Coolgardle.

Manawatu Herald, 20 December 1894, Page 3

Coolgardle.

■■" '.'■» By tht courtly ; of a rtoldent m have bften v shown a letter front Melbourne, dated aQth November, written to him by a gentleman who had just returned from a two months visit to the Goolgardie goldfields. The letter, a most interesting one, wa« .wrjffiyi in reply to a query afcouT" tfte advisableneas of his friends gottig out there, and this is the answer :^-I will neither advise you to gotor attempt to dissuade yon from going, but will, as an old friend, give the facts and lines of the position you would have to take up there, should you make the ventuc^— I give my opinions for whatroey are worth, but they are honest,' and formed from personal observation. Any man going there as a prospector should be in good health and of sound constitution and have the good sense to take care of them. He should have had experience both as a buehman and goldseeker, courage, readiness of resource and faith in the future. It is a most expensive, gpldfield to prospect in by reason or its arid nature and the wont of game and natural resources, and any man 'going to Coolgardie to prospect for gold should have at feast 4/100 with him, and even then jie will have to bide his time, for UPrae new find being made by others which he, can utilise and follow up at once. The best method of prospectjpg- there is to form one of a properly equipped party who can go oat provided with stores, &c, to last from 8 to 6 months, with either camels «r horns, if the latter then tanks and a condenser, will have to form part of the equipment. Some parties (men of experience too) prefer camels to horses and vice versa, with the latter no Afghans are required and their value is considerably less. The native breed of horses are very hardy and cheap, about the size of good ponies and go without water, at a pinch, for 8 daya, and then will drink like camels if they can get it. Coming from the 90 lnife ' to Coolgardie we had 2 horses .and. . • a spring .dray. We started from the 90 Mile with a bag of chaff (8d lb) and 60 gallons of water. , %fe were 4 days and nights on the/rqad as it was sandy and heavy and had to water the horses twice at the condensers as we came alongi Each drink cost 283 for each horse drank 14 gallons carefolly measured out and drunk before my eyes. A party should be composed of not less than three mates or more than six, and on the union and good-fellowshfp-of the party largely depends its suocesp, and in round numbers it will oqstf £100 per man to properly equip? the party. All the rich finds that! have been made -on the field, haie=b|en found by such organised parties as I have attempted to describe, either prospecting dßftftet? jawtf account ox for tbe-iyndl^ftes who fitted them out and pai^ll^m/ wages, in addition, generally,' to a sixth interest in their finds. • '