THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2762, 20 February 1907, Page 26

THE WEEK'S MINING NEWS

February 13. Tie master of the Mystery Flat dredge 1 reports a steady run of 1323 hours last week. Prospects were similar to those of the "jievious week, anS the machiaery was running well. , , Ihe Hessey Company s dredgemaster reports a good run for last -week. There was no iroprovemeirt in the ground, which remained about ihe same. All ibe machinery ■was running -well. The tbedgemaster w*s half-lipping come of the b»cket» and executing oilier repairs. ' The last return won by the Masterton Company's dredge shows that the face of vrofking was 400 ft wide, was on good -wash, *nd was still widening. This week's return • ■will be from the eastern section, but i« not likely to be as good as the previous return from thai s.de owing to the head line being shifted. Tl'e whole of the machine is worklug well The Lady Roxburgh machine dredged 137 hours '.a-i week, 1.1 which lime worked 16! t abead, and widened out tLc cut 3ft into the river Th© giour-H v.a« deew-nin<' anci was 521t deep at the tml ,„ x \ lf , se es Ihe dredgem^ter was altering vLe -u\e all

and drop shute and lengthening the ladder line so as to reach another foot or two. The gold was mostly in the wash. The Alexandra Lead dredge worked 110 hours last week. The height of the face above waiser level was about 45ft, and the depth below was from 22ft to 24ft. The formation was a soft red clay. Prospects were about the same as usual. The return was diminished through stoppages, but the dredgeniaoter expects a good run this week. There was no -wash-up on the Paterson's Freehold ICo. 1 dredge last week, as the repairs to the ladder occupied all the time. The- dredgemaster hoped to make a good strong job and be in a position to Testime dredging last night. The No. 2 machine won 12oz sdwt in 159 hours. She was on the same part of the face as during the previous week, but the dredgemaster intended to shift to the other side this week, as the wash was better there. The water in the dam was very thick. The "VTaikaka United Xo 1 dredge worked well last week, and a good run was put in. The iace continued about the same as during the papt few weeks. The No. 2 machine sr>ent the whole of the week in the centre cut. which was seven chains wide. The hillside cut was 8J chains wide. Prospects continued good during the whole week, and there v/as little or no change in the depth or nature of the bottom ia the corner and centre of the flat. The waah continued fair, a'though there was an amount of olay. Owing to the water being- thick the mats required to be washed up more frequently. The secretary of the Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and S-luicing Company advises that the managru reports that he has finished the removal of the elevator and pipe line and repairing of the race, and was ready to re.sume sluicing when, unfortunately, he was obliged .o shut down in consequence of a short supply of water from Lake Onslaw— the first expei ience of the kind during the 20 years of the company's existence. The Waikaia Company's dredge worked in the middle section until last Saturday, when she shifted into the west Fection, which was about two chain"? wide and from 18ft to 20ft deep. The middle section from which the return was won was *28ft 6m deep, and was either a " boil out " or a gutter •wsls making — tae former, the dredgemaster thinlTs, and does not expect it to laEt. The total length of the face was 1 nine chains, and the bc-ttom was an " old man " or " maori *' formation. February 14. Mr »A C. Buckland (late with the Deep Stream Company) has been appointed manager for the Criffel Lead Company. The Clutha River Company's dr-edgemaster expects a smaller return than usual this week owing to trouble with drift and loss o' time through boiler inspection The tin dredging industry m the Tingha district (Xsw South Wales) is assuming very large proportions. The yield for 1906 was 14)1 tons, valued at i'lfi2 958 The master of the New Perseverance No 2 dredge writes that owing to the river falhrg very fa°t he had a lot of trouble, aaid had to drop for the meantime 30ft on the inside — the best of the ground. The dredge was to be stopped part of this w-e«k to enable the screen rollers to be replaced. Ihe No. 1 machine is working steadily, and is in firstclass order. The masteT of the Matau dredge reports th*t after working from Tuesday evening ull Thursday morning last week he got blocked ■up with silt. The river was very shallow, and he had to turn the dredge round and work out. which he succeeded in doing on Triday night. He then had the Irnes set, and was ready to start dredging on Sunday night. The ground treated was somewhat heavier than during the previous week, and nrospects were fair. Although the dredge is rather small it will be possible, when the river rises, to work a good way farther back. During last week the New Trafalgar dredge lo=t two slufts through the piston rod breaking The dredge is now working steadily in grouad longing fioni 32ft to 38ft deep. The

