WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 28

WEEK'S MININ G NEWS

August 19. The following returns are reported €rom the Pateason's freehold dredges :—No. L M«* lor 131 hour«j No. 2, 350z Idwt for 126 hours. * Mr R. A. Mathewson reports the successful flotation <£ the Welcome Qaartz Mining- Company, Unified, vrati a capital flf $6530. T-hi« company lias been formed to \develop the quartz-reefing properties «taa*ed -at Bavewocd Greek, on th« Ota^o Gentxal railway," in the Taieri Gorge. This a lbs «sumo hn« of reef es that on which ibe fiaarewood Company h now operating, iad in about three, miles distant. The ioflft in 4k& 'Wekxraie Cbtnpany'e property fa of »n ftYeragre wid<si of 6ft. «nd in-placofl «2ktob gold -Creely. The facilities for opentug out ■««"» ttevelopiiig a large quartz mining proposition are said to bo onexeelled in the Dominion, as with, 600 ft t>f a tunnel about 800 ft of backs are obtainable, And-Cue Tai&ri River affords *n ample -water eupply and power if cspci'io'iu Active operations v-iil "•*-• *..*-.-"^j-'-vi :ii once. Serorai -'' ' '" " '■' " - who have inspected the _.;:onert» _je -amnue ilia mtscriiMm

The .secretary of the Emu Bay Railway Company reports that the receipts for July, 1908, amounted to £3779, as compared with £5163 ior July, 1907, making: the total receipts for "-the seven months of 1908 as against £36,267 for the same period last year. ' Sailor's Bend dredgemaster writing under date August 16 reports that the dredge started at 12 o'clock that night. He got a 'good run out of the dredge on Saturday, and .everything was working -well. He intended to sink down in the paddock left off by ibe previous dredgemaster. At the time of -writing the bard -frosts still continued, and iihe river, was low. The Tasmanian Smelting Company at Zeehan announced recently that unless Parliament roted t"he loan of £20,000 asked for, And agred to, provisionally by the Premier, it would again close down the works. The effect of this announcement was to induce a large number of the residents to prepare a petition for presentation to Parliament, praying that the financial assistance -asked for be given. The secretary of the Nokomaf Hydrauho Sluicing Company reports that at both >.o. 1 and 2 claims the sluicing eft the Acp material was finished on Saturday, And elevating resumed on Monday. The paddocks ha,ve been stripped to a low -level, during the week in both claims the progress made has -been very satisfactory. Owing to the hard frosts experienced last week Qic supply of water was short. The weather has changed, and a thaw set in on Sunday. Tie managers expected to have full 'sluicing time in this week with sufficient -water. At No. 3 the manager expected to get a start cleaning out the JLion Hace for -commencing the season. The manager of the Mount Rex tin mine, Avoca reports under date 10th inst:— For the week we have made good progress in removing the overburden oft the boutn Lode. Portion of the lode -exposed looks very promising." The secretary of the Baracale Company (Philippine Islands) received -word yesterday fhafc a .return of 34-foz had been obtained for 14- days' (dredging. The secretary of the Otago Company repoxfcs that owing to an accident last ThursSay, wben the buckets parted, some time was lost .on the No. 1 dredge. The No. 2 had a good week's run, the ground keeping about the same. Tho Rise and Shine No. 1 dredge resumed dredging on Tuesday ev-emng of last week, and worked «t ahead on a cut 480 ft wide and from 40ft to 48ft deep, with, about 4ft of material above water level. Prospects were fair throughout the cut. The master of the Punt dredge reports as follows for the week -ended August 15 :— " We liave had a good run this -week, and got over a amount of ground «jnd bottom. The ground and prospects are about the came as last week. lam workiug more on the top side of the cut -to bring this corner round. We will be shirring ths headline about Wednesday to bring ' it round more. The depth is still keeping about the same."" The following cablegram has been forwarded from Karangahake to the Talisman Company's I*ondon office: — "No. 11 level sonih progress 17ft; No. 12 level south, progress lift; No. 13 level south, No^ 12 rise, progress 21ft ; reef wider than rise ; assay value, £11. West' cross-cut. 466 ft south : ' north drive advanced 33ft ; width of reef 4ft; assay value, £22." Our Lake Wakatipu correspondent writes: — "The hydraulic claims have not yet been able to make a start owing -to the hard frost. Messrs Oxenbridge, who have been engaged for the past three years in driving a tunnel above the Arthur's Point bridg-e .to turn the <Shofcover Kiver, so as io permit of a portion of the riverbed being worked, are" maHng good headway, aad .expeofc to be isnisfaad in about three months' time, — Mr J. Thompson has aoid Ilia share of his river olaina in the Shotover to his partner, Mr James Robertson. — Work is .still being pushed on, but there is jnothing fresh to report, in Farpell's reefs at Macetown." The CSsromweld Argus reports that -the w-eli-kn-own engineer of the Rising Sun dredge (Mr .J. Jones) lhaa received and accepted the appointment of manager and consulting engineer of -the Stanley Paraoale Gold Dredging Company in the Philippines. Tills company -was recently floated in ©imedin, -amd will be near the managed by .Mr William Kane, which is doing bo well. j ■The Cromwell correspondent of the Danstall Times writes that as a strong thaw 'has set in it is apparent that the season, as it has been for the gorge dredges, is about ov«r. It is to be hoped that rain will not set in or a long Hood may be expected, as there is an immense body of snow on the ranges. The XJueensland Government proposes allocating £50,000 for the further development of the mining industry, and Mr B. Dunstan, Government .Geologist, is inspecting the properties in respect of which applications for assistance have been received. Up to May 31, 1908, the New Zealand Crown mines removed from the underground workings 326,774 tons of quartz, a very large proportion of this tonnage haviTig been broken in the stopes. The value of til© bullion obtained tip to the end of June, 1908. has been £738,148, or at the rate of a litile over £2 5s per ton. AugTi&fc 21. The master of the Koputai dredg« reports a Teturn of soz 13dwt for 122 hours' work. The Masterton dredgemaifcer reports a return of 41oz odwt ac tlie result of 134 houra' dredglne. Tho Alexandra Euroka 'drodpromaster wired .that lie was starting dredging yesterday. The Mystery Flat dredgemaster reporrs [ a return of 270 a 6dwt from 20 hours' v. r ork.

