MINING SUMMARY.

West Coast Times, Issue 176, 12 April 1866, Page 6

MINING SUMMARY.

The prominent feature in mining matters of the month has been extensive, and met unprofitable rushes to the Grey district, Okarita, and Bruce Bay. Hundreds of miners during: the past fortnight have been wandering about the country, rushing hither and thither in pursuit of that will o' the wisp " supposed new country ;" and the consequence has been much suffering and distress amongst the diggers, and loss of ti-ne and money. The most headlong " stampede" — the one attended by the most disastrous results — was that lo the Bruce Bay district, where Hunt, the prospector, had discovered a new terrace and gully, and hid thereupon proceeded to Okarita to make application for a prospecting claim. This was granted him, and as soon as the knowledge of the fact became public property, hundreds made ready to accompany him back again. But Hunt, it appears, had no idea of taking back a large crowd with him, but wished instead to "lay on" a favored few of his own friends ; as in the official notice posted by the Warden it was distinctly stated that the amount of payable Ground was exceedingly limited — certainly not more than enough to support two or three hundred men. The crowd, however, rushed madly to Bruce Bay. the majority by steamer, but a great many overland, and as soon as Hunt made his appearance he was at once taken possession of and commanded to lead the mob to the new gull\ r he had discovered. That astute individual, had no idea of complying with such a demand ; and after leading his custo dians many a weary mile through the bush — which in that district is so dense that it appears to have no opening —he managed to give them tho slip, and although le-captured, he a second time escaped, and has not since been seen or heard of. A reference to our Bruce Bay correspondent's letters, wh'ch appear in arot'ier column, will show to what a pitch of madness and excitement the diggers were worked up by this disappointment, and also how, taking advantage of the unprotected state of the Bruce Bay community, a mob of "rowdies" and loaders, who are ever to be found on the outskirts of an army of diggers, rushed the stores and plundered indiscrimi-

lately, destroying property to the amount th )f nearly £700. A more disastrous th ■ush never took place in New Zealand, fo md although it hab borne most bitter fr ruits, some good will accrue from i% in- ni ismuch as it has read some of the more b< •estle&s ones such a lesson they wi I not ai •eadily forget, and perhaps induce them cc :o settle down quietly upon some w 3f" the many " bona fide" profitable T ' diggings" which abound in Westland. tl m»i steadily develope tlvir resources to w their own profit and the general good of e^ the commun'ty. There are some, how- in ever, who do not hesitate to say that fa Hunt has really discovered gold, and In that as soon as the " rush" has subsided F and only a few of the better sort remain, he will come out of hiding and b make known the exact spot. At pre- ri sent no one knows where he is, but a being an excellent bushman he has d doubtless planted himself in the scrub c and will not re-appear until it suits his c purpose to do so. As can be li seen in our latest news from Bruce t Bay, the multitude which assembled a there so hurriedly has again dispersed, v and that district has again relapsed into t a state of quietude and dullness. There are a considerable number of miners r scattered along the beaches between a Bruco Bay and Milford Sound, pro- a specting the country, and leading a i very nomadic kind of life indeed. We i believe that heavy gold has been dis- a covered in that direction, but not in j such quantities as can be consi- j dered payable. Two organised parties, £ headed by men of known experience for j weeks scoured the bush down there, j Both however, returned unsuccessful, 1 and very grave doubts are entertained i whether a really extensive and payable goldtield exists in that direction, for it ( is feared that through the ranges ap- j proaching so closely to the sea, the in- ( tervening oountry is too contracted and broken up to ever produce gold in large quantities. From the Okarita goldfield the accounts ?<re favourable although the five mile beach is the only diggings really worth mentioning Since our last summary a very large amount of »old has been extracted from the workings, which promise to last for months, as there are three bottoms on which gold is found and each of them payable. A very large number of miners have returned to it from the Bruce Bay rush. At the beginning of the month a rush set in to a beach some six miles to the north of Okarita and many claims were worked out and some few sunk upon. The result, however, was a lamentable failure, not a single hole striking gold, and after enquiry elicited the fact that the prospectors had been guilty of gross deception. Very great expectations are indulged in that the Lake district, some ten miles inland from Okarita town, will yet prove a payable field as it is certain ron^h gold has been found there. A track from the township is nearly completed, and as this will allow the transport of provisions at a comparatively cheap rate, many miners have already started for the Lake for the purpose of prospecting and to be amongst the first to partici pate in anything good that may turn np there. Between Okarita and Bruce Bay, there are many beaches in work, and all yielding more or less gold. But all attemps to strike gold in the interior hive, so for, proved failures, although flowing reports are occasionally circulated of parties who working on the quiet, occasionally make their appearance in Okarita, labouring under a heavy burden of dust and nuggets. But the favored lot-ality yet remains a profound secret. Taking it throughout, however, the Okarita district may be considered as flourishing, with fair prospects in store for it. At the Totara diggings, a considerable population is assembled, which, since the bursting of the Bruce Bay " bubble," has somewhat increased. Sluicing operations at Jones's Cretk are m the ascendant, and are found to pay well. In fact, all the old ground will be re-worked by this process, and many terraces, which have been prospected and found too poor to pay by the ordinary process, profitably worked. The deep lead is still at a stand still, no means having been provided to overcome the water. From the Kanieri encouraging accounts come to hand ; for, although, the last month has not peen prolific in startling events., the steady progression which has been made promises well for the future well being of the district. Some of the machinery which in our last summary we stat"d to be in the course of erection is now completed, and does all the work required of it well. The large water wheel on Commissioners Flat is in full work, and its power is so great that the water in all parts of the flat is affected by it, and there is little doubt that when the steam engines commence working the flat will be drained both easily and effectively. On the Kanieri Flat the Star Steam Oompaay are realising fair returns, whilst the works of the Westland Steam Drain ge Company are very nearly completed. The large pumps, ordered from Melbourne, have arrived and will shortly be in position. Those claims on the river bank which have, since they were opened, yielded so plentifully, still pay well and promise to keep shareholders at work for months yet to come. The old Kanieri Terrace is being gradually removed bodily by the iiction of water, for it has received such a cutting up during the mouth as to be almost unrecognisable by those who once knew every inch of the ground. Along its entire length runs the enormous flume which supplies water to numerous smaller ones branching off from it, and extending to the different claims in work, Owing to the late dry weather, the Pioneer Race Company have not been able to supply

