RAMBLES THROUGH THE GOLD FIELDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 71, 6 February 1862, Page 2

RAMBLES THROUGH THE GOLD FIELDS.

(]3r A Vicioriak Mixer op 1551.)

Waipori, February, 18G2.

I might have redeemed tlis promises I made to you of sending my impressions of tlie Otago gold-fields at an earlier date than'this, but I have deemed it bsst to delay them till a full examination into their capabilities should enable me to speak with some amount of reliance and confidence. Had I written at first, I should have had to deplore the absence of many things considered necessary for a comfortable existence, but which a little experience. has.shown me-are either obtainable, or a substitute to be found. ;My first 'impression of the country was, that nature had made it grand and magnificent beyond conception, but so desolate that it rather commanded our awe and admiration than our warmer and more homely sympathies. These feelings have yielded to more happy .juid cheerful ones, and though I have not thrown my lot into the colony " for good," yet, I am now much better pleased with it than I at lirst thought possible. While on this subject, I may just mention that. I have conversed with many who viewed the approaching winter with dismay, but those doubts are, to a considerable extent, removed. N limbers now speak of wintering in spots in which fuel, is obtainable, and " knocking out" n living in the adjacent gullies and neighborhood. Within a mile or two, .both of the Laminerlaw and the Waipori,. wood is procurable in large quantities, combined with a likely looking country"al>uo3t uuprosposted, The same facilities exist for wintering in comparative comfort at Munroe's, Gabriel's, and elsewhere. Under these circumstances, I should not feel,the least surprised to find the winter productive in new and unexpected discoveries, and of a character different from most of the present workings.. Winter must drivo out the miners from the creeks and flats, and the anxiety, the all-prevail-ing feeling that animates so many to discover quickly and "drop upon" rich finds at once and without delay will, in a short pariod, be turned into the endeavours to find more constant and remunerative employment. As a miner anxious to anticipate the future, as well as realize the present, and confirmed in thesciviewa by tho practical observations of inutiy others of my own class, I have no hesitation in challenging attention to these remarks, and await the development of events for their confirmation. That a period of stagnation will arise ; that distress-will afflict a portion of mining population, and act prejudicially upon the mercantile community, I have not the slightest doubt; but the gold nelds'of tho colony are safa, and the future illimitable. A fostering care both at the, hands of the Government, and those interested in the success and prosperity- of the gold fields «■ will materially lighten the depression, and . every. eii'ort made to settle the population permanently upon the soil, in the development of industrial pursuits^ or in assistance "granted to the efforts being made to find deep sinkings and quartz-reefs, will have an effect for which the after results will prove.au ample recompense. lam bub a "bird-ot'-passagc," deeper interests bind me to Victoria, but I make these remarks with the sinceresb wishes for the advancement of the colony, and in the bslicf that if its future' be but properly anticipated by wise legislation, and by a hearty co-operation of the colonists themselves, that future will be one yon may well rejoice in. ■.'