MIINING

Otago Witness, Issue 3034, 8 May 1912, Page 28

MIINING

WEEK'S MINING NEWS

May 1. Messrs Bethune and I party installed a pumping plant last week at their shaft in the Lowburn Creek, and should now have no difficulty in giving the ground an exhaustive trial. On the Garrick Messrs Evans and party, who have been getting good stone out of their reef near Potter's Gully, have started a low-level tunnel to cut the reef. They will then have a great depth of backs to rise upon.

Mr L. Harris, secretary of th e New LugHydraulic Company, has finished the liquidation of the company, and all creditors have been paid in full. The party which recently purchased the claim and plant is giving tho claim another trial, and had a crew engaged during the past week in some preliminary work, with a view to commencing elevating in a day or two. The company is now known as tho Galte e More. The Hartley and Riley dredge has (says the Cromwell Argus) been on very poor ground for the last two weeks, and the last return was for considerably over a week's dredging. A serious mishap to the ladder caused a stoppage on the 25th ult., and dredging has not been resumed so far. It is authentically reported that th e company has purchased the Golden Sun dredge for £350, and the machine will be dropped downstream on the first high river, and brought into to work parts of the claim for which the present dredge is not suitable. The Karaunui dredge had a good run last week, the time worked being 138 hours. There was no change to report as to the prospects, and everything remained about the same as in the previous week. Dredging was continued west at the Waikaia claim lasc week on the same line. There is little change to report in prospects, which continue poor. However, a gradual improvement shouid now take place. Up till Friday the bottom consisted of coal and coal day, when it changed to* red clay. The master of the Masfcerton dredge re ports that the return for the past week was won from the full width of the face. Tlie wash was looking finer, and was becoming easier to dredge. One part of the centre of the cut was looking poorer but the eastern side showed an improvement, and the deep ground wsas confined to two narrow gutters. The olay was not quite K> heavy, and blue gravel was taking its place The Good Chance dredge resumed' work on Tuesday, April 23, and bottomed on the 28th. Some time would be occupied in opening out»a paddock, but the dredgemaster anticipated having that done by to-day. There was very little room to 6pire in the matter of .depth, as the ground was very deep. He could say nothing about the prospects until he got a cut across the paddock, and was looking forward to shallower ground coming in as tho dredge worked ahead. The weather was very changeable. The secretary of the Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Co reports that No. 1 had a full week's sluicing, making good progress. The weather has been stormy since Friday. A lot of tho ground worked in No.—2 had already been driven out, but the paddock is a largo one, and will not be finished for a while. No. 3 has had to stop owinp to snow having blocked the race in places. May 2. Tho Olrig dredge had a steady run lost week and was turned round down stream again. . : The Ris© and Shine dredge worked the usual cut of 600ffc last week, making Bft •head. depth ranged from 42ft to §o£fc. andifte bottfom was of various clays, Sandstone,; and coal.. There was an : im-