ie numerous demands made upon "T iem for " tox heads," and have therere determined to bring in a " feeder" om the left hand branch of the Kaieri, so that a constant supply shall c always available. During the month lothcr gigantic water-race has been jmpleted by the United Co npany, / ho have coiiStructed a " flume" across uoker Flat, very nearly as large aa^lat of the Pioneer , The source from 'hich they dr;iw th >ir water, is, how • pvr, somewhat limited, and it is only i the rainy season that a really abunant supply can be depended on. The irge water wheel on Commissioner's 'lat is driven by water from this race, Lt Shenandoah Flat, the progress made y miners is but slight. It has been ushed again and again, but the depth nd wetness of the ground is a great lra\^back to its development ; and none xcepting those well supplied with both, ash and determination care about "tacking" it. Those parties who are on gold here, find that it pays well, as there is "\ l thick " stoup "of washdirt, through / vhich the gold is generally distrimted. By a reference to our " Special Rejqrt" upon the Auckland rush, which ippears in another column, it will be_ ieen that those once-celebrated work^ j' ngs are nearly exhausted. Attention s, however, directed to the swamp idjoining the old lead, which is supposed to be auriferous, and its appeafmce certainly is favorable to such a supposition. A company has been formed for testing this marsh, by draining it, and have already commenced a tail race, at the level of low-water mark. In a week or two, the question will be decided either one way or the other. Should the result be favorable, it will most materially aflect the future of Westland ; for there are miles upon miles of these swamps, stretching along the coast from north to south, which, should they prove auriferous, will afford permanent employment to thousands of men. We trust that in our next Summary we shall be able to report favorably upon the Auckland Swamp. The Grey district has, like that of Bruce Bay, been the scene of a large and unprofit-V' able "rush" although, happily, tfieA results attending it were not quite so disastrous. It appears tha+ a rumor obtained currency to the effect that somewhere up the Little Grey new and rich country had been opened, that promised from its appearance to snpport a * large population. On the receipt of this canard the local paper published a flourishing " extra," which when fairly circulated caused a great deal of excitement, and some hundreds of nrners soon congregated in the streets of Grey mouth. But by this time several miners who had visited the supposed new rush returned to town and pronounced the whole affair to be a mere fabrication. They stated that there was a consider* able number of miners on the Little > Grey diggings who had been located there for months, but that nothing out of the ordinary course of events had lately occurred. Upon this the miners a spmMed in Greymouth, held a monstermeeting, and passed resolutions con* Jlemnntory ot the " Grey River Argus!' which having published reports calculated to mislead the miners was by the meeting adjudged to pay into t 1 c Hospital funds LIOO. And so ended another of those " stampedes " continuously - occurring on gold-fields ; and yet diggers refuse to take warning from thpm From other parts of the Grey district we hear of great successes and general prosperity. At the North Beach diggings " pile " claims are still in work, and much ground besides is ' yielding very excellent returns. Some of the lucky ones are making as much as > I £250 per week. Such instnnces. howi ever, are very exceptional indeed. In j the Arnolds district co-operate mining is being recognised as far superior I to the desultory efforts of individual ! parties. Extensive works are in " i course of construction there, of which a * large water race from Lake Brunner, which is intended to supply the whole of I the Maori Gully District, stands first. i The little excitement that was once occasioned by rumors of rushes between the rivers Grey and Buller has entirely died out, and lately nothing whatever has been heard of the " Jacob's Ladder [ Rush " or those to the North of it.