C.—3

72

FarreWs Deep Lead (J. Claffey, manager). —Area of claim, 56 acres. This claim and plant is held under tribute by Mr. Robert Cotton of Waipori. The plant is operating on a small area of solid ground below the New Jutland Flat Claim. Depth of ground, 15 ft. Height of lift, 26 ft. Three men are employed. Later information regarding this claim is that the scene of operations has been transferred to the main road-line and adjacent ground, and some payable paddocks have been taken out; also that Mr. Richard J. Cotton has taken a tribute over it. Operations are now being carried out on the crest of the terrace and good gold is being obtained. Lammerlaw Creek Hydraulic Gold-mining Company (W. E. Caudwell, manager).—A large area of ground has been put through the elevator during the past year, and there is still a few years' work ahead of this company. The claim is worked on a good system and is said to pay its owners well. Wi Sew Kew'and Party, Lammerlaw Creek.—Area, of claim, 50 acres. There is nothing new to report regarding this claim. The area of ground turned over during the year is not large, but good work is done considering the heavy clayey nature of the ground. Four men are employed throughout the sluicing season. Bakery Flat Hydraulic Sluicing and Elevating Company, Upper Waipori (J. T. Johnson, manager).— Throughout the year operations in the sluicing claim have been entirely suspended as the water has been diverted to'provide power for Johnson's submerged-jet dredge. Should this dredge prove capable of dealing efficiently with the ground the system will be adopted for the future working of the claim. Golden Point Hydraulic Sluicing Claim, Upper Waipori (D. O'Brien, manager).—This plant is operating on terrace-ground and shallow gullies. The loss of pressure due to a very long pipe-line is very apparent. The material is broken down by the nozzle of a 7 in. pipe-line, is elevated 12 ft., and discharged through a run of boxes fitted with perforated plates and Venetian riffles. The face is composed of fine gravel with an overburden of clay, the whole resting on a so-called " granite " bottom overlying the main country rock. Five and a half heads of water are brought on to the claim under a vertical pressure of 100 ft. Post Office Creek Hydraulic Sluicing Claim, Lower Waipori (J. R. Parker).—Operations for some considerable time have not been attended with success. This may easily be attributed to the fact that the water-supply and pressure are too light to deal efficiently with the hard ground. Some very deep ground had been sluiced away until fall became lost, then the bottoms were elevated about 20 ft. The high faces look dangerous, but are carefully watched for falls. The ground operated on has been extensively mined in former days, forming as it does part of the Post Office Creek lead. Six heads could be brought from Post Office Creek, a distance of three and a half miles, to command the claim at an altitude of 283 ft. Three men are generally employed. Munro and George's Hydraulic Sluicing Claim, Post Office Creek, Lower Waipori.— -Mr. Louis Pearsall's share in this claim having been bought out by Mr. George, a new race was cut in at a higher elevation to give 240 ft. vertical pressure. The pipe-line now consists of 2,000 ft. of pressure-pipes consisting of 13 in., 11 in., and 7 in. pipes. The elevator plant consists of 11 in. dirt-pipes, 4| in. throat with 2} in. jet. With the increased power the plant has been shifted back on to the " run " where operations were first begun to work the same ground over again. The gold-saving appliances consist of 48 ft. of boxes provided with riffles and perforated plates and cocoanut matting underneath. The material is elevated 31 ft. out of a paddock 21 ft. in depth. Being turned over for the second time the material is freerunning. Four men are employed. W. McMillan's Claim, Post Office Creek, Lower Waipori.— Operations in this claim are confined to sinking shafts and driving out the wash contained in the lead which skirts the Big Flat. This lead has been extensively worked, the proprietor of the claim having worked in the locality for ten years. Several shafts have been sunk as the ground became blocked out, the deepest of these being 52 ft. The wash averages 4 ft. in depth. The shaft is sunk for its whole depth through fine gravel. Very little timber is used in the shafts, as the material stands well on the perpendicular, but a large quantity of itmber is required where blocking out the wash. A drainage-tunnel has been brought up and strikes the main shaft 12 ft. 6 in. above the bottom. One head of water brought into the top of the shaft furnishes power for a hydraulic-jet pump which forces the drainage-water up 12 ft. into the drainage-tunnel. The gold is fine in appearance, but of good quality. Three men are generally employed. Ah Yet's Hydraulic Ground-sluicing Claim, above Big Flat, Lower Waipori.— Ah Yet has been sluicing high terrace-ground for a number of years. When he first started operations there was a good fall for tailings, but as the work went on, fall became lost. The material is all free-running gravel having no clay associated with it, and with water having 100 ft. of pressure a large quantity of material has been dealt with. The face is high. Beaumont. Champion Hydraulic Sluicing and Elevating Claim, Beaumont (J. Fahey, manager).—This plant has been in operation for some considerable time, and a large area of ground has been turned over despite many obstacles such as buried timber and heavy drainage. The paddock runs from 58 ft. to 60 ft. in depth ; material elevated 70 ft., two elevators being required for this work. The paddock plant lifts the dirt 10 ft. into the sump of the main elevator, which discharges the gravel into a run of boxes provided with ripples and perforated plates. Much of the gold is exceedingly fine, requiring care and special arrangements for saving. The dirt-pipes of the elevator are 15 in. in diameter, with 11 in. throat and 3 in. jet. Where operations are now carried on there is no buried timber, but the drainage from the Clutha River is very heavy. Over 1,000 ft. of piping is in use in the pressure-line the paddock plant consisting of 11 in. and 9 in. pipes. Eighteen heads of water are used on the claim, six heads being consumed by the pump, which is kept going continuously to cope with the drainage. The "race gives> great deal of trouble in maintenance, being cut through very rough country. An average of fifteen men are employed in and about the claim..