A BOLD VENTURE.

Kumara Times, Issue 859, 2 July 1879, Page 4

A BOLD VENTURE.

(correspondent southland times.) If ever there was a plucky undertaking it is that of a hard-working, enterprising German miner named Charles Heine, who, all alone by himself, is now engaged tunnelling under the falls of the Arrow river, near the junction of Rankin Gully, some five mile from Arrowtown, on the Macetown road. Those who have never seen the place can have no idea of the magnitude and danger of the undertaking which Mr Heine has set himself to accomplish, while the amount of perseverance and courage necessary for its prosecution almost invests it with the marvellous. It does not matter how many years, but it was a long while ago, in the very early days of the Arrow, when this project was first conceived. A few enterprising spirits, among whom was the subject of this article, conceived the idea of boring through the fall so as to penetrate into the deep river beds above, and which had defied all the efforts of the miners to pene trate. The gold had been traced into the deep ground here, and notwithstanding that everything possible had been done to reach it, the water-spirits could not be appeased, and up to the present moment they still keep angry watch and ward over the coveted and fabulous wealth said to be concealed in the cavernous depths below. The first efforts made were of a very puny character to what has been accomplished of late years, as for a very long time no one could succeed in hitting the proper depth, so as to strike the river wash or alluvial gold-bearing drift. It was all delving in the hard, hard rock, and party after party, using a mining phrase, “got broke,” both in pocket and

spirit, for, above, below, to the right or the left, which ever way they went, there was the same hard, hard rock again, and they never could get out of it. The idea of a large joint-stock company was then conceived, and culminated in the formation of the Sons of Fortune Company, because its sanguine promoters fully believed that nothing but fortune could attend their efforts. This happy consumation was not, however, reached, and after expending some L6OOO, they found themselves to be “sons of misfortune,” and the property was sold off by auction for a mere nominal snm, Mr Beine being the purchaser ; and this carries my story over a period of 12 years. The new proprietor, as might have been expected, was set down as a visionary, and, finding nobody willing to join him, resolved to carry on the work himself, and, in the early part of 1878, started to erect a stone dwelling, fenced in and cultivated a garden, and otherwise prepared for a long campaign of hard work. This occupied the time until the following September, when down came the great flood, sweeping and destroying everything before it, and very nigh put an end to Mr Heine and his project simultaneously. The mouth of the “ Sons of Fortune ” tunnel was all closed up by enormous rocks, and to cut fresh roads and re-open it carries us on to February last, when the work of driving under the river was once again resumed. The defunct company had already penetrated some 600 ft. under the “falls,” and actually struck the “ river wash,” but failed to obtain sufficient gold to pay the expenses of working. Several coarse pieces of the precious metal were found, evidently showing that the coveted treasure was somewhere in the vicinity. Mr Heine elected to drive further ahead for some 40ft, which distance he has accomplished, and is now engaged in putting in a crosscut drive which is expected to touch the wash somewhere about the middle of the river. A work of this magnitude to be carried on by one man is something extraordinary, the difficulties and danger attending the operation requiring no ordinary degree of courage. I paid a visit to the workings, the nature of which to a person unacquainted with mining are enough to frighten you, Descending the steep bank of the river, over the wildest confusion of rocks imaginable, you arrive at the bottom of the Arrow Falls, and in a little nook close by is the entrance to the tunnel, from which issues a constant stream of at least a sluice head and a half of water. The falls are broken in character, the river descending about 120 ft, making such a din that it is difficult to hear yourself speak. Donning oilskin and sou’-wester, and candle in hand, carefully guarded by a tin shield to protect it from the wet, and followed by Mr Heine, I

proceeded to explore this aqueous undertaking. At the time the claim » was held by the old Sons of Fortune Company I used to think it made an immense quantity of water, but since the ground has been disturbed by the flood, the quantity has considerably increased, it being one continual shower bath. The tunnel for at least 500 ft. has been driven through nothing but a vast heap of enormous boulders, jammed so tightly together as to keep in the place, only requiring a stick cf timber here and there where things look dangerous. The air is very bad, and to keep your candle alight it is necessary to carry it low down at the bottom of the drive; even then it burns very dimly. As you patiently plod along in the water following the course of the tramway, keeping your head down so as to prevent a collision with some projecting point of rock or piece of timber, you arrive at a place about 500 feet in from the mouth, where there is a sort, of chamber, fortunately pretty dry, where Mr Heine keeps his tools and a light constantly burning, so that upon the candles being extinguished by the water they can be relighted. Here we had a sort of spell, and prepared for the extra aqueous region further on. From this the air became very bad, the candles scarcely burning ; presently your ears are greeted with a tremendous din of water pouring upon

sheet iron. It is here that the river br-jke in during the flood, but fortunately the opening got filled up again, and there only remains a bad leak, the water being thrown on one aide by a sheet of galvanised iron. Passing this delectable spot, we soon arrived at the “face,” where there is considerably less water, but quite sufficient to make things pretty uncomfortable. The air here is very bad, and not sufficient to support the combustion of two lights, coupled with the breathing of two persons, at one time. The workings now are all in the solid rock under the river bottom, and no danger need be apprehended from any sudden influx of water, while the “ wash,” when struck, will doubtless be of a very tight nature, and can be undermined with safety. After a short inspection of the ground our candles became - xtinguished and it was impossible to relight them. You could strike a match, but after the explosion it would instantly go out again. There was nothing for it but to grope one’s way back to the “chamber” in the dark, and dark it was indeed, and to tell the truth, I was very glad when I reached that temporary haven of shelter, and Mr Heine had just struck a light, for even here the candle had gone out. We then proceeded more comfortably to the mouth of the tunnel, Mr Heine uses nothing but dynamite in his work, using a threequarter inch bit to his drills, which he can easily manage single handed, the dynami'e thus saving a man ; were powder used a much larger bore would he necessary, besides, in the case of a wet hole, with dynamite no tamping is required The shots are of course discharged at “knock-off” time in the evening. T remarked to Mr Heine that he wanted a mate to help him ; he replied that nobody would enter into the undertaking, while so much as a visitor had not been near for months past to disturb the solitude of bis labors, the few who had paid him a visit having expressed an opinion that they would not care to work in the mine for all the gold supposed to be contained in the Arrow river, I must say that in this opinion I almost concurred, as, were a sudden influx of water to take place by the displacement of one of the large loose stones in the first 500 ft. of the tunnel, there would be no escape, and all hands would be drowned like rats in a hole, and no help possible. Of course, in the event of payable gold being found, the tunnel could be properly secured with timber, as well as enlarged and rendered more ship-shape ; but this is not likely to be done in the absence of the longsought for result. In concluding this subject, I can only say that I have seen a good many hazardous raining undertakings befme, but I never saw or heard of a case where so much single-handed pluck and perseverance under difficulties were exhibited. Mr Charles Heine is, without doubt, the boldest mining adventurer in the Wakatipu district, and certainly deserves success.