a—3a

50

Hercules No. 1, Boxburgh. —(13/9/93): The ground being worked for some time past is close to the river, into which the tailings have been cast during that time, thus leaving an open paddock in which the large stones only remain. This paddock is now probably 20 chains long, which allows a very large amount of drainage to percolate into it from the river, consequently valuable time is sometimes lost while this body of water is being pumped out. It is, however, intended shortly to build a rough dam-embankment in the worked-out ground to keep back the water, and then sluice into it. By this the length of sluice-boxes will be reduced, there will be less wear-and-tear, and little tailing labour required for a while. The depth of material removed is about 70ft., which is in layers of fine and coarse gravel, some of them carding a little very fine gold from a little below the surface to the bottom. From the line of the gorge, a short distance above the claim, and the general appearance of the flat and terrace on the claim, there may possibly be a run of payable ground between the present workings and the high terrace on the east side of the river. In order to test the ground the cost of cutting a narrow strip across the flat would be a wise expenditure before finally abandoning the claim. There are three shifts of men employed. J. Ewing's Claim, Boxburgh. —(13/9/93) : This claim is now in full swing, having any quantity of water in the head-race. I imagine there are at least 200 heads flowing from the Teviot into the Clutha at Boxburgh. The wash in the claim is somewhat coarse in places, and looks promising for gold, but it is all poor so far as it has been tested close to the river, where it was thought the best ground would be found. The bottom is very soft in places, and looks like clay; in others it is soft schist-rock. The clay bottom is said to be the best for gold. I should very much like to hear of a good run of gold-bearing wash being found in the big flat back from the river. No doubt this flat will be fairly tested somewhere at an early date, notwithstanding the opinion of some experienced miners that payable ground will not be found beyond a certain distance back from the river-bed. The Ettrick Dredge. —(14/9/93): This dredge is no longer the shower-bath it was when it first started to work. The high bucket-wdieel is removed, and the sluicing-water is now being forced up by a centrifugal pump, as is done by many other dredges. It worked about two years opposite the mouth of the Benger Creek, but, finding the ground very poor, and little prospect of improvement, it was shifted a little higher up the stream, where it has now been working a short time in ground little, if any, better than the first operated on. The gold obtained for the last twelve months ended August last was 4920z. The consumption of coal for the last six months was 259 tons. There are six men employed. Brazil and Party's Dredge. —(l 4/9/93) : This is one of the first dredges that worked on the Clutha Biver, just below the Punt at Miller's Flat, and has therefore been working about sixteen years. It was originally worked by a current-wheel, but two years ago was altered to a steam dredge, and is still working at a good profit, small though it be. The claim is likely to last another seven or eight years. There are three shifts of men in the twenty-four hours ; in all, six men are employed. The coal costs 15s. per ton, and the expenditure on that alone is from £12 to £16 per month. The bottom of the river is hard in places, but the bulk of it is soft clay, which is always the richest in gold, and the most easily worked by the dredge. The gold returns have been splendid during the whole time the claim has been working. The depth dredged is about 20ft. Bennett and Party's Dredge. —(l 4/9/93): This dredge is working the adjoining ground on the down-stream side of Brazil and others. It was also originally driven by a current-wheel, but some three years ago it was found impossible to get it to work when closely hugging either side of the stream, where they sometimes found some very good ground. Therefore, in order to follow the good ground wherever it was found, the current-wheel was removed, and a portable engine placed on board in its stead. Since then the dredge has worked steadily, with fair returns to the men. The claim is likely to last ten or twelve years yet. There are six men employed, in three shifts. The consumption of coal per month is about 12 tons, and costs from £9 to £10. Pringle and Party's Dredge. —(l 4/9/93): This is the first dredge that was used on the Clutha Biver. lam told it originally commenced mining operations above Boxburgh, but not finding much gold there it was shifted gradually downward, prospecting the river-bed as it went, till it reached the spot now held as a claim, immediately above the Golden Run dredge, where it has been working for about twelve years. The prospecting coming down the river extended over several years. The dredge is much larger now than when ib was built, having been altered and added to about three times, which additions have made it as large as some of the others in the same stream. The gold returns are said to be very good, and the claim is likely to last for some years yet. It employs about the same number of men as the others. Island Block Extended Gold-mining Company. —(14/9/93) : Quite lately the mining operations are being carried into the flat from the river, and towards the terrace, and the result is the finding of what appears to be a good run of wash, which yielded, in twenty days, 2500z. of gold. By this washing an open face of 160 ft. long on the terrace side was made, showing a fairly payable and good-looking wash along that side, on a level bottom. Possibly this may be the edge of a long run of good ground extending back from the river. A prospecting paddock was, however, lately opened about 100 yards higher up the flat, and nearly the same distance back from the river, but the bottom indicates a dip to the terrace, carrying very open gravel. If there be a deep channel filled with clean gravel it should be crossed as there is a good chance of finding fairly payable ground on the rise to the terrace. The same mistake has been made here in the size of pipes' as at other claims. The head of water is 800 ft., but the pressure-gauge only registers 2701b. to the square inch when the nozzle is working. It is said the jet carries the material up from 56ft. to 70ft. or 75ft. Parker's Special Claim, Waipori. —(23/9/93): There are 9 acres in this claim, to which there is a head-race cut, valued at £500. This claim has been working for the past twenty-nine years, during which time about 3,3930z. of gold have been taken from it. The claim is likely to last a lifetime. At one time it was worked by open-sluicing, till the hsight of face got up to from