■■■ ■ Perhaps I have too long delayed toucliing_ upon the capabilities of this place. I am at the bist of times but a rambling kind of fellow, and I must lead your readers still a little .away before I come to Waipori. We missed our way and did not find out our mistake till we had travelled twenty miles out of ;it, and reached the station of Messrs. Campbell and Henderson. We had heard something of 'a rush in this direction, but like many others, who have since started from this place to find it, we were, after two days' search, unsuccessful, and it may now be said to ba a myth. The superintendent of thsse gentlemen acted very hospitably,'and this was doubly acceptable after battling for two days with "the rain and cold winds, without cover or food. I have no wish to realise another such two days; for what* with the rain, carrying our swags, and the biting winds, our lot was no enviable one. .So severe was the eohl during this part of our journey, that it caused the skin to peel oil' our noses-and the backs of the hands, and gave us the appearance of being addicted to "potations deep." Still we should not have been diggers had we not tried the ground as we journeyed on. We found" gold in one or two places, but I can give now no adequate directions to find the spofe-'. I have, however, endeavourel personally to direct several, and have no doubt payable gold exists a'.ong and near the river Lee, for some considerable distance ;of course, travelling as we were from Dnnedin to this place, and without the full complement of tools or provisions, it was impossible to test the places properly. ;' Waipori is an extensive field, covering some twenty miles of ground, and besides the creek and river I workings, abounds in ; shallow gullies, hill-sinkings (also shallow), and fiats. Ttie best ground, has been in the Lammerlaw Creek, which is worked for about fourteen miles from its junction with the Waipori. Much yet remains to be worked, as the richest worked portions oiily have received attention. In places, it lias been very good, but I doubt if the average returns would exceed more than £1 per day. Compared with that necessary to be done on the Waipori; the work is light and easy. The floods have been the greatest drawbacks to its'".more successful progress.. In the river, which is a brqad and heavy stream, the labour is severe, and it entails both expense and'time in preparations, ,In no place has it yet been properly worked, as that involves the turning of the river. At some of tho bends this has been partially done, but it will be a long time before either this stream or the' Lammerlaw Creek can' be worked'out. I believe next year the works on them will be more general and prosperous, and with increased facilities, 'living arid other commodities at a more reasonable rate, the remuneration be more appreciable. The system of dammingb,ack a small circular space of the river, and by some means or'another, managing to get the bottom of it, Is a slovenly and most ineffective \yay pf working-. 'Though some Jinye obtained rich patches, aiul caused the river to be taken up fully fQr*rnnny miles;: yet the 'ground gets "raulloeked," and its .future working1 •ehrlered more difficult, without considering the loss of gold that ensues. However, with all its faults, it 5s this system that has tested the merits of the river, hnd fca.u's.ed it to bo talien up for so many miles. Extensive operations for turning it arc going on, and ofchesa contemplated, a more detailed account si which I must reserve till my ne.^t cpmniunicatipn. The next, and.perhaps principal feature in this field,' is the immense number bf shallow gullies.' Njrta.day passes but one or two are opened with more or less success. They ore very patchy, and being shallow,

