THE REPORTED DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT WAIWETU.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4788, 27 July 1876, Page 4

THE REPORTED DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT WAIWETU.

The report of a gold discovery in the neighborhood of the Hutt caused no little excitement among the inhabitants of the Valley; while in the immediate locality of the alleged find there is quite a gold fever. We despatched a reporter yesterday to the scene of operations, which he found to be in the Waiwetu district, on the side of the dividing range which separates the Wainuiomata and Waiwetu districts, and not more than an hour’s walk from the Lower Hutt railway station. Mr. George Knight is owner of most of the property on the Waiwetu side of the range, while the Hon. Mr. Fitzherbert owns the major portion on the other side. Some time ago Mr. Knight leased part of his property to Mr. McQuirk, who was induced to search for the precious metal on the land by the representations of Mr. Devereux, butcher, of the Hutt, who stated that he had found geld seven or eight years ago in the locality. Mr. Willcox, also an old settler of the valley, is firmly of opinion that gold in payable quantitiesexistsinthelocality, and we are told has now in his possession some fine'gold found in the Waiwetu at various times. The result of Mr. McQuirk’s search has been to find the color in several places, but as yet nothing has been shown to prove that the ground would pay for working. Two brothers named Farrelly have also been doing a little prospecting, and have obtained a small quantity of gold, together with an amount of other metal which they take to be gold,, but which others of experience are of opinion is a mineral of a less valuable character, namely, mica, so often found in connection with gold. In one of the rivulets that flow from the dividing range Mr. McQuirk panned off-some stuff taken from the bed of the creek in the presence of our reporter, and the result was several specks of gold of a light color, and much: resembling Thames gold. It bore no traces of being alluvial. The gold was of a light scaly nature, and evidently a deposit from quartz carried down the range by water. The stuff it was washed from had all the appearance of quartz tailings. We are informed that there are large bodies of quartz oh the top of the range. But at present no prospecting has been done, and the limited explorations made are not a sufficient guide as to the formation of the ground. However, those who may wish to prospect are offered every facility by Mr. Knight, the owner. It was reported in the early part of the week that four and a half ounces of gold had been obtained from the workings ; but this is a great exaggeration. As many grains would be nearer the mark. In fact, there has been no sustained operations carried on, and-scarcely an attempt at prospecting in a systematic way.- - The ground has yet to be tested before any definite result can be arrived at. In many other places gold has been found in far larger quantities, and yet never turned out to be a' payable field. At the same time we have seen less likely looking places than the Waiwetu and Wainuiomata districts the scene of operations of thousands of goldminers.