THE DISCOVERT OF GOLD NEAR TIMARU.

Tuapeka Times, Volume 1, Issue 41, 21 November 1868, Page 6

THE DISCOVERT OF GOLD NEAR TIMARU.

' (From the " Timaru Herald.") ' The following letter, from a thoroughly reliable soui'co, has been, forwarded to us by a gentleman- Avho recently paid a Visit to the goldflolds : — "I have just, returned from the. Waihoa diggings, and as I promised to give you some account of them, I now! take the opportunity of doing so. "We went over the Hunter' s Hill range, through a paas above Mr. Dunford's (who accompanied us over), and found the goldfield (consisting of two parties) above; Mr. Sfcudholmo's hut on the Waihoa ; . the distance from Timaru boing about thirty miles, and I think the same distance from the "Waimate. The road from Timaru is very good, for either foot-passengers or pack horses, but quite unfit for drays. We •went out with the prospectors for one day, when they washed from four to five pennyweights — between three men. 'The ground consists of a sort of sandstone and sand, over a slate bottom. The gold is of a very good quality, and, strange to say, is found mixed amongst the sand, and not on the bed rock, as is generally the case. The men now prospecting seem perfectly up to their work, all of them being Victorian diggers, and I have no doubt if there is any payable gold they will find" it. I suppose that it would be of no use asking the Government for any assistance in the shape of a reward for finding a payable field in the Timaru district ! At present all one can say is that there is gold, but having to go thirty miles for provisions or to get a pick pointed, I am not at all sure that under these circumstances it would pay any one to leave other occupations to try their luck at the Waihoa goldfields." We learn from another gentleman, who returned to Timaru on Thursday, that on Saturday afternoon last, one party of three men took out half-an-ounce of gold. There are only two parties at thei head of the river, but we believe ther^^rj^, others feome miles lower down^HE^vere not seen by the writer of Jne I^Bk^ 6 publish above. Withtfuf any ex^mditure, there is v a very good road jbo|^k fiek^Jrom Tk maru, which is only tJ^L^jdHjfcj^^Mg distant, and not thir^^^^^HfeKa .forme Ay stated. "V^^^^^^^^k Coast^^^^^^^^^f idMlemtest informn^^^^^^^^H nrampeaks very encou^^^^^^^^H district, the populatioir^^^^^^^^J increased during the P^^^^^^^^^l at present numbers a b<2^^^^^^^^| There is every probabiii-^^^^^^^H further increase in the f*^^^^| when it becomes known that\pa^|Wl men who were out prospecting iisse struck payable gold about fourteen miles up Cook's River, nearly in the bed of the river. The only means of sluicing which they could procure was by stretching a piece of calico on two sticks, Even with this primitive appliance the party, consisting of four miners, managed to wash 15£ozs. in four days. The ground is described as being full of large boulders, and one. of the party has come up to Hokitika foX the purpose of procuring tools and powder for blasting purposes. The general appearance of the -country. is good, and the remainder of the men are making fair wages. At the Vienna rifle gathering, a Swedish officer fired from a breectiloa,ding riflo of his own invention fifty-three shots in three minutes, and of these twenty-nino struck the black.