MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2857, 16 December 1908, Page 28

MINING.

WEEK'S MINING NEWS

December 9.

Th« following returns are reported from Mie Paterson's Freehold dredges:— No. 1, 12oz for 134 hours; No. 2, 230z 14dwt for 131 hours; The Mystery Flat dredge worked the centee and western outs last week. There wag'a slight improvement in the latter, the material being much rougher than it had been and carrying better prospects. Work at repairs on the Waikaie dredge was "carried on continuously all last week, but was retarded a little owing to leaks in the pontoons. These kept two men busy •11 the week and again on Monday. The secretary of the- Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company reports that at No. 1 claim sluicing was ' resumed on the 30th ult., good progress i>eing made. The sluicing off top material is about finished. The manager expected to resume elevating yesterday. The supply of wafqr in No. 1 race was short, end assistance supply has been obtained from th& Lion race. At No. 2 the dam was filled at 6 p.m. on Monday, 30th, and sluicing was resumed, since when, good progress had baen made. There was some rain fell on Sunday night, and snow is on the hills to a low level. No. 3 had a full week sluicing, with a plentiful supply of water in the Lion race at present. December 10.

The master of the Electric No. 1 dredge, writing under date December 5, states that he expects to hare all the. repairs finished' and the dredge in the best of order in a ■ fortnight's time. The Kawarau is still too iovr to enable the dredge to «hiffc down stream. The master of the No. 2 dredge reports 131 hours' dredging for 24ft ahead during the past week. The cut is about 100 ft wide and the dredging depth about 25ft. The gold i» of a slightly coarser * sample. The ground dredged during the past fortnight has been remarkably easy nnd free from big stones, and the bottom , 'has been purely eand and -partly a quartz i gravel or granite bottom, which is easily cleaned up. The drcdee is at present working through an island of old. tailings, and is opening out so as to work the upper end of Cornish Beach.- The river has been keeping. at about the same level for the past three weeks. ; The Punt dredge had a good run last week, getting over a fair amount of ground for. a slightly better return. Prospects improved after Tuesday, but are patchy as yet, and the bottom U changing. The niachinery is running well. ;Our Cromwell correspondent says: — I>redging is very quiet, but there is a general reviving in quartz mining, dredging. mad hydraulic sluicing throughout the i^hole The directors of the Paterson's Freehold Company have declared a dividend of Is per share, payable to-day. The dredgemaster of the Lady Roxburgh dredge reports for we^k ended sth inst. : — Besumed dredging on Sunday night, 29th November, at top end of new claim (old Molyneux Kohinoor). On Thursday we were down 45ft, with tailing stack over a obain wide, the ground at this depth being loose and 6toney. At 48ft struck a layer of light stones. The dredge is working near to the west side of the river. I have j put a larjfe grab hook to assist tp break through the stones. Our Greymouth correspondent advises that an application was lodged in the Warden's Court at Kumara on Saturday last on behalf of the Government waterrace department for a line of race approxi- | ■mtely six miles from the head of Dill- I man's across, the, Teremakau River, and \ then to Westbrook as far as. Quinn's terrace. The race i 3 to carry 30 Government heads, I and the time limit of construction is two j year 3, the estimated cost being £16,000. |

The additions lo the pontoons <i 5 the j Hartley and Riley dredge are nearing com | pletion. as both pontoons are now attached j to the bow and the contractor will probably have his part of the work finished by the [ end of the week. While this work has been i proceeding the dredgemaster (Mr R. ScotL) and crew have been busy overhauling the dredge from etem to stern. After Mr Sutherland's contract is finished (say s the Cromwell Argus) tU^ diedgemaster -will have «ome additions to make regarding the linos and ths dredge, which will by th-^n be as good as new. and is expected to make another start shortly after Christmas. The Eise and Shine No. • 1 dredge worked Sft ahead last week. The cut was sCoft wide and from «ft to 48ft deep. There •was no' change in the pr%»p«ots. The No. ,

2 dredge worked a similar distance on a out of 520 ft, with a, depth of from 3Sft to 48ft. The bottom was of coal and clay. A stoppage was made on Tuesday to pui. in a new tumbler and effect some repairs, which will occupy three or four days.

