MR. ULRICH’S VISIT TO TINKER’S AND DRYBREAD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 667, 29 January 1875, Page 3

MR. ULRICH’S VISIT TO TINKER’S AND DRYBREAD.

On Friday morning last Mr Ulrich, accompanied by Mr D. M’Kellar, Gold Fields’ Secretary, and Mr James Hazlett, the Member for the Dunstan district, left Clyde and visited the diggings at Tinker’s and Drybread. The party having visited the famed “ Blue Duck,” and other claims at Tinker’s, and Messrs Grcenbank and Co's Claims at Drybread, pushed on their way, staying at the White Horse hotel, Manuhenkia for the night, making an early start in the morning (Saturday.) At midday they reached the quartz-reefs at the Rough Ridge, where they were met by Mr. Robinson, Warden of the Mount Ida district, into whose charge Mr Ulrich was. transferred. Messrs M’Kellar and Hazlett returning to Clyde, where they reached the same evening.

Of the character of the country and tho diggings at Tinkers and Drybread, Mr Ulrich expressed himself highly pleased, saying, that he little thought tho Province possessed so rich a field, and strenuously urged the prospecting for deep leads, and hands of cement similar to the 'luapeka Blue Spur, he not having the most remote doubt hut that both existed ; he said he should make a special feature of the district in his report, and suggest the advisability of the Government in aiding in such work ; by boring, a good deal of information would he gained. From the geral conformation of the country, and from what he had seen, a rich gold-field existed right from Clyde to the break in the chain of mountains at St Bathan’s, and one he considered worthy the attention of the Government. Of the mode of working, more especially the use of the hydraulic piping, was a step decidedly in ad vance of anything he had seen in the Province, and without anything further was evidence of tho richness of the ground, he should like to have seen the same perfect contrivances for extracting the p; erious metal in all other branches of mining. He thought great credit was due to Mr Grcenbank for introducing such labor saving apparatus as the hydraulic was in sluicing.

Whilst at Tinker's the Progress Committee waited on the Goldfields Secretary, introduced by Mr Hazlett, and brought under his notice the desirability of constructing a main sludge channel from the diggings to the Manuherikia. The argument raised in favor of it being that with a channel little or none of the valuable agricultural laud along the course of the present run of tailings would be buried ; whereas, in the course of a few years, without a channel, hundreds of acres would he. Mr M ‘Kellar said it was his first visit to the district, and he was more surprised than Mr Ulrich at what ho had seen, never, expecting to ree so valuable a country a% ailable, with care, for mining and agriculture. He expressed himself satisfied with the necessity for a channel, and thought the expense wo’dd he more than repaid by the saving of land. He had no doubt the Government would subsidise liberally whatever sum the district could raise either in labor or capital for the work. He would ask the Progress Committee to submit to him a proposal, and in laying it before the Gcvernment they might rely on him putting the matter in as favorable alight as possible. The Progress Committee thanked Mr M'Kellar for the visit and for the courteous manner ha bad met them ; in thanking Mr Hazlett for his attention to the wants of the district, hoped the visit would be productive of much good and a better understanding.