MINING NEWS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 356, 5 March 1903, Page 4

MINING NEWS.

The height of the river at Alexandra was about 6ft above the " normal" mark. Mr J Thomson, who has for some time been manager of the Nevis dredge, has been appointed dredgemaster of the Coronation dredge. Says the "Cromwell Argus ":- Ritchie Bros, have got their shaft at the Natural Bridge down over 500 feet and are now following the underlay. They have not yet struck gold, not having come into the wash yet, but they are confident that they have got into an old rive.r bed (about 300 feet above the present river) and when they reach the bed of this ancient river may reasonably expect to strike it rich The Unity dredge, having worked the river cut up to the boundary, will be dropped back to take up another cut. The dredge is at present stopped for boiler inspection. The Alexandra Bonanza Company report a return of 420z 6dwt for four weeks' sluicing on bottom material. The New Leaning Rock Company has gone into voluntary liquidation. At the meeting of shareholders held at Dunedin last Friday, the chairman stated that the assets would realise about £1 6s 8d per share. The New Nevis Co.'s dredge and claim were bought at auction at Dunedin, on Saturday last, by Messrs Blair and party, of Nevis, for £SOO. The Oairntrodlie dredge (Ida Valley) is operating on improved wasn, the return for last week being 330z. By advertisement in this issue, the Davis Bend Dredging Company invite applications for the position of dredgemaster, applicants to state salary required, The Golden Shore dredge, Waipori, sunk at . her moorings last Friday morning.

On Friday last, Mr Hughes, engineer on the Unity dredge, met with a serious accident. It appears that whilst engaged in adjusting the friction gear, he slipped and fell to the deck, striking the back of his head with considerable force. He was picked up in an unconscious state and conveyed to the Dunstan Hospital, where he was attended to by Dr Hyde. At latest accounts the sufferer was still unconscious, and in a critical condition. The. third annual meeting of the Island Block Gold Dredging and Sluicing Company was held at Dunedin last Fridry evening, when there was a large attendance of shareholders. Mr H F Nees, Chairman of directors, presided. The Chairman, in "moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, said that the position of the company was most satisfactory. Since it had been decided to discontinue siluicing operations an offer had been received from the men employed by the company to work the claim on tribute, and an arrangement had been made which had proved very satis factory. The principal difficulty they had to contend with namely, the saving of gold, which was very fine in quality—was being surmounted, The latest report was that the dredge was running in first class order. The motion was carried unanimously, Messrs W Wood and F J Lake were re-elected directors, and Mr T S Graham was reappointed auditor. The Long Valley Dredging Co. has decided to liquidate.

UPPER CLTJTHA. (From our own Correspondent.) The boring on Werner's claim on the Clutha is now finished. The first hole is a distance of 125 yards from the river, and the depth 76 feet trom the surface, and 43 feet .from the river level. It bored as follows:—22 feet of gravel carrying fine gold, then 17 feet of false bottom, after which comes about 7 feet of very heavy wash similar to what is obtained in the Rise and Shine claim. The second hole is about 125 yards into the flat fjom the first hole, and is about 4 feet shallower, but the bottom seam is thicker, being between 8 and 9 feet through. The third hole is 125 yards in from the second hole, and this shows a rising bottom, being about 5 feet shallower than the second hole, and the bottom seam is not so thick. This seam carries gold in all three holes, and shows a lot of back sand and other indications of a golden lead. This ground will require a very strong and large dredge with good gold saving appliances to save the fine gold in the top stuff, and I under- j steps will betaken to procure a suitable j machine without delay*

