Notes from Wakatipu.

Otago Witness, Issue 2454, 27 March 1901, Page 19

Notes from Wakatipu.

(Fbom Orn Own Corbesfoxdext.) ARROWTOWN, March 23.— A rain that fell 011 Tuesday la°t will have caused a slight, but short-lived, rise in the Kawaiau and Molyneux, as it vas followed by intense cold, which has not yet quite relaxed its grasp. It may be said that the dredging season for the Molyneixx and Kawarau has begun in earnest. KAWAHAU DHEDGING. Theie aie so far no definite results fiom any of the Gibbston Kawarau dredges. The Merrimac has started work at the lower end of the claim, and if the dredge manages to maintain anything like an even level, it will certainly have the effect of lowering the water perhaps 6ft or Bft on the upper portions of the claim. The machinery is working with complete satisfaction. The Galvanic has been at -work rather better than a week, and has touched bottom in one place exceeding 40ft. According to last accounts promising looking wash was brought -up. The dredgemaster, Mr Wood, speaks in high terms of the manner in -which the machinery has been put up, every part of it -working with great smoothness and ease, the vibration being reduced to a minimum. The work reflects great credit upon the contractor, Mr O. Rillstone, and his men. The Metallic is lying idle at the present moment, resting -from Tier effort to get over the rapids. For the time being the attempt of (h-agging her up stream has been abandggeg. Pledging nien are .discussing the

feasibility of the dredge being made <"> dredge her way through the lapids. The Eclipse has made several starts with work, but every time something went wrong with the machinery when any depth was reached. It will probably be some days before another start can be made. Men in the know have a high opinion of this claim. The Kawarau Bridge dredge is coming on well. A good deal of the machinery is on board, and it begins to look certain that the dredge will be at work before the end of May next. Though this dredge is the most backward of all others in the neighbourhood, she ia likely to be the first to rank as a regular fold producer amongst them— that is, if Mr tillstone, the contractor for the erection of the machinery, puts into her the same quality of work as he has put into the Galvanic and Metallic dredges. The pontoons have been finished some \ four or five months, during which they were allowed to lie idle in a critical part of the river, giving Mr Andrew Reid, the local managing director and caretaker, many bleepless nights and days of hard grafting to save them going down the river during times of floods, which have been pretty constant during the last few months. That he has managed to prevent this unaided and with the inadequate means at his disposal, theie being no winches, no boat, and only one head line, reflects creditably upon Ins energy and fund of resources. Directors and shareholders alike are under a no small debt of gratitude I to Mr Reid. The Arrow Junction dredge has been making a lot of repairs and alterations since the dredge started regular -work. In spite of thisa rut haa been made from bank to bank, "with what resulVis not known. But in the opinion of miners who have lived in "the neighbourhood, and have "known the rive* for 30 years acd up\v:irds, the main bottom was r>ot touched in every part of the cut. The depth l eached averages about 2Gft, the deepest part not exceeding 30ft by much. CMVDRONA DREDGING. There are well-gioundsd hopes that CareUona. dredging is about to take a turn for the better. When once a fairy payable run of gold has been met with the Cardrona will come to the fore as a well-paying dredging field, for there is a number cf conditions in ita favour that makes for success. There is a total absence of surface cla\-, the little sandy soil there is occurs only in patches, consequently there are next to no tussocks, the bulk cf the deposit being \ipsh from top to bottom; the valley lies open to the sun, so that work can be earned on all the year round; and there is no great danger from floods. All 'these items combined means an advantage that- may be estimated as equal to two or three grams of gold per cubic yard, in itself a highly payable quantity. Tacon's Cardrona is working away, and is on the bottom. The machinery working well, it is making pood headway. No reliable account as to yield of gold has transpired. Cardrona i\o. 1 is still bringing up promising looking wash, but it is not yet known whether bottom has been reached. It is said on good authcuty that the wash contains gold of the light tflainp in sufficient quantity to near about pay v.orking expenses. The I wash, as stated m my last letter, is stony, and different from that worked by the Rolling Stone and Tacon's Cardrona. As the nature of the Cardrona main run of gold was stony, and the gold coarse, Cardrona No. 1 meeting the stony wa3h the matter of four or five miles down the valley from where it was last vorked is enough to give rise to well-grounded hopes for dredging at CardTona. The Rolling Stoiie dredge when floated after her submersion, was found to be leaky, and will have to be caulked in the faulty places. For that purpose she has been lodged on n. ledge. This is a small matter, however, as all her machineiy is sound and unmoved. Several letters that have recently appeared in the Otago Daily Times reflecting upon Lafranchi's Freehold, Cardrona, have a tendency to wreck the attempt to work one cf the safest and richest ventures put on the market, Shareholders may be reassured that the contention stating the proposed dredge to cost £11,000 instead of £8000 "is not more than the ground can easily bear. The propel ty is as well prospected as it is possible for any claim to^ be, and has , been proved of exceptional value by the ground being actually worked and tried, and not merely " bored. ' shotover Jtivr.i>. The Shotcver is now so low that work in ths river bed is becoming general, and in a few instances very fair success has been scored. Messrs Smith and Sons, amongst others, arc doirg very well. -Highly sstisfactoiy accounts are to hand from the Shctover Quartz Mining Company, the output of stone showing gold freely, and there io every indication that the present shoot is of great permanence. j It is stated on credible authority that the Shotover Company's tunnel, on Loudonderiy Terrace, ilie scene of -the recent accident, is blocked figain, the second time since the late fatal rutshap. The Dart River dredge is now bf>ing moved to the spot where operations are p'uoxit to begin in earnest. She is expected to be rcadv on the 27th' inst., -when the piojected christening ceremony is to take place. Tho Arrow Flat Hydraulic Compary, who tiied a scheme of reconstruction, have decided to go into voluntary liquidation.