0.—3.

Wetherstone's.

Golden Orescent Hydraulic Elevating Company, Wether stone's (W. Smythe, manager). — (17/5/1901) : Adjoining top end of Golden Eise Claim. Opening out new workings on the side of the flat. Working on a false bottom of cement. Golden Rise Hydraulic Elevating Company, Wether stone's (F. Whelan, manager).—(l 7/5/1901): Elevating old ground on Wetherstone's Flat. During the past year the plant has been shifted about half a mile lower down the flat, the top end of the claim being worked out. Average depth of ground is 14 ft.; false bottom of cement. Head-race to dam, seven miles ; race from dam to penstock, five miles. Five heads of water at the claim, for which 4,000 ft. of pipes, varying from 18in. to 9 in., are in use. Height of lift, 24 ft.; pressure, 300 ft., vertical head. Material passes over 96 ft. of boxes fitted with angle-iron ripples and perforated plates on top of cocoanut-matting for gold-saving. Five men usually employed. TuAPEKA. Blue Spur and Gabriel's Gully Consolidated Gold-mining Company (J. H. Jackson, general manager; J. Qren, mine-manager).—(26/10/1901): Work is being conducted on the usual lines, which have proved satisfactory in the past. Great care is exercised in regard to the safety of the men employed. On the Blue Spur side of the cement-deposit operations have been carried right back to the boundary. Thirty-five men are engaged. Local Industry Gold-mining Company, Gabriel's Gully (S. Johnstone). —(26/10/1901): The upper claim being nearly worked out, the water-race is being extended in readiness to have the plant removed to command ground lower down the gully. Kitto and Party's Hydraulic Sluicing and Elevating Company, Munro's Gully. —(26/10/1901): The claim is held and worked by a private party of shareholders. Elevating is still being conducted in the old Blue Spur tailings, which will probably last about another year, when operations will be started in the cement. Elevating, 75 ft. ; length of run of boxes, 120 ft. Seven men engaged. Mills and Party's Hydraulic Sluicing and Elevating Company, Munro's Gully. —(26/10/1901) : The company is working old alluvial diggings ground previously turned over in Tuapeka Creek. Owing to shortage of water-supply only two men are presently engaged on day-shift. Waipoei. Golden Key Hydraulic Elevating Company, Mitchell's Flat, Waipori (J. Gare, manager).—■ (17/5/1901): Private enterprise, consisting of four working shareholders. The water and ground were previously held by the Golden Key Gold-mining Company, and abandoned by them. 600 ft. of pipe-line, working under a low pressure. Height of lift, 10 ft., the material being carried over 45 ft. of boxes provided with Venetian ripples and perforated plates for saving the gold. The ground worked consists of 15 ft. of clay and about 6 in. of wash, lying on rock bottom. Four men employed. Farrell's Deep Lead, Waipori (George Gare, manager). —(20/5/1901) : Working terrace ground on private property leased from Mr. Cotton under arrangement of acreage rent and royalty on gold won. The races total about fifty miles in length, and carry about eight heads of water to the claim. The bottom is very uneven, and the face—which averages about 12 ft.—is intersected by hard bands. Height of lift, 30 ft.; length of boxes, about 48 ft., with Venetian ripples. An elevator is also in position for working the deep ground out toward the river. Five men employed. Lammerlaw Greek Hydraulic Gold-mining Company, Waipori (W. E. S. Knight, manager). — (18/5/1901): A claim on the Lammerlaw Creek above its junction with the Nardoo Creek. Eace, sixteen miles, carrying eight heads of water. With 250 ft. pressure, the material is lifted 27 ft., and discharged over 54 ft. of tables provided with Venetian ripples and perforated plates. Six men are usually employee! on the claim, but this number is increased when cleaning up the bottom, which is all picked and scraped. The face consists of 10 ft. of clay and 18 in. of wash. Sew Kew and Party, Lammerlaw Creek, Waipori. —(lB/5/1901) : Claim adjoining upper end of Lammerlaw Creek Claim. Worked by a party of Chinamen. Eace, seven miles from Timber Gully. Pressure. 180 ft.; height of lift, 20 ft. ; length of boxes, 46 ft.; length of pressure-pipes, 2,080 ft., varying from 11 in. to 7 in. in diameter. Three men usually employed; working two shifts daily. The water-supply being limited, it is stored the remaining eight hours. Six men employed. Bakery Flat Sluicing Company, Upper Waipori (J. T. Johnston, manager). —(18/5/1901) : This company has in use a total length of seventy miles of races. Five heads of water are brought in from Deep Creek, a distance of twenty-six miles, the remainder coming from Burnt Creek. The water is conveyed across Stony Creek by a siphon 680 ft. in length. This company also has a temporary lease of the Bella Beef race, carrying five heads of water. The number of heads of water in use varies from ten to thirty. The face is about 16 ft. deep, with 2 ft. of wash on the bottom. Pressure, 300 ft. vertical; lift, 30 ft. There are in use 3,000 ft. of pressure-pipes, varying from 15 in. to 9 in. in diameter. Gold-saving appliances, 60 ft. of boxes fitted with ripples and perforated plates on cocoanut-matting. Eight men employed. O'Brien and Party, Golden Point, Upper*Waipori (J. Claffey, manager). —(18/5/1901) : This company a short time ago shifted the plant- about two miles further down the riyer, and up to the present have little more than one paddock taken out. Five heads of water are brought from Stony Creek, a distance of eight miles. Face consists of 10 ft. of river-gravel, with a 2 ft. layer of clay on the top. The material is elevated 22 ft., under 160 ft. pressure. Pressure-pipes have a total length of 2,200 ft., and are reduced from 15 in. to 7 in. diameter at the claim. The boxes have the ordinary Venetian ripples and matting for saving the gold. Five men employed.

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