THE WEEK'S MINING NESW

Otago Witness, Issue 2652, 11 January 1905, Page 24

THE WEEK'S MINING NESW

January 4. The secretary of the New Fairdown " Company reports "a return of .15oz for -137 hours' work. The height of the Molyneux River above lomial'nrark at Alexandra on Tuesday morning was 9ft 4in, with the weather showery. An Auckland telegram jsays : — The* gold returns ior the Auckland district for the jpast three weeks totalled £11,046. The comparative - smallness of the output is due to several re- " turns not having come to hand yet. '■■> \ January 5. The. height .of the "Molyneux River above the' normal mark at Alexandra _on Wednesday morning was i)f t ?6in, with the weather cold. - The tributers on the "Molyneux dredge jure reported to be,*doing% well., out .of their venture (says the Mount- Bengeir .Mail), mid for last week's dredging washed up 340z. The aeting-dredgeniaster" of the 'Bignell's JNoTown dredge wired the secretary on Saturday that he had completed repairs, and expected to start dredging on Wednesday, 4th inst. A further telegrtfrn notifying that the dredge had resumed operations wa» received by the sedentary yesterday. The Junction Electric ~No. 2 dredg^was "expected to resume dredging last night, after being closed down for anoverhaul since Saturday, November 19. - With the exception of the gorge dredges, the majority of the others which Lad closed down for the holidays or for repairs jrouid probably resume work on Tuesday night xc Wednesday. January 6. The secretary of the Vinegar Hill Sluicing Company reporta a return of 720z for 11 days' work. The secretary reports that the Clyde dredge resumed operations on Tuesday night. The No Town Creek dredge resumed work Dn Wednesday morning. The Rise and Shine No. 2 dredge resumed work on Wednesday. The No. 1 dredge will fio 80 "on Monday nexty The Mokoia dredgemaster reports having washed up on Saturday last for a return of I4oz lSdwt as a result of a week's work. Overhauling'is'now in progress. The secretary of the Ourawera Sluicing Com.pany reports a return of 16002 as the result of operations carried on for 5k weeks up to the 28th ult. • Mr S., E. Brent, secretary of the Shotover Quartz Mining Company, reports a return of JBOoz retorted gold from 146 tons of stone for -three- weeks' -work in December. The secretary of the Upper "Waipori Company reports that dredging was resumed on Tuesday at midnight. The manager of the Roxburgh Amalgamated Sluicing- claim reports that after repeated delays he managed to get sufficient water through the race on the J.9th ult. to enable him to clean up the No. 1 paddock. The washup resulted in a return of 530z. He further reports that he now has a full supply of water End had resumed sluicing. January 7. The Central Charlton dredge resumed work tax Wednesday night last.

Tie secretary of ,the Waimurnu Company reports that dredging --was resumed at midnight on "Wednesday. , - - • . , In addition to the dividend of Is per share which the directors of the Sandy Point Company Teoently declared, a sum of £100 ihas been placed to the reserve fund, which now stands at £300. The Aldinga dredgemaater reports Having resumed dr,edging on Friday, 30th ult. An Auckland telegram states that during jthe 20 days ending December 23 the Talisman Consolidated Gold. Mining Company crushed 2405 ions ore for bullion valued at £4999. -Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. will b©ll dredging machinery, pontoons, etc., at Roaring Meg, Kawarau Gorge, near Cromwell, on behalf •of the' liquidators of the Toltaic Company on Wednesday, 25th inst. • time -worked by the Sandy Point dredge lust week was 90 hours, the width of "the cut 150 yards, the distance worked ahead 6ft, the «verage depth of the ground 28ft, and the -average height of the face above water level 20fti The prospects were the same as in the previous week, and all the machinery was running welJ. The master of the Gabriel No. 1 dredge reportg that he started dredging on Wednesday morning, 4th inst., but on Thursday morning found that -the funnel had broken". A start was made to effect repairs, and it was expected lhat dredging would be resumed on Friday nigat. The liquidator of , the Sullivan's Lead Company (in liquidation) reports that he haa disposed of the dredge at the upset price offered at the sale by auction at Greymouth laat month— namely, £500. The purchaser is Mr E. Boberts, Dunedin. It is anticipated that tha-preferencs shareholders -will receive a diviaend of about ss"-per- share. '-' Reporting for the week ended 24th ult., the Three-mile Creek dredgemaster stated that the ground -was looking much betterduring the week, -and" -;fche was still dipping. The w.aah waa very tight and rough -with exceptionally large boulders through it. The face was looking more promising than had been Uie lease 'for some time, and' there was every prospect of its improving as 'the dredge worked.ahead. The dredge"- was under repairs all last week. - .. '. - January 9. The Ngapara No. 3 dredge was expected to start dredging operations^ on Sunday night. There was 310 wash-up, oh the Junction Waikaka dredge last week. The New Roxburgh Jubilee dredgemaster expected to finish -> relipping the buckets on Saturday and, resume dredging on- Monday. There was no wash-up on the Matau dredge last -week. The dredge 'has been shifted over to the -west "bank. ■ • The Waikalra, Waikaka Queen, Waimumu Queen, and Royal Waimumumi dredges all started work"oh Wednesday last, but there was no -wash-up -on any of them".' • ' * There was no wash-up on the No Town Creek dredge last week. - - . . The secretary of the Chicago Company reports a return of lOoz sdwt for 47 hours' work. Solid ground was beginning to make again. The bowline across the river carried away on Thursday, night, but it waa expected that dredging would be -resumed on Sunday night. The Golden 'Run dredge is at present stopped undergoing repairs. Goodi progress is being made with the work of laying the- pipeline for the purpose of. talcing the company's water supply from the upper to the lower claim, the pipes having been erected halfway across the river. Tho Tallaburn Sluicing Company, which Is working the claim at Currjes's Flat formerly held by Messrs Edie and Kirkpatrick, has (says the Tuapeka Times) made an excellent start, with satisfactory results, under the capable management of Mr John Whelan. The New Golden Beach aredgemaster wired the secretary on Saturday that there would be no wash-up for the week, as, in consequence of .1 waterspout on Friday, tha tumbler got shifted. A start, however, was to be made again on Saturday night. The master of the Dunstan Lead dredge, ■writing under date sth inst., stated that it would take all this week to complete tie ie-

