THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELD.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 158, 26 June 1886, Page 3

THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELD.

The interest in the recent gold discoveries Teported in North-western Australia is so great, and pen and ink descriptions of the field give so poor an impression of its situa tion and the bearing of the two rival routes via Cambridge Gulf and Derby to each other, that we publiah to-day a sketch map showing how the land lies. In tracing out the lines of travel marked on this plan it should be borne in mind that there is no Toad or trask, and that the map is on such a email acale that distances of hundreds of miles are represented by a few inches of space. To those who meditate departure for the supposed El Dorado, we should offer the advice given by ** Punch " to persons who are about to marry— "Don't." The risks, hardships, and expense are very great ; the chance of achieving a fortune exceedingly slight. Nothing that is yet known about tho auriferous deposits of the country warrants the belief that it is any better than the Palmer or other Northern Australian diggings, about v hich there is no excitement, nor even so good. The Kimberley is chiefly attractive because it is a new and unknown field, about which the imagination can ■weave any fantastic dream. There are several hard, practical facts, however, to ■which the intending adventurer should givo due betel : The climate is ailtry and malarious ; ai.d to a certainty many of those who set out full of hope seeking lor gold will find an unmarked grave in the desert. The appended data relative to tho gold field has b4en compiled from reports appearing in the " Australasian " and from other sources : — The locale of the present discoveries is at the head waters of the Elvire JRiver, in hit. 18*10 dcg. S, and long. 127 50deg., about 30 miles E S E. of Mount Barrett, and 130 miles from the junction of the Negn and Ord rivers. Mr Haidman, the Government Geologist of Western Australia, in his final report a*cd map, recently printed at Messrs Sands and McDougalls, indicates the position of the gold-bearing rocks examined by him on the sources ot the Maigaiet, the Mary, and along the west bank of the Elvire River to its junction with the Panton. Over a line of 140 miles of count" y wherever he tried he found "the colour,' and alo in Beveral of the reefs he found gold ; but as neither he nor any of his party had ever seen a goldfield, he is cautious as to hip opinion of the value of his discovery. The same series of recks examined by Mr Mardmun, according to McDonnell and other t xpJoiers, extend for nearly 150 miles iuither nr.rth. Another belt of date and quariz reef nins parallel with thi- about 50 miles to tho west■ward, and yet another near tho head v.ater-! of the Fitzroy ard extending to the rhore.^ of ■•Cambridge Gulf on tho west shore of " The Gut." Opinions vary a3 to the bat route to *'the digging?," some ptreoiis advocating Derby, at tho head of King's Slui (i, at- tho starting point. »<nd oth^is lecomintiuling a road via Cambridge Gulf. Tlieie m a Government establishment v.i the towi.sMp of Deiby, and alpo one nr two stoics. The Derby loute £oca by Mour,t YVynrif, and the Fitzioy, Margaret, and Mary ruei* to the Elvire Kiver, its estimated length being about SoO milts. A high opinion of thus road 13 entertained by the Derby people. "We have no lepoits ficm tho C.jmbndjjo Gulf people yet, but thioutrh r.iivate sources we learn that prospect ojs irako in there ior supplies of *toies Accoiding to Mr Harry V Johnston, staff eurvevor In command of tbe Kimberley turvt yd, in bis report for 1885, t# the respective distances from Deiby (King's and "West Bastion Hill? (Cf-mbiklpe Gulf) to the place wheio Mr Hall and raity reported having found the gold, are — from Derby. 350 miles ; horn Gimbiidgo Gulf, 290 m>lee. Thete dis-tanec-s arc | along the routes that travellers will follow frcm both places to reach the s-pot ■where this gold was found. Tho Upper Elvire can be reached eaeitr from tho West Baation Bills (Cambridge Gulf) than L'ciby.

