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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts]

Upper Blackwater

Upper Blackwater.

Upper Blackwater is a small mining township, and is six miles and a-half from Ikamatua on the Grey-Reefton section of the New Zealand railways. It is in Antonio's riding of the county of Inangahua, in the electoral district of Grey, and in the provincial district of Nelson. At the census of 1901, it had a population of 149 persons. Alluvial mining is still carried on at Upper Blackwater, and a considerable number of Chinese are working in the district. Good reefs are supposed to be awaiting development in the vicinity. The township possesses an accommodation house, a store and post office, a public hall, a public school, and two Chinese stores.

Blackwater River Gold Dredging Company, Limited . Offices, Dunedin; Secretary, Mr. A. J. C. Brown; Greymouth Directors, Messrs J. Skoglund and J Petrie. The Blackwater River Gold Dredging Company was incorporated in February, 1903, and has been fairly successful; 3,034 ounces of gold had been obtained up to December, 1904. The dredge in use was formerly the Caledonian, on the Grey river at Moonlight. The pontoons are 97 feet by 26 feet by 7 feet; and the buckets have a four feet capacity. Power is derived from a twenty horse-power Marshall boiler with a sixteen horse-power Marshall engine; the Cutten winches have engines of about ten horse-power.

Mr. Marston Colbeck Cuff , Master of the Blackwater River Gold Dredging Company's dredge, was born in Christchurch, in 1870, and educated at Christ's College. For some time he was connected with suction dredging at Gillespie's Beach and Saltwater, and afterwards went to Fiji, where he entered the service of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. Mr. Cuff was placed in charge of the Company's hospital, and later in charge of a plantation. He subsequently returned to New Zealand, and went to the West Coast at the time of the dredging boom, and started work on the Pactolus dredge. Mr. Cuff was afterwards appointed to the Blackwater dredge. As a Freemason, he is a member of Lodge Mawhera, 136, New Zealand Constitution.