The alterations to the Prince Albert dredge hav«s been completed, and a trial run at the end of last week proved everything \ery sa-tisftctory. Under the new arrangement of the boxes in lieu of a screen rhe dredge will be able to work the flats adioining the river to greater advantage, and a* considerable saving will also be effected in the matter of repairs. Dredging was resumed on Monday. — Cromweli Argus. The Lue-gate Elevating Company (says the Dunstaa Times) is sinking a paddock to open out a face. As it has a large extent of virgin ground to work and good prospects were obtained in. it by boring operations there should be a bright future before this company.

According- to the Cromwell Argus a glance at the business before the local court on Thursday gives an indication of a slight revival in all classes of mining. Several special dredging claims between Lowburn and Queensberry were dealt with, and two large prospecting areas at Lindis were granted for; a term. Applications for quartz claims at Eendigo were ako in evidence, and there is consequently every appearance of the dredging and mining industry receiving considerable practical attention in the near future.

The New Trafalgar dr.pdg'emaster reports a- poor return from the creek section. H© ehiffced to this portion of th« face last Satwday. A little better cample came on the mats ths last few shifts, but the bulk of the gold is of a light flakcy sample. Boulders are not so numerous in this part of the face. The master hardly expects to stop for repairs now before ChristmEs. He will cut this poor corner cut, and will then hay* a good face of gold after the holidays. Time was lost en account of repairs being jna-de to the elevaTor rollers and the tumb-lar bushes.

The Cromwell Argus reports that a party of miners at Bendigo has struck a narrow re&i between the Come-in-Time mine and the old Croinw<?ll workings, and' has already secured a right over the area. Although th© leef is somewhat narrow, th© prospects from the &tone taken out were highly satisfactory, and there is, according to men of experienoe connected with the venture, every indication that the reef will widen and become richer as the work proceeds.

December 11.

The directors of the Alexandra Eureka Company havo declared a dividend of 6d per share, payable on Tuesday next.

An AucKiand telegram stasea that the Grand Junction return for four weeks was £5000 from 3769 tons of stone.

The directors of the Alexandra Eureka Gold Mining Company have declared a dividend of 6d per share, payable on Tuesday next.

The manager of the Welcome quartz mine reports -that on December 6 the crosscut had besn driven in a distance of 73ft. The rock has been extremely hard. The reef should row be cut within the next 20ft.

The week'e return from th© Masfcerton dredge is 320z sdwt_for 132 hours. Reporting on December 6. the dredgemaster wrote: "We had a fair week's dredging, the only stoppajres being to put back the top tumbler (which had shifted on th© shaft) and to pUt on th* last of the buckets. The buckets are now all finished, including the three spare once. The grcnir.d keeps much about the earn© and there i 6 still no change to report."

Th© manager of the Mount Rex tin mine (Avoca) reports under date November 28 : " The south lode is now exposed for 200 ft in length, with an a-verage width of 25ft. Tin is showing at intervals for th© whole length and width of lode. Have started No. 1 bench oa lode; stone of good quality; will srart No. 2 bench next week. Result of overburden. 6luiced, Bewt of sluiced tin."

December 12.

The Sandy Point dredge worked 126 hours last week, and tLe master reports that he expects to strike solid ground about the end of this week.

The Earnseleugh No. 2 started work at the beginning of the week, aftsr underfoing a three weeks' overhaul. — Alexandra Lerald.

Ths Waikaka United Company has declared a dividend of Is 6d per share, payable to-day. Thi3 makes a sum of £3 per share now returned to shareholders, or a tota,l of £33,600. The Charlton Cre?k Gold Dredging Company's directors have declared a dividend of Is per share, payable on Wednesday next.

A dividend of 2s per share is the Koputai Gold Dredging Company is payable on Wednesday next. The Mystery Flat Dredginjr Company hae declared a dhidend of 2-9 a share, payable to-day. This makes Iho twelfth dividend of a. similar amount paid during the present year and a roral of £3 11s a share since dredging was commenced. The La.«c ("hanre Company, at Bald Hill Flat (says the Alexandra Herald), is working tnrae shifts, with a plentiful supply of water and operating on highly payable ground. For three weeks' sluicing the boxes were washed up for a return /of 117oz. /

