THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2497, 22 January 1902, Page 31

THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Mr J. J. Ramsay lcpoits the following returns — Waikaka United, Ssoz sdwt aiud.gain (equal to 37ioz of gold) for 126 hours' work. Paterson's Freehold 450z 14dwt amalgam (equal to 20\oz of gold) for five days. The ciredgcniaster of the Teviot dredge wired on the 14th inst. — " Started dredging this morning, everything going all right. No wash up this week.

The secretary of the New Halfway House Dredging Company reports that Mr Fred. William? has been appointed dredgernaster, and hones to start work next Monday, 20th inst.

The secretary of the Golden Mile Company reports that arrangements have now been made as regards financing, and the directors are now proceeding to call for tenders for the erection cf the machinery, which work it is hoped to have completed within three months' time.

The secretary of the Biitamna Company reports thai the dredge will have a run within the next fortnight. The machinery is all erected and housed, and as soon as the steam pipe connections are made everything will be ready for a start.

Mr Solomon, one of the directors of the Alpine Consols Company, who visited the dredge during Christmas week, reports that he found the machine in perfect order, evidently showing that gieat care ami attention have been bestowed on her. As soon as the river recedes to a dredgeable level she will be in a position to start right away. The only cost being incurred at present is the expense of keeping the caretaker on board. The results achieved by this dredge when t!>e ri*-ei was in an unsatisfactory state for dredging augur well lor the future prosperity of the company, and it is confidently anticipated that when she does get a star,t with a low liver the debentures will soon be paid oft.

The diedgem&ster of tho Prince Albert Gold DredgiEg Company v.nes that he has shuck high Maori bottom.

At a meeting of shareholders in the Timaburn Di edging Company held on Monday evening to consider whether tho company should bo put into liquidation it was decided to adjourn for a month.

The West Coast Times states that Mr Cc-cler-man is making steady progress with tho eiccticn of the machinery on the Woodstock Company's diedge.

Tenders are called for the puichase cf the Liudis River Dredging Company's claim nnd dredge at the Lindis River, a branch of the Clutha.

The dredgemaster of the Clyde dredge wired to the secretary on Wodnesdav as follow <• — "Closed down ; river 6lt 6in, and too drifty.' The <-ccretaiy of the Point dOr Gold Drecigmg Company lepoits receipt of a telegram on Wednesday stating that the dredge had had a trial ru'i, uiien c. worked moat satisfactorily.

The secretary of the Leaning Rock Company Teports having received the following telegram on Wednesday — •" Dredge stopped owi>'g to conrect'ng rod of pump breaking." The c'-elay should not be long, however, as lcpaira can be enacted locally.

The drcdgema=ter oi the Three-mile Greenstone Gold Dredging Company reports that he staited dredging at noon on Wednesday.

Mr D. Leslie reports as follows with regard to the undermentioned companies. —

A'dingi. — A teiid"» for tho erection ol the machinery has been accepted, and the machine should be rompMecl by the end of Jlmch. Sufficient debentures havp been ap])hed for to waruiit thp d"cctors pioceednig, in addition to which "f. era' prom -< ■> to takp them up ha 1 c Xi f>n mad". A !cw dny^ will be allowed to cuke the remaining debentuie^ up. but the dircctoia inLenJ to cicne the list this week.

Big Flat.- This dredge has had pretty s t,ff ground to work thiough, but the dredgom::s'.cr is now working to-.vards tho terrace, and in a Lout a. fortnight oi =r> he expects to ue able to report something f.>\oiuable. Gai ibalcli. — A tender for the orcc'ion of the machine-}' hns been accented, and the work '.s rxpected to bp finished by the end of Marrli. A sufficient number ol debenture? has been '..ikon up to place the company in a satia'ai.torv fin? ucial position Lower Eiifield. — It h?t been decided to adopt ■r itci a-i the motive power for the Low ci L'liii'Ul dredge jii^tead ol -team, and the woik of sub-' ilution is now engaging the attention vi tin. tompd"y's engineer.

Yii< dredgemaster of the ilolyneux Kolnnoc r Diefi|>i.->g Company telegraphed on Wednesday — "All geng r.d), will pass Endeavour Thnr-d.i>."

The liiine mr.'-a^rr of the Deep Strcr.in Amalgamated Hydiauhc Sluicing Company (Limited) reports to tho spcreti>rv as follows, uiklt date 11th in=t — " Repairs to head race are going on satisfactorily , 120 ft of the new fanning have boon completed, and the bulk of all labour in connection with the work is at an end. The remaindei of the material was delivered dining the week, and I have now all the timber taken down the hill to the hepd of the lace I expect to have the flumin" finished ard the water thiough to the claim by the 17th or 18th at latest. 'J he race ronstruction, which is in progress, is being pusned on as vigorously a o possible by the contiactor, about 30 chains are now completed."

