THE WAKATIP, DUNSTAN, AND MOUNT BENGER GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 316, 24 December 1862, Page 6

THE WAKATIP, DUNSTAN, AND MOUNT BENGER GOLDFIELDS.

OrnciAL Rirposr * &r the Secbeiasy o? ihe

Qcnjtieißi&z Department.

The following,report lias': been placed in our hands by the Government for publication:— P ■ Gol'dfieids- Department, o; Dunedin, December 18th, 1862. tl Sib, —I have the honor to report my return tl this eveniog from the Lake Wakatip, Dunstan, 8f and Mount Benger, Goldn'elds. ° 2. Heft Tuapeka on the 26th November in "V company with Mr Mining Surveyor Drummond, j> and followed the ordinary track across the Beau-' tl montburn and over the "Devil's Backbone" to si Gardiner's Station on the Tallaburn. Being 3 anxious to reach the workings on "the Clutha, we v turned off the track about four miles .beyond the 0 Fruidburn, and after considerable toil and a difficulty, succeeded in finding a spur leading d down to the confluence of the Minzion and si Clutha. From this point we travelled along the p river side to Captain Baldwin's station, beyond ti which the Knobby Ranges do not offer any choice of roads. , 3. I found miners at work along the entire a course of the river. They did not appear to be fi doing much, but were generally shepherding their ii claims, until the fall of the river should enable tl them to resume operations, when they anticipate si reaping rich rewards for their patience. At the a Teviot, a small village has sprung up (but I be- n lieve it is on private land) j and I noticed gardens n along the line of route. n 4. At the Dunstan, mining operations on the g river beaches are nearly suspended. On the is banks of the Manuherikia, and along the course o of the Manorburn, parties are at work for ri several miles above the limits of the proclaimed n gold field. Chappie's party have nearly com- b pleted their race for turning the former river; 1* and so satisfied are they of the auriferous character of the river-bed, that application has been: a made for permission to divert another portion of r; the same stream. On the Clutha itself, men are 1 fossicking on the river-side, under the enormous bed of drift which forms the terraced plains. Beneath this they have found a bed i of very stiff pipeclay, resting on which \ which, gold, of a coarse shotty description, en-, -x tirely differing from that found in the river, is found, sometimes in pennyweight pieces. There a is every indication of the highly auriterous chat, racter of all these plains and terraces ; and when g the excitement of continual new rushes ceases to distract the attention of the mining population, I believe immense areas will be successfully wrought for gold. ° I 5. At Conroy's Gully gold continues to be b obtained in quantities, and I was shown a large sample whilst on the ground. But much ground now despised by the miners will yet be eagerly ,; sought after. The fact is that the high prices of labor and provisions renders it to work what would be considered very rich ground *, elsewhere, Hired miners receive L 6 per week wages, and very first-rate hands have rations (costing L 2 10s per week) in addition. Ground that will not yield at least two ounces per week, f is therefore regarded as unremunerative. It will be evident from this, that the formation of a good v road to the district, by reducing the cost of liv- *' ing there, would be equivalent to the discovery P of a new and very rich gold-field. P 6. Several prospecting claims were applied for during my stay on the Dunstan. From one of S( them in Meredith's Gully largo gold has been t] obtained at a great elevation. The gully runs up b to the top of the obelisk,' the altitude of which is l\ 5,607 feet, and crystallised gold (ot which I for- tj ward a sample) was obtained at an elevation of t! over 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. ° 7. From Dunstan township we proceeded n through the Gorge by the banks of the river to . the junction of the llawea and W«naka rivers, li on their emergence from the Lakes. I noticed fi some miners at work in the banks of the river, as a far as four miles above the Kawarau ; and I have c no doubt but that, when the waters fall, the * Clutha will be a very Pactolus, the beaches of P. ivhich will be lined with eager gold-seekers from t! the Lakes nearly to the sea. ° 8. At Lake Wanaka we ascended Roy's Peak, f in order to obtain a better view of the country, and were richly