THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 26

THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS

May 9. The Molyneux Kohinoor dredgemaster reports having had a very good run last week. The rise in the river was the only hindrance to operations, being troublesome from the Ist inst up to date of writing, the sth. The return was better than was expected, and the ground was the same quality right across the cut.

There was no wash-up on the Ettrick dredge last week owing to a flood in the river. The ground was rough and deep at the upper end of .tie claim, which is un worked. The dredge will Tie; shut down until t&e river falls again to* the usual winter level and until the drift which runs with the current has ceased running or abated considerably. Reporting for- last week, the master of the Lady Boxburgh. dredge stated that, as previously- reported, the bucket belt parted at 3 .o'clock on Friday morning, as a resuH of two pins in one set breaking. No damage to BPA9&: of xsras &me. and <lre<3gix:g was z^sumed the same night. The cut wa3 about GOft wide, with a 20ft bottom and a depth of from 10ft to 35ft. Where the dredge was working was •lear of drift, and the probability is that she prill not be able to work out into the river lor some time yet. The actual time worked ■st week was 123 hours.

During last week the Waikaia dredge was rorking on the extreme eastern corner. There was no change in the character of the wash, md the bottom in the east corner was red jlay, with maori formation commencing one main from the corner and extending west over she remainder of the face. The depth of rround varied from 23ft to 25ft, and the total length of face was 12 chains, but last week the dredge only worked on .one and a-half chains in the eastern corner.

Says the Southern Standard: — "Mr R. T. Coomer is the purchaser of the Waimumu dredge, which, we understand, is to be worked on the balance of the old claim and some land adjoining. '

The secretary of the Nokomai Hydrau'ic Sluicing Company reports that at No. 1 elevator «n additional Bft has been sunk, and work |s. going on satisfactorily. There are signs that the bottom is nearly reached, and" of large rton.es being troublesome and plentiful. At No. 2 the bottom haa baen reached at a- depth of 34ft, and the manager reports prospects as good. - Jtn Auckland telegram states that the Crown Mine's return shows that bullion was recovered from 1801 tons milled during April to the ralue of £3622.

jThe half-yearly meeting c F '-hareholders in j the Shotover Quartz Mining Company will be j held on Thursday, 31st inst., at 8 p.m An extraordinary general meeting will be held on the same date to consider a resolution of the tlirectors approving of the amalgamation of fee Company with the Oplur Mining Corctany, and to pass a resolution that the company go into voluntary liquidation with the Vi«w of carrying out such arualg&mai- 1"1 "* 1 i

May 10. The Punt dredge wzs under repair all last week, and the dredgemaster is still engaged with the overhaul.

The master of the Otago No. 1 dredge reporting for last week, -stated that he had a gocd run till Friday, when he was compelled to stop in consequence of the flooded river filling the paddock with floating debris and blocking the pump. Owing to some repairs having to be effected, with consequently a short run, there will be no wash-up this week. The No. 2 dredge was kept at work during the flcod -in order to prevent as far as possible the silting -up of the paddock. As the river is still high it is doubtful as to whether there will ba much of a return this week.

I Reporting under date sth inst., the master of the Electric No. 1 dredge stated that he started .dredging <m Wednesday, 2nd inst., as the weather and river appeared to be settling. "Warm rain had, however, fallen up country 1 and melted the snow, and the river rose to heavy flood level, and dredging had to be stopped again on Thursday night. The crew ' then started lipping and repairing buckets. 1 Dredging was resumed on Monday, ar.d the dredgeraaster is now trying to work into the north beach until the river is more settled. - The master of the No. 2 dredge, writing under date 7tli iiJ3t., stated that dredging was resumed on Monday afternoon (30th ult.) at 5 • p.m. near the south side. After getting down to about 30ft the drift became too strong. On Wednesday morning the dredge was moved to shallow ground on the north side, and bottom was reached after working for about two shifts, and had the dredge been able to continue there would probably have been a wash-up at the close of last week. The river was again in heavy flood on Thursday morning, eventually reaching a, higher level than on the occasion of the flood of two weeks previous. Dredging operations were suspended, and certain lepairs put in hand, work being resumed on Monday afternoon last at 4.30 p.m. on the north side. Mr S. E. Brent, secretary of the Barewood Gold Mining Company, reports that for the n,onth of April the mine manager cleaned up 92 tons for L'Ocz Gdwt gold, and 18oz Bdwt from cyanidation of 172 tons of sand. At the No. 3 level the manager has just struck the reef, and a iew days should give an idea of its value. May 11. Tbe master of the Electric No. 1 dredgr© wires that there will bs no wash-np this week. Bottom was touched in the beach on Tuesday night. The Junction Electric dredgemsster reports having had a very steady run last week, the actvinl working time being 131J hours. Up till Wednesday prospects continued the same as m the previous week, and then the dredge got on to poor ground. Out in the river the ctrift w-as very b-e^L-c-y, ancl -tlie <3xedge -wa^ not ab!e io work that portion of the cut. The bank portion also became very rough and ! difficult to work owing to the number of large stones. On Saturday, the sth inst , the dredge was closed down, and a start made to put on the new screen, which will probably take two weeks from date of starting.

