This made the Clutha river and its tributaries famous for their gold. In a short time, 2000 miners had descended on Alexandra. Conditions were uninviting initially with a lack of food, equipment and wood. Many of the early miners were Chinese of Cantonese origin with some suggesting Chinese made as many as 50% of the mining population. During the goldrush days, a gold dredge named the "Lady Molyneux" captured 1234 ounces of gold in just one week. Goldmining the Clutha was a dangerous occupation. In 1863, there were 37 men who drowned in the Clutha river or its tributaries. Of these, 12 could not be named. In the 1870's, Chinese miners moved in to re-work claims that others had sold on. By 1889, most of the easy to access gold had been mined and leases were sold for virtually nothing. At this stage, stone fruit orchards gradually took over the local economy.