THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS September 27.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 28

THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS September 27.

The 1 ottom worked by the Mystery Flat dredge last, week was very uneven, and a little time was lost lifting and lowering tho ladder in consequence. It was also difficult grouiid to winch. Tho wash was keeping about tho same.

The Mastorton Company's diedgemaster, in his report for last wick, stated ihat the ground c-n the north side wn> still about the same as previously. jfrtr-erytihing was work>ng well, and prospects were iairly good. Ihe Alexandra Lead dredgemaster regrets to report that ho did not get the wcrk completed by the 23rd inst. as expected, and lher«; are still a few minor jobs to be carried out, and it is difficult io judge when these will be done. However, he expects to have everything completed! by the end ot tho week. So nad a shoit run yit of tho machinery on Saturday .eight, ard, as fpr as could be teen, everything wais turning fairly well. Whoii the olevator loller brackets come to hand the drodg-e will commence operations.

During last week the Molyncux Kohinoor dredgomasteir was engaged in repairing and strengthening. Most of the parts were ready to be put in position, and consequently good headway was made. It was expected that dredging would bo resumed on Monday morning last at 8 o'clock.

The actual time worked by the Lady Roxburgh dredge last week was 118 hours. The dredge was still working in an old paddock, which had every appearance of having bean well cleaned out. On Saturday night matters looked a little better, and there we're indications erf solid ground. The cut was narrowed down on Friday last owing to the poorness of the ground.

Messrs M''Gregcxr and Co., the contractors fca* tho*iaisirg of the Wakatipu Company's dredge (late New Prince Arthur) have, after a hard struggle, succeeded in bringing the dredge to the surface, and she is now in a perfectly safe condition. A few repairs will, of course, have to be effected before the ground can be given another triad. '

The Mami'herikia dredgemaster reports starten Thursday morning, 21st inst., to shift back into the deep ground, and thi3 being done, dredging was resumed on Friday a>t 2 a.m. On that day tho Ma-nuhierikia River rose a few inches, and subsequently rose still further, thus causing a good deal of drift to travel, but the dredge could manage to overcome it, although at time of writing (24th inst.) she had not bottomed. If the drift continues it will be a few days before tihe dredge is able to bottom.

Writing under date 24th inst., Ihe master of the Sailor's Bend dredge reports hayirg smarted dredging at midnight on the 23rd inst. The Manuharikia River was in flood, and the dredge was stopped for a couple of days to allow the drift to settle. Sad it not been for the drift since Tuesday, 19fch inst., last week's return would have been much laarger, and the dredge-master is certain that gold of a good sample ia in the ground, and he only requires a good chanco to work it to advantage.

The Waimumu dredgemaster reports having had a very fair run last week, considering the screen and elevator were so far through. The screen is completely done and beyond repair, .and the dredge may be kept running until the end of the present week, but no longer. The ground was about 16ft deep, witb fair prospects, but owing to the screen being so bad the usual quantity of stuff could not be treated. The directors have decided to abandon the screen and elevator, which axe completely worn out, and substitute a sluioebox, which is generally admitted to be more suitable for working that class of ground. The coal of these alterations is expected not to exceed £100.

Tho last wash-up at Messrs Park Bros.' at Canada, Reef was HOoz. The return from Mr James Smith's daim, although not yet cleaned up, looks fairly promising. — Milton Mirror. The Nokornai Hydraulic Sluicing Company's manager reports having finished the paddock at No. 1 elevator for a return of 218oz 13|dwt. Unfortunately, the completion was very much delayed owing to the dry weather, which lasted five weeks. Sluicing off top material was commenced on th* 22nd, and good progress has been made. The water supply is now good, and may reasonably be expected to continue so for some time, a-s the ground has been well saturated, and there is a nice coating of snow on the ranges. At No. 2 there is a full supply of water and sonio to spare, and good progress is being made with the paddock. Preparations are in hand to raise the dam embankment, but a full staff of men is not yet at work. The directors of the Biackwater River Gold Dredging Company have declared a dividend (the 12th) of Is per share, payable on Monday, October 2. September 28. The Manuherikia dredgemaster wired on Wednesday as follows: "Drift very heavy, crnnot beat it; no use dredging; will stop." The Duustan Lead dredgemaster reports having had a good run last week. The return for this week is expected to be about the same as last week's. On Saturday next the dredge will have finished the river part of the claim, that is, provided there is a good run this week. The masters of both of the Otago Company's dredges report having had a steady run last week, with the ground keeping about the same. As the ground being worked by the No. 3 dredge is too deep for the presant elevator, the directors have decided to procure one of large dimensions, and expect to have it on the dredge in about two months' time.

