Important Gold Discovery.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3596, 6 July 1880, Page 2

Important Gold Discovery.

[WEST COAST TIMEB, JUKE 23.]

A discovery of gold, which may prove of great value to the Coast, has been made on the range between the Faringa and the Blue river, about twenty miles south of the Faringa, or half way between the Faringa and the Haast rivers. The new Faringa and Haast road now being made will run within two miles of the locality in which the gold has been found, and the formed road will shortly be made past this place. For some reason or other - the discovery has been kept very quiet, and the particulars have not been made, known—-even down south. There is no doubt, however, that the rush to the Haast river (where hundreds of people went Home years ago and returned without doing anything, owing to the want of supplies) took place under circumstances less warranting an influx of people than those now existing in the case of the Faringa find, aud it is also as certain that the repeated discoveries of heavygold in the same district points to the existence of a large and rich goldfield in the Haast and Faringa neighbourhood. Every now and again we hear of some large nuggetty gold being found in that district—in some cases pieces several ounces in weight have been reported—'obtained, not by the usual and ordinary processes of gold mining, but by some chance or amateur f»ssicker whohas picked the precious metal—perhaps with a penknife—from the crevices of rocks, or from underneath rocks in running streams. In the present case the discovery has been made in a. somewhat similar manner, but the results are more important than ever before obtained. It appears that two men known as Bob the baker, and Kinnaird, have b'en spending some weeks, in the locality mentioned, and prospecting., without tools, and obtaining supplies of food with difficulty. As the result of six weeks perseverance under . the most adverse circumstances, they have obtained fifty ounces of gold of a very heavy character. They tried to get water on the range where they were at work, but were unable to do so, and in consequence devoted themselves to the search for the metal in the crevices of the rocks, wuh the result as above stated. The gold is a magnificent samply, and has been shown, we believe, to Mr Mueller, the chief surveyor, on his recent visit south, and from which he returned a few days since. As soon as the road is through, there is very little doubt that a large mining population will be settled in this rich, neglected, and unexplored country. Even now, despite the obstacles to success mentioned above, it is clear that there are some miners V steadily afworkjpi4lre. southern part of Westland, nb^'fone of whom need fear making 30s. or 465-per week, even with the want of facilities under which they now labor. >