WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 28

WEEK'S MINING NEWS

August 12. The master of the Alpine Consols dredge wired yesterday: — "Started dredging on Monday. Everything working well." The following returns a.re reported from the Peterson's Freehold dredges: — No. 1, Isoz for 132 "hours; No. 2. 250z for 133 hours. The following wporfc has been received from iJhs Waixaia dredgemasier for the week ended August B:— "The ground treated during this week was about the i*m? cla*#e&d depth as that of the previous we«k— hflif solid and half tailings. The dredge is now at the top end or the old paddock, and after Monday we will be faing bhroug-h silt, and tailings. This will teko about one week, when we will again be in solid «md within a chain of where jfoocl returns were got last year." Tho Hesseve <ire2#e and ola-irn of 12 fccres were j/irt up to auction yesDerday, And *fter keen competition were sold at £260. Tim purchaser was Mr Thomafi Armstrong, of Waikaia, the former master ;f ifce dredge. It is understood that Mr

I Armstrong has formed a party, and is [ going to work the dredge on the old I claim, on which there is still some unI touched ground. J The Mystery Flat dredge had a steady run of 136 hours last week, rhere was no change in the ground on the east side of the cut, but the wash in the western section had improved a good deal. The bottom was chiefly of red clay. On Monday morning the pivot shaft broke, and caused a stoppage of work pending jbhe arrival of a new one. which should reach the dredge to-morrow. The dredgemaster, writing under date August 9, reports as follows from the Masterton dredge : — "We had a good run again last week, and though the return was good it was disappointing, for, judging by the look of the stuff. I expected better. The wash was fine, and that evidently was the trouble, as the gold was not in it." The Alexandra Lead dredgemaster reports working 135 hours during the past week. The bottom consists of hard reef in the middle of the cut and rotten quartz on both sides. The wash is very hard to break under water, and this, of course, lessens the returns, as if is impossible to keep the buckets full in such ground. The following 1 report, under date August 3, has been i*eoeived from the Mount Rex tin mine, Avoca: — "Have removed large quantity of lode matter, broken from old open cut. This contains a fair percentage of coarse and fine tin. Have also picked out some rich specimens. The tributors for alluvial will start work to-morrow." The progress report of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Comoanv for the fortnight ended July 29 states that 2918 tons of blister copper have been consigned during the current half-year. The secretary of the Nokomai Hydralic Sluicing Company reports that at No. 1 ole&nin» in the bottom was finished on Wednesday. The wash-up of five boxes yielded 770z lldwt. making a total top the paddock of 1260z 19dwt. The sluicing of top material was commenced on Saturday, fair progress being made. At No. 2 a new elevator was out in, a dividing wall is being built, and they are removing and erecting the neceesary plant. The sluicing off. -of ton material was commenced on Thursday. Good progress was made, cofisiderin.e the heavy nature of the ground in this paddock

Aucust 13. The alterations to the New Perseverance dredge are now nearly completed, and it is expected that the new suction plant — the first of the kind to be used in the river — will be given a trial next week. The master of tie Electric No. 1 dredg© reports that during the past week the dredge worked 117 hours for 17ft ahead, there being no ohange in the width or depth. The ground was very rough ail the week. The gold sample consists of onethird coarse and two-thirds fine, and at time of writing the prospects looked better, as a run of fine gold was coming in on the Cromwell side. The master of the Sandy Point dredge reports dredging for 120 hours last week on a cut two chains wide. The average height of the face above water level was 20ft, the average depth 14ft. and the distance worked ahead during the week 20ft. The ground on the river side etill remains very shallow, but towards the end of the week it started to dip very fast on the inside. What gold they are getting is mostly on the inside, that being where tha best ground is -at present. The ground is bad for dredging just now, there being about 3ft of clay to go through before • getting on to the bottom, and the face ' above water level is much higher. The syndicate's dredge {says the Dun-. stan Times) has shifted up from the bottom of the old Junction Electric' 8 claim and is once more at the confluence of the two rivers. Thi6 is the fourth time this ground has been dredged. The Cromwell correspondent of the Dunstan Times does not expect the river to reach such a low level this year as it did last. The master of the Koputai dredge reports that the wash is now very drifty over the whole cut. There is a red clay bottom ' underlying the cut. and the bottom is about the usual depth. He started relipping the bucket© on Monday. The Rise and Shine No. 2 dredge workad 12ft ahead on the usual cut last week. The ■depth ranged from 42ft to 46ft, with fine olay and coal bottom on the west side, and j bard olay on the east. There was very I little wash in any pert of the cut, but ! the bottom was dipping ahead at the end of the week and the ground becoming easier to work. The No." 1 dredge be?an work again on Tuesday night, the 11th inst. The weekly renort from the master of the Electric No. 2 dredge states that 128 hours' dredging was done last week for 66ft worked ahead. The width of the cut was about 50ft, and the dredging depth about 33ft. The ground still remains comparatively poor. The bottom at present is a nice quartzv olay or granite bottom, easily treated. When the bow of the dredge gets past the old sHd on the Cromwell side the master is hopeful that richer ground will be struck. The bow of the dredge should lie past the slip durinpr the current week, but it will be about a fortnight before the stern will be able to clear it. The Mount Morgan (say« Mr T. A-Rickar-cl, writing in the New Zea.la.nd Mines Record) is -the greatest gold mm** of modern days; it has yielded, up to 31st May. 5907." no less than 3.079,6950z. worth 60.964.087d01. out of which 32,757,705d0l has b^en paid in dividends. As the company was organised in 1886. this record cover* 21 years. Duriner the last fiscal year the total revenue was 4,531,994d01, wUflh 1.663, 725d0l was profit.

