HAVELOCK.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 104, 19 March 1880, Page 3

HAVELOCK.

[From Our Own Correspondent.] March 14. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, on the ISth instant (before W . Dive, 12sq., J.P.), three persons were dealt with in the usual manner for drunkenness. Two experienced miners, who went from here to the Upper Wnirau goldfield have sent me the foil owing report for publication in vonr paper. If you will favor us by inserting it we .dvdl feel obliged Wc beg to send the subjoined account of our experience uf the new rush to tuc W airau Valley near the Devil’s Arm Chair. We have just retun :-d from that locality, of which wo had hen'd a good account from an old acquaintance, a ho is an experienced divi'er, and had bci-n there some day's, but who had come to Havelock to get tools, &c. We determined on giving the field a fair

Ha’ so 've started from hove on V. edu.-s----dr.v morning, and. arrived there the same night, pitched yur tents, and started next nior.u’".g up the creek. Mr Litcnkviu mVve ,; at the same ’dace about 2 p.m. on Thursday, after encountering sonic dilncultics i; Jfettmg the car: carrying his goods utj tire bank and rr I gtl e of the river ; he :.;M anoth: ' map preccucit ;. e ••; i; ■/,'! { 1 • •;" 1; " shovel, ma.'.’ug tl r-t •vav is'thiV’vv. t oil. After le.vv'g ovr tent the fi-st party wc visited was that of »a 4 A:\ cd f o work system at;cubv. -ml bad pur up r wjug 5". m '•< s mrr V length. Ri d pm sr.-u- long boxes •■•ef, r ., ... .... working > falsi bettor .as in bottom as thed-ainage wore.; allow. Knowing some of the party wc asked how they were getting on, they said “ it was not of much account so far. V c aske 1 leave to trv a prospect, which was granted. We went into the paddock, took a dish oft the false bottom, which they were working on. washed it out- and got fine color oi two, and then proceeded to No. 2 Claim, of which we had heard a good report, and knowing Jackson, we had some conversation with him, and again asked leave to try the dirt, which was assented to willingly. He had a face of three feet of dirt, which he was putting; through the boxes. \\ c tried a dish out of the face, from which a color could not he raised. Jackson said wc did not know how to look for gold, but lie would show us where the gold was, giving us a dish of dirt off the false bottom, which wc washed, and got two very nice colors, there being probably a of a grain in both. So far as we could see there was little or no gold in the claim. Wc had heard before our arrival that Jackson had. about five mens’ ground, there being onlv two men there. IV e asked him where his pegs were which he declined to show, but we told him he would have to show them or we would stretch the tape ; which we did, and found that ho had some 2SO feet in excess of his right. W o pegged the excess off, bringing us then peg to peg with Watson, Ward, and Jackson, who all the time objected strongly and said he had another mate in Blenheim. \V hen he found that would not do lie contended that lie held two Miners’ Rights and that the •wound in dispute belonged to him (-Jackson) and rr.”ty. Wc then proceeded further up the creek to party of three who are all experienced, men, and one of them was well kj. \vn to us on the \\ est Coast. The usual question as to how they were getting on living put, they replied, “it was not anything grand. ' We asked if it was anything more than wages they were getting, and one of them replied, “it is not that.” This is the first claim we saw being worked on the main bottom, and wc were told that anyone coming to tins rush with the hope of making a pile must he mad. We next proceeded to the prospect:. l : - ' claim (Mam s), one oi vnoui we Knew. ami we have eveiy roa-ni ,o brieve '<* oil,vo us a•) m suit .’.cont, wlucn was. 'dim ilk; party had not averaged 5-- a w,:-e>c an . “ tucker ' since November last. Idiey had got a jiaicii vi seven or eigrt ounces, when the lead broke off, and they supposed it had broken off at the terrace on the right hand side of the creek. They were cleaning up the bottom on a high reef and were just going to wash down the boxes, and did so while we remained. As far as our judgment wei f there were about 3dwts in the box whic.i represented a weeks work. Afterwards this cue oi the same party put a drive in the terrace, there being about six feet of wash in the fall. He got about two loads outside the drive and they could get a little fine gold all through. By permission we tried a (.fish and got two or three very fine colors, just perceptible to the naked eye. We then came to the conclusion that this rush was not as good as it had been represented, and wc went back to our own ground which we had pegged out next to Jackson. Mr had been kind enough to circulate a report that we had “jumped” the ground from Jackson which is a mis-statement. We tried the lower end of our ground and got from 15 to 20 very film colors to the dish. Whilst washing the dish of dirt one man was performing an amusing variation bv flourishing a tomahawk over our heads and swearing if we didn’t leave tlm ground one would have to die, hut we didn t know which to do. Finding he couldn t “ bluff” us he went down and brought his mate as a witness, and told us three times to leave the ground. lie then left and went to what was his own ground. YV e looked round and found this exemplary anti patriotic individual had pulled out one of our pegs. Feeling rather annoyed we went to him and asked him if he had pulled out the peg, to which he replied, “ Yes, he’d throwed it out, and would throw us out if wc started to work.” Wc replaced the peg and gave him to understand that if the same was repeated a T.j hat wouldii t fit his bead in the morning. Tliis philanthropic and self-denying personage, after partaking of a little damper literally, began to experience a damper figuratively, and wisely considered “ Brudencc the better part of valor” and elected to let the peg remain. The next morning we decided that it was not good enough to remain any longer. We gave up possession of our ground to two friends just arrived and levanted. M e would advise anyone who may he making 10s a week and found to remain rather than go to the Devil’s Armchair. March 17.

The weather just now is all that can ou desired. Our arrivals and departures of shipping arc certainly not extensive. '1 he Golilseeker arrived from Nelson on Monday morning. Three “drunks” were brought before W. E. Dive, Esq., J.P., on Tuesday and fined 5s each and costs.