From the former the distance is less. The country on the whole is easier to travel over, better grassed, and water more plentiful than on the route from the latter place." In another portion of the same report he says that a good dray road can be goc from the landing under the We3t Bastion Hills to the Kegri River, aud from the Negri to the Junction of the Elvire with the Panton "over plain 3 easy for drays to travel over." About 2,0000z3 of gold were recently brought from the field via Derby. The mortality among horses in the journey to the field ia very great. Mr Johnston, who conducted the survey for the Government of Western Australia, reports :—: — , "During the whole trip I lost 11 horses out of 41 landed, nine of which died from what on the Fitzroy is called ' Darling Pea.' I much doubt if any of the real ' Darling Pea ' is on the Ord, as several persons well acquainted with the 'Pea' lold me that they had not seen any on that river. "The first symptoms that horses suffering: fiom this disease show is a rough coat, disinclination to feed, a fixed look in the eyes resembling those of a horse that is suffering from lockjaw, heavy breathing, and slow pulse— madness then pets in, and tho horse usually dies before a week has elapsed from the time madness first appeared ; i sometimes death ensues before tho second day. 'While mad or delirious, tho horce wanders objectlcssly about, generally in circles, blundering over anything that comes in its way. At night they appear to be attracted by the glare of tho camp fire, walk round and lound it, stumbling over pick saddles, sleeping men, and through tents if not prevented " The most suitubla sife that I have been able to find for a seaport town, conveniently situate as a base from A\hieh settler^ on the valley of the Ord and eastwards can draw their supplies, is at the south &ide of the West Bastion HIII3. Staff-commander Co^hlan, in nis valuable report on Cambridge Gulf, says :— ' With regard to a town fcite, speaking from a nautical paint of view X f-hould suggest that in the neighbourhood of the Baston BiJls, and thence southward as far as the eastern enhance point of the Unt (embracing the mouth of the King THivor), would be the most eligible site. 5 The best spot to land in this vicinity ia whore the West Ba.-tion Hills approach clofvst to the water's edge, and oppopito which place Staffcommandtr Coghlan f-howa adfipth of water of 10 fathoms close to shore. Here there ia about 20 yards of boggy ground with a few scattered mangroves, which would present but fcmall difficulties for landing cargo or stock, as stone is plentiful on the side of the hills, and, with but little expenditure of labour, a firm footing acros« the boggy patch could soon be obtained. There ia a piece of ground hero of about four act ok in extent, v.cJl above all tides, and sufficiently level to allow receiving shedc 1 , &c, to be built on it. . . . "The Ord is cortainly the finest liver I have eeon, as the pools are broad and deep, and frequently several miles in length — while even as late as September 0 nice stream in many places was running from pool to pool. . . . " Persons travelling with diays or loaded p?ick horces should leave the Ord before commg to H J 13 (a conspicuous sandatooe ridge, with almost, perpendicular aides clo?e to the easb bank of the river), so as to avoid the rough ranges to the south that lien from either bank of the Ord. '•/About four miles E. by N. of H J 13 there is a yocd supply of watei in tho 'Emu Springs.' In the dry season Ihese spiiogd ehctild be made a stopping place by tniveJleis going i-ound the range?-, ab the next known permanent water is at tome ppjing.s under the Burt ranges. Fiom the Emu springs it is easy to recognise the level country round the river rangee, and west of Burt inn«e^, which are high and almost flat-topped. Tho tiavelliug in the valley between theee lunges it? good, being generally over Pindan country, with haiclly a hill on it, and very little stony country till the Ord is again 1 cached, in June water was plentiful in the valley that drains thcperunpep, and I saw several rjlace& where water could bo obtained by finking a few feet Even at the drie&t season of the year no difficulty jLn getting round thete ranges would be experienced, as Mr Button informed mo that he had soon splendid springs of permanent water under the Burt

ranges. Unfortunately, they were not seen by me, so its position ia not fixed. After getting round the ranges, travelling, for many miles up the Ord, ia good, but when nearing the Negri there is 9ome I'ough country, but nothing sufficiently ao asio prevent a dray being taken over it at the present time with careful driving. . , "Sett'ement is progressing on the Ord and shores of Cambridge Gulf. At the ' present time, I undoratand, there are about 12,000 head of cattle in the valley of the Ord. Mr Button informed mo that he was pleased wich their country, and with the condition of the stock during the twelve months that they had been on the Ord. . " Natives were very numerous on the Lowor Ord and shores of Cambridge Gulf, but further inland they did not appear to be so plentiful. As a rule the natives that I saw were well-made, largemen, ingood condition, circumcised, and cut about the body and limbs. The natives of the Ord did not appear a3 tractable as those of the Fitzroy, and I much fear that they will give a good deal of troublo aa settlement advances. *' From the beginning of April to the middle of May, hot weather was experienced. Although the thermometer was never very high, the moist state of the atmosphere caused by the evaporation from the lagoons and low-lying plains surroundi ing tiiO ea3t aim, and the almost