THE KIMBERLEY RUSH.

Kumara Times, Issue 3120, 2 November 1886, Page 2

THE KIMBERLEY RUSH.

A TERRIBLE FAILURE. TO THE EDITOR OF THE GREY RIVER ARGUS. Dear Sir—Being one of the West Const party of miners that left Greyniomh in June last for Kimberley, and spent over two months in the district that has of late occupied so much public attention throughout Australasia, and particularly New Zealand, a few particulars concerning the same may prove interesting to your readers. We landed at Cambridge Gulf on the 17th July. The present township, Wyudham, is built upon a miserable site. The Bastion Hills at the back are rugged and precipitous; on either side are salt pans, which at high tide are under water, and the whole space suitable for building purposes does not exceed 300 square yards. Town lots are at present held on sufferance. The upset price per lot is £5. Application must be made and a deposit of £2 10s paid. The applicant can then occupy. In three months the sections will be sold by public auction. If the capitalist outbids the poor section-holder he (the section.holder) must relinquish possession, but is paid for improvements. A new site for the township has been selected about two miles distant from the present one; and if sufficient inducement offer, it is here the Government intend to erect a jetty. Our party (six in number) commenced the journey from Wyudham with pack horses on the 23rd of July, The first ten miles of country is across a low sandy marsh, subject to inundations and unfit either for agricultural or any other purpose. The next thirty miles is fair land, well watared, and if the weather in summer is not too hot, and the flies and other pests too severe, it in well adapted for breeding horses, cattle, and for maize growing. This thirty miles, however, is held by Mr O’Donnell and a firm of speculators in Sydney. From (his to the diggings (he country is nothing but a series of broken rocky ridtres. with occasional r>afr>Vioa n f

A more rugged, barren, miserable tract of country it would be difficult to find. The journey occupied 24 days. We estimate the distance by Mr O’Donnell’s short track, i.p., 170 miles, to be 280 miles. The majority, however, who have travelled over the road contend that it is nearer 300 miles. Our first camp on the diggings was at the Elvita River. Seeing nothing worth trying here, we crossed the range (about one mile) and found ourselves in Hall’s Creek, the moat extensive patch worked in the” Kimberley district. Hall’s Creek is about 20 feet wide, and the patch worked a quarter of a mile in length. In appearance it is not unlike some of the flat gullies in Reefton and Moonlight. In places there is about two feet of sand to strip and a little wash. Mainly, however, it is crevicing. There were about 50 men at this place, and we were informed that some were doing very well, one making Sdwts. per day. Inquiry man proved that this man would be worked out in two days. We met with a party of four West Coasters, and the gold procured by them for one week’s work was 2dwt. From information supplied by those mentioned and others (the lucky individual before mentioned included), I made an estimate with which all agreed—that the return per man at this creek did not exceed Idwt. per day. Hall’s Gully and M'Phee’s are distant respectively 10 and 12 miles from Hall’s Creek, Recently at Hall’s Gully 70 men met and struck an average of the gold procured by them during the day, and it was found to be barely £dwt. or Is 9d per man. M'Phee’s is yielding a like return. Hearing that a man was bringing dirt to a watsrhole 12 miles down the Elvira that was giving lAdwts. to the n o Z dish, we started for this place. The track was down the Surveyor’s Elvira, as it is called, on account of its being the river described by the report of Mr Hardman, Government geologist. Arriving at the waterhole, we look a southerly course, and three hours’ travelling brought us to the place where the gold was being found. ‘Messrs Rasmussen, Tnckey, and I were fortunate enough to get the next claim to the prospectors. Theie being no water within six miles, we had to dryblow, a process quite new and not by any means a pleasant one to New Zealand miners. The first dish gave one colour; still wo persevered and worked our claim. The next claim however (the psospectofs) 90ft. by 2ft. gave 6oz*., and was worked out by two men in five days; the next which also lasted five days; and the next, that of Slonheimer and two others, 6dwts.; ours, the colour before mentioned. Our next veeture was at Crib's Creek. We were told there was a good chance of making a rise here in the rainy season. We found it partially worked, but finding a piece of solid ground with about 12 inches of wash, we uncovered and cleaned about sft. x sft, of bottom and reduced it so that we could pack it on one horse to water, six miles distant. The yield therefrom was six grains. We cocclnded that it was not good enough to follow up the rushes, so we started prospecting for ourselves. It is a country very easily prospected, as there is no alluvial deposit except a little sand in certain large creeks and rivers, such as Hall’s Creek. There is no vegetation, everything is exposed to man’s view. The strata which carries the gold is slate, and the golden belt is about nine miles wide. This belt is cut by the Elvire. This river has been well prospected, yet nothing payable can be found, though there are splendid catches on the open slate bars which cross the river. This in my opinion proves that this nine-mile belt is a very poor one. As regards the field generally, I have no hesitation in publicly asserting that the Kimberley goldfie d has from the first yielded, and is at present yielding, a less return per man than any old workings in New Zealand. The rush now is from Kimberley. Five vessels loaded with passengers are leaving this week. Unfortunately theie are a great many poor fellows who cannot raise even ,£1 to carry them to Port Darwin. The Government Resident has to find work for these, but all they get is XI per week, out of which they have to provide food for themselves. On account of there being no gold coming down, and the country being not adapted for settlement, houses, Stores, horses, and property of every description are being sold daily at terrible sacrifices. Australasia has suffered greatly by this rush to Kimberley. ISlew Zealand, however, bars suffered more than all the others combined, and in the present depressed Mr. o of her final.ecu the colony can ill afford it. Many New Zealanders are returning; gome, alas!

cannot return for some ‘time; - when they do, they aver they will nut so rashly undertake a wild-goose idba'se to a gold-field styled an El Dorado. lam retaining via Meibom ne and Wellingand expect to ,he at : Greymouth about the middle of November. Kindly publish this and use the influence of your paper to prevent any more New Zealanders from being made victims by this terrible failure of a rush.—l am, ike., ; Daniel' Baybutt. Wyndhrm, 23rd September, 1886.