Mr C. M. Turnbull. of the Waikaka United Company's No. 2 dredge has been appointed ' to the No. 1 dredge in place of Mr A. Saunders (resigned). Mr Rae, late of the Rise and Shine Company, takes charge of the Kb. 2 dredge. For the information of shareholders in the Dunstan I/cad Company, now that the river part of the claim is about completed, it may ■ be mentioned that the bank claim, upon which the company was floateS (the river part being an afterthought) is 95J acres in area, and should it come up to expectations, will provide about 20 years' work. The Unity, cU£cl S em,a,gt£S J.e£orj£ stpppjgg

work on Saturday of last week at 4 p.m.." in order to repair the top tumbler. This was expected to take a day or two to complete. The ground woiked last' week was poor, and Iheie being only 3oz or 4oz on the mats, it was not considered worth while washing up. The dredge is now about half a chain fiorn where she first opened out. The master of tlis Rise and Shine Co.'s I\o. 1 diedge reports that he worked 4ft ahead during the past week, three d«ys of which were spent m squaring up the oast corner of the cut, and opening up that side for coaling puiposes. The ground was about 50ft deep on the east side and 42ft on the west. The wash m the west half of the cut was looking well, but «5 not so good in the other half. An early improvement , was, howevei, looked for, as the gold was got on the east bank. iSTo. 2 dredge will probably be at work again by the end of the week. The a-ctual time worked by the Electric iSTo. 1 dredge last week was 115 hours, the distance worked ahead 68ft, and the depth of the ground 40ft. The quality of the bottom was soft pipe clay with occasional narrow sandy reefs. The sample *of gold was^ very fine, and prospects during the week continued the same and were very good on Saturday. The No. 2 dredge worked for 130 hours for a distance of 18ft a.head. The cut was 180 ft wide, and the ground varied in depth up to -10ft. Prospects at the close of the week were hardly so good as during the middle ot the week. There was a good deal of rain, but as it was snow on the heights, it did not cause any rise m the river. The Junction Electric No. 1 dredge last week worked ahead 12ft, and a deal of time was lost m connection with the breaking of the head line and the shifting of the backer. A false bottom was struck on the Richard's Beach side, and, owing to its being of a. thick nature and sticking in the buckets and drop chute, a good deal of time was lost. A little wash was obtained in the false bottom, and it appeared to be making as the drecJge worked ahead. Th c cut was 120 ft wide, and the depth of the ground 30ft. Part of the cut was rough, but the remainder easy dredging. The actual time worked by the Ko. 2 dredge was 118 hours, and the distance worked ahead 28ft. About 70oz of the return (lOOoz 12dwt) were won in the last three shifts before the wash up, when the dredge got on to a piece of soft red bottom which carried very good prospects. The best of' the gold was in the centre of the river. The cur. was 70ft wide, and the depth of the- ground 35ft, with little variation across the cut. Prospects continued fair until Saturday morning, when they fell off again, the bottom getting hard. After that the dredge was working on the Clufcha side, and then started back to the Kamarau side, where prospects may turn out good. On Saturday there were 20oz or 30oz on the mats. ' The master of the No. 3 dredge reports that three days were taken up with repairing, dredging, as already reported, being resumed early on Thursday morning. During the time worked prospects were very fair. On Saturday afternoon the screen collapsed, and it was expected to be Wednesday before dredging was resumed. September 29. Mr Lawrenci* Ryan will hold a sale of a quantity of dredging material at Alexandra on Thursday, October 5. The manager of the Island Block claim writes that the last wash-up of 2680z did not come up to expectations. The- paddock was the largest taken out for some time, being 50 yards by 47 yards. A small strip of ground next to the creek is now being stripped. There was a good deal of rain falling and the dams were running over. ) The Clyde dredgemaster reports that at the beginning ot last week he was unable to bottom on a portion of the ground on the east side. This, however, did not last, as the dip turned out to be a pot hole of no great area. The ground varied in depth from 45ft to 48ft, and although previously worked had not been bottomed. There was a considerable amount of drift travelling. The Waikaia dredgemaster reports that operations were continued steadily last week, with the exception of a slight stoppage to turn the top tumbler bushes and reverse some of the elevator rollers. The ground treated showed some thicker wash and less drift. The face was sis " and a-half chains wide, and the ground 27ft deep in the east corner, 24ft in the centre, and 23ft in the west corner. The gold won was a, fair sample, and slightly heavier than in the previous week. 'All the machinery was running well. The Alexandra Herald says that Mr S. T. Lett, one of the local coal mine proprietors, has been most unfortunate in working his coal mine. On Sunday last an inrush of water occurred in the mine, and since that day the water has been steadily increasing, with the result that Mr Lett is now engaged in drawing his plant from the mine. This will mean a very severe loss to him, a considerable sum of money having been expended in developing the mine. — At the Nevis all the dredges have got a start with the exception of the Crewe No. 1 and the Ngapara No. 3. These two are expected to resume dredging at the end of this week. The Crewe 7So. 2, at the Upper Nevis, is idle. Owing to the scarcity of water none of the sluicing claims have yet started operations.

