Notes From Puapelca.

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

Notes From Puapelca.

May 28.- — 'The Wetherstones dredge commenced dredgiiisr again last Monday pfter wpiting for about three weeks for a new tumbler. I atn of oninion that the foundries should always take in hand iniinccliptely the repairs of any bioken machinery requhed to be done for a dredge, or any other minLig claim, for the men in the dredge or claim arc idle till the repairs aie done. The foundries should work on the same principle as some blacksmiths do. In a township where mining is the chief industry, the blacksmith generally attends to the miners' tooß first. Oh the othei haiid, where fanning predominates, the blacksmith attends to the farmers' horses first. So on the same principle the foundries should do the jaj3air& leqiiired Tor a dredge the veiy first thing — that is, of course, if the foundry were the maker of the machinery that lequires repn iring .

Thera is plenty of water at present for the skiicing and elevating claims. The Golden Rif,s, since they put on the new and larger castings and sucker, will take off a paddock in p. week's less time.

The Golden Ciescont is at the greatest disadvantage in having no dam, for they have only done about eight days' elevating this lust fortnight because of theii race breaking away. They had just commenced to make & start when 'the race broke at the head. It tcok them nearly three days to repair it, end after working a few hours it broke again, or rather a slip fell in. Aftpr repairing that, and v/hile at work, the water went on" again. In going out to see what was wro^g, they met the water coming in. The gate at the head of the rocs «vas supposed to have fallen down. They have been elevating steadily since. Unfortunately, it was raining nearly the "whole time they were repairing the race, and they were thus losing all the water.

(Froji Oub Wetherstones Correspondent.)