MINING NEWS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11501, 6 February 1903, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

The secretary of the Welcome Company reports a return from the dredge of 2Uoz 4dwt ior 117 hours' work. The secretary of tho B.ackwater River Company received a telegram rrom tho dredgein&ster on Wednesday, stating that he had bottomed on good gold. The secretary of the Mokoia Company received a telegram Jtoni the dredgemaster on Wednesday, stating that the top bond of toe screen broke right round on Tuesday. He has sent to WeJtport for a mild steei band, whioh i,3 thinks will be tho best. A start cannot be made before Saturday at the earliest, so there will bo no waan-up this week.

Tbe work of removing the Hokitika River Company's dredge to the Belle Vue Company's claim on the Matakitaki, is proceeding favourably. Everything has been taken off the pontoons except the winch engine. One of the contractors ie now at *<elson supervising the cartage of the first shipment, which has arrived safely. Tbe manager of the Mount Paparoa Company's mine, reporting on February 2nd, states that up to January 29th the men were employed extending the level, and forged ahead for three days, cloven feet making the total length of level 149 feet. The reef "Tor the last few days was almost pinched out. Both -the country and tie quart* at the spot are terribly hard, end it is better to take it out as it is being done with as little timber as possible. Tho secretary of the Greenstone Creek Company report* that the new screen reached tho dredge on the 29th: ultimo. The dredgemaster, reporting on the 2nd inst., stated that he had considerable difficulty in getting the screen into position. He has since telegraphed that he started dredging on Tuesday last. The dredge was working well, but there would be no -wash up this week.

The Reeves'* Proprietary Company have purchased the dredge of the Golden Ifolyneux Company, originally built ior the Merrimac Company, by Messrs Morgan, Cable, and Co., of Port Chalmers. The original cost of tho dredge was £7100, and tbe price paid by the Reeves'* Proprietary Company was £SNPO. She is stated to be a powerful machine, with a 00 h.p. boiler and 4} foet buckets. It is anticipated that the cost of Tenioving the machinery and pontoons to tbe Reeves's Proprietary olaim will be between two and three thousand pounds. The dredge bus not done much work. She commenced operations on the Merrimac claim in November, 1900, and only worked a week or co.