GOLD DREDGING NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 22 January 1901, Page 3

GOLD DREDGING NOTES.

The final portion of Perry’s Reward Company's machinery loft Dunedin by the Janet Nicol on Thursday. Mr Pearson, the contractor of the Great Woodstock Company’s pontoons, is making splendid progress with the work and should be finished before the contract time. The Rock’ands (Buller) dredge will be in full working order and started in about throe weeks’ time. Messrs Luke and Son the contractors for the engineering parts have all the machinery on the ground. The purchase of Main and Party’s claim by the Commissioner’s Fiat Company has now been completed. It is understood the price paid is £3OO. The directors of this Company, in securing Main’s claim, have acquired a valuable property, and the dredge when completed wid commence operations on rich ground. Mr D Bringans returned to Hokitika on Saturday from Canterbury and Otago. Mr Bringans goes to Ross to repost for some investors on various! dredging property, more particularly on the Kohinoor Extended Coy’s claim, and to advise as to future operations. Mr Bringans also supervises some prospecting operations in the Kumara district for some Canterbury investors on his return from Ross. It is understood that an attempt will be made to launch the Hokitika River Company’s pontoons to-day. The first portion of machinery for this claim is expected to arrive during the week, the Sir Henry with the balance should arrive in about three weeks. The contractors, Messrs Fraser Bros of Auckland, are sending down a number of men to proceed with tho erection as speedily as possible, ■ The first portion of the machinery for the Kohinoor Company’s claim arrived during tho week. The is a case of tho Company machinery for the dredge comin" to hand before tho timber for the pontoons has been cut. There appears to have been great delay in letting contracts for this Company and from present appearance a good many months must elapse before this dredge gets to work. The Keystone Boring syndicate are now conducting operations on tho Great Woodstock claims, Mr Maynard Managing Director, in charge. Already one 10

I inch boro has been put dowu 52 feet, no 1 less than 40 feet being done in one day, another bore is now being put down on the same company’s claim close to the river. Although the results of the first bore are not yet known it ‘is understood good prospects hawc been obtained.

It is understood that the Keystone Boring machine will be in this district for some °time, engagements having been made already to test a number of claims. Although hand boring not been looked on with favor as a reliable test of (he quality of the ground, there is a decided difference between putting down a 2 inch hand bore and a 10 inch hole with the machine ; the results from the operations of the latter ought, therefore, to give much more reliable tests of the quality of the ground. Work at the Blue Spur dredge is now being pushed on as vapidly as possible. As soon ps the necessary excavation is made and the dam filled, the pontoons will be launched. There is some hope that this wiT bo possible by the end of the week, or the commencement of next at the very latest. The engineers and fitters are at hand, ready to commence the work of mantling as soon as the hull is floated. This portion of the outfitting will not take long and it thus appears extremely probable that this dredge will bo the first local venture to start operations, and probably the end of February will sec the machine in active commission.