rewarded for our trouble by the magnificent view obtained from the summit. s The lake stretching away beyond the Canterbury s boundary was distinctly visible to the farthest ° northern point, and a portion of Lake 1( Hawea showed from behind the mountains. The snow-clad peak of Mount Aspiring 1( towered above the intervening ranges, and far beneath us lay the valley of the Cardrona a and those of the Matetapu and Matukituki. The t valley of the Matatapu appears to be highly n auriferous, and I was informed that a few parties 0 of miners had been working there for several t weeks. Gold indeed appears to abound in this v district. I was shown a very nice sample of: ii heavy gold procured in the Scarburn, a small b tributary of Latco Wauaka, near Roy's station, 1 and MrM'Kerrow long since reported the vis- t covery of gold at Quartz Creek. 9. Whilst at th Q, Dunstan I for the first time s heard of Fox's Rush, and the Shotover River r. workings ; and as 1 was on the direct route to a these localities I resolved to proceed thither for c the purpose of ascertaining the true state of r. affairs. Following up the Cardrona stream, we ti arrived at Thompson and Taylor's store, 16 miles ( from the Clutha. About midday and 6 miles further on we reached the commencement of the 9 Cardrona diggings. The entire population of j this locality I estimated at 500 men, scattered over a large area, generally in little clusters, from 1 to 8 miles apart, and sometimes in single isolated parties. The workings are mostly on the banks of the stream, but they are gradually extending back into the flats. The depth of sinking is very hallow not exceeding 8 feet anywhere. The gold is found in a ferruginous drift, and is generally of a large coarse description. Some of the men appear to be doing remarkably well while others complain of non-success. The truth is that the ground is what is termed " patchy," and to prospect it thoroughly more men are required. I was shown several samples of bright heavy gold J obtained on the spot with little trouble ; and the ] Mining Surveyor observed a man picking up the nuggets from his claim whilst I was talking to his mate. Around Grogan's claim a small crowd had set in, and were narrowly contesting every inch of ground. I settled several disputes here, and defined the width of. the river bed, in accordance with the Regulations. Grogan explained to ' me the manner in which he discovered the gold. \ The cattle-track which he was following at the time was under a bank about shoulder high. ' through which water was oozing. The ' wash-dirt at this point cropped out on the edge of the bank and < the water had apparently washed the soil from around the nuggets, the accidental discovery of which, by Grogau, led to the opening up of what promises to be a large and highly remunerative gold field, although it is at present eclipsed by the superior attractions of Fox's and the Wakatipu. There is no timber, and but very little scrub, in the vicinity ot the workings on the Cardrona. 10. Continuing up the valley we followed the main branch of the Cardrona to the Crown, where it takes its rise, ami passed over a saddle to the left of the main eminence. Darkness surprised us on the Northern slopes of the mountain and we gladly accepted the offer of a hospitable miner (who was travelling down to Gibson and M'Leod's store, on the Clutha, for provisions), to share the shelter of his tent for the night. On the,following morning we crossed the Arrow River, and shortly after reached Mr -Rces's outetation on Lake Hays. 11. As several-miners were desirous of having their disput.es settled, I immediately proceeded up the Arrow lityer for about four miles from the commencement of the workings, to a point which I have named Barney Point from the multiplicity of disputes upon which I had there,to adjudicate. Ino track to this place is frightful, and very dangerous. The river confined between nearly perpendicular cliffs, some of them over 500 feet high, is impassable, and we had to climb up the steep faces or the hill on our hands and feet, and to grope along the edges of landslips with a clear fallot SO feet to the rocks below, when a false step would be destruction ; holding on meanwhile ;by tufts of grass, or such frail twigs as we could roach above or around us. The workings are entirely confined to the river bed, to occaional beaches, and to the rocky gullies which at requent intervals run ■ down to the main