aye quickly worked out. Some of the claims in them prove very g'ooil, and others equally indilEjront—from ;>. barn living to good wages. Being so patchy and ciniiy w irked, they an; oa^erly sought, alter, aii'l a considerable population flmJs employment In them. Several of the points of the hills have likewise been worked with sucie-w, and one hill .has within the last, day or two, boen found to he payable, but with fair prnspnets of Micces? in this branch of mining. From the formation.of this field it has, as yet, b?cu almrut j neglected i'or tin; creeks and■ gullies. * Tims, both tho hilis and flats are'comparatively untried. I have not spoken of individual successes, for tliat, I consider, in a patchy g-oldfield, a fallacious standard; hut I can ..safely state that if the rich returns of the older places cannot be toiicYcd," that, it yet offers a fair field for perI severance and those who are willing to accept more j certain returns rather than the chances of !i very rich patch. Not that no rich finds have not turned up here. One thing1 is eertaiii,-it will be a permanent goldiield, and for years t;ive employment to a larjje population. Two years hence [ believe it will, lia more generally worked, —and let those wlio who sneer at comparatively poor returns remember.this prediction—that two years hence, in my opinion, the yield of gold will be largely increased. Much ground must now be left un worked, for, apart fran the impassibility of any party setting systematically to work poor ground, while chances are constantly offering of 'making a quicker "rise," the price of tools aud provisions is a serious obstacle. With cartage cheaper, timber more easily procurable, and other things at a reasonable cost, matters will assume a different aspect ; and who will doubt, but that the change will be for the better, though the palmy first days of Waipori will then be the subject of laudation, without reference to its present disadvantages, and the discomforts upon it. The gold here is the coarsest yet found, and nearly every one has some specimen or small nugget. The largest piece known is 13i ozs., but from one to five ounoe3 many have been found... This field is of great extent, extending a long way back from each side of the creek and river; quartz specimens abound, and the adjacent country is hardly prospected. "What, then, will Waipori be in 1304* I should like to have said something about quartz reefs, my own more peculiar avocation ; but I must leave this and many other circumstances I should have liked to have touched upon till another period, and at once" pass on to other topics. ; - In general aspects of life and bustle, Waipori must yield by a long distance to Wetherstone's, &c. It is so very scattered, has no" settled township, and is difficult to travel over. The place called the township, is a wretched : site, and during the winter will bs cut off from the largest portion of the goldneld. It is perched on the pone of two small hills, difficult of ascent and limited in area. It is to be hoped Government will pause before-placing its buildings here. ;Appar-' ently it was chosen as being near the first prospecting claim, but possesses now no decided -advantages^ of centralization. Five miles lower down at the junction of the Waipori and Lanimerlaw, ■an attempt has been made to form another township ; this has superior qualifications, as it is situated on a large piece of level ground, near an old road and ford, but the river and creek will sadly interfere with communication. The best site yet open seems to be the crossing place on the Waipori, and as a bridge will have to be built about here, and it is on the line of road communicating with the Tuapeka diggings, and offers no serious obstacles to being reached from all parts of the diggings, it isto.be hoped an examination will be made into its merits. Better sites than either of the first two exist elsewhere. It is certainly a matter requiring considerable judgment to select a suitable site for a township for such a place as Waipori, with its thousand arid one gullies and constantly extending, discoveries, but the want of a township is severely felt by all classes alike. The heavy rains of Friday and Saturday have been productive of both loss of life and heavy damage to mining operations. In crossing the Waipori just as the river was rising, a man was drowned. The circumstances attending it were of a most painful nature; he had reached the opposite bank, but missed the tuft of grass he intended to make ; but without loosing his presence of mind, he then swam to another lower down, to assist him in landing on the bank. The second tuft he successfully reached, but it yielded to his grasp, and with it a tightened clutch upon the treacherous plant, he was lost to all human aid and borne upon the seething waters of the Waipori to thai bourne from which no traveller returns. He belonged to a large party of twenty-four men, called the Ballarat company > and who are engaged in turning the river, and whose operations were approaching a successful completion. Several narrow escapes also occurred ; and those had the effect of inducing: caution, so tl»at persons desirous of crossing either"the creek or the river, took the precaution of securing the assistance of parties on (ha opposite side, and with ropes tied round them, swam over, without other danger than a thorough goodwetting. The loss to the miners is very great, and it will take some time to repair. Nearly every claim is swept away, and the races, if not completely washed a\vay ; aye much injured. Though the damage done exercises a depressing influence, already with the energy that characterises the true miner, preparations are being made to repair it as soon as the water permits. Fronr the scarcity, of wood, the loss of sluice boxes and tows - will he the' most severely felt.

Business is said to be dull—partly arising- from tlio scattered nature of the place and the difficulty of getting1 goods in during- wet weather. A well-situated township'will remove much of this, meantime the necessities of lift! hnve experienced a marked deduction, and bread has fallen from 3s. to 25. the loaf—other things in proportion. Beef is also now obtainable; and shortly aifairs promise to assume a more settled appearance. P.S.—Two gullies have been opened, and proved to be very rich. Onehasyielded nearly nine ounces tothe same number of dishes. It is all coarse gold—a large proportion of it being in pieces from 5-dwt. to 15 dwts. It is the finest sample of gold I have seen in Otago The other gully is said to be also very., rich, though I have not had the opportunity of personally ascertaining1 the truth of the reports concerning it. Among other discoveries reported is another nugget of 11J ounces weight. The 13J oz. nugget I saw in the possession of Mr. Jackson, of the Bank of New Zealand, and is a solid piece of gold, and something of the form of an ill-sVaped damper in miniature. Attention lias been turned to day to hill-sinking, though it is not yet general.