WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 26

WEEK'S MINING NEWS

November - 13. The Nelson Creek return is 240z for 109

hours. The return from the Canada Reef Company for October is S2oz 2dwt of retorted gold. The Clutha River dredge washed up for 19oz 7dwt as the result of 127 hours' dredging. The dredgemaster of the Lady Roxburgh dredge reports for the week ending 9th inst. : | " Started opening out on east side late on Saturday night. Struck good payable wash; bottom soft schist, dipping towards the middle of the river. The depth is 40ft. The river has not been favourable all the week, , and a rise of a foot to-day (9th) having taken ! place, I decided to close down and await 1 a more favourable level. The overburden is ' heavy and the drift is troublesome." j The Bl&ckwater River dredgemaster re- ' ports that the ground is now of even quality over the full width of the face, and is ) showing a tendency to improve. ] The Mystery Flat dredge's last return was obtained front the middle section, where the ground is very uniform, with an average depth of about 15ft. The bottom consists of red clay and sand. Messrs Sligo Bros, report that shares were allotted in the South Waikaia Dredging Company yesterday morning. The manager of the Mount Rex tin mine ' (Avoca) reports that for the fortnight ended November 2 the drive was extended 20ft through hard country. This makes a total of 119 ft. Alluvial: Everything has been cleared up preparatory to letting the ground by new tender, and this*' will give, a few additional bags." Our St. Bath an s correspondent writes under date 11th inst.: — "The late rains have given a good supply of water to the miners, -nhich gives hopes of good returns for the Christmas wash-up. A nice rain fell during last night, and this brightens prospects for the future." Out Lake County correspondent writes : — " Several hancb have been put on to work in Mr Farrell's mines at Macetown. Mr Farrell'a claims were pegged off recently, and the applications ar« to be heard at Arrowtown on the 26th inst. The Waitiri dredge haa been sold, and tenders have been called for dismantling and carting her to Clyde or Frankton. I understand that the dredge is to be taken to Victoria." The Western Australian gold yield for October was 150,116 fine ounces, valued at £657,655, against 141,2030z for the previous month. an% 156,5250z for October, 1906. Dividends paid by Tasminian mining companies for October totalled £7300, the contributors .feeing: Mount Bisohoff (ss), £3000; Magnet (Is), £2000; New Brothers' Home No. 1 (6d), £1500; New Ruby Flat (6d), £550; Gladstone Dredging Company (2s), £250. The quarterly returns of the minerals (other than gold, coal, or precious stones) for the quarter ended September 30, produced in Queensland, shows that the total value of » the metals waa £521,774, as compared with • £562,161 for the June quarter. The reduction ; is due to the lower prices of metals, as in [ several cases the actual yield of the metal ', was greater. { November 14. ; The Clyde Dredging Company's 65redg« and , claim, were offered! for sale by auction by Meßsrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. on the 13th. The highest bid was £250, and as the directors' reserve waa £500 the property was 'paesed in. The Hessey dredgemaster reports: — "We had a fair run for the week. I ''ost some time through the bucket belt parting. Tba , ground is still pretty rough, but I think I will be past the worst in another week. I | have a rooky bottom about a' chain and a- ■ half across the face, so that I cannot get over so totich ground. It ia pretty hard on the Imckete, pine, and links. Everything | else Is tunning well." ,