total ab-ence of winds, made the heat; much more oppiessive than the same temperature would be in a drier climate. "The weather fiom the middle of May to the middle of August was quite pleas mt, as bright warm days with cloudless skies, fresh uaaterly wind-* and cool nights, were the rule. During those mouths the nights at times were Loo cold to be pleasant" ice being been on wa-er buckets more than once in the early morning. In September it again began unpleasantly waim, especially I duung the foicnoon. befoxe the nruth or north-easterly winds set in, which they generally did by noon and blew till midnight, and, being oft sea winds and moistureladen, cooled ihe air considerably. Considciing tbe latitude of the Ord and Cambridge Gulf, 1 think the climate good, especially inland ; but near the coast, particularly where it is low- lying, malarial fever may be expected to prevail during the dry season, when the swamps and marches are giving oft" the superabundant moisure that thoy had accumulated during the rainy sea&on. ''Fish are very plentiful in the pools of the Ord ; the kinds most caught with lines were cat-fish and bream. Other fish abound and could be caught in numbers with a net Essentially marine fish, such as shaiks and garfish, were seen tar up the Ord, the former about 100 miles above the salt water and the latter above tho Negri Junction. " Small kangaroos, with aclawatthe extremity of their tails, are numerous on the plain 3 of the Ord, while in the ranges large kangaroos are plentiful. Native dogs are lather numerous, more so on the Lower than the Upper Ord. Several very handsome dogs weie seen, their colour being almost black, which is rather rare. " Wator-fowl of various descriptions aie plentiful on tho rivers and lagoons, and were often shot, and holped to make- our supplies last. Wild gee3e wcie found on some of the large pools and lagoons. I observed that in the male of the wild goose the windpipe, after leaving the chest, take 3 two turns up and down the whole length of tho breast, lying botween the flesh and skin, and then up through tho neck. '•The bower birds, of a greyish-brown colour, with a blue patch on neck, ware frequently seen in their player ounds'" The estuary of tho OVrjfiliver abounds Avith alligators. The climate is pleasant in August, but after the middle of September it becomes trying, tho heat being oppressive. The dry season (easterly monsoou) id from May to September, and the wet season (westerly nionpoon) from October to April. Tho Cambridge Gulf runs inland nearly SO miles, and ia navigable for GO miles from tho entrance. There is a staff of officials there also. On the 29th of March la.-t the s *. Albany lott Frcemantlo foi Cambridge Gulf, having o n< board Mr C. D. Piice, tho newly-ap-pointed Government Resident, Avith ,taff, survey party under Mr H. S. Ranford, cloven constables and sorgetnfr, and an equipment of stores and buildings suitable for tho

formation of a new settlement. The shores of the gulf have been surveyed by Mr Johnston, but it remains for Mr Price to determine the position of the town. However, as both CommanderCoghlan.R.N., and Mr Johnston recommend the site for the part at the south side of the West Bastion dills, with a de[ th of 10 fathoms of water close to shore it is almost a certainty that the settlement has already been established on that point. As thia Kirn barley country is only partially occupied by settlers, it must be understood that no Htores can be had on the road after leaving the port, co that travellers must provide themselves with all that may be required. Every man ought to have at least three or four pack horses. Horse 9 are not to be procured in the country; therefore, they will have to be tuken by steamer. The climate is said to be healthy, consider ing that it is tropical—hot and dry in the watm season, but cool and even cold in the winter months However, all the*e reports must bo received with caution, and those who will venture to this littlo known land must be prepared for tho risk they run. The Discovery of the District. It may be added, as to the geography of Kimbex'ley, that the district -was only diecovered in 18S0 by Mr Alexander Forrest and Ma companions when they travellnd from Nickol Bay to the overlino telegraph lino. They were speedily followed by a few adventuious spirits, \nlio occupied portion of the couniry with stock. Brockman, .Durack, O'Donnell, and Stockdale led exploring parties in quest of new pastures, and hence the knowledge of the country was increased. The Western Australian Government caused surveys to be made of the coast and harbours, and a traverse to be run from King's Sound in Cambridge Gully by the valley of the Fitzroy to the' sources of tho Old, and thence to the seaboard. This task was accomplished'in three seasons of nix months each by n staff of surveyors under the command of Mr Hany Johnston. Attached to the survey party for two seasons was Mr Hardman, formerly of the geological auivey of .Ireland. His geological maps &how an immense ma?s of worir, and aro evidently most faithfully compiled. Fie obtained traces of gold, and before he had reported the discovery to the Government his men disclosed the good news on their way back to Perth. Old diggers caught the inevitable fever, and went off to look at the place. Tho results we know. Gold in Kimberley is now causing excitement throughout Australasia. Mr Cci'lisle's Eirploration. Mr Charles Carlisle, the leader of the party which left Cambridge Gulf on Oct. 13, 1880, and arrived at Derby on March 29, has sent in a !ong report to the Government as to his discovery of the goldfield on the Denison Plains. Their firafc camp after leaving Cambridge