Notes from Central Otago.

Otago Witness, Issue 2413, 31 May 1900, Page 19

Notes from Central Otago.

ALEXANDRA, May 21

The Golden Beach dredge is now working on good wash, and there is an improvement of nearly lloz in this week's return over last week's.. The wash-up on Saturday was for 41oz 14dwt 9gr, representing 120 hours' work.

The U-olden Point diedge is expected to rejmme work this evening. After the overhauling she has received work should be steady for some time.

The Moa will probably resume work on Wednesday or Thursday. It has not beea definitely decided yet a3 to the exact date the dredge will be removed to Itali?n Eend. I have already indicated the nature ot the repairs and alterations to this dredge.

The Perseverance dredge is remarkably consistent in regaid to her returns. She washed up on Saturday for 60oz sdwt. A substantial dividend will shortly be forthcoming. The adjourned annual meeting of this company takes place this evening. The Vincent dredge obtained 450 aon Saturday. She is working steadily, and should be getting good returns for some time to come, from present indications. The Unity dredge < just about doubled her return this week, but larger yields are expected shoitly.

The return iiom the Earnscleugh No. 3 dredge on Saturday was 85oz, an increase of soz on the previous week. The Earnscleugh No. 2's return for last week was 270z ldwt 3gr. The Alexandra Eureka obtained 320z 15dwt on Saturday. Work has been steady.

Before I -go any further I should mention that the dredges in the neighbourhood of Alexandra stopped for about 12 hours on Friday in honour of the relief of Mafcking. This means slightly lower returns from the dredges that stopped than would have been the case otherwise. "

The Chicago dredge washed up on Saturday for 21oz 4dwt 6gr for 135 hours' work. The dredge is working very steadily, and the ground is pretty uniform.

The New Alexandra dredge had a broken week, working only three days, for which the return was lOoz 16dwt 9gr.

The Chatto Creek dredge did not wash up on Saturday.

The Enterprise dredge will shortly be laid up for an overhaul.

The Nil Desperandum dredge has been working very steadily o£ late, and the return on Saturday — 16oz 2dwt 21gi — shows o slight improvement on that for the previous week.

There is also an improvement in the return from the Klondyke dredge on Saturday, the yield being 12oz lldwt.

Operations for refloating the Manorburn dredge were to be commenced to-day. Air Louis Anderson, has been appointed manager of the Manuhorikia Company's dredge. This appointment is undoubtedly a wise one, as Mr Anderson is a man possessed of much experience in dredging. x The machinery is being put on the Manuherikia dredge slowly, but steadily. While most of the machinery is on the giound, still the 'winches, engines, boiler, etc., have yet to come to hand. The steel gantry has al&o not yet come forward.

The Nga.para No. 3 dredgei Nevis, had an official trial on Monday, 14th inst., when everything ran smoothly and satisfactorily. It depends on the weather whether this dredge will be working in the winter or not. If the present weather keeps up dredging will be undertaken, but at all events there cannot be many weeks' work ahead till the springs ?s the winter in this locality is too severe. Mr Joseph Sparrow, the contractor, was present at the trial.

The pontoons of the Sailors' Bend dredge ■are approaching comrletioa. The main dimensions are: — Lsigth 95ft, beam 26ft, depth, 6ft, veil 4ft 9in. The framing is of bluegum, and tbo planking, gai&try, tumbler-f raining, etc., of kauri heaitwood. The pontoons should be finl&hed insi.le of three weeks.

It will be three months before a start will ~he made with the construction of the Bendigo Company's pontoons.

Mr Morrish, from Vancouver, British Columbia, was on a visit to Alexandra towards the end of last week on behalf of a large dredging syndicate. His object is to j>i c k up all the information he can relative to dredging — working of dredges, etc. He was accompanied by two Dunedin gentlemen.

Good progress is being made by Messrs BasIcett 3iid Son with the Sixteen-mile Company's pontoons. They have ten or a dozen men at work.

A start was made last week by Mr J. Gordon with the Baxmockburn Creek Company's pontoons.

An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in the Dunstan Pioneer Investment Gold Dredging Company takes place this evening to confirm the resolution passed a fortnight ago to increase the capital from £7000 to £3000. The Hartley and Riley dredge was working steadily all last week, getting 2400z for the week.

The G-old Queen dredge, at Roxburgh, should be finished in two or three weeks. The delays in connection with this dredge have been very vexatious.

Work is proceeding apace on the Moa Plat Company's pontoons.

The Golden Gutter Company's claim, Ettrick, has been bored lately, but I have not heard with what results.

The boring operations on the Dumbarton Company's claim, four miles below Roxburgh, are reported to be highly satisfactory.

The Molyneux River was under 4ft above the normal on Sunday morning, and it was unchanged in the afternoon. In the night, however, it rose very suddenly, attaining a height of almost 7ft above the normal about 8 a.m.; at noon it had fallen Sin or 9in.