SLUCING AT BOUND BILL.

Timaru Herald, Volume LII, Issue 5166, 12 June 1891, Page 4

SLUCING AT BOUND BILL.

▲ BIG THING. A Biverton correspondent to the Southland Neatwji: — Having lately visited the Sound Jtlill gold-field I am enabled to lay before your readers a few details concerning the works of the Round Hill Syndicate which »ro now m progress. Ibis syndicate was floated m London by the pro-x-nt manager, Mr G. Krans, who went Home as tbe representative of tbe New Zealand promoters of the company. Mr KvaDS succeeded m convincing financial men m London that there wai money to be made out of Bound Hill sludge, and eventually floated thu present syndicate with a working capital of £30.000, besides obtaining for the promoters £9000 worth of paid up shares. Of tbe working capital abjut oce third baa been expended m purchasing tbe principal water rights at the Hill It is the intention of tbe syndicate to cut a channel from the beach at Wakapatu m a straight line to tho 11 ill. This channel will be m the form of a double sluice box, 13 feet wide and i\ feet deep, and while one box is being used for carrying and reducing the tailing) tho other will be Tiieaning up. For this purpose tramways are to be laid on each side of the sluice boxes tv carry trucks for oomeyiog tbe blaok -and to tho washing site, where it will be treated by the latest improved methods for gold-saving and where there is an abundant supply of «Van water. For the construction of the sluice boxes along the main channel and its branches, which amount m all to about air miU-B, over 3,000,000 ft of timber will be required. The amount of sludge already deposited is estimated at not less than four million tons — this of course is daily increasin. Besides the right to the sludge the com piny bold two special claims of 20 and 30 acres. I' i» intended to work these by Kerry's hv^raulio ayatem of elevating, usini; two elevators. Tbe plant, which includes n milii of 13in. steel pipes, is now being made, aod will be en the ground m two or three months. A pressure of 350 ft will be obtained, which will elevate the wash-dirt 35 feet, euch elevator raising 40 tons per hour. Tn order to enable (he work to proceed by night an electric light plaat id to be orootol This is expected to arrive from Fngland m a few weeks. Home teit holes have .been put .down m the smaller of the special claims an i «itsu£ four feet from the surface a seam of soo-l rash has been struck ; it runs about half an ounce to tbe cubic yard. As the clmins are below the present level of the sludge of course no work can be done on them until the elevating plant arrives or until the channel U brought up, but not only these claim- but scores of othtra will be easily wcjjught when the latter object is attained. The syndicate if now surveying a line for a large pa er-race from the pourceg of the Pourairmo river to Round Hill. This rice will be about 30 miles ia length and i-> to csrrv 50 Government beads of water. It is intended to let this water to tbe miners at a low rate m order to open up tbe country. Xhis short sketch may give some idea of tho magnitude of operations, tb» importance of which to our neighbourhood it v somewhat difficult to estimate.