prcvement in the prospects from the centre to the west corner of the paddock. The master of the Electric No. 2 dredge reports that a distance of 30ft was worked ahead, last week. The dredge was on a strong body of rough wash, which carried fair prospects but was very difficult to work and exceedingly severe on the buckets and machinery. The bottom was mostly soft. The Sandy Point dredge worked 113 hours last week on a cut 108 yards wide and averaging 30ft in depth. The average height of the face above water level was 30ft, and the distance worked ahea-d 7ft. The ground became much tighter, and this made it very severe on the pins and links, and more difficult to get over so much bottom. The face above water level was still very fine and also very poor. . Las'; week the Electric No. 1 dredge worked 148 hours for a distance ahead of 27ft There was no change in the depth or width of the cut, and the ground on the south side of the river had been very poor for some time, but it might improve as the dredge was about where the No. 2 stopped. The north side of the cut still contained fair wash on a cool and red clay bottom, but was difficult ground to work, and the lost f<*w feet from the bottom was a mass of boulders. The sample of gold was of a mixed nature. The weather was cold and boisterous. The master of the Lady Roxburgh dredge date April 29:—"The dredge was hauled up the gorge safely, the distance from cur last working point being about one mile. Owing to jagged projecting rocks, it was necessary to us e side-lines, and the work of moving was delayed on this account. Half a day was lost owing to the breakage of the winch piston. A coal road required to be made, and this work the-crcw has carried out." At the New Trafalgar claim last week dredging was continued on the inside section of the face. The high reef met with in the other half face extended some 15ft into this section, dipping somewhat suddenly for a few feet and then dropping nuickh to 32ft, indicating that it must at one period have been an old creek course This carries a layer of tight packed stones on the bottom, and keeps nearly the same depth across to the opposite corner. A large sunken tree in the middle of the section is at present giving some trouble. The bottom driving pinions of the elevator drive were repaired during the week and the boiler was cleaned out. Being, the close of the financial year, tho manager of the Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company has washed up for a return of 650 z sdwt. In advising thig return, the manager states that he has been cleaning forward bottom from the higher level towards the elevator; consequently a portion of this month's gold will show in the wash-up next month. Comparing the values of scrip of Auckland's three largest gold mines— Waihi, Waihi Grand Junction, and Talisman—with tho figures of February, 1910, it is. seen (says the Auckland Herald) that New Zealand investors' holdings have declined in value to the extent of nearly £1,500,000. An Auckland telegram 6tates that tho return from the Waih* Grand mine is valued at £17.446. The quantity of stone treated was 9200 tons. „ '_ . May. 3. Tile secretary of the Masterton Company reports a return of 290 z 18dwt for 124 hours' dredging. A return of soz sdwt is reported from the Koputai dredge for 133 hours' work. At a meeting of directors in the Paracale Company held on the 2nd the directors refused to allot the 800 vendors' shares, as the prospectus of the company provides that they are unable to do so until all debts and liabilities had been paid off out of gold won from the claim, and declared a dividend of 8s per share on 6233 shares. Th; matter of colling shareholders together was left in the hands of the secretary, and the meeting will take place shortly. At a meeting of tho Lake County Miners' Association on Saturday evening (presided over by Mr G. H. Romans), Messrs E. Barker and J. Purchase aeked the association's assistance to obtain a Government subsidy up to £SOO to develop their mining property at Fatboys. They had already spent £ISOO. It was necessary to take up a tailrace about 40ft deep and about 1000 ft long, and it was f;>r this they asked assistance. The tail race would command ground enough for 20 years' sluicing. The ground had been proved to be rich, 200 oz having been taken out of a very sniull portion. Once their claim was working it would be the means of many other claims being taken up. The applicants said they felt certain that fatboys would be oue of the largest and richest gcldfields in New Zealand. The association appointed two members of committee to visit and report. May *.

The groud is somewhat rougn ui tlie Sailor's Bend claim, and the drift is running heavily, but the dredge is working well. •j.ne Molyneux Hydraulic . dredge is operating on poor ground at present. The return of 12oz 16dwt obtained last week is a slight improvement on previous returns. In reporting a return of 230 z 15dwt for 150 hours' work the master of the Electric No. 1 dredge states that operations have been stopped owing to an accident to the tumbler flange. The Golden Beach dredges No. 1 and No. 2 are at present idle. The former had the misfortune to break the wheel of the elevator, whilst the latter is closed down owing to an insufficient supply of water. The secretary of the Good Chance Company on the 3rd received a telegram from the dredgemaster stating that there would be no wash-up this week. The. drift was very bad, and he had got over very little ground. , The master of the Success dredge reports that a distance of 30ft was worked ahead last week, the ground being up to 40ft in depth. The dredge i 6 still heading south towards the terrace, crossing the deep run of ground. The past week's operations have been carried out on the down stream half of the cut. All the machinery was running well. • . , Mav 6. The master of the Rise and Shine dredge rer>r>rts that the prospects still continue good In reporting a return of 240 z for 130 bouts' work, the master of the Manuherikia dredsra states that the drift is still trotiblcsom-3. Tho Golden Bed dredge started work on Wednesday morning, but as the remainder of tho week was spent on a corner he did not wash up on Saturday. May 7. ■ The master of the Success dredge reports a return of 21oz 3dwt for 115 hours' work.

The Molyneux River was 3ft 9in above the normal mark at Alexandra on Monday, and the weather was fine. There was a general improvement in the wash in the Mastcrton claim at the end of last week, it being tighter and containing a number of heavy yellow stones. The ground is deepest in the centre of the cut, and in the deepest places the wash is poor. There is still a considerable quantity of blue clay though it is decreasing a little. Tile master of the Lady Roxburgh dredge telegraphed yesterday stating that he was going ahead as he had struck a narrow gutter 48ft deep, carrying no wash, being very 7 rocky. The Risin" Sun dredge worked 132 hours last week, and moved ahead 15ft on a cut 100 yards wide. There was no change to report in the nature of the ground or the bottom. The prospects continued fair, and the machinery was running well.