EARLY GOLD DISCOVERY

Hokitika Guardian, 21 October 1921, Page 4

EARLY GOLD DISCOVERY

FIRST RUSH TO Till'. COAST. A ROM ANTIC ACCOUNT. (From llie Reports of Sir .lnlius von Ilaast, F.R.S. to the Canterbury I’rovincial Government,). (Continued.) NIV. Tin: ALLUVIAL 001. OKI KUOS ou WESTLAND.

Although it is beyond tlm scope ol this report to give nit exhaustive account of the goldfields of Westland, wish to offer at least some remarks upon the formation ot those* hods m which the principal workings are situated. They are of various elm racier, aml may be classed as alluvial, tinner and littoral deposits. The aHuii.il heds from which the largest amount ol gold has been, and is still being derived have been formed during, 01 at. least ’immediately alter, the termination of the Rareora formation u aptmn Mutton's Kanieri group). In previous chapters 1 have pointed out that xifore the advent of the formation, amt during the time the Oaniam series was

deposited the land having sunk several thousand loot hclow it- pit's, n calcareous strata, finely grained. I rout the nature of the deposited material, were thrown, d.. vn I hose deposits partly hy raising the hod ot the an Imt. principally by the upheaval of the I slit mis, assumed gradually a shallow water or littoial c.iai.uIt is at the same time evident that many oscillations occurred, judging from the strata under review, although a gradual rising "as pt« •" ant. Tints we lind, to give ’.he genera loalU'es that the lower Inter gunned limestones were followed hy < layntarls and clays, the latter becoming mote and more arenaceous, till the uppermost hods, consisting of a loose lerritginos'l sandstone, are teaelnd. Il'ese last the uppermost marine hod. a- tht>v are everywere succeeded

olltets of ;t very different eltaiaeter. to which we may assign the name ol jhe Great or Lower gold dull ol N«’w /-eaIttml. Instead ot maiine strata, m-l----tate ami lluviatil hetls appeal , t oiM'liii.f of lioulilers. shingle, gravel. 5.,n.. and loam (S,lt) where Vfce P'cctuUs metal has been lei.dm dw‘nh la. I.ee" brought down from the ranges. For an enormous lapse ot t ime ' • ■ ranges have been subjected, hr.-, to matine and it I tel wa rtls lit -oo.uiia ileitinlaliot). Thus, where this lower gold drift Ims heen preserved v. melt, owing to if - peculiarly loose ha: ace t . ,j onlv happen under very lavot.ible eiretimsmuees. it is oln iolls Mat t he pie,ions met a I eoniamed in it must be abundant. To this conclusion we must atone, if we cot,side, I ha' dining the oradnal rise ol the land, gloat denudation ..f the rocky sui’lae.-.s of the k-lami went on coin iiiually. m which ‘ln gigantic glaciers took a considerm' -bate, ami that the iivei' h-t I.,were a hie to tle-lroy not only "r, a’ m.-t.-ses ol tack:-, cithet hy undermining their banks and tellin g he:i , -l- ' -renter -ix.e along, hut also by 1 “ - ~t those sources |„.|he. Wf.lt I,ls the sea. \* soon as I’lieis ol anv size reached the ralhet 'hallow -el. ,|, j,a- ol la I ge llilliensielts were |o; l> ... ..he gold was ultimately d. po-u----ed. llt my tepot I on the lorniat mu ol^: a t attic. 1,111 y plains. I 1 i'” • M ; : ‘"- fan-like beds are lormed. and how t |:e V ate liable to he destroy, d. or to ! V,meted li\ lluvialih’ deposits ol