bottom is very broken and carries very little gold at the down stream sid« of the cut, but the ground is very palchy and gold may coiii3 in aA any tinie. Last w«-3k the vrash was a httle poorer, but the gold was a better sampl-e. The Molyneux Kohmoor dredge had a good run last week. The ground was poor and patchy, bat has been improving since Menday. A good face is now opened out, and operations are less hampered than-befcre. i The master of the Otago No. 1 dredge reports a good week's run and an improvement in the ground. The m^ter of the N-o. 2 dredge reports that owing to ths state of the river he found it necessary to pull out aud drop back to bring up another cut. He ' started work on Monday afternoon. The secretary of the Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company reports that 12 heads of 1 water from the Lion race was sent to Nokomai las*. Friday, and this quantity will be gradually increased. The race manager estimates that the • race will easily carry 25 heads. Part of the | water was turned into No. 1 elevator and ! part into the No. 2 elevator. The supply • fnr the Ko. 1 elevatoT is short, but the water in the dam for the use of the Ko. 2 elevator is within 3ft of the top. '■ The manager of the Mount Rex (Avoca) tin • mine report, under date 2nd inst., that No. : 1 and No. 2 faces are looking the same as when 3a«t reported upon. At No. 1 level the I western drive has bsen driven Bft, making a total of lift, all in hard granite. Over 20 years ago a party of Cornish miners constructed a dam known as the Esk dam on the Ringarooma River, near : stone, Tasmania. It was built of a framework , of rough timber logs and was between 15ft and 2Wt high. one end of the dam water was led over a water wheel, which drove pump 3to deliver water for sluicing purposes to a height of nearly 300£t into a sod dam, whence it was led to th-e face through races. The party successfully worked the claim by this meihod — which is interesting as being an early example of its ■application — unitil the price of tin fell to about £50 % ton— below working expenses. Tin has risen to a high figure *ince those days, and the giound has been taken up again, and will be worked on a similar system to the former. The New Feddersen Gold Dredging Company, which conducts operations "from Reefton, was registered on Augus-t 1, 1904, with a nominal capital of £2500, divided into 5000 shares of 10s each, of which 4625 have been allotted and paid up. At registration there were 17 shareholders, and at the end of last year 19. The company then employed eight iuen. Last year G6ooz 19dwt of gold, valued at JE2603 9s, was -Ron, and since registration the gold production has totalled 20910z 12dwt lgr, of the value of JE8202 3s Bd. The amount expended in connection with carrying on operations last year was j£2763 10s lid, and - since registration £10,472 7s 9d has been expended. A total of -£1271 17s 6d has been distributed in dividends On December 31 last -the company had £249 16s lid at the bank, had debtors (all considered good) for' £17 3a, and owed £245 11s, while contingent liabilities amounted to £245 lls. The nominal capital of the Lone Star Dredging Company, -which was registered on March 15. 1902, and which comprises' 15 ■shareholders, is £720, in shares of £1 each. All i have been allotted and paid up to 16s 8d per share. The company, which employs 10 men, i won 7S6oz ldwt 12gr of gold last year, of | the value of £3117 8s 7d, at a cost of £2278 ; 14s lOd. Since registration the go-Id produci lion has reached 32870z Odwt 18gr, of«i value 1 of £12.908 10s -4d, and the expenditure has totalled £12,061 2s 3d. Dividends to the amount of £540 have been disbursed". At the •end of the year the bank balance (with deI poßits) stood at £907 8s Id, sundry " debtors ! totalled £27 10s, and sundry creditors £213 , 8s 3d. j February 15. I The secretary of the Last Chance Hydraulic I snd Sluicing Company reports a return of 17oz 3dwt 4gr for three weeks' sluicing. The following returns are reported : — Mystery Flat, 440z lldwt for 131 hours; Waikaia. 