Notes from Wakatipu. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ARROWTOWN, September 2.

Otago Witness, Issue 2375, 7 September 1899, Page 22

Notes from Wakatipu. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ARROWTOWN, September 2.

THE MACETOWN REEFS. The Glenrock Company's clean-up for the month of August -last was 91oz lidwt 20grs fron? 205 "tons of quartz crushed. Frost greatly hindered the mill work, as the water supply often fell so low that only one battery of five stampers could be kept going However, it is something lo have to say for our climate that even during the worst winters ever known here the crushing mills have never been entirely stopped. In former years crushing was suspended regularly, in June — not so much. on account o£ the

weather being too severe, but because it was winter. That was enough. Of late this has been improved upon, and 'last winter the mill was kept going right through the severest frost that has been known in Otago since the advent of the white man. It would seem as if fixed ideas had to account for a good deal. Report says that the stone in sight in the mine is Very small ; but this is a periodic occurrence in the mine, and so far has been the precursor of a new 'make. It is hoped that this will be the case in the present instance. Mr John Williams, the tributer of the Maryborough claim, one of the Farrell Consolidated mines, is about resuming regular work, continuing the further exploitation of the mine. It is anticipated that the'Glerirock Company will decide in favour of driving at a low level, with the object of intersecting the Sunrise lode cropping out and worked* near Advance Peak, with the result of casting stone running loz per ton. The drawback was that the stone had to be sleighed for a distance of about two miles on a grade of one foot in five, the difference in level between the mine and the mill being about 3000 ft. The sleighing alone was estimated to have cost about 30s per ton, "a sum totally prohibitive even in stone running loz per ton. The proposed low level would enable the stonii to be delivered at the mill for so many i pence, or even less, besides giving about 2000 ft of backs. THE SHOTOVER REEFS. The Achilles mine has been having the full benefit of the frost. No doubt, the chief misfortune of this mine, and- they have been many, is its situation. Confined in a deep, narrow ravine into which the sun, does not penetrate during three or four imonths of winter, and -otherwise difficult of access, the mine is placed at a very great disadvantage. In consequence the number of men employed during the winter has been only very limited. The affairs of the company being in a critical position, it is difficult to say. what the fate of mine and company will be. THE SHOTOVER QUARTZ MINING COMPANY. This company have their machine level in considerably over 800 ft, and though stone has been met with, it was not of a sufficiently promising character to induce the manager to open out stopes. The adit is therefore being pushed ahead with all possible epeed. Several of the lodes in the neighbourhood of Skippers Point are still being held and prospected by private parties, inducements to persevere being met with. ELEVATING 3Y SMITH'S SUCTION PUMP. There is a revival in river and creek mining j in the Shotover and some of its branches "that rivals the dredging boom. The river, its branches, and some of its tributaries have been pegged out up to the snow line, and beyond it. Wherever water is available, and in some places where it isn't, claims have been taken up to be worked when neighbouring areas are finished and their water shall be available. The pump is making its way to many other goldfields in New Zealand, and wherever water can be had in sufficient quantity, which need not be necessarily a great one, there is no cheaper or handier method of working ground of moderate depth, say 25ft or 30ft, according to altitude, than the suction pump. DREDGING. Dredging, too, is progressing. During the sitting of the monthly courts held last week 11 dredging areas at Queenstown, and 13 at Arrowtown were either granted, or advanced a stage towards that end. All the legitimate ground having now been pretty well taken up, questionable and doubtful ventures will be foisted upon the market. So long as the demand for dredging claims continues, so long will the supply be forthcoming. Timber for the Cardrona Company's boat is now arriving upon the ground, and nearly all that is required for the pontoons being on the spot, building will begin before very long. Several of the Kawarau companies are also so far advanced that actual work with the construction of the dredges will begin before long. _ A feature of the dredging boom is that the lignite deposits of the district are being exploited. About half-a-dozen licenses have been dealt with during the last two sittings of the Warden's Court at Arrowtown. Several new finds of valuable lignite deposits are spoken of, while some of the old pits disclose a greater amount of serviceable fuel than was at one time anticipated. THE ARROW FLAT HYDRAULIC COMPANY. The ditching and cutting of the race is now completed, and the manager, Mr J. Martin, is busy putting fluming and syphons in position. It is estimated that about two months will see the water on the claim. According to report the ground will be attacked near Bracken's Gully bridge, where it is not much above 14ft deep, and where good gold is known to exist. Further out into the flat, near the mouth of Bush Creek, bottom was struck at a depth of 113 ft by boring rods, which may be taken as the deepest ground in the flat. Notes from Tuapeka. (From Our Wetherstones Correspondent.) . September 4.— Mining in this district is still keeping on in the same old jog-trot way, all I the claims being steadily at work. The Golden Rise commenced elevating again last Wednesday. The Klondyke is dredging steadily at present, ' there Keing no broken time lately. The contract for carting the pipes for the Golden Crescent water race has been accepted, the price being £2 5s a ton. I understand the county council has to put the road in repair to make it fit for carting on. The G. C. has j also let the contract for the mining plant for I working the claim, but I am not aware yet what firm in town has got it. The shareholders expect the race to be finished in a few weeks, and the claim to be at work before the end of the year. Mr T. Pope is greatly annoyed that the party who bo-rowed the plans of the suction pump from him some time ago has not returned them yet — not so much on his own account as for the benefit of those who have been inquiring about the pump. The plans were given to him when in Melbourne by Mr Wilberforce, consulting engineer of the Woolshed, in the Ovens district, Victoria. It is called the Jennings patent. The Woolshed is about seven miles below Beechworth. The Bella reef, Waipori, was stopped a few days last week because of the frost. The quartz from the reef appears in places to be in thin layers, mixed with a bluish grey kind of stone and black seams. It is a very hard stone, and is easiest split or broken where the black seams are. The gold can be plainly seen on parts of the black faces. I crushed a small piece of the stone, but though no gold could be seen in it with the naked eye, under the microscope it appeared to be full of very fine gold. They will," I should think, have a difficulty in saving it, but they intend to save all their tailings.