Repairs to the Alexandra Lead dredge were pushed on last week with as much speed aa possible. The elevator buckets have been taken eff the ladder and bushed, and some of the links reriveted. The elevator crown wheel and top tumbler have been taken off in order to renew the tumbler. A new bottom tumbler left for the claim on Monday, and the probability ia that dredging will be resumed at the latter end of the week.

The actual time worked by the Sandy Point dredge last week was 112 hours, the width of fhe cut 160 yards, the average depth of the ground 28ft. the distance worked ahead 7ft, and the average height of the face above water level 20f+.. A good deal of trouble was experienced with the elevator driving rope during the weok. A new rooe was expected to be to hand on Monday, night, and the dredge would be stopped and the rope placed in position on Tuesday morning Ground and prospects continued much the same as in the previous week, while the weather was settled and the water supply good.

The following items are from the Alexandra Herald. — Owing to the inability to get cca-1 delivered on the claim, in consequence of the bad roads, the Crewe N-c. 2. at the Upper Nevis, h&3 clO3& down for the season. All the other dredges on tiie 2\evis are worki"g &tea<3dv. and getting in as much lime as is possible before the hard frosts set in. The sluicing claims are working, and as the water supply is plentiful, the miners expect to be abe to v. ork for another six weeks before being compelled to cea^e operations {or the winter mo:. t'u- — In a'l piobabi'ity the N^spaia No. 3 at 'hi Novis will be given another trial n-ovt c^i ou hi the moilaa^e^ I —Messrs Ada-"

Dennison and George Farquharson, of Alexandra! have been selected to proceed to Burmah for the Upper Burmah Go'cl Dredging Company, and leave in September for that distent clime. — Mr W. Weir, of Alexandra, has been appomtsd dredgemaster of the Waitiri d-redge on the Kawarau, near Victoria bridge. May 12.

The river height on Fiiday morning was 10ft ll;n ebove the normal mark at Alexandra, showing a fall of three inches since ths previous day. The Revival Company. « drpdgmaster wires: "River falling slowly; another week before start dredging." The Lady Annie dredgma«ter wired yesterday aa follows: — "No wa-h-up this week, opening out fresh paddock.

The new crown wheel for tha Mystery Flat dredge ha,s arrived on ths c.aim, and it was expected that dredging wouia be resumed yesterday afternoon. The river was in flood, and a1!a 1 ! the dredges short of coal. ,_ There was a good deal of previously-treated ground in the face worked by the Bignell's No Town dredge la=t week. "Where the wa-f>h was solid it was tight and cernenty, but did not contain many large stones. A good deal of buried timber was met with at the lower end of Hall's Creek.

The Morning Light Company's dredgmaster, writing under date, Bth in«t , stated that be would start dredging the following day, Wednesday. Everything on the dredge is now in the best of order and condition, and she should have 'an uninterrupted run for some time to come.

The new Trafalgar dredge had a good run last week. The ground was much the same as in tha previous week, and was about 27ft deep, with clay bottom in c ome places-, and " old man " m others. The face was five chains wide. The dredge will require a few days' repairing shortly, more especially to the ladder, crown wheel, driving pinion, and drop chute

The master of the Three-Mile (Greenstone Creek) dredge was engaged with repairs a'l last week. Before starting dredging operations, he will require to blast away a large boulder right in the middle of the face, and above which there is only about 18 inches of water.

