INTERPROVINCIAL

Dunstan Times, Issue 1053, 23 June 1882, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL

Information'of a sad affair was brought into Blenheim, on Jane, 20. Tho facts at present known appear to be that one day last week a shepherd named James White and a cadet named John Harris went out mustering*at Black Birch Station. Owing to a fog, or the snow, they lost their way and wandered about for a day or two, until finally they ranout'of provisions. Famished with hunger and exhausted by exposure, White wasjunable to proceed any farther, and desired Harris to push on and obtain help. Finding that it was useless to stop by White unless both were to perish, Harris pushed on, aud succeeded in reaching an uninhabited house on Awatere Shearing reserve. Here he was found some time later by one of the Messrs Mowatt in a thoroughly exhausted state, having no food, and being unable even to light a fire. All that Mowatt could gainer was that White was on the hills, and that they must go and search for him, which they did, and succeeded in finding him (dead?) at a spot near Mount Horrible, some 20 odd miles distant from Black Birch Station. Harris, though very week, is expected to recover in a few days. Cormick and party, at the Woodstock Rush, washed up on Saturday, and obtained 22 ounces of gold, the result of 40 loads of washdirt. A number of other claims will wash up immediately, they having been waiting for water. The rush is in. creasing daily, and there are about 1200 men on the field,

Quite a rush has set in to Slatey Creek, almost due west of Ahaura, and in the Blackball-Moonlight (Ranges about 30 men are on gold and have settled down for the winter, building good huts, A good track to the locality is much wanted, as all the provisions have to be packed on men’s backs for the last four miles, the country being very broken and difficult. Several quartz claims have been recently taken up in the Blackball district. ....