ST. BATHANS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 1, Issue 49, 19 October 1870, Page 6

ST. BATHANS.

—o—(From our own Correspondent.) Having reviewed the past history of St. Bathap3, I will proceed to give a brief sketch of it as it now is. To the eye of a stranger, as he commences to descend into the basin from the south, the first appearance of the diggings must be most unprepossessing :—acres of broken ground, and tailings intersected with channels of muddy water, and the only relief to the picture the babbling torrents discharged from the main races over the faces of the claims. As he approaches the foot of the basin, for a minute he will enjoy the contrast that now presents itself in the snowclad peak of Mount St. Bathans, with its razorbacked spurs extending almost evenly down into the Dunstan Creek Gorge, which is formed by the watershed of St. Bathans and Dunstan Ranges. With this scene the Dunstan Creek itself appears in the foreground, winding down an open, flat, and rather picturesque-looking valley, which becomes gradnally larger until it joins in companionship with the creek and the Manuherikia river and valley. This bird's-eye view to the approaching traveller is suddculy obscured by the art of man, who has contrived in a most effectual manner to shut out > ature, and to substitute his own workmanship m about the most primitive and distortionate manner possible to conceive. The buildings and their appurtenances are constructed of all kinds of material, amongst which I may mention corrugated iron, red iron, tin, gin-cases, staves, ami canvas. The street is the narrowest I have ever seen—unless, indeed, those of Constantinople; and in the very centre of the township there stands conspicuously a huge pigstye, generally full of fat pigs, and surrounded with the heads and horns of animals. The effluvium rising out of that locality on a warm day is enough to create a malarious fever : it is positively sickening. Passing hurriedly bv, the stranger (if riding) carefully guides his horse through a labyrinth of children, broken boxes, carpenters' tools and chips, bottles, salmon-tins, and miscellaneous rubbish, until he emerges into an esplanade a degree more healthy than the street behind him. The Catholic Chapel and .Schoolhouse --both neat-looking buildings—now appear to view ; and on the right the Last Push Company's channel, and the Co. busy at work, branch-pipe in hand, carrying everything before them, and even threatening the foundations of the houses. Leaving his horse .at livery, the ; traveller looks wistfully towards the diggings, and taking compassion on him, I proffer myse.f tw show him all that is to be seen of St. Bathans at its present stage. Crossing over the Lasi Push Company's channel at a point opposite the Government buiidings, we proceeded up Kildare Hill, and from its summit I pointed out to him the extensive claims that have for so many years contributed largely to the Escort, and afforded labour to a number of men. The companies who have constructed these long tail-races, and worked so perseveringly around this hill for several years past, are now beginning ([ observed) to reap the reward of their labours : they have thoroughly tested the value of the ground, and can calculate upon fair returns for many years hence. Undoubtedly they have yet many obstacles to overcome : loose drift and bars of pipeclay render the working somewhat dangerous ; but you may well imagine, after looking ;«t the work already accomplished, that the whole of this Kildare Hill will be sluiced through the fork into the sludge-channel before these men abandon the ground. We then crossed i over a few tail-races into Blue Gully (well named) where the bed-rock has been laid bare over acres of ground, thus exposing the bottom of a basin out of which has already been taken about 55,000 ounces of gold. Crossing over to Grave- | yard Gully, at the bottom of which a few mounds and palings indicate the spot where the remains of some of our old mates lie buried, I drew his attention to the entire course of the sludge-channel, from All Nations Creek, at the foot of St. Bathans Basin, to the Dunstan Creek quarter of a mile below in a westerly direction. This splendid channel carries away to the creek —aided by the waters of the Dunstan (Sorgo, brought in by flashing channels at different points- -all the mullock and debris daily discharged from a dozen or more deep claims, worked by strong, willing arms, and twenty-live heads of water passing through the hose. The old channel, that runs, parallel with the other, also to the creek, is used occasionally as a floodchannel while No. 1 is being cleaned or is undergoing repairs. You have now seen St. Bathans Basin workings (I remarked), and if you are not tired, we will cross over the eastern terrace to Surface Hill—the future St. Bathans,—-which always has been, is now, and will continue to be, one of the main supports to this district. But before leaving the basin, I will point out to you other diggings worthy of mention. On that opposite terrace overhanging the township, down to Landslip Point, two miles west, the ground has been prospected and gold found in several places. The prospectors abandoned the ground at a time when water-races were unknown in this locality, and these men reported that if water could be brought to bear, the ground wonld pay excellent wages to sluicers. The three races—Mountain, Enterprise, and Scandinavian—can be easily extended to all the prospected spurs and terraces without lluming, and at comparatively little cost; but it will be some years hence before the water companies will turn their attention to new ground, and when that day comes the township will be shifted to the Dunstan Creek Flat, in close proximity to that ; little red house near the Bace Course which is called the dairy. The house at the nearer point is Messrs Keeuan and Morgan"s, owners of racehorses ; and that chestnut horse on the tether is called Gamecock. He is the sou of Alignonette, Kinross's celebrated bay mare ; and he. though only four yoars old, is well known by all I the sporting men betwwen Naseby and Queenstown. Putting and blowing at the exertion of climbing up the precipitous, edge of the basin, my companion threw himself ou the ground just as Surface Hill workings appeared in sight; and having attained an elevation sufficient to scan all the principal localities in the neighbourhood, I let him recline and listen while 1 pointed out and explained, the works of Nature and of man. Having informed him that the spur we were on was the only one on which one could trace his steps the whole way up to the top of Mount St. Bathans without having to cross any deep gullies,