The niaster of the New Perseverance dredge wired as follows yesterday: — "Had very satisfactory run with pump yesterday ; I water only." j The New First Chance and the Sailor's I Band dredges are both working at present, j but <ywing to the dTift and the changes j in the level of the river there will probably be no wash-up from either dredge this ' week. The Rise and Shine No. 2 dredge worked 12ft ahead on a cut 400 ft wide last week. The ground was from 42ft to 46ft deep, with fireclay and coal bottom in about one-half of the cut, and hard clay in the other part. There .was very little wash in any part of the cut. The dredge was stopped on Monday for repairs and overhaul, which will take about ten days. The Sandy Point drpdgemasfeer reports as •follows for the week •ending August 15: — "I was dredging until Friday morning, although the ground was much deeper, and continues , to -keep dipping into the flat ; but the prospects showed no improvement, so I have shut the dredge down until the river rises sufficiently to allow her to be floated down to the bottom end of the claim." The master of the Kura dr-edg-e advises that the new bottom Tumbler reached the claim "on Saturday night. He expected to get a start dredging -on Monday. There will be no wash-up this week. The directors of the Staaley Par-acale Dredging Company are losing no time in getting a start. Mr 'Joseph Pearson, left yesterday for the Philippine Islands, "where he will build the pontoons, the plans for which have been drawn by Mr F. W. Payne, the company's consulting engineer. It is expected to ship the machinery shortly, and by the tjme of its arrival on the claim it is anticipated Mr Pearson will have everything ready for it-s erection. Mr J. H. Jones, so favourably known as engineer for the Rising Sun dredge at Cromwell, is the engineer in charge, and proceeds next week to Roxburgh .to superintend the dismantling -of the Teviot dredge. A etart was made on this work last week. . The master -of the Waikaia dredge rcporte -a asetura of 6oz 4dwt for 130 hours' work. He <has now worked through the old paddock. Reporting for the week ended August 15^ he writes: — "Dredging was continued down-stream through the old paddock, sriiiph had. unfortunately, been silted up by the river breaking in. We are now through 'the old paddock, and abreast of the point of high terrace. If the river keeps low we v/ill be round this point and out -of danger -of "floods in about three "weeks, and before then we will be on better wash. At present we are dredging wida enough to burn in case of floods, and during the last .two days have had 1 about 20ft <of solid in face." The, master of the JLady Roxburgh dredge reports for the week ending 15th insfc. : — " At week end there -was very little of the rich ground left on the east side. This, ■however, will soon make' again, for at this point we worked the 'former cut well out in the stream, but -were -unable to hold the position at that time owing to the rise and fall of the river. 'Prospects -continue -good, and the wash, appears to be deepening again. We now passing the bar which projects from the west side." The master of the Electric No. 2 dredge reports as follows under date August 17: — "•The dredge worked 123 hours for 60ft made ahead. The width of the cut was about 50ft, and the dredging depth about 33ft. More than three-quarters of *he gold bSing won is very fine. A decided improvement came in on Wednesday, and up to the time of writing Che mats are looking very well, and -better than they have been for some time past, if the snow starts to come away it Trill come gradually, as it is frozen very -hard, and thus a flood may be avoided." The Electric No. 1 dredgemaster. writing under date 17th inst., elates that during the past week the dr-edge worked 131 hours for 27ft ahead. The depth and width was about the same as during the previous week. The ground still continued very rough, and on the Ba-nnockburn side was overlaid witn clay -and boulders, which made it very difficult to -work. The Cromwell 6ide showed an improvement in the wash, and on Saturday the prospects were fair. August 22. The dredgemaster of the Lady Roxburgh reports that he washed up lloz 14dwt, and has struck old ground. The Tasman and Crown Lyell Company has been informed by the directors of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company that tbej r -will not retain the option driven them over the Tasman and Crown Lyell lease*. "The price asked was equal* to about 5s 2d per share, whereas the com-, pany's paid-up capital averages less than 4s 5d per share. Mr F. W. Reid, late director of the School of Mines at Zeehan (Tasmania), has been appointed to take charge of the Karangahake (Auckland) School of Mines. The general manager of fche Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company (Tasmania) advises that the eastern crosscut at the 1000 ft level has entered ore assaying 10 per cent, copper, and flic nature of the formation and -ore i« identical with the new development ore body at the 850 ft level. ** The official returns of yields from the Transvaal mines, as issued by the Chamber of Mines, for the month of May, and, in parentheses, for ±he same month of last year, were a« follow: — Gold production — 1.540.489 tons milled (1,298,499 tons), yielding 581.992 fine oz {524.477 fine oz), valued at £2,472.143 (£2,227,838) +he average per ton being 7.95dwt, or 33s 9d in value. (Values are reckoned at £4.24773 for fine oz). Tfte total working profit was £1,012.059. or 13s 6d per ton; and the working costs were 18s 3d per ton. Dividends paid during the month amounted to £51,216, as compared with £22.500 in the same month of last year. The directors of the Rise and Shine Gold Dredging Company have declared a dividend (the twenty-third 1 ) of Is per' .share, payable on Tuesday next. Tlie dredgemaster of the New Roxburgh Jubilee Company, reports that the work of straightening and €tv«ngthening the ladder and giving the machinery a general overhaul ife proceeding a-s rapidly ac circfumstances will permit, and he expects to have everything completed and to be ready to resume dredging in the mer in a fortnight from now. August 24. The master of tlio Munuherika dredge v ires tha-t there will be no wash up this nock. The ground is improving. The master of the Punt dredge wires