pairs. The boiler was blown down and was boing given a clean out, while all the joints on the steam pipes were being gone over and renewed. It was also intended to take out the mam ladder bottom tumbler -co renew the metal bushes. It was expected that if everything went well the dredge would be ready for a start on tho 14th inst. The distance worked ahead by the Electric K.o. 2 dredge during the week ended 24th ult. was 18ft, and the width of the cut about 60ft, with the depth of the ground varying from 30ft to 40ft. The dredge was closed down for the holidays on the 23rd ult., after which it was intended to commence repairs, which will probably occupy eight or 10 -weeks, by which time the river will most likely be in good order for dredging. The No. 1 dredge is still under repairs, which are expected to be completed about the third week in January. The Wellington Post states that Mr Hayes, inspecting engineer of the Mines Department, will leave on an official visit to Otago this week. January 10. The Enfield dredg-emaster expected to resume work on Mcnday. The secretary of the Revival Company notifies that the dredge resumed work at midnight on Sunday The Rising S-un dTedge was expected to start dredging operations on Monday morning. At their rooms on Monday Messrs Alexander Harris and Co. offered for -sale by auction, by order of the mortgagees, the Golden United Dredging Company's dredge, claim, and water races, near Totara Plat, "West Coast. There was a moderate attendance of investors and others, and after fair bidding the property was purchased by Mr Adam, on behalf of the mortgagees, for the Bum of £200. Our Roxburgh correspondent wires that the Teviot and Roxburgh Jubilee dredges have again started dredging. The Golden Gate and the Golden Treasure di edges, Miller's Flat, resumed work last week, and there should be a wash-up on Friday. For the 12 months ending 31st December — viz., 42 weeks' actual dredging — the Rising Sun's returns have averaged 350z weekly, and for the last 21 weeks the average was 450z 4dwt. For many years a few " beachcombers " liave been able to wcrk the golden sands at Colac Bay to a profit, and one claim in particular — that of Wilson and party — has been particularly remimerdtive lo its owners for a long time. This claim is about a mile from Orepuki, and is just a strip of sandy' beach upon i which the gold is washed up by the tide, and -although a large amount of gold has been taken om of it the sea. still yields up its treasure with undiminished generosity. Prospecting on these beache.s, however, has hitherto stopped at the Waiau, few miners considering it worth while to go further. We are informed, however, that qxiite recently it was discovered that some two and a-half miles beyond the mouth of the Waiau the gold-bearing -sands again occur, and six claims have been pegged* out which are expected to yield exceedingly good returns. In one of them the fortunate - owners _are said to lave made as much as £20 ! per man in a day. With returns like this being obtained these beaches are sure to attract the attention of prospectors in the near future. At present there Are some 20 to 25 miners in the locality: , The repairs to the New Feddersen Company's dredge are completed, and everything is now in first-class working order. Dredging was to have been resumed during last week. The prize of £10 offered by the Australian .-Institute of Mining Engineers to mining students ia any educational institution in Australia or New Zealand was won by Mr C. O. G-. Larcombe, of Annadale, New South Wales, I the subject of whose paper was "The Geology of the Peaks Silver Field." with special reference to the ore deposits. The examiners made special mention of a paper on " The Clarendon Phosphate Deposits, Dunedin, New Zealand," by Mr Arthur Andrews, and also xecommended the following papers for publication in the transastions df the institute — viz. : " Treatment of the Waihi Ores, at Waihi,' r H. Cramer Roberts ; " The Wet A.ssay Method of Extraction of Zinc from Tailings and Middlings, as Practised at Broken Hill." C. W. Matters; " BuckefcDreclging in the Braidwood District," T M, Owen. The Executive Cominitteenas decided to recommend to the incoming council that the r.onditioiis under, which the prize or prizes will be offered next year^be altered to allow of the competition being open to those who are. or who have bean within a period of 12 months prior +o the competition, bona fide students, of not less than six months' standing, of any public educational institution in Australia or New Zealand. The committee has also under consideration the advisability of offering prizes for separate subjects, such aa geology, metallurgy, mining engineering, etc.