August 14. A return of 460z 12dwt for 137 hours dredging is reported from the Masterton dredge.

The Mystery Flat dredgemaster reports a return of 31oz 9dwt for 100 hours' work.

Tihe master of the Waikaia dredge reports a return of 14oz 15dwt for 124 hours' work He is now half through the old paddock.

The secretary of the New First Chance dredge received word yesterday that the dredge started operations at 3 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon.

The Rising- Sun dredge started bailing out the paddock on Wednesday afternoon. The New Clyde, the only other gorge dredge which has as yet been unable to get a start, is also expected to begin work on Monday. The following report for the week ended August 8 has been received from the Lady Roxburgh dTedgemaster : — " During the week the run of gold was much narrowed, due to the bax on the west side, and to meeting our former workings on the east f-ide. The gold continues good at midstream and is making towards the west. On Friday we broke one of the gear wheels, which connects the side-line barrels.. We w&re able, however, after a short stoppage, to continue dredging." The returns from the Molyneux Koh-i-noor dr-edffe. wihich recently tried the top of the claim, not being satisfactory. a meeting of shareholders will be held shortly to consider the question of liquidation. Bales of water from the Mount Ida v/ater-raoe, owned by the Government, during the month of June amounted to £115 8s 3d. Forty miners supplied with water from this race obtained 120oz of gold.

Considerable interest (says the Mining Standard) is being taken in the proposal of the Tasmanian Government to advance the cum of £20,000 to the Tasmanian Smelting Co.. Ltd.. whose operations are carried on at Zeehan. A bill authorising the loan was read a first time in the Legislative Assembly recently.

In point of magnitude of operations, the Homestake is the first mine in the world, for it keeps 1000 stamps busy crushing 4000 tons per day. Next "comes the AlaskaTread well, with 540 stamps, in two millbuildings containing 240 and 300 stamps respectively, and crushing altogether 2840 tons per day. In South Africa the biggeet milling plant is that of the Simmer and Jack, with 360 stamps, of which 320 are in use., the crushing capacity being 2070 tons per day. The Waihi has 330 stamps, the average number at work being 317, with an average duty of 3.5 tons per stamp, or 1110 tons p&r diem. Quartz mining is being carried on here (says the Macetown correspondent of the Wakatip Mail) rather actively at the present time. Owing to the phenomenal snowstorm which occurred some weeks ago the mines were closed temporarily, the Homeward Bound being closed for a ijortnight. the longest period of any of them. Within the last month or so a start has, been made to seek for the precious metal in the Treasure Mine, bringing the total number of mines now working up to live. Nothing very startling in ihe way of good ston« has lately been discovered, although the good stone in the Garibaldi mine is still showing itself. The master of the New Clyde dredge reports that he is shifting into the new position, and will start dredging next Monday.

The return from the Koputai dredge is 7oz 3dwt for 124 hours' work.

August 15. The Electric No. 2 dredgemaster reports that the mats are looking better. The directors of the Waikaka United Company have declared a dividend of 2s per share. This makes a total of £2 15s per share, or £30,800 paid in dividends by this company. The directors of the Paterson's Freehold Company have declared a dividend of Is per 'Share-, payable on August 20. A dividend (the ninth) of 2s 6d per share is declared by the Koputai Gold Dredging Company. •»

The directors of the Mystery Flat Gold Dredging Company have declared a dividend (the thirty-third) of 2« per share. The secretary of the Muddy Greek Company reports a return of 15oz lldwt for 119 hours' work. The ground is still hard. The return from, the Welshman's dredge is 13oz lOdwt for 120 hours' work. The dredgemaater reports a general improvement in the wash.

At a meetin/r of the directors of the Bignell's No Town Company yesterday afternoon, it was decided to close down the •dredge and call a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of" considering the advisability of winding up the company. The secretary wired to the dredgemaster, instructing him to shift the dredge into _ a safe place, to dean up everything, and discharge all hands.

