GOLD DREDGING.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 19 July 1901, Page 2

GOLD DREDGING.

The New River dredge has not been working this week. Advantage, was taken of the stoppage to thoroughly overhaul the machinery which is now in first-class order. The dredge will resume work on Monday morning.' Payable gold is expected to be struck during the week.

The Grey River dredge, after having her spindle repaired, commenced working again last night.

Tho Maori Gully pontoon's framing is finished. The timber for planking is now on the claim but is is thought desirable to let tho frame stand for a while ceeding with planking. v^JPF"

The timber for the pontoons for tho Shellback Gold Dredging Company is being carted to the claim. As soon as there is sufficient on the claim a start will be made to build the same.

The work of erecting tables on the North Beach dredge is proceeding satisfactory. It will be quite ten days before the dredge gets to work. The repairs to the Nelson Creek dredge are expected to be completed within a week. The new screen has be placed in position, and the work of overhauling the machinery is now proceeding. Grey River Consolidated worked steadily during the week. About 20ozs is expected to-morrow. We understand, that the Directors of the No Town No 2 Gold Dredging Company do not intend to accept tenders for construction of pontoons until the results of No Town Creek dredge are known. This, of course, means a further delay of at least tan weeks.

Rather an interesting duel has been occupying attention here of late, writes our Kurnara correspondent. The parties to the conflict are a dredgemaster and crew on tho one hand, and a party of Chinamen on the other. Tho weapons are an ordinary bucket dredge and a tailraee. It appears that the Greenstone Creek dredge crossed the creek just out from the end of a tailraee owned and worked by a party of Chinese sluicers. The celestials resented this, to their way of thinking, unwarranted intrusion by pouring a flood of sludge and tailings into the dam where the dredge was working. The move was met by the dredgemaster, turning his elevator on to John's boxes and dumping the tailings therein. This checked the progress of the enemy for a time; but it was only for a time, as John's resouroes were by no means exhausted. Gathering his forces he rushed to the conflict this time by adding Foveral new boxes and extending the tailrase into the dredge buckets, where he poured, such a torrent of missels as forced the dredgemaster to seek tho good office of our Warden, (Mr McParlaue), as mediator in the dispute. He, with a party, proceeded to tbe scene of action yesterday afternoon, but from what I can learn, John's stock reply to every proposal was, "Me no savee," excepting in the case where there was some striking advantage to be gained and then a gleam of intelligence illuminated his "Boxer" density and ho "saveeied." How it will end is yet a matter of some conjecture. '