MINING. WEEK'S MINING NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 28

MINING. WEEK'S MINING NEWS

August 11. The Paterson's Freehold dredge has won return of 19oz 7dwt for 130 hours' work. A cable message received in Dunedin yesterday from Manila stated that the Stanley Paracale dredge had started work on July 27. The Mystery Flat dredge obtained last week's return from the full width of the Jace, in which there was no change of any importance. The master of the Masterton dredge writes under date August 8: — "We had a fair run again this week. The only extra stoppage bayond the usual' working ones was to ohange buckets. There is no change" to report in the nature of ground." The master of the Waikaia dredge states that the ground has not varied and continues consistently poor, with no immediate likelihood of improvement. The dredge is running steadily and working well. Members of the local Exchange decided on ' the 10th ' to make a trial of a third call at midday, chiefly ir order to cope with the increased Auckland business. It has been felt for fcomc time that the interval between the two calls was too long, and it is anticipated that a meeting of brokers- at midday will greatly facilitate business communications and transactions. The following report on the past week's work has been received from the master of the South Waikaia dredge:— "We had a very good run this week. The ground is a little deeper in places, and the bottom Ss of red olay, at a depth of from 26ft to 27ft, with very little wash showing. The iwidth of the face is about five chains, and everything is running first-class." The secretary of the Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company reports that 6lu icing at No. 1 elevator has been carried on almost continuously during the week, and satisfactory progress has been made considering the slackness of the water supply. There was a full supply on at the end of the week. No. 1 elevator washed up for 470z 2dwt. At No. 2 elevator a run. of 12 fcoxis was erected, also the elevator was put An and connected up, and sluicing was started at 10 o'clock on Friday. Owing to the weather the men were unable to proceed to the Lion race, as was intended. August 12. The secretary of the Waikaka Queen Comjjany reports a return of lOoz 17dwt for 106 hours' work. The dredgemaster is engaged Bn bushing the buskets and links. The Rice and Shine No 1 dTedge worked 6£iof the cut last week. It was 500 ft wide and from 42ft to 48ft deep, -with bottom consisting of various clays, sandstone, and fiomo coal. The No. 2 dredge worked a similar distance on a cut from 38ft to *6ft deep, and 520 ft wide. The character of the ground was much the same as during the previous week. The master of the Sailor's Bend dredge has received instructions to make a start as soon as the river is at a suitable level. It is anticipated that he may be able to foesfin to-day or to-morrow. T fc is stated that Mr S. Luke and party, Kvho recently bought the New Clyde ■dredge, intend to give the Bendigo claim a trial, end are pegging out the ground. Writing" last Monday, the master of the Electric No. 1 dredge stated that during the past week he worked 121 hours for 27ft ahead. The ground continued very rough, and was tolling on the headline. On Saturday the prospects showed an improvement, the sample of gold being of a scaly nature. The master of the Electrio No. 3 dredge forwards the following report: — "Except for a few stoppages, due chiefly to the very •rough nature of the ground, worked the 'dredge has had a eteadj run 'all the week. By Friday a paddock had been opened up Tight across the centre of the river. The dredge was also tried working into the side, but the ground was •found too rough to work profitably, and a fresh start was made a dredge length further ahead. The 'bottom was got on the Bth inst. at about 52ft, and as prospects are not payable, and the ground -becomes rougher, I have decided to pull over the rip. above which there are some long stretches of smooth .river that have not been dredged' before." The Electric No. 2 dredgemaster reports las follows on last week's work :— " I have to report 113 hours' dredging, and during that time we worked ahead 9ft. The' width of t£e cut is- 150 ft, and the depth varies- up to 42ft. The gold was of a . rather- coarser sample, and the fine gold totalled leas then 6oz. The ground is very rough at the sides, and prospects continue good. The Bannookbarn side is still the best ground, and also the roughest, but -the 3 Cromwell side is coming in better than it was."- The secretary of the company 'has received a wire from the master reporting that -he Jjad been obliged to stop on Tuesday to put in a new bottom tumbler" and to 6traighten the ladder. The Good Chance dredgemaster reports that the early part of last week was ocou-

