MONTGOMERY’S TERRACE HYDRAULIC SLUICING CO.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 January 1903, Page 4

MONTGOMERY’S TERRACE HYDRAULIC SLUICING CO.

The annual meeting of shareholders in the above Company will ba held at Christchurch on Friday. The following reports will be submitted

DIRECTORS’ REPORT. “In presenting their annual report and balance-sheet) your directors have much pleasure in informing shareholders that the water-race is at last approachiog completion, it being confidently expected, with reasonable weather sluicing operation i will be commenced by the end of February or tbo beginning of March next. “Directors visited the West Coast three times during ilio year, for the purpose *of inspecton, ete., and although numerous delays have taken place o.viag to heavy rains, slips, flooded rivers, and other causes, which could not have been anticipated or obviated, your Directors are sa'isfied that the race work and equipment of claim is being well and faithfully done by the contractors and the Company’s employee*. “As shareholders are aware, the original capital of the Company was (owing to the nature of the country and the amount of extra work found necessary to bo done in the course of the race construction), inadequate to complete the work and properly equip the claim; and in order to provide the necessary funds, the Company’s capital has been increased by the issue of 6000 preference contributing shares, which, we are pleased to inform you, were over-subscribed by original holders of shares. “ Your Directors have made very satisfactory arrangements with the Company’s Bank for the advance in current account, at a low rate of interest, of the moneys required to complete existing contracts, and start operations. “For particulars of the work done during the year, the present position of th*. contracts and the prospects of the claim, we beg to refer yon to the Eogineer’s and extracts from the Mine Manager’s Beport, which are hereto appended. EKGXHSKU’s EXPORT. “Head Bac^—The small contract for the intake tunnel and seven chains of ratio last year to Scofield and Go for £496 was completed, with some small extras, for £466 10s. “The Blackball Kaee contract let to A. W. Morse lot £6910 5s 6d on November 12th, 1901, was to have been completed under the terms of the contract on July 12th, 1902. It is not yet completed, but very little now remains to be done. The delay has been principally due to the ▼ery large amount of boxing that was fonnd necessary Id certain places where it was originally intended that open ditching should be constructed. This extra foxing amounted to nearly 3500 lineal feet and required about 110,000 superficial feet of sawn timber. In addition to this about 16,000 superficial feet of lining was required in the various tunnels, the ground being too porous to bold the water. The net extras on this contract are estimated at £2OOO. The work remaining to be done to complete the contract is as follows: —Blackball and German Gully siphons to be anchored ; extra flnming at large slip at 1/63; various slips to be cleared away and boxes to be repaired ; caps and walking planks to be placed on 79 boxes between 2/0 and 2/20. This was left undone to enable timber to.be conveyed through the boxes to the various slips above that portion of the race ; race to bo tested.” “Unless the contractor is troubled with further slips he should be finally completed this month. “In connection with the long delay in completing this contract it may be pointed out that it made the contractor responsible for a very large expenditure in removing slips that would otherwise have had t j be borne by the Company, nearly all these slips having occurred during the last five months. As the Company’s pipes for carrying the water from the end of Morse’s Contract to the claim did not come to hand from Dunedin until October and are yet uncompleted the Company has not lost by the delay but has largely profited. Tho race has been tested for half a mile from tho intake by running water through it; about 200 feet were found to require lining, the reek being too open to carry water. The byewashes and gates throughout have been completed by Mr Hay, and a permanent water-man was engaged at the of December to look after the race and gauges, to make travelling roads round the tunnels and generally getting things in order for a start. “ Pipe line from German Gully to claim. —A contract for the supply of the material rolled and punched ready for riveting was let to Messrs A. and T. Burt for £IOOB in February, 1902, and completed in June. The material arrived in Greymouth in October, “A contract for carting the material from Ngahere to the claim was let in October to Campbell! and Co. at 34s per ton, the total weight being about 74 tons. To date only about 37 tons have been delivered at the claim, owing to the traffic between Ngahere and Blackball beingjconatantly blocked by the continuous floods and the inefficient ferry service. At the commencement of this contract there was also considerable delay through tho County road (which was under consti notion) being impassable. The Company had to txpend £ls, and Morse as much more, in making the track fit fo** traffic.

