THE BIRTH OF KUMARA

Hokitika Guardian, 1 March 1926, Page 4

THE BIRTH OF KUMARA

SPECIAL REPORT ON THE KUMAR A RUSH. (From “West Coast Times,” Oct. Cth.) 187 G, by a .special reporter.) (Continued). .Starting from the township one is rather surprised on going along the main road at the great number of tents pitched alongside, and still more at the number of men lounging about them. Going along Scddon Street the aspect is somewhat different. There every person appears busy. The shallow claims commence as the stores end. The first, that of Grub and party of four, have got down lift and arc on payable gold at a foot and a halfirom the hoi tom. They arc at what is thought to tie almost tiie extreme west end of the load, which is thought lo turn off northwards at this point. Riel, and party of six. are lti feet down. Th- v say that at 8 feet they ..„t 10/.- a day. but that the gold lias ■rot lighter as they have sunk. They complain bitterly of the lack of water. Adjoining them is Gilbertson and parly’s claim, where they are paddocking and using water from the prospectors’ race. Williams and party on the slope of the terrace lying to the south-east of Die township, have t-.-i to tli" false bottom, ami are tunnelling from their lower paddock to the Tereinakau. They are well satisfied with the gold they are getting, but. lick the others, complain of the scareitv of water. Further up Hie same terrace is the claim of Ahiriarty and pjirtv of -is. These have gone down 70 feel, and although the claim is a rich one. have found no payable dirt lower than 53 feet. This is considered to be one of the best claims on the ground. At 70ft. beyond which they

were unable to go on account oi lout nil-, ihev have tunnelled 570 ft.. and

expect to make a pile when they get the Kapitea water. Harris and party are nut on the too ol the terrace, and

have sunk 100 ft. having gone through •Juft: of wash, ami having again 9ft of

good flirt, at I heir botom. They are working with god results, making from CIO to Cl2 per week per man. This may. however, be looked upon as what is technically called a pile claim. On the Hal below the terrace at this

point, there are a number of chums, ihe sinking ot which averages about 311 ft. ami having lion) 1211 to Fill of

wasllilirt. These claims are. however

barely payable, and the rich dirt is nnlv in small patches. Beyond this place no gold lias been found in a straight line, the terrace which hounds it to the north-east being apparently the outside edge ol the lead. Striking in westward, however, in the direction of the Hokitika road, are a number of claims, all fairly payable. Ol these, Williams and party on llie flat at file Break, or termination ol the terrace, have sunk -to feet, and have got on the gold. Still further westward, and ■on the flat, which is here eight claims wide, is good country, and yesterday three claim-- struck gold. Williams’ party say that from the upper layer of the wash they got eight pennyweights tn the load, and iliat their wash was ]2ft thick, and some of the others s;tv they have obtained on the top of the. wash three grains to tiie dish. Murdoch and party art' on the western hill above the Hat. and have gone down S.T feet. They have also a pile claim, having cot in a strata of Ift as much as eight grains to the dish. Below that they have got another tied ol wash., which is also profitable. Beyond ibis claim, the ground becomes very broken ;uid it little known, at though it is being severely tested, there being ii number of parties sinking; but not having bottomed. Such as have got the wash, however, seem satisfied. The gold is scaly, and rather light, hut there is no doubt it is there, as every dish hears evidence. The sotiiew hat famous O’Rorke'x claim lies here, ami -till luriher i- that ol Barker and party, who are doing very well, but will), like I lie others, grumble at the remissness of the ruling powers -,viih regard to the water supply. Further mi i ban Barkers are two claims, neither of which have bottomed, but still furt-lier.on, a report arrived to-day that a party had gut good paying stuff. Df course reports of this nature are continually living übnui a .goldfield. bin there really appears no reason whv this should be doubietl. inasmuch as the formation of I lie country quite lieiokells il. 1 1 would lie impossible, within the limits ,of the report, to describe tinwhole of the claims, which may now lie numbered by hundreds, but the foregoing examples may give a fair idea of wlint is being done on the Kumars. The great naiil is. as lias boon before indicated, water. Claims, even the best of them, are languishing for lack of it. and owing to its absence rich country is rendered comparatively nonproductive. Nor is there, apparently, any immediate modification of the evil lo be looked forward to. for although the Kapitea Race Company lias in- ( reused its power of supply from lo to 20 heads, still that is not a quarter or an eighth of what is wanted. Certainly steps are being taken to furnish a full supply, but that is a work of time, and cannot lie hoped for for mouths to

come. That the KAimara fs an auriferous lield there is no doubt, lint whether it is a paying one is another matter. Skilled miners, men who know their business and who are not afraid nf bard work and hard living, may and will get good wages for years to come, but nothing more. 11 is no! worth while for any man to come here who is making a living elsewhere, as i'll he can do is make a living, and that at the expense of much labour and considerable privation. Therefore, let those who contemplate adding themselves to the 4001), or thereabouts, persons who are on these diggings, pause, reflect and count the cost before they venture. As it is. for the land opened up. the rush is somewhat overdone especially with the rag, tag and bobtail that, in some inscrutable manner. always turn up at new diggings. In a word, the Kuniara diggings, although permanent, or at all events, likely to last for years, is no place for n man to rush to. It needs persons ai'i iistomed to rough digging life, men ol physical power and endurance, men of patience who are not disheartened at the first failure, hut who will wait and work. I.et the Kuniara lie peopled I with these, instead of the host of use- ' less lumber that sigh and groan and idle- away the time praying that gold j may come for the picking up. and it will develop into a wide spread territory giving employment to thousands of hardy miners. Act another word. If you are mak-

ing a living, stav where you are. or if you come to the Kumara, don’t come with the expectation of growing suddenly• rich, for you won’t. If you are lazy, don't come at all.

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