e. teu-nl origin. That, aNo, '< \,,111,g mine, tie or older plna-cm led- i tit media 1 e! y underlying the gieal eii'd-dril t. unde; went cuii.-idei able iitidatiou 111 main loealiiies. is well cs|,tl j ed by range- consisting ol these lock', situated I root I "tr to "i" miles 1n,,,, the eoasl-line. and b I" -It:, feet high, ialltng steeply m many pj- towards the east. I I oltea In, m true iti/.oi l.a- K li !".(--. parallel with lb- dife-tl 1 : ' - C--I , bam. Remains ol :! .- meat ; • ' 1 i.,1, at" slid pres." red oil the son,mil ,Mi,..,, ililg,--. thus showing that the-." elder alluvial beds, in many instances a---U,,nng tin- text 11 re u) a eouglo'eel ,* i emtsideral.le liai.ln.---. eev.-t.-.l milf. :■ in 1 v the w hole zone, and I hat mre • h, it- ’deposition rematkahl • denudation lias iltete taken place. , |t, tilts i,bier alluvium the primi-' 1 - eel,Hit-Ids of Westland ate situaled. ol whi.h the (> teen stone. Kuluara. Wat--11.. a. Kanieri. and Ross digging- ate Ihe most impoitain. It is es;a - itdl.i in those localities that iavoiirablc eireiiuistaiiees have existed Im a prcsetia-

lion ol these deposits. If we examine these beds with care, and follow them a considerable distance, we find that they consist mainly of the alluvial deposits of ;i large river, coining from the northeast through the present Grey valley, skirting the western foot of the llohouu range where the Greenstone diggings are situated. This river was joined hy several tributaries as tar south as the Tolars river, their deltaic deposits having considerably raised its bed. TV auriferous alluvium, forming a plateau washed hy the sea, and reaching to the western foot of the Southern Alps, was afterwards to a considerable extent preserved from destruction bv the outrunning ridge between the last-mentioned river and the

.Mikomti. The lithological character of the boulders, of which this alluvium consists, gives us at once an insight into the nature of the both from which they are derived. They are associated with them, dioritic sandstones, graywaeke, conglomerate and hrceeia. elav, and silieious slates, and diahnsic rock all of which ate found near the summits ol the Southern Alps, together with the fine-grained, light coloured schists, characteristic to that formation. Rut a very considerable part of the alluvium consists of metnmorphic and plutonic rocks too numerous to mention, hut clearly indicating that the longest

course of river went through rooks of that description, and that the greatest denudation Ims taken place amongst, them. It is evident, therefore, that the boulders, gravel, and sand, of which those alluvial deposits are mostly composed, must contain a great deal ot gold, which however, would not he worth extricating, Intel not nature herself concentrated the precious metal in numerous localities by sluicing the original acctimiilatinns on such a gigantic -calc as can only he effected by natural physical forces. This West Coast plateau, besides be-

ing intersected hv a number ol large livers, is nearly separated from the higher mountains forming t'c outrunning spurs of the Southern Alps by small streams running goneially in a northern or southern direction, before joining the it,ain river. The eonse(|iience is. that for a long period it lias remained almost intact, till smaller water-courses, doived from the surface drainage, began to form channels, taking their source on the plateau itself, which has the .liaractet of a swampy plain covered with manuka .scrub and other vegetation peculiar to moist localtl i -s.

I have already stated that tit ■ elder alluvium covers the highest young te-tiarv ranges, which ate of an nltit tide ol about >OO feet and tepo-c uncomfortably upon the crotacoo tertiary strata near the Grey. Of these laels I met numerous instances during my vat ions journeys across the goldfields. wltete sharp r.’V'.nrback ridges have been fo,tiled, still heating a distinct capping of suliangiilar boulders on their summit. 1| is thus evident that when we meet with the otiginal deep channels or lead.', wltete during tt long lapse ol time the gold could (• licentiate, ,t licit hai vest may lie-e.-tpe: l■■d by the gold miners. T,, sue 1 , old channels of concentration some of the goldfields of tile Greenstone. Waiinot. Kauieii. Ross ami the lytely tli-eov.oed Kiimata diggings belong.