The master of the New Trafalgar dredge reports that he lost a day and a-half last wsek through having to renew the tumbler bushes and replace the funnel. He started dredging again at 6 p.m. on Monday, and has been dredging very steadily sinos. He is still on clay and sandstone bottom, and does not expect such a good return this week as, in addition, the ground is dipping. Much improvement is not looked for till a level bottom is reached again. This week he is dredging the middle section, and next week he will put in on the oreek section. The return from the Oharlton Creek dredge is 14oz for the week. The manager of the Alexandra Eureka reports that the sluice-boxes aie now finished, and the dredge will make a start on Monday next. . A subsidy of £34- has been authorised to enable ftteasr3 Couch and Roberts to test a reef in the Man-aia district. Coromandel County, for a period of four months. A reef 12ft wide i« exposed over a large area of ground on the surface, but so far very httle work has been done on it. AugU3t 17. The miaetej; of the Punt dredge reports that the prospects are fair. The Sandy Point dredge has been closed down till iShe river will allow her being shifted down the claim. This week's return from the New Trafalgar dredge was obtained from the middle section of. the olaim. The 'master of the TVaikaka United >>o. 1 dredge reports that short time was worked last week owing to the ladders having to be repaired. . Xhe Manulaerikia. dredge started in the river on Mon<Jav, the 10th in3f., and bottomed on Wednesday. She washed up on Friday for 15oz of gold. At a. meeting of the directors of the Maetertcn Company, held on Saturday, it -was decided to declare a dividend of 2a per chare. Thij ie the twenty-sixth dividend paid by this company, making in all £4 15s returned on each chare, or a tot-al of

£23.750. This represents the result of less than four years' work, the dredge having yielded her first gold return on September 15, 3904.

The New First Chance dredgemaster in a short note reporting under date 12th inst., states that 6mee the dredging operations w-are started up till time of writing (9 p.m.) the dredge had been running well. Everything in connection with the machinery was working very satisfactorily, and although there was some drift running they were getting down fairly well.

At the statutory meeting of Allen's Hydraulic Sluicing Company, held on Finday, 14th inst., Messrs John Beeson, John Christie, and James Forrest were elected directors, Mr "W. T. Monkman was appointed secretory, and Mr T. Ghalmer auditor. The company has been formed to work a special claim in the neighbourhood of "Waikaia.

Tlie Lake Count.}- Press reports that the work of driving a tunnel through a neck in the hill above Arthur's Point bridge, with a view to diverting the river through it and working the present river bed. has made gocd hpadway. About another 100 ft has to he driven to complete the tunnel. This will take about three months.

The total value of minerals (other than gold) mined in Queensland to the end of 1907 is set down' at £18,546,940, and the total value of gold £66.317,055, making a grand total of £84,863,995.

State coal production, up to the 31st March, 1908, was 765,789 tons 17cwt. value £631.847 16s Id. Point Elizabeth eollierv. near Greymouth. had an output of 603,539 tone, and Seddonville colii&rv, near Westport, 162,250 tons 17cwt. The output during the past financial year from both collieries was 258,745 tons, and the net profits amounted to £8440 8s 3d.

Diiring the past week 26 Otago dredges have reported a total return of 6310z lOdwt 16gr, or .an average of about 2*©z 6dwt. Five West Coast dredges have reported a total return of 2350z 6d\vt, making an average of about 470z ldwt. The Otago average is : the lowest and the West Coast average the highest that has been reported for sometime.

August 18.

The height of ths river yesterday was reported to be 4ft 7in above the normal mark af Alexandra. The weather was dull.

The Nelson Creek dredgemaster reports a return of 270z for 127 hours' dredging.

The secretary of the Otago Mining Company reports the following returns from ihe two dredges: — No. 1, 17oz for 98 hours; No. 2. 20oz for 136 hours.

The Mystery Flat dredge recommenced work on Friday afternoon.

Word was received from the New Clyde dredgemaster yesterday that he intends to start work this morning. Our Greymouth correspondent telegraphs stating that the return from Callaghan's Creek dredge was 360z for 250 houre' work. After a stoppage of five weeks spent in fitting up a new tower and effecting a general overhaul, the dredgemaster for the Kb Town Creek Company advises that he resumed work yesterday. Everything was going well. The Master" of the Central Chart ton dredge reports that the return obtained this week from section 4, although small, was quite as much as he expected, considering the amount of pug olay there is to shift. The wash — what there is of it — must be fairly good to give the present return. The machinery is running fairly well at present. There was an increase of 27,9450z, valued at £101,552, in the export of gold and silver from New Zealand for the first cix months of 1908, as compared with the corresponding period in 1907.

On the Florence River, Oloncurry, Queensland, 40 miles from the copper field on the Hampden road, a. rich gold-bearing shoot has been discovered. At a depth of sft 6in a sample of the most hungrylooking stone assayed 15oz 14dwt of gold, and 19dwt 14gr silver per ton. In appearance the stone very much resembles that of Mount Morgan.