A GREAT ENTERPRISE

Hokitika Guardian, 1 September 1921, Page 2

A GREAT ENTERPRISE

DREDGING AT RIMl : FLAT. N EARING COM FLEXION. The very considerable milting enterprise at Kium Fat under which the largest and must complete alluvial golddredging plant in the Dominion will be operated, is now coming to u head. In a very few months a large dredging plant lias been imported Irom New York, the pontoon built here and the machinery installed, and now almost ready to win gold. Messrs Cranston and Find of the United States, who represent the American Company concerned in this great undertaking, have carried through a remarkable piece of work with wonderful celerity. I'.vt ry one who visits the dredge now flouting in the large dam on lower Riniu Fiat, is struck by the impressive siz,e of the dredge. It is of tho leviathan order, ft veritable dreadnought in comparison with the size of the dredges Vest Coasters are now most familiar with. Those with a knowledge of the formt r dredge operating in the same locality, could regard the previous plant its only of the nature of a prospecting dredger. 1 Rut there is another very essential dif- ; fefence. The dredge now nearing eom- | plet ion is worked electrically, and stepj | ing aboard and wandering over the . various decks, one can but- marvel at j the completeness ofi the plant, Mid the j effective use which can ho made with it. The whole plant suggests “work j without labour,” that is machinery will ! do mechanically what man has hitherto had to do, and cm this point in another put of the issue there is an article by a lirirish newspaper man on labor conditions as he found them in the United States. If confirmation were needed of the conclusions he seel*s to drive home in the article referred to. that is to he found here in the economic arrangement of the machinery, and the immense advantage to be gained by elec-

tric power over steam. Actually there is an absence of crowded machinery, and the grime and dirt attached to a steam worked dredge. The difference is Troth striking and arresting. The electric dredge such as we are to have to test our auriferous drifts on Riniu Flat, is a model of cleanliness and neatness. She is not out of the painters’ and decorators’ hands yet. hut when she is, she will he a smart, trim ship, ail'd will be worth inspecting it only to realise one of the special advantages of electric power over steam power" where order and cleanliness are factors to be Approver!. The big dredge is now very near completion. Tt is not improbable she trill lie dredging next week. Already all parts of the machinery have been tried out. and the gearing Was been very satisfactory. Although the working staff is now being curtailed nine car- ] enters were dispensed with yesterday there is still a considerable amount to do. The painting and clearing up pmccss will go on for some time yet. hut it is work which will not delay dredging ope rations, and these tire to start as

soon as possible. The most important completion woik 10 he dine ilist now is to set the bucket- in order. There arc some 73 of these, each with a capacity of bout ten cubic Vet. The dredging ladder weighs about till tons without the bucket.-, and it was a nice piece ot work to

»et it into position. There are some very heavy pieces of machinery. The bottom tumbler on tho ladder weighs eight tons, hut all the parts were assembled without serious delay or diflieultv. and the result is l tci he seen tnday—an almost completed leviathan dredge. The whole machinery does not belie its appearance. Tt is very strong and powerful, and operated on a system entirely new here, and should he a revelation to all dredging men. No dmil»t many folk interested in mining in all parts of the Dominion, and even in Australia, will make a pilgrimage to Hokitika to see this great dredge in operation.

As distinct from the ordinary style of dredging, the dredge will pivot on starlionrd and port “spuds” at the stern. The “spuds,” operated electrically hy a simple lever action, will held the dredge in position, and the huel-ets will work side ways, at the will of the wiiif-hmaii. who will operate the nead lines, also electrically. The winchman lias roomy at the head ol the dredge, where levers at command will In all things necessary for the operation of tlm dredge. It will be in this great respect where electricity will show its adaptability. Much power will he required and this will conn- on automatically as the strength is reip.iireil by the manipulation of the levers neei'snry. The gold-hearing wash will he brought op steadily hy the buckets, and pass to the .screen, which in keeping with the dimensions of the dredge, is large, length being a marked feature. The perforations in the screen are almost half an inch in aperture, and through this from the revolving screen, tin- wash w ill pass to the tables. I hi’ residue from the screen will pass on to an elevator, again remarkable for its length, and the debris travelling on a moving rubber surface will he earned upwards to tile necessary elevation, and dropped clear of the dam area behind the dredge. The wash on the other hand will pass to two tiers of goldsaving tallies. There is a wide spread ol table-room, well rippled, and there the precious metal is to he caught. (1,-ml tco-ls i>t' water are provided for and ran he regulated as required, and should ensure the material being well treated liefore the remaining debris finds its way over the full surface of the tables. In point of size, the dredge is easily the largest in New Zealand, it not in the Australian States. It presents a complete and neat appearance. To the top of the pillars carrying the digging ladder, is over 70 feet. The dredge is lit throughout with eleotrie light, over 100 powerful lights being installed in mid about the plant, and it- should be quite an imposing spectacle at nighttime. The very remarkable fact about the dredging plant is that when finally mining operations are settled down to, three men per BSft will operate ’ huge aggvegp.tion of machinery. All possible safe-guards for men at work ere installed, and all places at ail difficult to reach or are exposed, arc- reKeh- I r ,-l by a well guarded footway. From ' tk- upper deck of the dredge a eotn-

tunneling view of the surrounding country can be had. Ahead of the dredge where it is to work, a considerabl area for some 280 feet in width has keen cleared and stumped of the trees. Logs suitable for milling have been saved, and will he passed on to the electric saw mill nearby, and converted into sawn timber. Scrub and light stuff is stacked and in season will bo destroyed. The whole surroundings of tho drotge and its proposed operations, suggest efficiency in very complete form. The cffic ienev has been marked hv the speed with which the huge dredge has materialised. It is emphasised again by the neat and-trim appearance of the arrangements, and the smoothness with which the whole work has been carried out.

The dredge will become a great centre of attraction, and when it begins to win gold it is to be hoped that it will command the success the promoters deserve for their spirited enterprise and for the splendid mariner in which they are carrying that enterprise through.