330z 3dwt for 136 hours; Hesaey's, 12©z 2dwt for 136 hours. At the annual general meeting of share- | holders in the Muddy Creek Company, held the other day at Gore, the retiring directors were re-elected. It was stated that the dredge had just completed -the overhaul, end would 1 commence dredging when sruffic-ient rain fell to float the machine out of the' dry dock. Th© Sandy Point Company's machine worked for 134 hours last week, and operated oa the river side of the cut. The ground was very deep and very tight. Prospects were poor fc the amount of bottom covered. It is difficult to work the inside of the cut now, owing to the levei of the water in the paddock, which is going down fast. ' The Kise and Shine Company's Xo 1 dredge worked ahead Bft during last week. The bottom in the west half of the cut continued very sticky, but these were indications of this cutting out. The returns should then im- i I prove. Some time was lost in shifting mooring lines The No. 2 dredge resumed work | on Saturday, but as this week would be spent j in clearing the paddock of silt the return will i be small. February 16 The Electric Company's No. 1 machine resumed dredging^ at 8 o'clock on Friday mornI mg. j In anticipation of the coming season the Manuberikia. dredge is ft present undergoing repairs Owing to .a mishap to the winch on Friday the Matau dredge has stopped The dredgemaster will overhaul the buckets before restarting. The Kura dredge won 13oz lldwt in 108 hours this week. The dredge will be closed down immediately to enable necessary repairs to be executed. The directors of the Charlton Creek Gold Dredging Company have declared a dividend of 6d per share, payable on the 21st inst. The master of the Koputai dredge reports a return of 260z lOdwt for 115 hours' work The dredge is now closed down pending alteration m the boxes. The Alexandra Herald states that Messrs Fink and party have the erection of the machinery on their dredge almost completed. Th buckets are being connected and some other smaller work finished, and the dredge is expected to be ready to commence operations within six weeks' time Last week's return of the Mo I yneux Hydraulic dredg« is the be3t that has been obtained since the beginning of the year. The machine is now operating on some good wash carrying splendid prospect*, and (the Alexandra Herald states) the master anticipates increased returns providing the -wash continues the same. The return from the Hartley and RiLey Company's dredge this week is 14oz for 96 hours. The manager reports "that the lower tumbler shaft broke on Thursday night. As, however, he has a shaft on the ground with which to replace the broken one, the delay should not be prolonged. The Bocretary of the Clyde Company reports that the dredge has been pulled up to the top end of Frenchman's Beach, where there it a small piece of river that has not yet been worked. The winch bearing broke -while th-e machine was being pulled through the T^pids. but the secretary pi the company anticipates

that operations will be commenced almost immediately. In explanation c-f his wire advising that dredging operations had b^en suspended owing to shortage of water, the Nelson Creek Company's manager, reporting for the week ended Saturday, 9th inst., states: — "The weather has continued dry beyond the experience of any of the oM hands. Nelson Creek, right hand branch, from which we draw our supply, is almost dry. This is most exceptional, and might not occur again in a cycle of another 10 years." The dredge manager ad-da that the resumption of operations depends wholly on the weather. The Revival Gold Dredging Company, which was wound up yesterday, was registered on August 17, 1903, with a nominal capital of £2600. Six hundred shares were distributed amongst shareholders without return, leaving the paid-up capital at £2000. The history of the company is an illustration of what has happened more than once on the dredging fields of Otago and Southland — a small and inadequate dredge working or attempting to work a claim which a more powerful machine could have made to pay. It is believed that the company's c'aim, which is just above Lowburn .Crock, on the Clutha Raver, and which adjoins the Punt Company's claim, still ( contains good gold. From the date of registration until closed down in the latter part of last year the dredge won 1963,0z Bdwt sgr of gold, valued at £7700 0s 7d. and the expenditure incurred was £9668 4s 6d. The company has paid £650 in dividends. The Dunsian Lead Dredging Company, which passed into liquidation on Thursday, was registered on May -31, .1899, with a nominal capital of £18,000, and at the end of last jKar the capital actually paid tip in cash stood at £17,486 12s 6d. The company's dredge started operations on September 12, 3901," and so heavy was its cost that tha company was then in debt. For a time consistently good returns were -won from the claim and up to September. 