MINING NEWS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 370, 11 June 1903, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

Owing to the hard frosts experienced, the river has fallen conside ably during the week, the height at the Alexandra bridge last evening being about 3Jft above the " normal" mark. Owing to the breaking of the elevator driving pinions, the Eamscleugh No. 3 dredge has had to lay up for repairs. The dredge will be idle for two or three weeks. TheMoa No 2 dredge is working through some previously worked ground, and will immediately open up a paddock near the upper boundary of the company's claim near the Alexandra bridge. The Perseverance Nc 2 dredge has almost finished working the strip of ground on the bank, and will shortly dredge out into the river, where a fresh cat will be opened out. It is expected that good returns will be won by this dredge in the river portion of the claim. The Monte Christo commenced dredging last Thursday on the upper portion of the Company's claim, above the chair. 1 The Alexandra Eureka Dredging Company have purchased the Kelly and Casey dredge. From our advertising columns it will be noticed that the services of a dredgemaster and engineer are required for a dredge in the Nelson district. A syndicate, composed of local speculators, are at present sinking a shaft on the bank of the Macuherikia, immediately adjoining where the Golden Link dredge got good returns. It will be remembered that although the dredge here struck a good run of wash, she was unable to follow it into the bank, and the shaft alluded to is being sunk in the hope of striking the run. The work is being carried on under

considerable difficulties, as the water from the river pours through the loose gravel as through a sieve. The water 'is kept down io the shaft by means of a steam-drivan Cornish pump. A depth of 12ft has been reached, but further sinking must be done before the wash is touched. t The Sandy Point dredge keeps on very even wash, the return for each of the last three weeks being 41oz odd. Probably even better results will be obtained when the dredge gets a little further ahead. The secretary of the Undaunted Sluicing Company reports that the return from the boxes for the past two months is 520z lldwt 14gr from the top stripping The. manager states that he will commence elevating in the spring, when a better supply of water will be available. This company has Bow paid eight dividends. At the beginning of the week the Davis Bend No 1 dredge was pulled a little ahead. Dredging was resumed on Tuesday evening. The Earnscleugh No 1 resumed work on Tuesday, after a fortnight's stoppage for an overhaul. The Ngapara No 3 dredge has been closed down for the winter. This company for the past two or three months has been operating on very poor .ground, but when operations are resumed in the spring, the manager intends to take a narrow cut upwards , so as to quickly reach a run of good * wash, which is intercepted by a coal ■earn running at an angle across the flat. Despite the poor returns lately obtained, the company is still in a good financial position, thanks to economical management: The Bendigo dredge, after pulling ahead a short distance, resumed work ' on Monday about three or four dredge lengths below the upper boundary of the company's claim* The Unity dredge resumed work on Sunday at midnight, and is operating on a body of fairly good wash.

DREDGEMASTERS' EXAMINATIONS.

An examination for dredgemasters' certificates was held in the court-house, Alexandra, on the 3rd, 4th, and sth inst, before Capt. McCallum (harbour master), Mr George Bennet (dredgemaster), and Mr E. R. Green (Inspector of Mines), examiners. Twenty-six candidates weie put through the examination, the men coming from Bannockbum, Cromwell, Roxburgh, and Millers' Flat, while a good number of local men were also present The papers have been forwarded to the principal Board of Examiners, Wellington, and it is expected that results will be announced about the 15th inst. DREDGING RETURNS.

The following are the returns for the week ending Saturday, June 6th, 1903 :

Total for 57 dredges ... 1894 C 16 Average per dredge ... 33 0 0

oz dwtgrs Hartley and Riley, Cromwell ... 154 0 0 Rise and Shine, Up'er Clutha .. 127 7 0 Electric No 2, Cromwell 85 0 0 klanuherikia, Alexandra, 136hrs 80 0 0 Electric No. 1, Cromwell 78 4 0 Earnscleugh No 2, Alexandra U'5h 67 9 ( Alpine No. 2, Cromwell, 6G 3 12 Dunatan Lead, Alexandra. 50 0 0 Cromwell No 2, Cromwell .. 48 5 0 Upper Waipori, Waipori. 139br... 42 0 c Bandy Point, Alexandra, 41 17 J5 Riley's Beach. Cromwell, 41 0 0 Prince Arthur, Shotover 40 5 0 Alpine Consols, Cromwell. 125hrs, 38 7 8 Molynenx Kobinoor, Roxburgh .. . 38 0 12 Koyal Waimumu, near Gore 37 7 0 Lady Roxburgh, Roxburgh 36 0 0 Waikaka Queen. Waikaka, 145hrs 35 0 0 Golden Ran. Millers Flat 35 0 0 Waimumn, near Gore, 120 hours 34 10 0 Alexandra Lead, Alexandra, 126h 32 5 0 Enterprise No 1, Alexandra 32 1 21 Jlatau, Clyde, week ... 32 0 0 Sailors Bend, Alexandra, 31 0 0 Waikaka United No 1, Waikaka 29 0 0 Majestic, Miller's Flat... 28 13 0 Success, Waipori 25 1 0 Golden Bed, Miller's Flat. lgOhrs 24 8 0 Endeavour, Roxburgh, 139hrs ... 24 1 12 VariU} Creek, Waikata, H4h ... 24 0 0

Enterprise No 2, Alexandra 22 15 0 New Golden Gravel,Beaumont... 22 12 0 Et trick, Roxburgh, 88hrs 22 10 0 Waimuinu Queen, Gore 23 8 0 Perseverance No 2, Alexandra... 21 10 0 New Half-way House,«'lyde Rd 21 10 0 Chicago, Alexandra, 125hrs ... 20 12 12 Reliance, Tuapeka Flat 20 I 0 MacCharlton, near Gore 19 13 0 Empire No I, Waipori 19 !l 0 Charlton Creek, near Gore, 19 0 0 Junction ElectricNo 1, Cromwell, 18 3 0 Golden Gate, Millers Flat, 6dys 18 2 (1 Inchdale, near Palmerston, 130hrs 17 17 0 Inch Valley, near Palmerston ... 17 2 0 Otago, Miller's Flat, 6dys 17 0 0 Waimumu Central, near Gore, 126h 16 17 0 Island Block, Beaumont, 13 13 20 Molyneux Hydraulic, Alexandra 12 19 0 Central Charlton, near Gone, 135hr 11 7 0 Cromwell No. 1, Cromwell 10 16 0 Tuapeka, Tuapeka Flat, wk ... 10 8 0 Waimumu Extended, Gore 9 12 0 Grand Junction, Nevis Biver ... 9 0 0 Ngapara No. 3, Nevis, 128h 7 16 0 Golden Chain, Upper Clutha ... 6 17 0 Globe, Waikaka, 136hrs 6 10 0