Our J3ore correspondent writes- — In a recent issue, the Times repubjished a paragraph from a Gore paper, stating that " the Phoenix Dredging Co.'s dredge, the pioneer dredge of the Waikaka fleet, having worked the profitable part of the claim, is being dismantled." The name of the dredge was incorrectly stated, it being the Pioneer, not the Phoenix, that is undergoing the process of dismantling. The details of the paragraph in regard to its being the " pioneer " of the Waikaka fleet made it obvious to anyone acquainted with the field that it was not the Phoenix dredge that was in mind, but readers at a distance could not. of course be expected to detect the mistake so readily. The local paper explained the error in the following issue, but the Times did not notice the correction, and the impression left on your readers' minds is as conveyed by the original paragraph. The Phoenix Company may thereby suffer, an injustice, and it is well' to state that there is no question as to its financial stability.

The secretary" of the Undaunted Sluicing Company reports a return of 960z for 10 daya' sluicing. A new elevator is now being- errrfed in the present face. There is now a fair supply of water.

Says the Lake County Press: — We heat that the recent snowstorm has blocked the Criffel Lead Company's wafer race for the time being, and that i+ is possible operations will be suspended for the winter months, and an early start made in the spring. — It is pleasing to hear that the .Lafranchi dredge has been getting payable returns in Tuohy's Creek for some time p? tt t. — Mr W. Little is busily engaged hydrauHcking in his claim in the Cardrona Valley. Mr Little has now a splendid water supply. He is deserving of every suscess for the energy and pluck he lias displaced in his big undertaking. — We understand that the frost will very soon stop crushing operations at the Eureka Company's claim. Skippers. Development work m both levels of the mine has been pushed on and the top level has been sunk on 25ft.

The directors of the Alexandra Eureka Gold Dredging Company have declared a dividend (the 24th) of one shilling par share, payable on Tuesday next.

May 14. The Chicago dredgemaster was engaged bailing drift all hist week, conseqeuntly there was no wash-up.

The master of the Rise and Shine No. 1 dredge reports that prospects last week were unchanged; and the No. 2 dredgernaster that prospects were fatr, but the ground rough. There was no wash-up on the Golden Run dredge last week, as the dredge was not working.

May 15.

The Three-mils (Greenstone Creek) dredgemaster wire? . "Dredge startsd work, had awkward job with boulders."

An Auckland telegram states that theT New May Queen crushed 334 loads of quartz and 901b of picked stone for a return of 380oz lOdwt of retorted gold, of the value of about £1075.

The local directors of thi Rise end Shine Company (Mr J. L. Scott) mentioned at the annual meeting of the company on Monday that ho had brought down from the claim two samples of black sand, one of which is to be sent to Professor Park, of the Otago University, and the other to JMessra Johnson and Sons, bullion refiners and metallurgists, St. Paul's Works, Finsbury, London, who, it will be remembered, some time ago intimated their willingness to purchase black sand and other similar concentrates obtained from dredges and alluvial washings, and further stated that they were willing to examine and analyse, free of cost, any samples sent to them. The object of sending these two samples for analysis is to discover whether the black sand, as obtained in the Clutha River district, contains any other minerals besides gold.

A circular has been isFued to shareholders in the Olrig Gold Dredging Company stating that during the last four or five months the returns have not been paying working expenses, and that, seeing the expenses are somewhat heavy, the directors have been discussing ways and means oi reducing the cost of working the dredge, and wish to place the following scheme before them — i.e., tc convert the dredge into a water-driven machine instead of steam, as at present. The cost, including water-race, pipes, and plant will amount to something like £2000. The gTeat advantage of the change will be the Paving in coa-l and repairs, etc , of about £800 per annum. In connection with this a meeting has been called, at which the following resolution will be placed before shareholders-. — " That the capital of the company be increased to £10,000 by the creation of 3000 new shares of £1 each, to be called preference shares, and to confer on the holders of such preference shares the right to receive in dividends the amount actually paid up uyon such shares out of the profits of the commnv bc-foro ho'ders of the ordinary shares participate in the profit 1 - of thp company, and the said preference shares shall cease to have any preference when =nch amount shall have been ren?.id to theni and they shall then rank as ordinary shares. That of the said 3000 =hare=; 2000 shares be forthwith offere ' to shareholders pro rata. and that all shares offered be payab'e as follows — 23 6d on application. 2s 6.1 on ai otment. and the baiuiice

in calls of not mare than 2s 6d per share at intervals of not less- than, one month '