Notes from Greymonth. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 28

Notes from Greymonth. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

! Both the Rise and Shines are working steadily on good wash.

GBEYMOUTH, May 17. The Greenstone Junction returns continue to be poor, only 18oz having been got for two week's work. The Nelson Creek dredge got 230z last week. The ground is looking much better, and an improvement is confidently expected. The riae in thi- Buller River enabled tha New Feddersen dredge to resume work on Thursday morning, omsequieafc.y a return maj be expected at the end. of the weekThe late rains have given the sluicers a. good supply of wa-ter, and the Ross United tributors, the Mont d*Or, and M*Leod's Terrace Companies will be hydxaulicking for the current week. By t.ho Wainui on her last trip the Bank ©£ New South Wales shipped to Wellington two boxes of gold containing 23&20z 12dwt, valued at £9530 Bs. The National Bank also shipped 30450z ldwt, valued a.t £12,180 4b. After a run of three years, with most inadequate encouragement, the Grey Lagoona dredge finally drew its fires and closed down a -week ago. The Waiho Hydraulic Sluicing Company, wLich has been m idleness for some time past, intends to resume operations at an early date. It is -stated that woTk will be started probably} within a month. The "Woodstock Syndicate (late New Woodstock Dredging Company) has had the dredga thoroughly overhauled since it became its propetry, and the dredge is now working in satisfactory condition. Messrs Earnshaw and Son, who placed a dredge on Gillespie's Beach, found that tha machine got blocked with sand, and they intend to duplicate the pumping machinery and improve the dredge. The parts are expected to arrive shortly. The Han Hau Dredging Syndicate has just completed the construction of two new pontoons, and has given its machinery a thorou^bi overhaul. Work will start again to-morrow. The Mineral Company (Limited), Blue Spur, is still working, the late rains having given an ample water supply fox sluicing purposes. Prc«pect3 are said to be much more favourable than in the past. The Montezuma Dredging Syndicate's daredga is still idle owing to the dam having been washed away. Energetic steps are being takeu to get the dredge afloat and working again. A member of Wilson's Gold Mining Company, who has just returned from Wilberforce, was in Hokitika yesterday, and in conversation he gave a few particulars aa to the state- of operations at the reefs. At the present time, owing to the winter having set in, witbl severe weather coming on, operations ha-va had to be practically suspended for a few months, though Fiddes and Baucke are still prospecting, and mean to continue on the WesfJ Coast side of the rang©3. On this side, it 13 stated, work can be oontimied-" all the year round, but on the Canterbury side the oouthW€iSterly winds fill the gorges with snow, and make it impossible to contlaue work. On tha West Coast side, our authority states, it ia the intention of Wilson's Gold Mining Company to drive a tunnel a distance of 2000 ft to strike the reef, which is dipping to the west. It will then be 1600Jt vertical below the outcrop. The reef is 21ft wide, and is dipping aft an angle of 60 degrees to the west, being 400f& long. Messrs Fiddea and Ba-ucke are two and! a-half miles soutK of the Reefion Sydnicate's) property. They have a reef 2ft 6in wide andl 400 ft long, showing gold freely. There are, our informant states, three other gold-bearing reefa in a parallel line, and gold can be seen on thei mortar. Test samples of the stoive found in the different localities at the Wilberfoioe have been sent to the Schools of Mines at Reef ton* Westport, Wellington, and Duuedin, an-ct »] though the whole of the reports h<ave nos come to hand, set such replies as have been received have been very favourable. May 21. Sluicing mining has been particularly good during the past fortnight, and the month of May will show some very good returns. This yossibly will not apply to the Montgomery Company, which, although improving, will take some months yet to arrive at the wash! that ia being got by claims in higher country. ■ vFrom tha Wilberforce reefs comes inform**

'tion that driving up on the lode still continues. Two or three prospecting parties in the vicinity have not yet struck anything

The dT&dgiug share market is livening up a. little, amd shares vfitii a foil pxospect before them have a tendency to rise. No Town Creeks are very strongly held at £1 Is, and last week's yield h-as had a further hardening tendency. The dredge -worked -well for her yield of 730z, got out of a good piece of •wash -which- should continue for some tame. The master is confident that future success of ibis dredge has been proved. The No. 2 dredge is still in tailings, and will not strike the wash proper for a couple of weeks yet. The Bignell's No Town dredge washed up 330z l-4dwt for 187 hours. The dredge was ■working for the greater portion of the week in tailings, having got back to the place •where work was originally commenced. The screen is very much worn, and a stoppage ■will be made early next month to replace it. This -will take over a -week.

The Slab Hut Greek dredge will commence work proper to-morrow morning. The master is sanguine of striking good wash a few days after work haß been commenced.

The Jamieson's Reward dredge has not yet ■washed up. The Pactolus Company obtained 940z 8o?wt from two dredges. The wash has got more •uniform in character, and this week's return should be represented by three figures. The Callaghwn's Greek dredge got 250z for 131 hours' work. Practically no »Itera*Jon has taken place doiring the period just concluded. The Greenstone Three-mile dredge waelied •up 21oz, Sdwt. The wash .is good and improving iii sample. m , , , The Blackwater River dredge 19 expected to resume work /to morrow, having) been engaged 5 "mil the--week renewing the gantry.