The Masterton dredgemaster . advises that from appearances the ground is improving. TheßignelPs No Town dredgemaster wires: " Weather still unsettled ; cannot make very good progress." The "Pa.erson's Freehold Company has declared a dividend of Is per share. This makes 16s per share returned to shareholders, or a total of £9600. Tne dividend will be payable on Saturday, 23rd insk The Rise and Shine No. 1 dredge took up the outer cut of 400 ft on Monday of last week. The paddock was very much silted up, and will not be cleared until about the , middle of the present week. Tho depth waa ', from 42ft to 4Sft, and the prospects fair. . No. 2 dredge worked a cut of 110 ft with a depth of from 40ft to 45ft. The ground was ; very tight, with clay bottom. The following is' the Waikaia. dTedgemaster's report : "We had a fairly steady week's run, but were baling silt and tailings up to th« end of the week, and hence had ns wash-up. We have now got the western section cleared out, and returns will be forthcoming next week as usual. The total length of the face now open is eight chain«, with depth varying from 25ft to 10ft from water level. The bottom* is maori in the -1 west and red clay in the. east side of the ! paddock." The Punt dredgemaster reports: — "We ■ were repairing on Thursday night, and 1 ■tacted dredging on the 12 to 8 shift on Friday. We put the bottom rollers on the ' < screen, and a new pully on the elevator to make it travel faster. We aleb put plates on the inside of the elevator hood to keep the stuff more confined and to get it further away from the stern of the dredge. There is no change in the prospects of the bottom. The depth is about 38ft. The Molyneux Kohinoor " dregemaster reports for the wea^ ending Novemiber 9: — " Finished repairs end resumed dredging on Tuesday afternoon, and during the night the river rose and remained high ever since. W« have to work the beach part of the cut, which is not quite so good as it ia out in the river. Last week's Teturn was obtained for a little over three days' dredging, and the paddock bad to be baled out. The secretary received the following wire from the claim on the 13th : — " Second motion shaft broken; can make the shaft do again; resume dredging on Friday." The matter of the Otago No. 1 dxedgo reports thait he lost some time effecting sundry repairs. The 'ground was very deep and the bank high, and most of the stuff wonted was top dirt, with nothing in it. Tho No. 2 dredge had a steady week's work. The Manuherikia dredgemaater reports that he intends stopping for a couple of days on Saturday to put on a- new bottom tumbler, the present one being very much worn. The beach so far promises to be payable, and will, it is hoped, give fair returns during tho_ summer until the winter ground is again .available. The master expects a fair return this week. November 15. In wiring a return of 220z ldwt for 230 hours the Waikaie dredgemaster snys: — " Chiefly baling silt." The Kura return is 240z 12dwt for 139 hours. s - The Switzers dredgemaster washed up for 15oz ldwt after 123 hours' work. The Masterton return, is 18oz lOdwt for 132 hours. The Bignell's No Town dredgemaster wired yesterday: — "Had three fine days; now lowering water in dam; good flow of water in creek." The Mystery Flat dredgemaster reports a wash-up efter 138 hours for 550z Bdwt. The .aessey dredge obtained 260z 2dwt 18gr for 132 hours. The Koputai dredgemaster repcorts a return of 450z lOdwt for 184 hours. November 16. A dividend (the twenty-fourth) of 2a per share . h a s been declared by the directors of the Mystery Flat Company, and will be payable on the 10th inst. The directors of the Waikaia Company have declared a dividend (the nineteenth) of 3s per share, payable on the 19th inst. The well-known quartz claims at Macetown held by Mr J. W. Farrell, who is now at Home, are (says the Wakatipu Mail) about to be applied for in the court by a Dunedin and Alexandra syndicate, having been aJready pegged l off. Recently, the same paper says, the head of tho Lake was visited by a gentleman directly interested 'in the formation of a syndicate which intends commencing mining operations in the old Invincible. With this and the scheelite mines at work, Glenorchy will ere long be assuming an unwontedly busy appearance. / Messrs Purchas and Barker have (says the Cromwell Argus) been doing a large amount of work at the junction of the two branches of the Luggate Creek since winter set in, but, unfortunately, just as they had bottomed on what appeared promising prospects, a tremendous slip of earth of thousands of tons slipped from the face, and this will take some months' to sluice away, as they cannot use the creek to do it, as thi3 would interfere with the clear water branch used by the Luggate mill. This is exceptionally bad luck for- this party, as they have been prospecting a.t Fatboy's during the last two summers, so far without getting any payable ground. TTie hydraulic jkluicing claim at Luggate Creek will soon be under way, and 1 there is every chance of this turning out a good property. The location of the present scene of operations of the Tamaiti Company ia on the eou*h-we»t side of Tuapeka Creek, about hrjf a mile from the dam and power house. The pipe line in vrliich the Water ia taken crosses the creek about two chains below the dam, and is carried up the hill to a height of 160 ft. The position at the highest point is an ideal .one, for from it the water commands a large area of the claim. This area is anticipated to be of a rich_ goldbearing character, and as a sure indioation and conclusive proof of the existence of rich gold it is only necessary to mention that the wash-up for the past three weeks' work was 48oz lldwt. The ground at present being worked is about 36ft deep, a large proportion being stiff clay, which is very difficult to dispose of, and the manager has found , it necessary to use explosives in order to obviate the obselete process of picking. The present paddock has bean worked before, and has the appearance of a decaying fore.it, there being hundreds of old props, which cause a considerable a-mount of inconvenience in their removal. Mr E J. Highley, the company's manager, is in ever respect a thoroughly qualified man and one who has had a varied experience in mining, having been engaged in some of the largest hydraulic sluicing claims in the colony. The company has, under Mr Highley'e management, been very successful, and, judging from my interview with him and the observations of practical miners, its future seems assured. — Tuapeka Times. November 18, The Molvneux Hydraulic dredge obtained her return from a coal bottom. The secretary of the Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company reports that -at No. 1 claim good progress has been made during the week, there being a plentiful supply of water. No. 2 washed up for a return of 670z. After removing boxes sluicing was I resumed on Monday. The cleaning out of

