ROSS GOLDFIELDS PUMPING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 28

ROSS GOLDFIELDS PUMPING.

ELECTRIC MACHINERY STARTED. (Frou Ojpb Own Correspondent.) GREYMOUTH, September 8. Ross was en fete to-day on the occasion of the Hon. J. M'€k>wan's, ex-Minister of Mines, visit to open the hydro-electrical pumj>ing machinery, which is now in full working, with the intention of unwatering the deep levels of the Ross Plat to enable mining operations to resume. The trains from Greymouth were largely patronised, all the leading business m'&n of the northern town being present to assist in the function, which, if not the greatest in the Dominion, promises to outvie anything in the Australasian colonies in point of enterprise. By the time appointed for the opening ceremony fully 2000 persons were present, and the weather conditions were absolutely perfect. The guests were most liberally catered for by the company, who had determined to make this the red letter day for Ross, in which they succeeded. Before the works were visited a nice little function took place in tho leading hotel, where the Westland County Council, Ros3 Borough Council, and the directors of the conroamy assembled and eulogised the Hon. J M'Gowan for having acc-epted tho invitation to be present, as they all Teeogniisad that he had proved their test friend. They aJeo paid a high tribute to Mr Blow for the interest he had taken in all public works in tho district, and subsequien+ly, after a sumptuous lunch, Mr H. L. Michel, chairman of directors, reiterated much of what had been said at the pievious fuaiction. At 2.30 p.m. tho formal opening of the machinery was preceded by a number of speeches, Mr Michel leading off with a concise statement of the numerous attempts that had been made to gain the large deposits of the precious metal that were known to exist there. Mr Park had in continplation a scheme for using the "power obtainable from Lake Kanieri for J'lg-htinp- the town of Hokitika, and, having taken Mr H. M. Smythe into his confidence, the latter had seen that with such enormous power available it might be utilised for working the pumps at Ross'e Flat instead, of the primitive and now obsolete methods that were then being worked. These iwo gentlemen had then put their scheme into practical shape, and the result had been the formation of tho pnmpany and the installation of the power jdint and connection* jghjgh #'£S g^ an

accomplished fact. They had received every assistance from Mr M'Gowan, who lad granted them the £15,000 voted for; assisting any legitimate mining proposition, and the Railway Department had aided! them greatly by allowing^ the company to lay their wires on their property, thus saving them heaps of expense in clearing butfh tracks, and the work had now arrived! at the culminating- point, as when Mxt M'Gowam toucESd the button the pumps would start working, and in a few months he hoped the deep levels would be ua.7 watered and the company would begin td reap the reward they had worked fofl during the past three and a-half years. Mr; Wyllie, the mine manager, had installed] tho machinery, and a test had proved its excellence, and already the dtepth of water, had been somewhat reduced in the shaft*a proof that with constant work their -end would be gained. He read a sheaf o£ telegrams from numerous shareholders and others unebde to attend the function, hut! wishing the company every success. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie sent two. telegrams, one expressing his inability to attend, it heing] so near the opening of the session that ha could not possibly spare time, and the! othar stating that he had asked Mr Blow, who was on the Coast, to represent him. Mr M'Gowan expressed has delight at' being present, as he w«s now & free ag-enti, and could not ba accused - of ■ seeking to gain popularity. But he had lived in mm* ing districts all his life, and felt an in- < ierest in this enormore vanAeertdiap^ X which .he hoped to see successful. He' eulogised! ' the late Mr Seddon, whose spirit he fe3fc sure was hovering around them tJhet day, rejoicing that his work was bearing fruit, and oang.ratulated Mr Michel and his co- x directors on their enterprise. He also praised Mr Roderick M'K«<nzie, who wouldi have been only too pleased to be present, but krv»w that to hs . impossible: Mr Blow followed -with <& few remarks of a congratulatory ratutre, the other speakers . being Messrs J Grimmond, S. G. Ferguson (county chairman), Th: Neeley (Ghsristdhurch), T. Borking (president Rima Miners' Association), Park (engineer), after which the electrical engineering contractors presented Mr M'Gowan with a silver in,-* strument suitably inscribed, with which bef set the machinery in motion. The Hon. A. R. Guinness and Mr T. W. Bruce (Mayor of Ross) also spoke, tho former paying a. high tribute to the -late Hon. J. A. Bonar, who had spent much money and taken great interest in t&e development of the Ross flat goldfiekb. , Mr Bark then said they were not going] to allow this opportunity to pass without marking their appreciation of Mr Michel's valued servioes in the work. He bad! worked hard and fought hard to make this affair successful, and they^ asked him to aooepfc a gold medial, suitably inscribed* to mark this occasion. A.n adjournment was then made to the machine-house, where the Hon. J. M'Gowan performed the ceremony of turning on the electric <jui-rent, which started the pumps, and a surprising amount of water ea-ma" away from them during the first half-hour, while the guests, younjr and old. male and female, were served with afternoon tea or any other refreshments they might choose to partake of. In spite of the lengthy speeches. th« visitors from the north were able to return to their homes by the two trains -provided, which were excellently timed. In the evening Roes was still more eir fete, as a large attendance of the residents and numerous visitors kept up tho festivities till probably morning. 1 HOKITIKA, September 10. The pumps at the Ro:s Goldfielde mm» continue to work well. The shaft is now olfiar of water down to the 130 ft leveL The elana could be unwatered much faster were it . not for the fact that the old heavy pumping columns have to be taken out aa tho water is lowered. Under these circumstances it is found necessary to use tho pumps for about an hour only each shift.