RIVER-BED WORK

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 16 June 1933, Page 9

RIVER-BED WORK

AUTOMATIC MINING SYPHON.

DEMONSTRATION GIVEN

DUNEDIN, June 15. A gathering of more than 100 men interested in mining witnessed the demonstration of a model of a automatic mining syphon in the bed of the Low,burn Creek at Cromwell on Tuesday afternoon. Interest has been centred in the activities, of a local syndicate which lias secured a mining license over the bed l of the Nevis River, in the lower gorge between the crossing and the confluence with the river at Kawarau. . The project to dam the Nevis, at the crossing was part of the original plan of the Kawarau Company, for it lias long been contended that this part of the Nevis, forming as it does (with a soft reef bottom) a natural catchment for gold, would be extremely rich. Previous efforts by early miner® to widen the river and thus work the bottom were never very successful owing to the confined nature of the river. The Nevis Gorge Mining Sydmcate has been considering the proposal of Mr S. Cree Brown to dewater the river by means of his patent automatic mming syphon, bul> nitide it a- condition that the patentee should .give a practical demonstration with a working model. This demonstration was given wjth a model comprising 3ft of sixinch pipe to which a pump for extracting the air was attached.. Once m operation the syphon delivered one and one-tenth heads of water. Explaining the principle of the device Mr Brown said that, with a larger syphon, it would ho possible to lay bare from 300 yards to 400 yards of river, and mining could he carried on continuously for 10 months of the year. During the rest of the year opportunity could bo taken to shift . the plant. The Nevis Gorge syndicate comprises a number of residents of the district, as well as several men from Gore who are interested in mining.— 1 ‘Dominion’ ’ Service,