THE HAAST RUSH.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 242, 24 October 1873, Page 6

THE HAAST RUSH.

ME. WABDEN TIZASD's EEPOHT. . ; The fotiqwmg. is a ..copy, of.the Warden's report on tho ground prospected, and-On the ; claim for: w hi oh teb e: prospecting claim has; been gran ted. > '• Tho -report ■AVhich is dated Haast Eiver, Seplember-28, and addressed to the County-"'Chairman is as f'Ollbwsf-rW ■ • '"■■ '-'■ ; " Sik—With reference .to my.eomnrahiCEtion, of th-a,- 2Dfch;«in3taiity-respectiri »the* application of party 'for a--pro3-- : pecting. claim near * the '■ Haast;-1 have, how the -honor-to'.state'that: T ! a?rived on Monday-JaSV in the steamer Waipara, iu compalvy\\vi& liie'prospectors and i forty Or fifty "miners.' -■.>---■■•-• :: 1 "We were pre rented from-starting for/ the claim on that Hay 'by, the/heavy rain, but the following morning it cleared Tups: and, accompanied by Mr. Marks,- X ceeded,,.his,tw6: mates having, -according' to arrangement, gone up to. the ground the I preceding day. - - " We urenfc ia a« boat* up'the lagoon to

tlis mouth of the T[aasfc Eiver7for abouX a mile, and landed at the back of the beach where tlie miners who came by theWalpara Ind c.\:nped the ■'pr.evio.as:Jnight ; most; of them had, : gone: on, and carried, a boat to '■■ Maori Creek,, to which, wo"proceeded, and,there the.body of the uiiners awaitedus, but a ;few ; had gone on. About a -mile farther, on we reached Ship Creek, ...which was, forded about knee deej>, and took' the buili. track cleared by Mr. Malhied, which, although exceedingly convenient on an occasion Jike the present, is hard to travel-over, for besides being generally, muddy, it appeals to be carried over the tops of all the hills, and in its present state is impracticable for horses.-,; I too'cabont two hours and a hair to the prospectors' camp, bujt some of the men laid heavy andT suppose the distance would be about Eve miles. ' We crossed severarsmall creeks,' in which Mr. Marks' stated got gold, and just below the camp is a creek.' from which the prospectors., obtained 35 0z3., of gold they brought with them to Gkarito, including a - three oz. nugget. ■ ■ '/'::■■ '.."'■',...".

"The next morning we crossed the range to -the prospectors' .claim. r It is in ■a very small creek in a blind gully, I was certainly disappointedat the small.•extent of ground left after pegging oif, their claim,- there being only" room' for'<■ abou't three other, claims .besides their, own. I have no doubt they' have a payable'ciaim 1 the prospects taken color to ldwc llgra'td the dish—cdarsegold. ' 'The. claim was. only just opened, the prospectors iiaving wqrked in it bat for about three days ■before; they left forOkaritrv ;haying no provisions ..left. Titereas,about a. foot of gravel \vash on a softiblus :clay bottom. 1 enclose a copy of. the grant of .the claim, ; ';;:';:

"The range on which is situated" the claim runs north and south' and round the base of it winds a creek of only mod-' erate size, and*on each side of- the range are small creeks, running but of. blind guliies into the main creek. The pros? pecrors state that gold is to be had in nearly all of them. Their claim is on the, eastern side of'the range, whilst the creek uea: the camp, from which they obtained most of the gjld t\\?j took to U'carito.'is on the western side ; but whether the gold runs through the range,, is impossible to say, for although the'fact of finding' gold in creeks on each side would tend to that opinion, still, the appearance of the ground close to the crooks dos* not support the idea of there beiag an .extensive alluvial diggings. In the main, creek, there- is every appearance of gold, but no onecould got a prospect. I accompanied four, men a long way up it, but we discovered nothing, and it was difficult to travel.

; Some miners are ..-.trying,-'the. but a good many will leave at once ; but than it must' be remembered that some have left theexpectation of rich fiiicld,' and are now j anxious to get whilst others have doc the meaus to do a iuw week's wprk"oil-J speculation'. Oa Thursday morning, a number of: miners arriv^hda : lespte's 7 and Hunt's "Beacli/ : Spinoff: thorn intend to return by first'steamerV "■ I"I only remained the,,one; day on the .ground (and a part of that it was mining), as I thought a steamer inight come in and return to Hokitikaj' ; 'and '>"'£'-- was very anxious hot to 7 lose ' the opportuhi'ty ;; ot' makiuga report, so aVto/preVent iniiu ; x'or' miners being in&mreid: by rnei-e; rumors, aad with".that object' T, quest that you '.ri.il take measuresto'make' public the particulars of the prospector's claim granted, as early;as;possible^,'

! " However, I consider Ikat the discovevy will be the moansof opening apermanent Goldiield,. and'l" would: suggest that; to facilitate its development, a, pack track should be; surveyed and formed irdm the beach to -tlie diggings,;'so" a ; s j 'to' lay do^n'proyisio^ prices, without heavy swagging ;•'.■and further, that some busK tracks be! cut "inland from, the as pros pec tors to = travel M,\ par s many miners diaVo. strong opinions* that, from the nature of the country,! them must be reefs .not vei'y far-off. v

'■ The men who came overland state thai they passed through a most "likely country, but they describe the'track'cut through the bush as very difficult tfo travel, being carried over very high hills, and quite impracticable for 'the formation of a J road; and I would further suggest that if the G-eneral Government could be induced to survey only for a main road ; from the "IJkasfc to Bruce, JBay* the work could/not only be done cheaply, but would* be a great assistance to prospectors, whilst the men engaged on, it would be sure to prospect on their way. The bush-track. would mosc facilitate tho work by affording excellent observations df th» country.- » 1 '"lt should not be over-looked that the formation of the bush track between "frh'o J Haastand Bruce Bay has" lett to 4 thb present discovery.—l am, &c, " E. F: TfzAiib, Warden."

The following is a copy .of the. -official communication' in reference to 'the." prospecting claim! - - "A prospecting claim has been granfvd to the undermentioned miners --John Marks, Simon 'Monro; and William'- Harris. : ' ' " "Situation of claim--about'twelve miles from the KaastUiver. ('seven .miles albnp--110 beach and fiye miles on "Bash. Track?, on a range about tive "miles in a' direct line, south-east of Arnott Paint in a blind gully on a very small creek falling into the south, side of Bullock Civek. which runs into the sea-between Ship Greek and Arnott Point. "Size of claim-*- Quadruple "ground, 720 feet'by 30. ' . h ' " Description of working—sluicing with a small supply of water, * ■ _** Yield—The gold is coarse, and the yield very variable; in some-cases but a color; in others, morcthan a pennyweight' to theuiish. > • ° ■ • "The prospecting claim includes nearly the whole available length of the gully in which it'is .situated, anil tlio remainder is The other gullies on the raa»e - known to be payable are not,sufficient for. the men on the ground'. FK-sh men ; must b;e prepared to prospect, and none, should come.unless prepared for a month's woi-Jc in a likely country. " (Signed) K. P. ,T*z>ap, T7arden."