1905; £6120 9b (being at the rate of 7s per share) was paid in dividends. The river claim being by that time worked out, the company applied for and was gran-ted % bank claim, of 95 acres, but from that date onwards the financial position grew steadily less and less satisfactory. It -was after a few months, decided "to equip the dredge -with a silt wheel, but after this had been fitted the dredge got into further difficulties, and was finally closed down before the -end -of last year. During -the course of its existence the company has won 65700z 12dwt 20gr of gold, of the value of £20.488 lHs Bd. and the expenditure has been £34,939 18s lld " February 16. The Lady Annie dredge had a very steady run last week, but the ground continued poor throughout. The machine is now m deep ground, but not quite far enough over to pick up the best of it. In another week she will get to the good ground, and returns should then improve immediately. All tne machinery is running well. The scarcity of water in many of otir streams is becoming a serious matter to severa.l of the dredges in the district (says the Gore Standard). The Lady Gordon and Kai-Ora dredges at Waikaia have ceased work owing to this cause, as have the Mill Creek, in the Charlton Talley, several dredges at Waikaka, and the Garden Gully dredge at East Ch«tton. The manager of the Barewood mine reports aa follows for the week ended February 9: — " Mine : Rise has ben put up a total distance from drive of 40ft. The stone is Bft wide, and prospects fair. Two shifts of two men each have broken from the rise 100 tons of stone. Surface : The road to the battery is being cut. The frame for the watar swpply tank has been finished, and preparations made for removing tank. Battery : Full time was worked, and 50 tons were crushed. The mine and machinery generally aie in good order." February 19. The return from the Enterprise dredge last v.'eek was slightly less than stated yesterday, being 13oz sdwt, not 13oz 13dwt. The Molyneux Rivea: was at the 7ft lin mark at Alexandra yesterday, with a slight rain falling. The secretary of the Matau Gold Dredging Company reports a return of lOoz for 70 hours' dredging. The Chicago started dredging on her bottom boundary at noon on Thursday, and bottomed on Friday morning. The operations of the Jutland Hydraulic Dredging Company last year resulted in a picfit. A -total of 6270z of gold, valued at £24-24 I")? lOd, was won. and £1871 8s 7d was spent m carrying on operations. Since registration the expenditure has reached £14,362 9s 4d, and the gc!d won (30660z 14oVt sgr) has produced £11.758 16s lid. enabling •the company to pay £1675 in dividends. At tha end of "the y-aar the bank overdraft wa9 v £182 Os 6d, and the liabilities reached £196 lla lid. The company was registered on June 28, 1901, with a capital of £5000, divided into 5000 shares. All of these .have been allotted, and paid up to £1 The capital actually paid in cash amounts to £4100, scr.os to the paid-up value of £900 having been given to shareholders without return. The company employs eev^n m^n, and comprises eight " shareholders — f,he same number as nt registration. i The United M. and E. Water Race Com- I pany was registered on April 23, 1872, with a capital of 152 shares of £50 each, held by 13 shareholders. The nominal capital has been paid up m full, and there were at December 31 hist seven shareholders. The company, which employs nine men, won 4580z lOdwt of gold last year, valued at £1836 15s 7d, ( at a cost of £1050 14s Id, and since registration has wou 13,9720z 14dwt lgr valued at £53,866 9s 3d. has expended £61.142 Is 9d, and has paid £3078 in dividends. At the end of j last year various debtors (considered good) owed the company £7 Bs, sundry creditors totalled £812 3s 3d, and the contingent liabilities were £75 . > | The Wellington company that is mining for antimony at Point Edgecombe, Endeavour Inlet. anoarentJy has good prospects. Mr E. W. B. Hornabrook, who is secretary of the company, pays a visit of inspection to tha locality every fortnight. On the last occasion he was accompanied over the property by the Inspector of Mines. One lode was traced for more than a thousand feet, and the croaacuttings at intervals showed the deposit to be continuous. Arrangements are being made to ship a large quantity of ore immediately. The low price of antimony in the past was responsible for many failures, but the shorts age on the market and the increasing u*es that are being found for it have enhanced the price to such an extent that £125 per ton can be obtained for blr>ck antimony in Wellington at the present time. This should give ihe indusrtry of the Endeavoiir Inlet a substantial i fillip.