the Lion Race ig completed, and on Saturday there were 17 heads of water in the race, and more would be allowed in during the week. Preparation has been made to start No. 2 claim sinking paddocks. The Rising Sun master advises that the drift has been very bad all the week. "There was no wasn-up on the Molyneus Kohinoor dredge this week owing to a slight accident to the second motion shaft. Dredging was resumed on Friday nignt. The master of the Rise and Shine No. 1 dredge jreports that he has cleared out th© new paadock, and that prospects are fair. The Punt master advises that prospects and the bottom are the same as during the previous week. The master of the Golden Gate dredge reporte that the river was too high to enable dredging to be resumed last week. The river has now gone down % little, and he expects to resume operations, very shortly. The manager of the .Branch Creek Sluicing Company reports that one mole and 15 chains of the new race have been completed. There are about 30 chains of hard ground just ahead, and the water is up io within 30 chains of where work is now proceeding. If no delay is experienced in the receiving of the syphon pipes everything will go ahead satisfactorily. The following items are taken from the Wakatipu Mail: — Messrs Hamilton and O'Neill are still crushing at their Tipperary battery, Macetown, end Messrs Anderson Bros, and Hannah are busily engaged erecting their battery at the foot of Scanlon's Gully. Messrs Partridge and Hunter have their hydraulic operations in full swing in the Premier mine gully, Macetown. They have to contend with heavy stones in the sinking work, but are making good* progress. Professor Perk, of the Dunedin University, and three siudents arrived in Arxowtown last week. The professor and his staff purpose making Matetown their headquarters, and will carry out geological work in the district on behaif of the Government for the next four or five months. The Government will be furnished with the professor's report in duo course. It will be anxiously looked for by all interested in the geology of the district. The various portions of the district — including Skippers. Head of Lake Wakatipu, and W«n»ka — mil ba thoroughly inspected by Professor Park during his lengthy stay. November 19.

The following Alexandra telegram was posted at the Exchange on Monday:— " River 9ft 4in; steady rain set in." A return of 390z 13dwt for five days ia reported from the Waik«ka No. 2 dredge. Says the Alexandra Herald : — " Moat j of the Nevis dredges have now got fairly started, and operations are now in full swing for the season. Repairs to the Ngapara No. 2 are being . effected, and both Crewe dredges are working. The sluicing olaima ere *leo working under a plentiful supply of water, and will not wash-up until Christmas time "

The Nelson Creek return is 230z for 110 hours. Tie dredge stopped yesterday for boiler inspection, and will resume this morning. The dredgemaster of the Rising Sun reports for the week ended November 16 as follows: — "Dredged 130 hours, and worked *head 12ft. The drift was very bad all the week, causing a considerable reduction in the return, and compelling -m« to leave the river portion of the cut until the river subsides to normal level. Meanwhile I am extending the cut into the beach on ..-e eastern side until the cut is the usual width of 150 yards."