THE OTAGO GOLD FIELDS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 18, 31 October 1861, Page 3

THE OTAGO GOLD FIELDS.

(From a Correspondent.J Tuapeka, October Gth, 18(31

During the month just past, digging operations have proceeded briskly. The weather lias been favorable on the whole, although somewhat unsettled ; showery the early part, snow and sleet on the sth (Sept.), warm the second week with showers, very heavy squalls with showers the third, squally and unsettled the last part. During the first half of the month new hands were pouring into Gabriel's gully in a continuous stream, and places likely and unlikely were staked out by fortune seekers, holes sunk, and bottoms prospected ; but although many experienced hands have taken up their residence here, acquainted with all the mysteries of the craft as practised in California! and Australia, no new ground has been struck any way comparable in richness to Gabriel’s lucky hit. Two new valleys have been found in which moderate wages or something more can be “ washed’ by the lucky ones, but in neither case have any “ heavy finds” been authentically published. One of them, “ Mansbridge’s Gully,”- was estimated by the discoverer to yield half an ounce per day each man, but numbers have visited it, and reported on it much less favorably, stating the “probable gains” in the richest claims at about that rate, but the greater part not rich enough to yield good wages. The other place is a valley on the South side of the “ Waitahuna” river, into which it drains ; there were about 700 persons gathered there the last week in September, and probably one-third of them were clearing more than wages (say from A 1 to £.2 per day each), about half were not clearing their rations, the other portion clearing expenses or a trifle

more. The commissioner, in an official report, states as his opinion “ that 5,000 persons, properly equipped, would make handsome wages and something more hut this opinion would not he endorsed by many experienced and disinterested diggers, however well it might suit the ideas anil wishes of storekeepers and “ our own correspondents” on the gold fields. Persons who are fortunate enough to hit a rich claim, and those who never dug themselves hut have seen the gains of lucky diggers, are very prone to form and express opinions too favorable as to the average gains in the lottery, forgetting that in all gold lields there are blanks as well as pirizes, and the Tuapeka district is no exception to that rule. One fact mentioned by the Commissioner respecting the “ V aitahuna ’ is not over-coloured, that is the scarcity of firewood ; and as diggers require cooked food, and no scrub or bush is to be had without carrying it about two miles over a veiy high range of hills, fetching the needful for boiling the billy or frying the chops, to say nothing of baking damper, is a heavy tax on the physical man, and a task less exciting than gathering up the precious metal from the bottom of the ripple box, or washing it clean in a dish at evening. The little patches of Manuka scrub in the neighbourhood of Gabriel’s gully are gradually growing less, and should there be any persons venturesome enough to reside another winter here, firewood will have to be sledged from the gully that heads the upper part of the diggings. Many of the original claimholders have worked their lots out and gone home to enjoy their profits, which have been very considerable on the average ; and new hands have taken up their lots, and commenced re-working them, the pieces skipped over by inexperienced or careless men in a rich claim proving in many cases valuable enough to pay well for turning the whole ground over again in a workmanlike manner. In no gold field that I am acquainted with has so large a proportion of the aggregate gains fallen to the lot of the few who first visited the ground. This is partly accounted for by the fact that the first hands made regulations under which they held large claims, and then held (in many cases) mure laud than their own regulations entitled them to ; and partly by the fact that generally the richest claims have been shallow ground, and easily found and worked. A few rich spots have been struck at a depth of ten feet and beyond ; but these are (lie exception, the generality of rich claims being from four to seven feet in depth. Probably over four thousand people are engaged in mining in the whole district, and the average gains may lie estimated by the quantity of gold sent down by escort ; but however true in theory, practically this would lead to a very erroneous conclusion, were any one to estimate the probabilities of success by this rule. Full-sized claims require from two to four months labour to work out properly, and while the first four, five, or even six hundred diggers needed to take but little trouble to find lair payable'claims in Gabriel s gully, and the next four hundred with little more trouble in the two adjacent gullies, the second and third thousand diggers had to prospect about and lose more time before they were able to find payable ground, many of them yielding to then- ill luck and leaving the ground, the escort returns meantime being swollen by the accumulated gains of the first thousand, (for it is very seldom or never that all the gold got is packed off immediately to town, each party generally retaining their gold from sale till their cash is expended, and from being sent to town till it has accumulated to a “ sufficient quantity to be worth sending by escort,) hence the escort returns give an approximation to the average gains in the past, but are no criterion on which to calculate the future. Another fact may be noticed, which is—that the gold sent by escort from the “ Tuapeka” bears a much larger proportion to the total quantity found than was the case at any of the early diggings in Australia. Here, there is no charge for conveyance to town, or storage afterwards, and very little trouble incurred in sending or receiving, and the price at which it can be sold (A 3 11s. the oz.) approaches somewhat near the actual value, so there is no inducement to diggers carrying their gold down on their persons, and but little to restrain them from selling it; contrast tins with the early diggings of New South Wales and Victoria, where there was a charge for escorting, an understanding that gold must be removed from the custody of the Government as soon as possible after its transmission, a great deal of trouble on depositing, and more on withdrawing it; the price at which it could be sold, meantime, (A 3 or often under for gold of the finest quality) being such as to deter any one from selling unless he required the money; all these