Our Greymouth correspondent telegraphs that the Prince of Wales Company's dredge and claim, below Ross, have been sold at auction for £580, Mr Robertson (dredgemaster) being the purchaser on behalf of tributors.

Our Eeefton correspondent wires: — The Big River Company's mine manager reports: During the week N"o. 8 level has been extended lift — 4ft on stone, — making the length of the block 48ft. The east drive from the flat sheet has been extended 18ft, making a total of 39ft. Twenty-seven tons of stone were raised, 17 coming from the intermediate.

September 30. Messrs M'Gregor and Co., contractors for the raising of the Wakatipu Company's dredge, have wired as follows: — "Dredge up and all safe; started cleaning."

The master of the New Trafalgar dredge, importing for last week, stated that he got the olevator tumbler fixed up on Sunday, 17th iusit., ancl ! had a good run during the week. Th-q giound underwent a little inrproverneiii on Thursday., the wash getting slightly heavier. The average depth of the ground was 25ft ; Ihe bottom consisted of clay; and the face was about four chains wide.

"Writing under date 25th inst., the master of tlif> Bignell's K"o To%vn Company's dredge stated that aftea 1 repairing tiie centrifugal pump he r-es-uined dredging on Monday of last ■week, but that night the bucket chain- parted, and lie did not get started again till 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Lately there hare been a fair number ofi large stones in the centre of the cut, and the wash there is also a little hard. The gold won last week was a heavier sample thtfn in previous weeks. The tailings towards the north corner of the face were still 10ft to 12ft higih, and ovci towards the south side the old ground was being worked, having a width of one chain across the face. The dredgemaster would like to drop this ground, as the leturns would then improve, but does not think ii advisable to do so, as he requires to woru Ctf_er tfiWjusla tJie south si^e. of the greek.

There being ko quoium present at the annuls meeting of the Clyde Colhenes Company oa Friday, the same was adjourned for a week, >o b° then hold al the office of Mi A. E. Ackroyd, Moray place, at 4 p.m.

The directors of the New Fourteen Mile Beach G.D. Company have declared a dividend (the sixth) of 5s per share, payable on Friday, October 6. October 2. The master of the Mo'yneux Kohmoor dredge wires xhat he did not wash up last week. '

The Sandy Point dredgemaster wiies hpving resumed dredging at 11 o'clock on Friday night. The engineer of the Alexandra Lead Company's dredge left on Saturday morning to tcke over the dredge from the contractors on behalf of the company.

The secretary advises that the MacChp.rlton. dredge wa? stopped last week owing to the bursting of the superheater coil; as was also the Waikaka .dredge owing to the retubiug of the boilsr.

The Sailor's Bend dredgemaster 1 reports that he did not wash up last week, not being able to work during the whole wsek owing to the heavy, drift .running.

The directors of the Bignell's No Town Gold Dredging Company have declared a dividend (the fifth) of Is per shaie, payable forthwith

Sir Edward Trythall, sharebroker, informs: us that the Criftel Lead Sluicing Company, (Limited) w?s legistered and ths shaies allotted on Saturday, 30th September. Tlio directors, who intend to push on matters at once, appointed Mr Trythall secretary, and his office in the Exchange Court, Princes street, Dunedin, will be the registered office of the company.