Gulf was at Parry's Creek. They left there on Oct. IS, and on the following day reachod Goose Hill, where some of their horses were speared by natives. They left that latter place on the 20th, making due east, and struck the Ord, which they followed for some days. On Nov. 6 Mr Carlisle and one of his mates namod Candlish were struck by lightning while in their tent taking shelter from a storm. Mr Carlisle was stnnned and sevorely burnt. On Nov, 10 they passed the mouth of the Fraser Paver, where they four.d two marked trees, and saw several mobs of cattle belonging to Durack's station. They camped here, and decided to send four men and six horses up the Fraser River with a view to pioapecting, Those men returned to the camp on the 25th, and reported that for 50 mtlcs up the Fraser they nov»r got the colour of gold. Thoy >awno quanz rocks or anything else to indlcdte th'i pie^ence of gold Mr CarH3IO believes, however, that In the gullies and creeks at tho head of the Fraser, closo up to the Leopold Itanges, good gold will be found. Thoy afterwards prospected tho river again, uud found plenty ot black sand on the gravel batiks, but ifc had generally no indication of <£old. They also found a number of quM-b, nef.--, but none of them appeared to be gold-bearing. They left the month of the Fraaer on Nov. 27th, and travelled again up to the bed of the Ord until Nov. 29th, when they reached its junction' vri:h the Negri. Here, in the bed of the river, thoy came upon traces of iron, copper, nnd tin, but no gold. They resumed their journey along tho river banks

hitherto been salt, was pretty fresh and TB*iT 8 *i , Ga u mQ Which h " d hitheito beea abundant, began w get scarce, but fish I tti On u JDec - 4th the y eam P ed ?? t? ° r 4- aboufc 12 mil ea from the Faresr River. O n Dec. 9fck they LnM fS fira * time got the colour of gold, the spot being about four miles below the junction of the Panton and the Ord. ?h* P°T ber H r they left Ord a "d followed Elvir^ faraS i t9 J Unction With th * th« £ . Two .™ en ' who were now sent up the Pan.on with a view to hading grass for the horses, returned stating that they had only seen spmifex, but reported a splendidlooking country forgold. Itcould, however, Piospects of fane gold were evident from the appearance of the beds of the rivers and creeks at the junction of the Panton \vL f? re> bui not in Payable quantities. When the party were encamped here they were joined by two men who had come overland from Queensland, having been three months on che way. On Dec IS the party started up the Elvire, in the bed of which they saw appearance of fine gold. Fo-ar days later all the men were engaged in prospecting in the branch of the liver which struck away in a south-westerly direction. In the creeks and gullies running into the river they found fine-looking reefs cropping up everywhere, bub most of them were only " blows, » not solid, continuous reefs, and were very much broken up. _ No gold could be seen in them. By Christmas Day they had got about 75 miles from the mouth of the Elvire, and up to this time had not come across any payable gold, although the country had every appearance of being a good gold country, bplendid quartz gravel beds and quartz reefs cropped up every wheie. On Decmber 2b a party that had boen sent out to report upon the prospects of obtaining iood tor the horses reported that gra-s was scarce and that a mob of horses like theirs could not exist together. It was agreed to divide the party, and they as follows :-Carr, Cunningham, written, Keelan and Jacolette formed one V ' 1 1% *\ th iQ horses '* Carlisle, Edwards, and ,U*ndish formed another party with 10 hoiaeaj while Harrold wibh three horses loined the two Queenslanders. Carlisle's party went along what is known as the .black Elvire. On December 27, they came upon a party of prospectors headed by a man named Campbell, six miles above them on the same creek. Two members of Carlisle's party went out to examine the country to the n-rth-east, and returning the same day, they repoited that they had found a gully which would pay for working. They determined to examine this gully, and found it about six milea away. In a small dry creek under some hilU called the Black Ranges they found some coarse gold. Kew Year's Day found them putting the rocker together, and during that day they got half an ounce of gold. Mr Carlisle's diary proceeded as follows -. — Jan. 1 : There are six of us m party, including two men from Queensland. Wo are now packing our dirt half a mile to water. If the rain does not come soon wo shctll have to leave here and move down to the river (Elvire) to get water for cooking purposes. The Campbell party are camped_ alongside of us, and" have pegged off a claim above us. Hall and Slattery are on a creek about 15 milea to the northeast of us. Want of water is the great drawback at present, both to working and prospecting. Tho place we are now working in is a small gully under a range of hills called tho Black Range. They are of sandstone formation, and run in a north-west and south-east direction. We are now about 12 miles from the Black Elvire, about 70 miles fiom the mouth of the JSlviie, about 90 milos from the junction of the ranton and Ord rivers, about 30 miles south-east of Mount Barrett, and about a mile from Brockmans Creek. Jan. Sfch : Ye&terday finished the first week'a work at digging. Took out 12oz 12duts, to be divided amongst six of us, although the work was done really by thioe men. In the afternoon a very heavy storm cam. 1 ) on, and in less than half an hour tho water in the gully rose 7ft. W e were very near loosing all our tools. There aro now five parties in the camp, including ourselves.