subjects considered must lead to the conclusion above stated, that the gold escorted is much larger in proportion to the gains here than elsewhere.

Gold lias been found in sufficient quantity to induce a party to apply for double claims as discoverers, in a valley west of Gabriel’s and Munroe’s gullies, by the bank of the main feeder of the “ Tuapeka,” but it is doubtful whether the discovery will prove of much importance. The valley has been named as usual after the discoverer, and is to be known as “ Evans’ gully,” and has been erroneously described by the Commissioner as being “ about four miles S.W. of the camp,” whereas it is nearer that distance N.W. ; it is much larger than either of the valleys yet worked, and if found worth working might find employment for five thousand men, but its value is as yet very problematical. The rich portion of Gabriel’s gully is little, if anything, over one and a half miles in length, the portion below yielding from rations to good wages, and that above being so patchy and uncertain that it would not be easy to average it, the upper portion of the Hat being quite unprofitable, as well as being wet and deep, as is testified by the number of water holes now existing there, forming a portion of the blanks drawn by the uniortunates of which newspaper correspondents have generally but little to say. That heavier gold has been found in tire highest part yet worked is quite true, but as you proceed up the valley it gets scarcer and more patchy as well as heavier, till the blanks only meet your eye, not a single payable prospect being found among scores of boles. The brook that at the mouth of the gully, and for miles down the Tuapeka, is thick and muddy, yellow as the clay sub-soil, becomes at the head of the valley a bright sparkling stream, untainted by sluice or tom ; above that it comes dancing over rocks and big boulders through a narrow defile, the light ot Heaven shut out by trees and shrubs. Stores arc plentiful now, and of course somew hat cheaper than formerly, tools, especially, can be bad at reasonable rates, considering the high price of carriage ; beef and mutton keep up to the old figure (Is. the IbJ, at which rate the Shepherd Kings of this distiict are doubtless world nc/ the richest claim of all the population ; a solitary bellows proclaims that '\ ulcan s science is not unknown, and next to the squatter lords, the anvil appears to be yielding silver in larger proportion than any other occupation. Fancy bemg chaiged twehe shillings for three quarters of an hours work with hammer, punch, and cold chisel alone, no firing or skilled labour required, and the profits of a forge may be conjectured. °

October loth. Evans’ gully was the last discovery, and it lias turned out a failure. Alansbridge’s gully, discovered over a month ago, has also been a very poor afiair. A digger working there informed me that half an "ounce a day between two men is about the best of the few claims being worked there. The AVaitahuna Hats are attracting some notice, but I don t think there have been any heavy iinds there. Xo new discoveries here of any value. A\ eatber rather unsettled, but rather unseasonably warm. Stores numerous, tools and pumps plentiful. Some carpenters are making toms, sluices, &c., to order ; a second smithy has been established opposite the Post Office in what may be termed “ Commercial How. ’ The population now includes some half dozen medical practitioners, and some two or three dozen women. One fellow or more may be seen hawking grog about openly enough, the shape of the bottle showing plainly through the blue shirt, as the fellow sneaks up to a party of miners, and after a preliminary look around, asks if they want any bread, significantly showing a glass, about which there can he no mistake. A number ot have been try in <>' digging, but most of them have returned to their homes. The majority of these were from AVellington, the few remaining belonging to this Province. The Union Bank and the Bank ot Xew South AYales have both got agencies here, for buying gold especially. How long will it he ere the Xew Zealand Lank enters the lists with them ? A new Commissioner lias been appointed, and an assistant too, as well as two “gold receivers,’’ so the miners can’t complain of being uncared for. If the Otago Government don’t mind they will create more new offices than they will he able to maintain, for the salaries are, here as elsewhere, likely to increase faster than, the funds to pay them.