GOLD DREDGING.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 23 July 1901, Page 2

GOLD DREDGING.

The boiler and screen for the Kobinoot dredge ; boiler for Marsden N 0.3; a quantity of machinery for No Town Greek and kauri timber for various dredges is at present on the wharf.

The contractor for construction of pontoons for the Kobmoor Company is making good progress and should have his work finished to time.

Tha Old Diggings dredge will be ready to start operations in about a fortnight’s time.

Fifty acres of land adjoining the Britannia Mining Company’s claim have been taken up by a local syndicate as the result of the finding of some good stone there recently. A rich reef is said to be in the property. The handsome returns from the Britannia has evidently reawakened interest in local mining. The syndicate that own the Britannia No 2 mine have great faith in their claim and have purchased from Mr Griffiths the battery, etc., of the defunct Republic.

The Greenstone Junction has at last started dredging after a very long delay. The machinery has been thoroughly overhauled, and is now in capital working order. During the time the dredge was laid up for repairp it became silted up, and it will take three or four days to clean . out the paddock. Within the next fortnight a fair return may be looked for as the dredge should have a weeks dredging in the solid. , We understand that the friction existing between the Chinamen and the Greenstone Creek Company’s dredge has been settled. The Chinese haring agreed to discontinue sluicing into the Dredgfe paddock. This dredge has been working for the last fortnight through an old tau race, and has been very much ham pered through coming in contact with very large logs and stones. They expect to bo in the solid ground this week.

Thursday afternoon (says the Advocate) last saw the completion of the Boss Day Dawn Gold Dredging Company’s pontoons. Mr L. Phillips, representative of Outton Brothers, the company’s consulting engineers, being present to pass the work, which has been executed in a first-class and workmanlike stylo by Messrs Reynolds and Maobeath, contractors for construction. , The “ship” has the appearance of great strength and solidity, and is greatly admired by those who have practical knowledge of this class of work. The task of completing the dam is being pushed on, and another week ought to see this job finished, when the water will get a chance to acraitynlate and float the pontoons off the “dribbhag" on which they now stand. As the machinery contract is well ahead the work of erection will be put in hand soon. Local shareholders are very anxious to see their dredge get to work, as recent boring operations have proved their property to bo one of the really good things in dredging on this Coast.

The Grey River Consolidated return for last week was 4oz 14dwt for 128 hours. As the dredge had a steady run during the week, it is evident that the wash at the spot where dredging is now being carried on is poor, •

In the House of Bepresentatives this morning, wires our Parliamenttary repo ter. Mr Barclay gave notice to ask whet--her the Governments attention had been directed to letters written by Mr Easton to the Otago press in May and June last relating to questionable transactions in connection with the floating and carrying on of worthless companies, whether steps would be taken to legislate on the subject.

The Kumara Times in referring to the Greenstone 3-Mile return says:—This proves conclusively that there is a good future in store for the different dredges in the district. Certain drawbacks will, no doubt, occur from time to time, but taking the Greenstone Creek and Teremakau River as dredging grounds they will eventually prove hard to beat as gold producers. As far asjtho 3-Mile dredge is concerned, this should be a good investment, as the capital is only £BOOO, and the company is free of debt.

The spur wheel of the Island Creek dredge was (as previously reported) broken last week, but the dredgemaster secured one from the Wareatea dredge, which is in process of erection, and so was enabled to continue dredging after a very short delay. On Saturday, however, work was stopped pending advice, we believe, from the directors at Dunedin. The dredge has not been saving the gold and so it may be found necessary to effect several alterations.