The dredgemaster Central Electric reports — " Started dredging this (Wednesday) morning. Will take two shifts to bottom. Will not wasii up this week."

Applications for the shares in the new Roxburgh Company did not close on the 14th in--t. a1;a 1 ; stated last week. Application!) for shares in the Kawaraii Bridge Company closed on that date, but for the new Roxburgh Jubilee Company do not close until the 21st intit.

The pontoons of the Golden Standard Company (in liquidation), which are moored on tap Clutha Kivpt, are for sale.

Says the Golden Buy Argus — " Messrs Kiley and Richards, the contractors for the delivery of material on the various dredge-building sites on the Aorere, are actively engaged getting tho stuff awaj fiom the wharves. It 'i> exuechd

that hundreds of tons of machinery and othet material will be landed here in the next few weeks. '

The "secretary of the Point dOr Company reports receipt of the following telegram fioni the dredgemaster on Thursday . — ' Started dredging to-day; evciything going well." The Vincent dredge is expected to make a fresh start about the beginning of next month.

The dredgemaster of the Central Mataura No. 2 dredge reports as rollows — " As we have come to a wide coal bar I do not expect much oT a return this week, as the tables have not shown much so far. I do not think the coal will last long, as it is commencing to dip deeper." The sec-ctary of the Hanpy Valley Dredging Company reports that Mr Wakefield, late dredgemaster of the- Lawrence dredge, has been appointed to a similar position on the Happy Valley dredge, in succession to Mr John Donaldson, who ha-s resigned in order to assume control of the Waitahuna Gully dredge.

The secretary of the Victory Company reports that the pontoons were launched m December, but owing to a big flood — the largpst for sonic years in Nelson Creek — washing away pait of the dam, it somewhat delayed the erection of the rnachireiy, as thc-re would not be sufficient water to allow putting machinery on board. The dam has been repaired, and everything is ready for the erection, the contract for which ha 3 been let to Mr H. Nelson. His time for completion is eight weeks from January 10, and he expects to finish well within contract time. The pontoons, of kauri and blue?«m. were built by Messrs Lydeis and M'Liskey, who have made a first-class job of them.

The dredgemaster of the Vincent Extended diedge wired to the secretary on Thursday as follows — " Got bottom last night." He also imports under date January 14: — "We started dredging at midnight, and everything is running well. The river is going clown every day, and when we get a paddock opened the drift should not trouble us any. It will most probably be Wednesday before we bottom, and it is quite likely that there will be no wash-up this week, .is it will take us some days to clean the paddock out."

The secretary of the Endeavour Gold Dredging Company (Limited) reports a return of oOoz for 70 hour? Lost 12 hours connecting elevator, which has now to be used on account of low river.

The Bendigo dredge is only waiting for the river to fall sufficiently to ci.able operations to be lesumed.

The local director of the Rise and Shine Compony telegraphed to the secretary on Friday as follows — " Diedgp working well; trial yesterday and to-day, stait regular 3hifts Monday. '

The secretary of the Manuhcnkia Company reports receipt of the following wne from the dredgemaster on Fnday — " Started work this morning; take week to bail out paddock; river still falling."

There is every prospect of the New Greenstone Gold Dredging Company being successfully reconstructed. Applications for over 2000 shares have been received, and more are being. lree!y applied for. Applications close on. the 24 Mi inst.

The following is an pxtract from the dreda;eraaster's letter, loih insl., of the Alexandra Lead dredge •— " Mr Payne was here to-day, and we had a run out of the machinery, which, went very well for a start. We did not put the buckets into the gravel. We should be rcidy for shifting the dredge down about the end of next week. '

Thi secretary of the Upper Magnetic Company reports receipt of the folowing . — "The Annie Queen Company made a start on the 6th inst. to shift the tipper Magnetic dredge. They got thiough the rapids safely on the 14th inst., and do not anticipate any difficulty or danger for the rest of the way. The river ha? been falling very fast for the last three weeks, but there is plenty of water yet. We f-hould be on the Annie Queen claim next week."

The secretary of the Gold King Dredging Company reports that satisfactory arrangements have bo^n made with the contractors which will enable the company to work the dredge duiing the winter months, and thus give the claim a thorough te3t. The winch, cylinder lias been completed, and will bo forwarded to the claim without further delay, ho that it is expected that the dredge will get to ■work ag?in next week. It is satisfactory to note that the director* have managed to tide over th"ir financial dimcu'ty without having to call on the shareholders for assistance."