stteam. „ That, the .minerskthere are o>ng -well, I received ample evidence. I was assured by a man at Barney Point, that a pomi<s weight of gold per day was the yield obtained by his party of four meu ; aad some Germans cauti uisly assured me that they could only he tin dish, which is in about the same proportion. AH.the ground appears to be fully occupied, as far a 9 I went, hut other rushes have taken place farther up the river, and also to Bracken's gully, about six miles distant in a north-easterly .direction. But the timo at my disposal would not permit me to proceed farther in that direction. 12. There are several large patches ot timber on the Arrow river, some of the trees being 3 feet through, principally white birch, growing out of the banks and in the precipitous gorges ; I observed two pairs of-sawyers at work on the sides of the stream. . 13. Returning down the Arrow, I met Mr Warden Worthington, who had ridden over f om i .Nokomai to visit the new field. la company with j that.gentleman, I.weut on to Mrßees's head station on Lake Wakatipu, where I.found 200 or j 300 miners camped on the shores of the Lake,! waiting for flour which Mr Rees was bringing! over from the south shore in small boats. These ! arrived early next morning, when the flour was \ divided amongst the hungry expectants in small quantities, so as to give all a portion. The price charged, Is 8d per lb, has since been raised to 2s. . 14. Mr "Worthington and nryself visited the lower part of the Shotover River, where we found a feiv parties at work, and apparently well satisfied with their earnings ; all of them were obtaining gold. One man showed us about an ounce, the result bt the morning's work; and the prosspectors—Arthur and his mates—exhibited to us a dishful of gold—about 200 ounces—obtained in nine days. The gold is of a scaly nature, and much oxidised. It 13 procured in the easiest manner possible, by washing the sand and loose gravel of the banks above the water level. What is termed 'the bottom,' is a more compact stratum of quartz gravel, the bed rock not having been reached in any instance. I was informed that much heavier gold had been obtained in the river bed, and it is anticipated that in the winter the latter will be worked to advantage. 15. The water of the Shotover is very turbid and full of particles of floating mica. Ifc is this river that discolors the Kawarau and the Clutha. There is plenty of timber on its bauks. 16. A iittle below the Prospector's Point the passage by the river is closed in by impassable rocks, and the upper poniou is reached by travelling around the lofty ranges on either side. Miners are at work on Moke Creek, a tributary of the Shotover, which it joins about five miles above this point: and just as I was leaving the station a new rush took place to a water-course still further to the north, which, from what 1 could leaim, must be another tributary of the main stream. The miners are now rapidly approaching the West Coast in the direction of Milford Sound, ana I have little doubt they will soon be on or near it. 17. Gold is also being obtained on a small creek running into the Lake about a mile from the station; and whilst I was on the ground the I well-known "Mnoii Jack" departed on a prospecting tour for a locality in, or in the direction of Southland, where lie stated that he knew gold could be found. 18. From Wakatipu it was my intention to have returned via the Nevis and the Nokomai, but having received your letter instructing me to visit Tuapeka for the purpose of investigating the complaints of the sluicers there, I was compelled to come down by the same road as I had previously travelled. 19. The population^ the Wakatipu district is so scattered over a large t act of country, wherein their operations are principally limited to the banks and beds of rivers, that it is difficult to estimate the number ; but judging from the quantity of animal food consumed, I do not think there could have been more than 2,000 persons on the ground at the time of my visit. This number is, however, rapidly on the increase. 20. The country around and between the lakes is eminently adapted for settlement, possessing a fine dry climate and a pure bright atmosphere, and being well timbered and watered, with excellent soil. I have not seen any portion of the Province so likely to attract population. Of the prolific nature of the soil I had evidence, in the fact of the land producing at the rate of 11 tons of potatoes to th« acre, and thy natural grasses j flourish in rich profusion to the very tops of the lofty mountains. 21. On my return to Dunstan I was shown a small but very fine sample of silver ore, interspersed with crystalline branches of the metal, obtained in the neighbourhood. The precise locality of the discovery was, of course, a secret; but I believe the holders intend applying for a lease. 22. As I passed through the Teviot I Avas made acquuintcd witli the fact of several rushes having taken place to a well timbered country on Bennett's run, in the Umbrellas, and was*sh6wi> two or three small lots of gold from there. It is of two kinds ; one, thin and scaly, is found in the upper drift; and in the other, which is coarse, and is obtained by picking up the rotten surface of the bed rock, ounce pieces are sometimes met with. The men said that they were doing very well, and that there was room for more. 23. On the return journey Mr Drummond felfc so unwell that I was compelled to leave him behind at Gardiner's station, whence I returned alone to Tuapeka, arriving there on the 17th, exactly three weeks from the date of my departure. On the same day I investigated the dispute '^between the hill and ground sluicers at Gabriel's. 24. I propose reporting separately on the other subjects involved in my mission to the gold fields. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, VINCENT PYKE, Secretary for the Gold Fields. To the Provincial Secretary.