A TOUR TO THE GREY GOLDFIELDS.

West Coast Times, Issue 74, 23 November 1865, Page 2

A TOUR TO THE GREY GOLDFIELDS.

(fhom our special reporter.) No. 2. — Along the Beach.

In my last I informed you that although I intended to reserve any further remarks concerning tho "Auckland" rush until my return from the Grey, there wore one or two subjects I should comment upon in my next letter, tho most important of which is the private property question. It may seem strange to your readers in other parts of Australasia, that here on the West Coast, which but the other day was, comparatively , speaking, an unknown land, a dissension between miners and cultivators should have arisen. Yet such is the fact ; and, moreover, tho ground in dispute is so closo to the sea as to be almost within reach of tho surf. Indeed, a high spring tide, backed by a heavy westerly gale, would be likely to prove somewhatdetrimental to thogrowthof the young cabbages and salad planted there. Tho principal portion of this debateable ground is attached to the Shamrock Hotel, one of the cluster of stores I mentioned in my last, called tho Eight-mile, and being exactly on tho line of gold was, of course, pegged in by the diggers, subsequently sunk upon, and proved to be highly auriferous, as much as 2 dwts. to the dish having been obtained; but, as these operations on the part of tho miner considerably interfered with the growth of Mr. Kiloy's crop of vegetables that are just making their appearance above the surface, he very naturally interfered to prevent further damage, stating that Mr Sale had given him permission to take up this area of ground, about half an acre in extent, and had moreover promised to protect him id the possession of it. The claim holders, however, aro equally as determined to stick to their sections, knowing them to be so rich, asserting that tho ground had not been registered previous to their taking it up, and that consequently their right was clearly a prior one. The Warden had been appealed to, and it was expected a decision would bo given on. Thursday last. It is a great pity such a squabble should have occurred, still I think no blame is to be attached to any ono, as when the land was granted to Mr Kilcy for agricultural purposes, no one dreamt of such a lead of* gold running through it ; but now that the highly auriferous character of tho coast line is beyond doubt proved, no more leases should be granted under any consideration, but unrestricted scope be allowed tho miner to dcvelope that particular resource on which th 6 piesent and future prosperity Of the JWest Coast depends. The northern extremity of tho Auckland rush rests upon the Waimca River or Six-mile, a small stream, but like every other between liokitika and tho Grey that is knee deep, it boasts of a ferry and store — conveniences that aro cortainly not to bo despised. Looking at it nnd the country to tho south originated tho idea that at a former period it might, instead of running as it does now straight to the sea, havo turned sharp to the south and run parallel to the coast, thus depositing thoso auriferous sands and drifts now

being uncovered at the new rush. On this p'oiri't there is ccrtnnly unlimited room for conjecture. To the north of tho Waimea tho oduntry presents the same appearance t6 the eye, excepting that the terrace which b'dunds the beach thrusts itself a little more 'seaward, ftrid there is not that distirtct formation between the swamp and be&ch so peculiar to the strip of land to the south. Two parties were, however, prospecting there, and seemed sanguine of success ; they had found a little gold but nothing payable. Half a milo further and the swamp approaches close to the beach, a narrow ridge alone separating them, and on attempting to explore it I found it so full of water as to be quite impassable. Some parties who were camped just here said there was a lagoon at the back between it nnd the ranges, out of which they had procured some fine eels i and trout, but that after heavy rains it was not to bo reached. These men were working on the beach, taking up tho surface black sand and washing it in the usual manner in an ordinary ..cradle. Even by this primitive method they could obtain four and five pennyweights a day, and as the gold is so remarkably fine that quite one half must be lost m the washing, quicksilver and copper plates would, if used, doubtless tell a different tale. A few hundred yards beyond them, on the edge of high water mark, some few parties are at work nnd getting payable gold. It seemed very easy work, nothing more being required to reach the metal than the removal of some three feet ot sand, and then lifting a layer about 4 in. thick of fine black sand and washing it. This " wash dirt" rests on a bottom of common sea sand, only a little firmer in its consistency, and which like that at tho Auckland rush dipped seaward nearly at the same angle as the beach abovo it. I was informed by one of the shareholders that they would make fair wages, but as they worked near the sea the ground became deeper, wet, and poor. A very ingeniously constructed cradle, with a pump attached, was in use by ono of the parties, by which a saving of one man's labor was effected. It being quite impossible to wash even a dish of dirt in the sea through the roughness of the surf, they found it necessary to sink a well for a supply of water; this necessitated a pump, the break of which was connected to the frame of the cradle, that when rocking worked the pump as well. Both pump and cradle were evidently home made. Between this and the Kapatia, or three-milfe creek, a distance of about two miles, no one was digging save one or two parties on the trr.mp, sinking a small hole here and there in the sand as they went along, thereby striving to, delude themselves with the idea that they were prospecting the country, The Kapatia is a smaller stream than the Waimea : the attendant Charon was however there in readiness to do tho needful for the small charge of 6d. ; and perched upon a high part of the bank was the accompanying store, at the door of which stood an individual with his hands in Ms pockets, apparently waiting for that custom which on this particular morning he had anything but a glut of. Thence to the River Teremakau the road is most monotonous and uninteresting, and the lines of swamp and lagoon separating tho coast range" from the beach, which is very extensive, presenting a weary waste of saild, gravel and drift-wood to the eye, Woe to the nnfortunate vessel that suffers wreck here, for her destruction would be inevitable and speedy, the beach being very flat with a tremendous surf rolling on it, the breakers extending far out to sea. It is also more shingly than any other part of the coast from Hokitika, in some places consisting of beds of large boulders that would soon convert into match wood the timbers of the strongest ship. The sound emitted by these boulders as thoy clash together when rolled over by the waves is most peculiar, resembling the file-firing of musketry by a regiment of the line. After traversing between three and four miles of this beach the notoriously celebrated Teremakau is reached, which being of some size, makes a large break in the range, constituting a very pleasing contrast to the scrub and marsh that predominates from the Waimea. The gorgo out of which it issues is high and somewhat picturesque, being densely wooded to the water's edge, and the circuitous course of the river can be traced far inland, although its waters are hidden by the spurs from each side jutting out and overlapping each other, bluff suceeding bluff, gradually lessening in size as they recede, until a blending of tho whole seems to take place with tho mass of high ranges and hills in the baok ground, forming a scene of wondrous beauty and grandeur. After leaving the gorge, the river runs for about a mile through a large " made" flat to the sea, just before joining which it spreads out considerably, and is filled with sand beds, shallows and snags, amongst and over which it runs with amazing velocity, quite equal to the Shotover or Molyneux. It is almost unnecessary to state that the sea at its mouth presents an impenetrable wall of surf the whole, distance across, and from the inhospitable, nature of the coast I should think it impossible for a boat to either enter or leavo the river at any season, however fine. , The nucleus of a township is formed on the south bank, consisting of a stdro arid two or three public and accommodation houses, and although they are sitiiate'd some little.height above the river, 1 should imagine them to bo liable in tho event of an extraordinary rise in it, to bo swept into tlio sea. No such dread, howover, appears to be entertained by tho residents, considerable improvements having been lately effected in the