The diedgemaater of the North Beach dredge reports as follows under date 11th inst.: — " Dredging opera.ions. ions recommenced on Monday, 6th msfc., at 12 p.m., and the dredge ha 3 been working well ever since. With the exception of eight houia on Friday, the dredge never stopped except at change of shifts, to oil, etc. The ground is much about the same — on the improve if anything. Deep ground continues Perots the full width of the cut, and from the top to the bottom of the stuff is about 28ft. The width of tho out is about 300 ft. The dredge i= now in a good itate of reDair." Ihe dipdijenjn'--'.ei- of th" Point dOr Compan> wired on Fnday a- 1 follows —"Had run >e-,lerd.iv, itaited shifts to-day, bottomed afternoon, prosoccts fair." The drcdp"itiaster of the Ahaura River (Mr Norman Sh^o) reports that dredging commenced on Tuesday, January 7, at 4 p.m., but a good d«j>l of time was lost, owing to a leak m "the superheater. We havn been dredging to a depth ot 44ft, but so far have been unable to reach bottom. The wash is tight and heavy, v/ith improved prospects, but inability to bottom prevents us getting the best gold. The dredgemaster (Mr D. Suthprland) of the L'\iatliAii reports, uudci date January 13: — " Resumed dredging on the 6th mst. after the holidays, and vo puccstdrd in getting almost all the overhaul which we wished done, also the decks thoioughly cleaned and taired, and everything i» in fi>ir order for some months to come. Ihe picpecti in the wa-jh contiue good, but the returns aie heavily handicapped by the heavy Linden of shipping, which averages at p.esont pbout 16ft o:i the top of 10ft of wash. W> are dredging at present 20ft below the water lc\H. Owing to the long spell of dry weather the water is almost complexly dried up, scarcely half a head coming into the paddock, pnd the water is getting veiy duty. I have two men employed cleaning out the race and making a thorough job of it. This will be completed by the fid of the wec-k. A3 explained in a previcua ietiei, 1 have tried sand from the tables s<veral time-, a id there is very little gold lost. Care i e tak^n that the material is rvenl/ distributed c\ cr our fab.'es, and that dhe siuff is not inched too mac h. The inat<- oi> the tables are washed daily, and, if tune permits, the top mats are washed twice a day. I was hoping to hava seen some of the directors during the hoi. days, as I would have liked very much to have them see how matters are, and with what we have to couteiid with. I sin more than disappointed, with the result of our labours, as I expected better returns than we got, and so did ever., body else, but considering the depth of strij)-i-ing and th<3 lc--i of tiuie w*th timber, i.t dre'lge does wpII to q^t thr returns she has oeei j getting, and I coin-ide. it will take over thref, months before we get into ground where there.< is piicticaly no striupinp. I expect at leas^ 30oz a week fioni this out." The drsdgemisler of the Pr.rc<* A'bert Gale' Dredging Company leports that lie is o»^ bottom at 20ft, gold coarse, gocd prospect 3 „ An pxtraouiinary meeting of the Phoenixi Water Race Company was held at th" office ol Mr John Moaat Princes* street, on Friday MJ

a. Brent being in the chair. It was moved by Mr Goldfemith, seconded by the chairman, and unanimously resolved — " That rule sof the company's rules be altered so as to read: 'The company shall be under the control and direction of three directors, to be annually elected by the shareholders at the ordinary general meetin gin December in every year, or such other number of directors as the said meeting shall determine.' " — This was all the business.

There is every likelihood that the Vincent Sredge, which will start work again on her old claim on "February 1, will work under the auspices of the New Vincent Dredging Company, as we learn that the successful notation of the company is practically assured, but if the effoits to float the company fail the dredge will resume work on behalf of the vendors. The capital of the company is £4000 in £1 shares, of which the- provisional directors have agreed to take 1000. The dredge, which cost £8000 three years ago, was secured by the present vendors for some £1500, but they have spent about £1000 on the machine since they acquired it. During the time the Vincent Company worked the claim they secured 3296cz 13dwb 17gr gold, valued at £12,738 9s 3d, asd out of this amount 17s 6d was paid in dividendb bes'des wiping out an intial debt of over £'2000. More than half of the claim is at present v".worked, and should it prove as rich as the other portion the ground should yield good returns for some time to come. The price asked for by the vendors for the dredge is £2500, of which £1000 is to be paid in cash immediately afiev the allotmeTJc of the shares, and the balance io payable in four instalments.

Shares in the New Vincent Dredging Company are open for subscription. The directors of the Point dOr Gold Dredging Company decided on Saturday to forfeit a considerable number o£ shares, the calls for which have not been paid. The secretary of the Vincent Extended Go.d Dredging Company reports that there was no wash-up last week. The dredgemaster of the Upper Clutha dredge reported on Saturday as follows: — *• Shifted head-line to-day to get up river." The Ford's Creek Dredging Company have accepted an offer from the dredgemaster to work the dredge on tribute for a month. The terma are that the dredgemaster is to receive the first lOoz per week for working expenses, »nd any margin over that amount is to be divided equally between him and the company. A complete set of dredging machinery is advertised for sale.