pi&d in working through old ground. On Tuesday he got on to wash, and commenced to open out. The drift was very heavy, aad some good prospects -were obtained. He washed, cleaned, and weighed one" prospect, which went as high as 4£dwt to the dish. On Friday he stopped to put a new bush in the lower tumbler, and the work was completed at 9 o'clock the same evening, and dredging resumed. He is now working on the boundary of blocks 19 and 20. The prospects -continue very fair, and he anticipates a fair return this week. August 13. The secretary of the Otago Company reports that the No. 1 dredge started work on the evening of the 10th inst. in the river. The No 2 had a good week's run. By an error the return was given in as 42oz— it should have been S7oz only. The official returns of the Transvaal gold yield for May last and- for the corresponding month of last year (the latter betag given- in parentheses) are as follow: — Milled, l,809;213 tons (1,540,489 tons), producing'624,49B fine oz (581,992 fine oz), valued at £2,652,699 (£2,472,143), averaging 6 74- (7.41 i fine oir, and 28s 8d (31s 6d) per ton. The total working costs per ton amounted to 17s Id (18s 3d), and the total working profit was £1,038,292 1£1,012,059). Dividends pad by 72 companies amounted to £69,750 (68 companies, £51,216). During the first four months of the year the colony produced 263,060 fine oz (243,562 fine oz)' of silver, valued at £27,552 (£27,898); 680 tons (229 tons) of copper ore, valued at £17,227 (£6052); 700 tons (418 1 tons) of tin ore, valued at £58,126 (£23,734) ; and 674 tons (1025 tons) of galena, valued at £6528 (£8330). . A fiords craft which has arrived at the Bluff (writes our correspondent) brings mining news of a recent date. The Morning Star (reconstructed) had driven on to irood, likely ground, with gold visible to the naked eye. They had taken dlit a test load with the view of having results ascertained in^time for the next outgoing steamer. Their own stamps being out of gearing, the stuff, estimated at a ton and a-half to two tons, was baiged over to Cuttle Cove battery, and. when our correspondent's informant left, the tables were beginning to show up nicely. The same authority reports that' the abandoned ground in Wet Jacket has been taken up on behalf of an Invercargill prospecting party. So far as I have ascertained the material here seems suitable for treatment by means of smelting. - i August 14-. Tha master of the Good Chance dredge, in reporting a return of 370z, wir6s that | the wash is improving. The Alexandra' Herald / reports' that a start was made last week to warp the Clyde dredge itp stream, but so far progress has been somewiiat slow owing to the dangerous state of the river. The master of the Electric No. 2 dredge reports that he successfully passed tbrougn the rip on tbe 13th ' . The secretary of the Waikaka United notifies the declaration of a dividend (the fifty-first) of one shilling par share, payable forthwith. ' _ The directors of the Koputai G.D. Company have declared a dividend (the eigh-.teen-tJi) of 2s per share, .payable on August 18. ' ' ' A fair run is reported by the Pmit j dredgeniaster, 7J chains of bottom having I been got over The hard clay bottom is going out,- and the sandstone is coming in. Prospects are poor on the bottom, and on the layer ore keeping about the 6ame. The Sandy Point dredge worked 121 hours last weelc, the cut being three, chains wide. The height of the face above water level is 25ft, and tibe distance worked ahead was 12ft. The face is still very fine, another seam showing above the water leveU_and the bottom seam remaining very tigirL The ground is very poor for Hhe quantity of stuff worked. On the inside the bottom is of sandstone, with pipeclay on the river side. During the hearing of an application by the Earnscleugh Company for protection over two of its claims at the Alexandra, ■sitting of the Warden's Court, the secretary stated. that 6ince the registration of the company between £bO,OOO and £60,000 had been expended in working these two olaime. The present dredges are now too small' to work the high banks, and the company proposed to erect a larger dredge to work the claims. TChe pontoons of the Fraser Fiat dredge, which were purchased by the company, would be N u6ed for the new machine which, ws& intended to be constructed. The New Trafalgar dredgemaster reports a fair week's dredging of four days in the eastern section and two days in the middle section, nearly all the gold coming from the former. After the first two cuts on the middle section the bottom deepened from 28ft to 40ft, and it was impossible to bottom at that depth near the western section. There are two narrow strips of .wash of 15ft wide — one near the eastern section, and one about the middle of the face. The rest ot the face is drift, and strips of wash run at right angles from the terrace. August 16. The return from the New Trafalgar dredge this week was . obtained from the middle section. The master of the Alexandra Eureka dredge has been pulling ahead all the week, and consequently has no wash-up to report. It is not generally known that the famous Waihi Company has a namesake in Western Australia. The Australian " Waihi Gold Mining- Company " has recently completed the purchase for £1200 of the Northern Star mine, Norseman. A , trial crushing of 111 tons, taken from de- ; velopment work, yielded .£236, the tailings assaying 6d\vt. August 17. The Molyneux River was on Monday morning 7-ft above the normal mark at Alexandra. _, „ The secretary of the Muddy Creek Company reports a return of 18oz from the No. , & dredge v for 122 hours' work. The secretary" of "the No Town Creek Company reports a return of 330z for 132 hours* _ work/ Writing to tbe secretary last week, the r master of the Central Charlton Company's j dredge stated that he was getting on well with the repairs, .and that he expected to resume dredfeing alxfttt to-day. The Earnscleuigh Dredging Company has engaged Mr J. M. Stewart's keystone .driller- /or a series of bores on its claims in the Alexandra district. A start is exported to be made" next Monday The wash-up at the Parapara Sluicins: i j Comipany's claim at West's Flat last week ■ ' was 128oz of gold, representing a gix weeks'

run. Mr Bassett (the manager) advises ' *hat over £9000 -worth of gold has been won from the present site of the elevators, i a<r»d that it will be necessary to shift the ' plant to another part of the flat shortly, as nearly all ground available from the present position has been -worked out. Results are still very satisfactory.