BEACH GOLD DREDGING.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 29 May 1901, Page 4

BEACH GOLD DREDGING.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In this morning’s Argus, we are treated to a Leader about Californian dredging. If it is intended to compare that great country with itsgrand rivers to West Coast and Molyncux dredging, the thing is perfectly ridiculous. I will give my reasons. In the first place there are only two rivers in New Zealand, the Molyncux and Duller, which have cut their way through a large extent of golden country down to the bed reck, and they ai’o nothing else but large sluice boxes. The Molyncux has a run of 200 miles from the Wakatipu to the sea, and cuts through the finest gold country in New Zealand. It has been fed by crook terraces all contributing their quota of gold into the main stream. Dredging for gold may go on for years in this great river with more or loss success, and the most likely spots arc well known to the old pioneers who prospected each bank. Beaches and rocks were well fossicked, and the most successful dredges are those who knew the ground well before they started. The Grey River cannot be compared with the River Molyncaux—the Grey is not rock-bound, but travels over one huge boulder bed miles in extent. It has been fed here and there by a few creeks and gullies, which no doubt have contributed to send some gold into the lower leads, but it is merely chance work should a dredge light on a good patch, as the gold must be scattered all over these great flats and might never be payable. There arc a few creeks which, no doubt, will pay if not hampered with dead wood and large boulders, causing breakages and loss of time.

The only dredging ground proper is on our beaches. When once the difficulty of treating the fine wash and blacksand is a success, we may loek forward to a new era in dredge mining. I am, etc., Y'areum.