed in s the gorge portion has not yet been tried, except at the mouth of the river, where the Victoria bridge dredge, did prospecting | work for Aitkon and party, and obtained some coarse gold, though not in quantities \ to warrant putting a dredge on the claim • i without further trial. j The" shifting of the Carrick dredge from | the Upper to the Lower Nevis may be looked upon as reflecting xuifavourably upon the Upper Nevis, but, from the work that : has been done in both parts of the river, it is not difficult lo point to the Upper , Nevis as the better locality for richness, as i well as for depth of ground. Happily, it 'is at the Upper Nevis, too, where the greatest extent of dredgeable ground occurs. The total quantity is estimated at from 1200 to 1500 acres, all of which is estimated to pay fair returns for dredging, while the greater part of it is known to be | rich in gold. At the Lower Nevis there is room for only three claims altogether, and 1 though there is more ground, the queries are : First, is it dredgeable ; and next, is it payable. j The climate of the place is certainly a little against dredging, but there are the j advantages of immunities from flood and an j j abundant and cheap supply of excellent I J coal, which together very nearly balance — I it, indeed, they do not overbalance — the loss ; of time through frost. ' As shown, there 'are four dredges at work, two of which are successes, and the other two have met with prospects which, with machinery properly adapted to the work ; required — that is to say, a ladder proportioned to the depth of the ground — will pay a surplus over working expenses. In

proof that the Nevis, as a dredging field, has a bright future before it, there is the fact that the Ngapara party have completed arrangements for having another dredge placed upon an adjoining claim, as soon as possible.