“The ooutraol for riveting up the pipes and tarring was let to Atkinson (the Company providing tar) at Is 9d per lineal foot. The unavoidable delay in catling hat aleo kept him back, as the carters have been unable to keep him supplied with material. He has worked up ail thathae been delivered to him. “The contract fox elecring the pipe line and laying IrMt down to convey the pipes from the riveting iheds to their final position has been completed by Gregory and party for £sl Us. A portion of this tram Is laid to come in for a sawmill tram. j; “Mr Hay’s men -are running out the pipes to their positions as soon as they are tarred, and will complete the laying of them. The various tee piers and Junctions have been made in Greymouth and amain valvi (22m) ordered from Bcirts, will shortly be to blind. The completion of this portion of the work would not take long if only we could be favored With a few weeks fine weaiher. “Sawmill.—A sawmill area including the best timber on the lower terrace has been acquired under the Mines Act, and a Tin tee branch placed in the pipe liue from which to take the supply to the miil Pelton wheel whenever it is erected. A similar provision has been made for the electric plant. As it will apparently be necessary touse every economy in ex penditure until sluicing smarts. I would fee immend that in the meantime only a single sluicing plant should be installed, and that the erection of sawmill and electric light be left for the present, With regard to starting with one nozzle, this would in any casei bo necessary until a second face is opened up, and farther I would strongly advise the Com- ' pauy to rsn only 25 to 30 heads through tie race for some considerable time after .f ie water is turned in so as to give weak f aulty places a good ohancoto take

up, ‘The sawmill can well ba dispensed tilth for the present as not a deal of timber wiil ba required at the starts

‘ Ordinary lights though not to be comSued with eleotrio light in the facilities ef give for night working, or in regard to cost of running, would have to do till pftlie gold is won, M'':" • ” U , :

v ‘ The estimated amount that will ha required to put us in a position to start sluicing is as follows Morse’s Contract £6,910 Estimated Extras 2,000

£8,910 Loss payments to date... ••• 6,4(57

£2,443 Pipe Lina Completion . 750 Contingencies, including outstanding accounts, race-men and manager’s salary, engineer’s commission and works on race ... ... 550

£3,7 m Total required to complete, say ... 3,800 “If wo coull only get a reasonable spell of fine weather, we should be able to start sluicing by tha end of next month. — J. D. Gillies, Engineer.”

MINE MANAGER’S REPORT,

“I had hoped to see the head-race completed and our own work ready to commence sluicing opjratious That this is not so" is duo to two causes, first, the inability of saw-millers to supply timber as quickly as required, second, very bad weather prevailing on the Coast, particularly the last five or six months. Our own pipe-making has been much delayed from the same cause, the bulk of the Grey River having shifted to our side, causing carters to cease work after the slightest rainfall. This delay has not been altogether to the disadvantage of the Company, as the heavy rains and wind have had the effect of finding weak places, the said finding causing the contractor considerable expense, which otherwise would have been borne by the Company, “Rear and party, who sluiced the ground with me also helped to drive the tunnel!, took up a claim at the nearest point it was possible to get to our claim. This was taken up entirely on the strength of the prospects obtained by us. They washed up a few days ago with very satisfactory results, between 50 or 60 ozs for eight or ten weeks, and this you must understand, in its initial stages. The party are so well satisfied that they are removing their houses to the claim. Their claim is running right through the heart of ours. This, personally, gives me increased confidence, “ I made an opening at upper end of intake tunnel and cut a channel through to creek for the purpose of turning water from creek-into first by-wash in order to cart rock for bedding logs of dam. The dam, I regret to say. I was forced to abandon owing to the large quantity of water flowing down the creek, tiince that time up to the present I have been unable to look at the creek for the same reason. The above speaks volumes lor the water supply, and leaves little room for croaking. The logs are moored in the creek with wire ropes, and everything is in readiness to place them in position on the first opportunity. In the meantime water can be turned in without it. The creek must go down to 60 or 40 heads before success will be achieved.

“ With favourable weather, and pipes supplied as wanted, all could be laid in four or five weeks.—Jno. Hay.”