TIN DISCOVERIES. EARLY HISTORY OF STEWART ISLAND. Invercargill, Jan. 6.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 341, 9 February 1889, Page 4

TIN DISCOVERIES. EARLY HISTORY OF STEWART ISLAND. Invercargill, Jan. 6.

Tue tin discoveries at Stewart Island con_ tinue to attract a lot of attention, and new applications are being made daily. In the course of conversation with a " News " reportei, Mr Allan (one of the pioneer prospectors) recalled an incident of the early history of Port Pegasus. About 1850 or 1860 an American whaler was lying there, and three of the crew determined to desert her, and made for Port Adventure, between Lords River and Half Moon Bay, a distance of about 25 miles by sea. They made an excuse to go on shore to wash some clothes, and set off overland. They had a few stores with them. Forty days after, the only survivor of the party reached Pore Adventure, where there was then a Maori settlement. He was in a pitiable state. His clothing was all gone, and he was almost reduced to | a skeleton. It was all that he could do to move his limbs, and in one hand he carried a torch so as to keep hini3elf in fire — his matches having run out — and in the other hand he held a short sleeve, tied at the end and filled with limpets, on which he had existed. He was well cared for by the Maoris, and on recovering gave an account of the sufferings of himself and companions. He afterwards came over to the mainland, and went off to Tuapeka diggings, which broke out about that time. He stated that his master had succumbed on the journey. The Maoris searched the bush, but without result, and it was not until three or four years had elapsed that the skeletons of the poor fellows were discovered by one of the early surveying parties, who brought back several photographs, which were sent to America and England and reproduced in an illustrated paper, but so far as we know without eliciting information as to ihe family or antecedents of the sailors. The mistake made by the runaways wns that of hugging the coast, Avhich is covered with dense scrub all ' the way, while numerous indentations caused by various bays made the journey much longer than it would have been if they had struck inland. Subsequently, about 20 year* ago, Messrs Longuet and Gilroy went right round the island prospecting, and among other places found gold on what is known as Todds Freehold. The next party to cross after this overland from Pegasus to Half Moon Bay consisted of MessrsH. Allan andL. Longuet. They were prospecting at Pegasus when bad weather set in, and prevented a cutter coming in with s bores. They then started off with about a dozen or so of matches, and trusting to snaring Maori hens in the bush to supply food by the way. They reached Half- Moon Bay in four days. A track is now being cut by the Government between the two places.

In the course of an article on the aubjectof the tin field, the "News' cautionspeople against investing in the present state of the discovery and remarks that Professor Black makes no pretensions to mining knowledge. In his laboratory he could doubtless determine to a fraction the percentage of tin in the samples of stream or lode ore presented to him, bub when it comes to fixing the commercial value of an alluvial drift he cannot be expected to be an infalliable authority. There may be at Pegasus the potentiality of untold wealth, bub if so it has yet to be gauged by men whose experience qualifies them to express opinions on the subject. Our advice to those about to be joined with shadow companies or syndicates upon the driving of a few woodpegs into the buih, is aa brief as that ot Punch to people about to marry. — " Do not."