\ lint hot class ol goldtiebl- c'-e- its existence to the destruction "I l!:e old alluvial beds, when the gold disseminated through them has become , oneeutrated in the piescnt water-eoiir-.es or on those narrow terraces hinging them, which were funned when the rivet stood al a higher level. The hioadci and mole numerous ihe torratv. tin less ate the chance- Ilf tile existence ol rich lead'. In No. illii't rat ion I give a sect ieti Meat Waitseii township, where the high banks on Loll, sides consist nt somewhat micaceous clayleatls belonging to the Kanieri I’m mnti.iii, t .pped by alluvium. The tiver llotvs here in two hranehes with a huge • island in ihe eentte formed ..! newer alluvium. The working nf this lied, although only two feet thick, has pto\ t*d vei y tetniinerat ive. Ascending the Wa i Inca creek we lilld that its channel gradually nations, and that a utile above the township it tuns in a deep gorge .till into the Kauieii beds ■Section .No. IP. The alluvial beds along the live] are here about lb I’eet wide, teaching onlv a lew feel above t tie pr.-setU level of tile wale, . Tl.e.v have ptovetl to he exceedingly licit 111 gold, whilst the terraces on l.otli sides, alaitl! i’ll feet ahove the Witter. have been t emu net a t ive only when several favourable rumiilion.s ttuiteil. The third seetioll (No. 7) is from the lower com sc ol the Kapitea, a small watcieoitise reaching the sea ninth of the Waitnea. The old river hed is here very wide, the tertiary cliffs standing tt considerable distance from each other, and the low terraces between them being of considerable breadth. This valley was thoroughly prospected in |'lib, hut no payable giotind could he detected, although everywhere v i.v line scaly gold in minute (pianti ies was to la obtained. Some of its .-lit.til tributaries proved, however, of considerable richness.

In siiiiu* i ns; a ores this auriferous ill ill i irrll | s either amongst till' l)li)|:i in it* areiimulat ion ns. I'm instance, mi tin' Kunieri linn. about six miles nlinvr llu* townsliip nl' I Inn limin', nr I lie Ilium- limls 1-t 111 1 :i in i ll<r the precious iiirl n I Ini vi* lii'ioi preserved liy tin'll! limn (lest i iii-t inn. This is well shown in ilm i I ill's nt lho jniifl ion ol' i lie Kmiie'ri wiili ihc Hokitika river, wkeie 1,1.1 pieghicior nlliiviiiin is immediately i.ivered hv sill, over uliieli again, mi mieieiil nun nine hns lieen aeeumnluting. This nllnviiiiii, without n iloii lit. lit < 111 ii lit down in the heil ol n large tor11*111 issuing from n ul,'icier then not lm ilistsmt, often eontnins n coiisiilerabl. <111:11iI its of gold, generally senly mnj unlerworn.

Oil the Knnieii lint these nllnvinl deposits linve nls,, yielded n < olisidmnlile 1,11:1111 it v ol cold. After sinking Alt t° ,'to left, ivlit'iv the lionldeis. having alv.nvs their edges soineulint rounded heen me of huge size, n lied "I rntliei inrohereiit sniulstoiie is renrhed, ioiluing I lie hottoni of the nniifeimis deposits. Ilere amongst hloeks ot eighi left in ilimi.eter, I oni se gold e. ns found, mid oil,*o in such large tlint it nns well visible to the linked eye. It is thus clem tlint the huge tniient issuing from the glacier not tar nwny, deposited n coiisidernhlo amount ol course poltl nmonpst the Inrpe boulders. 'l’lie prentest portion, houevei', l-ecnine so finely divided, m nns unshed to such disinneos, tlint nt present it is inneoessihlc to mining opern I ions.

I n t lie descriptive jim ( of this puldicn I ion I linve nlrendv nllnded in the hlnck snnd lieneliers, who watch the const, prineipnll.v in such loenlilies 1 1* i,. smnll indentations Invonr the p,cM'i'vnt ion of innpnctic or titnniloroiis siiuds. These smuts always eoiir*,iii ceitnin nmoiinl of line pold. derived from the enormous destruction nl niii iferoiis locks poinp on without inter--111111 ioti, first I lie rivers draining the Southern Alps, and afterwards along 11,,. sen eo:ist. I limy here observe j 1 1;1 1 some of the (piartz emiphniierntes lielonpitlp to tin' drey Coni Measures, nil prnspecliug linve lieen louml to yjchl n certnin amount of pold. II these operations should prove to he of ~ pnvahle nature, a groat deal of additioual pronnd for mining emerpvise will no douht he opened up. (To fio continued).