A TRIP TO THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 54, 20 February 1869, Page 6

A TRIP TO THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

XX AN OLD TUAPEKA DIGGER. W accordance with my promise, T will/now endeavor to give your redder^ i a <#)ucise report of what" the far-famed j .Thames Goldfields are like. I left , Dunedin some nine months since ; and j / after stopping some four months at a j miserable port called "Wellington, pro- | ceeded on to Auckland. This city is (somewhat larger than Dunedin, and /the buildings there are of a most sub- / stantial nature, being built principally / <?f brick.-. The suburbs of Auckland / are very pretty;, and Ido not recollect | seeing a place that brought the old j country so forcibly to my memory. The most note-worthy features in 1 Auckland are the wharf and the domain — tbe latter of which is a great resort for visitors. I stayed in Auck- • land ten days, and then proceeded to the Thames. I left the Auckland

wharf at six o'clock p.m., and arrived

at the Thames at two o'clock next morning ; "so that we were eight- hours going forty miles — and a most ' miserable time I had of it. The only place that I could sit down on was the cabin «tairs, and as it was raining the whole time, I got a pretty good soaking. Arriving at that time in the morning, I thought the place looked fearful. I traveLed through the streets for some time, and after knocking at several houses, I was fortunate enough" to rouse up the inhabitants of a public, and was shown into a Toom where "there were about', fourteen other persons. I did not much relish the idea of so many companions — but I had to make the best of a bad job, and put up with it. I rose early next morning, .jand proceeeded to look about me. There are two -townships (Shortland and Grrahamstown) ; both are situated on the beach,- which extends for some three miles. All the houses are built of wood, and there are one or two really good buildings there', considering the time since the field was opened. The claims are nearly all situated ,among the ranges, some two miles "from either township, and it is .astonishing to see the immense amount of work that has already been done. The principal claims on the field are the G-olden Crown, Hunt's, Telegraph, and Puriri, and these claims are turning out some rare yields — sometimes as much as 15oz. to the ton. There are several other claims which have had some really good crushings, but they lhave not fairly started to work yet, Un most of the claims a tunnel is entered from the hillside, and taken in for some distance. The usual T drives tee then made, should any leader be -tscovered, and the stone blocked out aid taken, to the machine. The leader's ?ary from one inch to three feet in ;hickness,.and in some of these, gold is )lainly seen. The, different stone from vhich the gold is obtained is really tvorthy of notice. In some claims the

stone is pure white ; in others, white /with blue veins through it ; in another, ' all blue ; some have crystalized stone, and others have what is called mullocky leaders, which bear a striking resemblance to the deposits in which gold is found in alluvial mining. I should think there are some two or three hundred claims on this field, aud to supply these there are about seventeen quartz-crushing machines. Most of the people here are struggling against abject pqverty in a most praiseworthy manner. The miners for the most part are nearly ".stumped" for money, and should the Upper Thames be long opening, I think a great many more will leave the field for a time. Some of the claims are situated" so far back in the ranges that it is impossible for the shareholders to get their quartz to the machines, and it is sometimes six months before they can get a crush-, ing. The road from the townships to most of the claims is difficult to travel — nothing but bush all the way. One claim that I visited was six miles from Shbrtlabd. : I travelled up hill and down dale, over streams which had for a crossing a fallen tree, and I had quite enough to do to make my way through supple-jacks and lawyers. This claim was situated in the middle of a clearing, and comprised six men's ground. They had put in a tunnel for a distance of two hundred feet, ' and -had "drives from this tunnel in - several directions. They had sunk a shaft in the main tunnel, and had exposed a large body of quartz, which I should estimate at 200 or 300 tons. The drives in these claims (with few exceptions);.do not require slabbing or supports of any description, and thus a great saving is effected. To properly describe the method of crushing the quartz would requite a far .abler pen than mine; but I will endeayour to describe it to the best of my power. In the first place there are two troughs, placed in a slanting position, and ;at the head of these troughs 4is a lange basin into which -the stone 'is placed. , Immediately over this basin are .placed the stampers, and as soon as the ma- , - .chinery is started, these stampers fall upon the quartz and powder- it to a certain degree- of fineness. This powdered; quartz; is carried -along the troughs by means of water, in the same manner r as^sluicraig,- and blankets are used to save the'gold. . In some cases ' two Irrge iron balls, are used. ' These balls are made to run round the basin

into -which the-- stone is placed, and does ajray -.with, the stampers ; but this method is not nearly so good. In conclusion, I would not , recom* mend any one to think' of visiting the

Thames until' the tipper Thames is opened. The capitalists of Auckland will not Bpenld a shilling on the place, and unless a man can go there with at least £100, he had better Btay away for a time. It is the intention of Government to have a railway there, and that will, no doubt, obviate existing disadvantages to the miners- It will be at least twelve months before the pla:e will have- settled down to that tranquility which succeeds a great rush, but I have the gratest faith in its ultimately proving the finest g01d,.field that- New Zealand has yet prokuced..