THE WEST COAST GOLL FIELDS. HOKITIKA. 2,053 OUNCES OF GOLD OBTAINED BY FOUR MEN.

Evening Post, Issue 268, 16 December 1865, Page 2

THE WEST COAST GOLL FIELDS. HOKITIKA. 2,053 OUNCES OF GOLD OBTAINED BY FOUR MEN.

The West Coast Times gives the following particulars of the extra success which has attended the operations of four men on the sea beach : — Halp-a-Hdndbed-Weioht or Gold. — On Thursday a rumour was in circulation that fifty-eight pounds weight of gold had arrived in town from the Three-Mile rush south of the Grey ; and the fortunate individuals who brought it being those meu who first opened the beach diggings, and created such an excitement in Hokitika on the first golden result of the discovery Well knowing .the importance of either tl c truth or falsehood of such a report being made manifest, we made immediate inquiries, which we are happy to say turned out most satisfactorily, Watson and party the prospectors in question, having placed' in Mr. Proctor's hands for smelting «83ozs. 15 dwts. of gold, roughly retorted, that when smelted yielded the magnificent result of 6740z5. 3dwts. 6grs ; this return leaving a margin of 9ozg. lldwts. 16grs # for dross and inferior metal only. This doubtless will be interesting to our beach miners, as it gives them some idea of the loss they are likely to sustain on the gold through smelting. The sample we have now quoted may be considered as remarkably clean, showing what perfection our miners have already attained in retorting their amalgam, considering the very primitive appliances they have at their command for the purpose. At our special request, Mr. Proctor very kindly hunted up some of his old smelting memoranda, when recorded that his party,the first time they visited him, left gold that, aftersmelting, weighed 1,2400z5. 15dwts. 12grs. ; a short time afterwards the crucible again being called into requisition to purify another parcel, yielded 138ozs. 18dwts. 18grs. — these quantities in the aggregate weighing 2,0530z5. 17dwts 12grs., the estimated value of which, at £3 16s 3d per oz., is £7,830 7s lOd a very pretty sum, we must confess, for four men to divide amongst themselves, giving magnificent wages, allowing nine months to have been, the time it took them to collect it ; for on an averat^e the monthly return per man was £217. The above facts are striking illustrations of the wondrous resources of Westland — resources, we venture to say, it will take many years to exhaust.