MINING AND DREDGING NOTES.

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

MINING AND DREDGING NOTES.

Mr James Boyle is the successful tenderer for excavating a site for the Prince of Wales Company's pontoons. Tho work was commenced on Tuesday. A start has been made by- the contractors with the building of the Kohinoor pontoons. Messrs Schumacher and Mangus, two directors in the Waimea Gold Dredging Company, vi-ited the c'aim with Mr John M' Whir'ter, the Hokitika director, yesterday and arranged for prospecting shafts to be put down immediately. Mr. W. P. Ramsay will shortly commence boring operations on his Upper Matakitaki property. The Four Piver Plain Dredge has been undergoing temporary repairs during the past week. It is rumoured (says the Bullet- Post) that' the Bullcr Dredge will shortly be laid up for a while. Mr, Pearson is making good progress with the pontoons for the Woodstock G.D. Company. Messrs. Reynolds and M'Beth have commenced to'build the pontoons for (lie Kohinoor G.D. Company.

If the Builer river rises sufficiently to let the Old Diggings dredge float down to tho company's claim, the dredge should bo ready for work in about a fortnight's time. Shareholders feel confident that the claim will prove exceptionally rich. Ono who knows the dredge well informed us that he did not think it would be necessary to have new pontoons built, the present ones being, in his opinion, quite good enough for tho requirements. If his opinion is correct, and the dredge is otherwise capable of discharging its duties,"then tho company should early obtain dividends. In the course of a few weeks the reputation of tho river should not, as at present, be entirely dependent on the return from one dredge. A much more hopeful feeling prevails with regard to the Builer river as a field for dredging operations. One who has had a good experience in dredge mining, stated that he was at ono time doubtful as to the Bullcr, but ho hit more confidence in it now, and intended holding on to the shares ho held till tho dredges were given a thorough trial. From a number we gathered that a good deal of friendly rivalry existed between friends of the Moko'ia and Builer June ion dredges, and bets were being made as to which should obtain tho highest return for tbe six months' operations. The secretary of the Perry's Eeward Coy reports that advice has been received from tho engineer Mr Roberts, stating that the balance of tho machinery, including an ex"ra winch engine, has been shipped from Dunolin and the contract for the erection of the machinery has been let to Mr M'Millan and Thompson, time eight weeks. A substantial penalty has been provided for any delay in completion of contract, whilst a'good bonus is offered for ovcry day work is completed before expiry of contract time. The secretary of tho Commissioner's Flat G. D. Coy reports that plans and specifications have been received from the engineer and approved by tho directors, and tho engineer has been instructed to call for tondcrs for the same without delay. At a meeting of the shareholders of the Auckland Beach Back Lead Gold "Dredging Company, it was decided, the prospectors' reportbeing unsatisfactory, to wind up the Company. Mr Wild was appointed liquidator.