Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1901. GOLD DREDGING.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 3 July 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1901. GOLD DREDGING.

The month of June was far from being an ideal one for gold dredging. The first three weeks was continual rain and storm that kept the rivers all more or less flooded preventing dredges from being worked to advantage. Nevertheless the result does not pan out badly. In the annexed return we give the yield from seventeen dredges that worked the whole or part of the month. The aggregate number of weeks was 41 and gold won 801 ounces, giving an average of nearly 20 ounces per week per dredge. The average is lowered considerably by the Waipuna with 18 ounces for two week and the Ahaura six for one week. The returns are as follows:

. :_ Taking twelve ounces as paying all cost, we find : that eight dredges had a substantial margin of profit, seven

about paid expenses, and two -were run at considerable loss. One of the latter —the Ahaura—has just been opened, and the first week is no criterion to go by. Looking at the industry fairly and squarely, and remembering the character of the weather and flooded nature of the river, the result is certainly encouraging.

CLAIM. WEEKS OUNCES Nelson Creek 4 122 Mokoia 4 114 Pactolus 4 108 Leviathan 3 93 Grey Biver 2 71 Ford's Creek 2 48 New Eiver ... 2 41 Maori Queen 4 41 Eocklands .3 35 Beeves' Proprietry ... 2 23 Greenstone Creek ,., Grey Consolidated ... 2 2 Kfl Three-Mile Greenstone 1 18 Erickson's Be ward ... 2 18 ! Waipuna 2 13 A I. ... 1 10 Ahaura 1 | 6 Total 41 II