DREDGING RETURNS. The following are the returns for the week ending Saturday, February 28tb, 1903 : '

oz dwtgrs Matau, Clyde, Odys ... 69 0 o Lawrence, Tuapcka Flat, Gdys" 00 3 0 Otago No 2, Beaumont 52 10 f\ Enterprise No 1, Alexandra „. 51 13 ]5 Golden Run, Millers Flat 50 2 o Empire, Waipori (2 dredges) ... 44 14 0 Upper Waipori, "Waipori. 130hr.„ 40 0 0 Island Block, Beaumont, wk ... 35 16 0 Happy Valley. Tnapeka. (idys 34 14 0 Waikaka, Waikaka, I29hrs 33 15 0 Golden Gale. IVi era Flat, 6dys " 33 4 0 Oairntrodho, I'm.1 burn, 136brs 33 0 0 Dunstan Lead, Alexandra 30 6 0 Central Mataura, Mataura, 21 Oh 30 3 0 Eise and Shine, Ifp'er Clutha .,„ 21) 9 0 Enterprise No 2, Alexandra i-9 4 0 Prince Arthur, Shotovor 29 0 0 Electric No. 1, Cromwoll 29 0 0 Riley's Beach. Cromwoil, 26 10 0 Taniwha, Tuapcka River 2G 9 6 Central Charlton, near Gore. 127h C 23 17 0 Porseverance No. 1. Alexandra ... 23 11 7 Gabriel, Tuapeka Flat... 23 2 c Charlton Creek, near Gore, I33hs 22 15 0 Golden Bed, Miller's Flat, 128hrs 22 7 0 Wa kaka Syndicate, Waikaka ... 22 2 0 Muddy Creek, Waikaia, 120h ... 21 10 0 Charlton Valley, near Gore. 117hrs 21 2 4 Sheddon's Freehold, Waikaka, wk 21 0 0 Mystery Flat, Waikaia, 20 12 0 Olrig, Manuherikia, 128h 20 10 0 Reliance, Tuapcka Flat 20 1 0 Enfield, Waipori, 19 3 0 Laf ranchi's Freehold, Oard'na,, 19 2 0 New Golden Gravel, Beaumont... 18 15 0 Wairnumu Queen, Gore 17 14 7 Cromwell No. 1, Cromwell 16 13 0 Ngapara No. 3, Nevis 16 0 0 Molyncux Hydraulic,Alex'dra, 133h 16 0 0 Point d'Or, Cromwell... 16 0 0 Inch Valley, near Palmerston ... 15 16 0 larnscleugh No 2, Alexandra 22h 14 16 0 Meg and Annie, Kawarau River 14 11 0 MacCharlton, near Gore 14 5 0 Spec Gully, near Gore, 136hrs ... 13 3 0 Golden Treasure, Miller's Flat, w'k 13 0. 0 Grand Junction, Nevis River ... 12 0 0 Clyde, Alexandra, 12 0 0 Waimumu Extended, Gore 11 10 0 Success, Waipori 11 8 0 Globe. Waikaka, 125'nrs 11 7 0 New Paul's Beach, Beaumont ... 11 3 0 Waikaka Queen, Waikaka., 127hrs 10 12 0 Tuapeka, Tuapeka Flat, wk . 9 0 0 Unity, Clyde... 8 10 0 Majestic, Miller's Flat... 7 12 12 Champion, Beaumont, wk 7 11 0 Coal Creek Flat, Roxburgh 6 15 6 New Britannia, Beaumont 6 9 0 Total i'or 60 dredges 1381 18 9 Average per dredge 23 0 0 The West Coast. No Town Creek 63 0 0 Buller Junction 59 0 0 Pactolus No. 2 55 13 0 Nelson Creek, Westland 49 o o Feddersen ... 42 17 0 Mosquito 41 0 0 Mokoia 37 7 0 Kohinoor 34 14 0 North Beach 34 1 o Maori King ... 31 6 8 Erickson's Reward 25 0 o Prince of Wales 24 7 o Welcome ... ... >> ... 21 0 0 Blackwater River 19 13 0 Shellback ... 19 0 o Greenstone Creek 18 0 0 Stafford, Waimea, 107hrs 17 7 0 Trafalgar 15 17 0 Aldinga 15 14 0 Victory 14 11 0 Leviathan 14 2 0 Cornwall 14 O 0 Commissioner's Flat ... 12 12 0 New Greenstone 9 12 12 Greenstone Junction Total ... 9 17 12 8 698 11