THE WAIHO GOLDFIELDS.

Southland Times, Issue 1652, 22 October 1872, Page 3

THE WAIHO GOLDFIELDS.

* (Timaru Herald, Oct. 16.) For years past tbe upper valleys of the Waiho river have been known by the above title, bat known so rather in irony than because any decent find of the precious metal gave them a right to be so designated. Tbat gold exists up the Waiho, and through fche many tributary creeks which run into the main Btream, is beyond question, as every summer season has witnessed its discovery by parties of men fossicking in that locality. But though gold was found in numerous places, yet it has never been in sufficient quantities to be payable to the digger. News to our hand now, though, seems to indicate that there is every probability of this Waiho country turning out eventually a veritable gold diggings. For nearly two years past, two men (one a thoroughly practical digger of i some seventeen or twenty years' expei rience) have been steadily at work on a certain creek which falls into the Waiho. These men at first we believe simply " spotted" the country in hopes of dropping on something worth taking, but during tbe last few months have adopted a systematised plan, and selecting a likely looking place, have bottomed to rock, and are now steadily following tbe rock up in hopes of striking the reef, tho mother of that gold which is found, in more or less quantity, throughout the workings. The labcr of these two men haa not been ; slight. In the first place, the creek had i to be turned and a new channel dug, and ' then in the bed of the original creek, a . huge trench haß been taken out, of some ; 6 teet in width and 14 feet in depth, and i extending in length from three to four , chains. From the first bottoming of the I , rock all through these four chains, gold ; has been picked up of a rough honeyi combed kind, and, mixed as it is with ■ quart?, shows conclusively that it has not i

travelled far from a quartz reef The men, we hear, are sanguine that this reef is not far off from the head of their drive, and express themselves satisfied with the work heretofore done, and look forward with assured hope that when the reef is struck it will befound "thickly peppered." We hope that their anticipations will turn out correct, for if so, we may be assured that soon after discovery there will be a regular gold-mining industry established, where now the sheep and the wandering shepherd only have their being.