The directors of the Alpine No. 2 Company have purchased a 100-acre claim about half a mile above Lowburn, and next to ibe Revival claim. Mr H. Stokes, one of the directors of the Alpine No. 2 "Company, has just returned from a visit to th© locality, where, with the local director (Mr Foreman), he succeeded in negotiating for the purchase of the ground, the purchase price being the 300 unissued shares of the company. With a fa-\ ourable river the company's dredge, which is at present closed down, should be on her new claim in about two weeks' time. Tlii9 should give the Alpine No. 2 Company a further "long lease of life; while as to the ground it-self, reports as to its payablenesa are exceedingly promising. The return from the Waikaka- United No. 1 dredge last week was 470z 6dwt, and Lhat from the No. 2 dredge 21o?i Gdwt. This company's No. 1 dredge is now under ihe charge of Mr C. M. Turnbull (late of the No. 2), Mr A. Louden having resigned. Mr J. C. Ra.e has charge of the No. 2 dredge. On Friday last (says the Tuapeka Times) Mr A. N. Wakefield; who has held the position of master of quite a number of dredges in the district and latterly that of the Tpniwha, which he has resigned, was presented by thei members of the crew with a handsome gold alb?rt and medallioD,. accompanied by an address signed by each member of the- crew.

The Champion Sluicing Company, which is now called the Plunket Sluicing Company, started operations on Thursday. — The Taniwha dredge is now at the bottom end cf the large level stretch of ground kndwn as T.abes' Flat, and as the greater portion of this fiat is included in the company's claim a very considerable length of life should be ahead of this dredge. The dredgemaster's position, vacated by Mr Wakefield, is to be filled byMr T. K. Weir, who has been appointed by the board of directors to take charge of the 5 company's dredge from the Ist October.— | Tuapeka Time-. October 23. The Ur.'ity dredge, which was stopped part | of ]ast w&?k having repairs effected to the buckets and links, also the tumbler, got started again at midnighit en Sxiaday. The Blackwaiter River dredge is at present undergoing a thorough overhaul, which, th.9 d'cedgeniaster oxr-ects xo have completed within three weeks' time. An Auckland telegram states that the Waiotahi Company's monthly return oi £9500 is double any previous yield this year. The total output to date is £234,039, and the total dividends £55,000 on a. capital oi £15,000. A Hokitika telegram says: — It is reported tluvt /the Minerals Company (Limited) has struck very rich gold in what was formerly known a-s Boyes' claim, at Blue Spur, i The se-ereiary of the Riie-y's Beach Com- ! pany informs us that the dircctois have juyt j completed the purchase of a claim on the j Clutha River, known as the Lowburn Creek claim, and about 100 acres in area-. There will hf no difficulty m moving tha dredge when the ! river is high, and in ths meantime she will be j kept at work on her own claim so long as any- ! tiling over working expenses is being obtained^ ! It is expected ihat good returns might be obj tamed just ahead of wh-3re the old Alpine j dredge sank, to which poirt the dredgemaster moved after wnahing-niip on Friday lasifc. The claim on tihe Chvtha has been well prospected, with good results, and work can ba carried on tine-re throughout ths year. The terms of (purchase are very favourable, being the 375 shares which were forfeited some years back.

The Gordon dredge, Waitahuna, after a. s-.inewhat chequered career, has been finally shut down fox good, and is to be removed froral the district. She has been purchased in WaitaIsunai, in conjunction with Dunedin capital, for removal, it is understood, to either Waikaia ox Victoria. A working party of six Waitahuna dredgemen (her former oxew) made a futile pffort to secure Lex and continue operations on her present claim. General regret ia felt, in the interests of the prosperity of Waitahuna, that outside iutea-esfcs have succeeded' in winning the dredge away from the district. It may be computed it mean* a loss of at least £30 a week in wages and other locail disbursements. It should have i-i-oved a good '" wages " claim on a small capital basis. Tho dredge, it is understood, brought £450. The secretary of the ilolyneux Hydraulio Company wires a Teturn of 270z 18dwt 6gr fas the pa.sb week.