that he has been working on the iop side of the claim all the week. The prospects axe poor. The New Trafalgar Company's return this week was obtained from the creek section. The Golden Gate dredgemaster advises having shifted the dredge down to the lower olaim and started the work opposite . Steele's. The ground above TSenger Creek proved unpayable, so he decided to move to where he is now operating. 'j The New Clyde Dredging Company has been compelled to -close down, -principally owing to the impossibility of securing the requieite dredge hands. A full and competent crew was engaged some three months ago, but as week after week passed by, and the river remained at an unworkable level, the majority of the men sought other employment. The directors and •dredgemast-er' endeavoured to £11 the vacancies, but on starting _ work last week only four hands were available. The dredge is in the .gorge, some five miles below Alexandra, -and as the -season is now far advanced, winchmen decline offere of employment at a distance that may only last for d few weeks, ot even less should the river rise soon again. Under the circumstances the board had no alternative but to instruct the dredgemaster as indicated. Expenses have been reduced both at Dunedin and at the claim as far as possible. It is. hoped that the river may be favourable next -winter, and permit of an early •start being made. During the past week 30 Otago dredgeshave reported a total return of 7890z 17dwt, . which -gives an average of -over -260z 6dwt per dredge. Seven West Coast dredges , reported a total return of 2410z " lldwt, making an average of -about 340z lOdwt for each dredge. August 25. The height of the river was 4ft 9in above the normal mark , at Alexandra on Monday, and fch-a weather- was 'dull. v The master of the No Town Creek -dredge advises having resumed operations on Monday of last -week, and now reports a return of 350z for 130 hours' dredging. The New JVmrteen-mile dredgemasbsr reports a return of 17oz Idwt for 172 hours. The master of the Nelson Creek dredge has washed up for a -return of lOoz for 114 hours' dredging. Writing under date August 21, the Central Charlton dredgemaster reports that at present there is a very heavy bank -of clay to work -through, but he expects an improvement after- another balf chain has been worked ahead. All the machinery is running fairly well. It appears that the production of gold for the world fell off about a million dollare during the year 19D7-