1 proceeded to point out Omaraina PaBS, northeast by north, between St. Bathans and Hawkdun Ranges—the latter stretchiug away southerly until they appeared to blend with Mount Ida and Kyeburn. There on the south and south-west, I said, you see Blackstone Hill, the Hollands' station, and the Manuherikia ; and that black range beyond is called Hough Ridge. That little white spettk on the range is the Ida Valley Quartz Beef township. That group of buildings down on the flat below us is known as the Hawkdun Station ; and those huts scattered over the terraces and gullies towards the east are the homes of the Surface Hill diggers. The three lines or scorings that you can see along the base of Mount St. Bathans as far as the eye can reach, are the main races belonging to the companies I have spoken to you about. The SflVndinavian is brought from the Mauuherikiaj a distance of eighteen miles ; the Mountain, from a gorge twelve miles dissant; and the Enterprise from Rock Creek, about sixteen miles. That creek below us is called Muddy Creek, and is the only outlet for Surface Hill tailings, which are carried into the Manuherikia at a point three miles below St. Bathans. Those large '*' workings just under us are known as the Scan- j diiuvian claims. The company have occasionally an extra supply of water, which they use in working oti' that ground below which I have just pointed out to you. In one of these upper claims, quite recently, two men washed up and shared between them about 230 ozs. as the result of four months' labour. Their success has given a new impetus to mining in this direction, and others, who had looked upon the ground as worked out, have changed their opinions. Before returning to St. Bathans, let me point out to you the road you will take to the Dunstan. After crossing the sludge-ohanntd opposite Mr I Keenan's farm, you will ride alongside it until you reach the Dunstan Creek, which you will cross, and then follow the track under the Dunstan Range terraces. At two miles south of St. Bathans you will pass Pleasant Valley, a diggings once highly favoured, but at present in abeyance. There is one warty there yet, and, I hear, likely to remain. Beyond the valley is a nice-looking farm, well tilled by one Caleb Uougee, who works hard, raises his crops sue- | cessfully, and minds his own business At two [ miles beyond Pleasant Valley you will pass across the foot of Welshman's iriilly, a locality of great repute. It is a place just like old Bendigo Gully—" inexhaustible." It has been, and is now, a wonderfully auriferous gully ; and the miners there, having a pleutif.il supply of water at their command, are likely to become permanent residents.—l believe I have now described all the localities included within the scope allowed as Dunstan Creek diggings, and 1 hope that as you proceed northward you will be able to hear as promising accounts of other localities as 1 have given you of this. [To he. c included hi our next,.]