buildings, and one new store is now iii course of erection. Several boats ply, upon the river for the conveyance of passengers, pedrstrinns crossing near the mouth in a line between the township and oppbsite bank, horsemen having to go some distance higher up where the distance across is not so great, or the stream so rapid ; still in spite of the utmost care, the risk, both to biped, and quadruped, is no slight one. The lower ferry is especially dangerous, for in consequence of a spit hearty in the centre of the river, and which 'extends to the south blank some little distance up the river, boats have to pull direct across until this is passed, and then fclie full force of the stream, running like a mill-race, Is encountered ; this sweeps the boat towards the breakers with fearful rapidity, and both a long arid strong pull is required to fetch the end of the Band spit that runs from the high beach, disagreeably close to the surf. lam only surprised more accidents have not Occurred, as the snapping of an oar or tholepin during the crisis would be a mishap sufficient to cause the loss of both the boat and its contents. The wide expanse of beach round the Teremakau; and which may be considered its Delta, once crossed, the swampy country again approaches close to the sea, between which there is a strip of terrace that a fortnight ago was tried by some miners and proved to be highly auriferous. This is situate about half-way between the Teremakau and Saltwater Rivers, at present is giving employment to about one hundred men, and is called the Teremakau rush. On visiting it I was astonished at the similarity which existed between it and the Auckland rush, both, as regards the formation of the ground, its depth, the strata sunk through ere the gold is reached, the wash-dirt and gold itself — all were precisely similar. It is not by any means an extensive diggings, there being only about fourteen claims, but these are paying remarkably well, some of them prospecting as high as £ oz. the dish, 1 and 2 dwts. being commonly obtained. The gold is" reached at a depth of from six to fourteen feet, and rests upon a false bottom of firm sand and light gravel, which I again found dipping with wonderful regularity to the sea. At either end of this patch or lead the ground dips off into the swamp at one end and lagoon towards the Saltwater River at the other, and becomes so poor as to be not worth working, in fact, the gold may be considered aa having run out. Being very fine, great caro is requisite in extracting it from the wasbdirt, and the plan in universal request by the diggers on this patch is the sluice box lined with blanketing, with a hopper plate very finely perforated attached to the upper end. This is connected to a cistern that is supplied with water by a pump from the claims themselves, which are all more or less wet* the great desideratum of a constant and uniform sup* ply being thus secured. The miners, one and all, expressed themselves perfectly satisfied with its efficacy, preferring it to the use of quicksilver and copper plates, and believe that very little if any gold is" lost ; for although they repeatedly submitted the tailings to a rigorous test, nothing but a flake or two of the lightest gold resulted. The width of payable ground, so far discovered here, is not more than from thirty to forty feet. (T le continued.)