An advertiser wants option over a- dredging area in the Southland distiict.

The Gold Queen dredge, whick bos been laid •up for a few months owing to the hijrh Btate of the river, has been thoroughly overhauled, and will commence &i edging on Sunday night, the river where slio now lie 3 being quite suitable for working. The dredge got fair returns in this portion of the river when she was working previously, and. with the advantage of a low river, should show fairly good results on recommencing. The manager of tho Unity Company's dred:e: has received instructions from the directors to start dredging as soon as he lias his crew ready. It is estimated the first week's return from the Premier Buller Company's dredge v/ill be from 350z to 40oz.

The attempt to re-form the Kawarau Bridge Gold Dredging Company on a reduced capita! has failed, as sufficient sharea were not applied for to warrant proceedings being prone on with. There is now, therefore, nothing left but for the liquidator to proceed to realise the assets, pay the company's debts, and wind the concern up.

The secretary reports that the Tuapeka dredge w«shed-up 12oz 4dvrt last week. The Upper Waipori Alluvial Gold Dredginjr Company obtained list week 220z 10dr.-t of gold for 120 hours' dredging. The secretary of the Erfie'cl Dredging Company reports « return of 1?O3 9dwt for the week ended Friday las?.

The secretary of the Happy Valley 'Dredging Company reports a return of 12oz for 125 hours' dredging.

The secretary of the Nelson Creek Dredging Company reports » return of 750z for 130 hours' dredging. The secretary of the N*vi<* Com»any reports a return of 15oe Bdwt for 122 hours' dredging. The secretary reports that the Electric Extended dredge did not wash-up last week.

The dredgemaster of the Unity th-edge reports that he started dredging on Monday. The dredgemaster of the Greab Lead dredge wired the secretary on Monday that he would niart work on Tuesday if the weather kept favourable.

The dred (remaster of the C-intral E'eetric dredge wired the secretary on Monday that be had shifted the dredge 100 yards up stream. Ho expects to start dredging this morning. The dredgemaster of the Alpine Consols yesterday wired the secretary that he is not likely to start work within a month. The river rose 2ft on Sunday. The caretaker of the First Chance dredgp renorls that the machine is safo, and that he his it in first-class order for recomrcencii'e; work, which will probably be about the end of the month.

The secretary of the United Moryen Com- I pany reports that the dredgeraaster is at present engaged in getting everything rfady fo start work. As soon as the river is favourable operations will be commenced. We understand that th"p debentures is»n«l ■ by the Aldinga Dredging Company have been I applied for to more thsin the full amount. ! There is now every prospect that the affairs of the company will proceed without -further hitch. The dredgemaster (Mr J. Percy) of the Golden Beach Hydraulic Elevating and Dredging Company reports under dale the 15th January: — " We are coming on to a scam of very goodlooking washdirt ; this is the edge of the seam which proved rich in Anderson's time. In another day or two we will know which way it ii running, and if it crosses our face. Dredge now working seadily." The secretirv of the Monte Christo Company •wiied on Monday: — "Drift troublesome, cannot koop on wash; havo closed down; expect to start again next week; did not wash-up." The secretary of the Magnetic Gold Dredging Company reports that the- return wan only lOoz for last week's work, instead of 8907. as mevicusly stated, » mist-eke having occurred in tli" code. In connection with th* D»rae^ar»h which, we (Daily Times) published referring to an alleged grievance of shareholders in the Monte Christo Company, we have the authority of the directors of the Leaving Rock Company for stating that no member of that board is also a member of the Monte Christc beard of directors. The directors oi the Leaning Rock Company state that their dredge was not troubled by the drift from the Monte Christo dredge. Mr Murray, the dredcem aster, states emphatically that the Monte Christo dredge has no effect on the work of the Leaning Rock dredge. He is quite satisfied the tailings from the Monte Chrislo dredge will have no detrimental effect on the working of the Leaning Rock dredge. The meeting of shareholders of the Moonlight Sluicing Company, adjourned from January 13 ..ill Monday afternoon, again lapsed then for a similar reason — the lack of a quorum.

The Austral Otis Engineering Company, South Melbourne, have contracts for no less than 11 dredging plants for New Zealand, »s well as several for Victoria. Some of the plants are already completed and all will be finished inside contract time. The Austral Otis Company certainly beat all competitors in the rapiditjr witb which they, turn out their

contracts, and the quality of the work we havo seen is of the bes'u Besides mining and general machinery of every description, the Austral Otis Company have the most extensive pipe factory in Australasia, and can manufacture ca3t iron and wrought iron pipes of any size and in any quantity. They have lately completed a contract for 3000 tons cast iron water pipes for the Victorian Government. — Advt. .