The Alexandra Herald reports that the Manorburn Company's dredge commenced operations on Wednesday. Pending the appointment of a- dredgemaster, Mr J. M 'Queen will act as manager. The dredgemaster of the Kura dredge reports for the week endsd 9th inst — " I had a very fair run for the week. The bottom consists of red clay, and the e round is still very light and deep. Width of face 70 yards, depth 30ft." We .aice the following from the Philippine Fr-ss Press of Manila, dated November 7:— " Jmother shipment of gold was received from the Paracale Dredging Companj's ground, last Saturday in the form of a cake of 2500z, representing a value of about 6010 dollaj-s. These shipments are becoming so regular that even the mo«t sceptical have nothing more to say regarding the success of the Paracale project and the richness of tha ground there. The frtcck-holcler= of the new company, which ho> I'CCjuirH claim; just alongside rho proc "nt c-omrmy's working--. ar3 Anticipating hip- thine. Incidentally. v ithout the dredge having b?3n put on, the i-toek lias a'har.c3cl f i om 50 to 100 per rent, in \alue. One offer this wesk of twice what was paid for it original!} — only t'.\o months agro — v. as rejected.'"

Mr Joseph Pearson, in his la-t report to the directors of the Stanley Paracale Gold

Dredging Company (Ltd.). written from Paracale, Philippine Islands, under date November 2, states, inter alia : '• I arrived in Paracal-e on October 25. and on the 27th went over, the Stanley claim to find a suitable place for building houses and the pontoons. The rainy season has now set in, which makes it very difficult to get about. I expect to get away by November 4 for Nueva Cacires, and, having settled all matters there in connection with the claim, I will leave for Manila, and immediately ship the timber for the pontoons. There is quite a stir here now. Gold has been found all round, and numerous options have been taken up. In a very short time things will be booming here. As it is. Paracale has taken enormous strides sines I _ first visited it, and will shortly be a thriving mining township. It is the opinion of the people here that the Stanley claim i s a very good one, and people are quite willing to buy stock in it."

December 14.^

The river had dropped on Saturday to the sft 10in level at Alexandra, whioh is as low as it has been for months past. The weather was reported to be cold, with light showers.

The return last week from the New Trafalgar dredge was obtained from th© creek ssction.

The Rise and Shine No. 2 dredge resumed work on Saturday morning. There is no wash-up, to report. We understand that the Muddy Creek Company has acqtiired the Welshman's dredge and claim for the sum of £650.

The' New Mokoia started dredging 'on Friday, December -4. after a thorough overhaul, " and washed up yesterday with 720z for 16S hours, of which over 60oz was got this week. ' The wash is still improving, and the prospects are such as to warrant the opinion that a long and prosperous run is before .the company.

Tli© South Waika<ia dredgemaster writes as follows, under date December 11: — "I washed up for a return of lOoz 4dwt 16gr for five days' dredging. I have a good face opened out. which I am extending on each 6ide. Width at preseait seven chains, depth of ground from 14ft to 265t. The bottom is of red clay and very uneven. Since washing up there is a better prospect out in the flat side at a depth of 23ft in a red wash, but very narrow." During the '.^ast week 25 Otago dredges have reported a total return of 662_0z 2dwt 12gr, or an averag© of about 250z S3wt per dredge. Th© returns from six West Coast dredges amount to 2590z, whioh gives the excellent average of 430z 3dwt.

The master of the Golden Treasure dredge advises that he lias now got up to the paddock adjoiming solid ground, and after he has cleared cut .the silt, which will take a day or two, he expects to start wort on payable ground again.

December 15.

The height of the river was sft bin above the normal mark at Alexandra on Monday, and the weather wa? mild. The rst-urn last week from the Nelson Creek dredge wa? 41oz for 128 hours. The ' master of the No Town Creek dredge reports having won a retui'n of 41oz for 125 hours' work.

A return of 80oz for 127 hours is reported from the Paracale dredge, Philippine Islands. The master of the Central Charlton dredge report* that the wash in section 3 is very hard at present, and is no doubt the cause of the return not being quite so good. The manager of the Welcome Quartz Mining Company reports that he is now in 81ft, and has struck soft country. It is expected that the reef will be cut some time thi3 week.

The Rising Sun dredgemaster's report for the week ended December 12 says: — " Dredged 123 hours, and worked ahead 12ft on a cut; 150 yards wide. One shift was occupied in doing somtf" necessary repairs. There is no change in the ground, j and prospects continue fair. The maohincry ■ is running well." - j