THE PAKIHI AND FOX'S DIGGINGS.

West Coast Times, Issue 394, 29 December 1866, Page 2

THE PAKIHI AND FOX'S DIGGINGS.

(from our owx correspondent.) Brighton, Dec. 26. During the past week no new discoveries of gold have occurred, and it is hard to toll what sort of a place Fox's will be in another couple of months. The majority of the miners are greatly disgusted, and businesa people who "forked out" fifty, and one hundred pounds ' for a frontage are beginning to look very" serious j indeed, many of them would now gladly sell for half what tbey gave if they could find anyone •■ green " enough to give it to them. The low prices realised for goods at auction, shows that not only is business greatly overdone, but that very few have confidence in the stability of the place. The number of hotels is, as is usual on a gold field, out of all propor•f U tO i j te 'e^rements of the place, indeed it would take a much larger number of miners man are here, and they must be very thirsty souls, to support one quarter of them ; nevertheless, those hotel-keepers who are well known, such as Messrs Sweeney, Kelly, Brown, &c., continue to do a thriving trade. The well know; Bill Fox ha a for the present kid down the pick and shovel and betaken himself to the easier occupation of dispensing noublers, and appears to be well patronised, iudeins from the number of miners always assembled in and about his hotel. „ ■ _ There has been a great scattering of the miners, and the town is not one quarter as populous as it was a week ago. Some have gone south, but the majority north, intending to give the country a trial in the neighborhood of the Buller. Although everything looks dull here at present, I am by no means certain it will always continue so, for it must be confessed of the thousands who flocked hither, very few prospected in the vicinity ;—; — - they came here allured by most shamefully ' exaggerated reports of a large goldfield being discovered ; and when they found out it was only a large patch, and to prospect they* would have to sink slabbed shafts of 50ft. aofl 100 ft., they left completely disgusted. Between Fox's and Pakihi there is a large number afc work, but no rich finds have as yet been obtained. lam informed there is a large area of payable ground near Pakihi, but the difficulty of obtaining water tenders it valueless. I believe L 5 per week is the price paid to holders of water-races for a sluice-head. The bottoming of the flat at the foot of the terraces, has not yet been accomplished. A *~ party of twelve men obtained the grant of <: an extended claim from the Warden, and they have been busy for the last week ; but up ro the time of writing they had not bottomed, but fully expected to be able to do so. The cutter Volunteer endeavored to get to * sea on Thursday evening, but when within a few yards of rounding the last rock, she became unmanageable, and soon was driven amongst the large rocks lying to the so\ith of Fox's River, upon which she commenced to bump heavily, and it soon became evident to the immense crowd assembled on shore that she would become a total wreck. Towards nightfall, two of the crew, named Kenneth M'Lcod and Frederick Moore, volunteered to go in the dingy and fetch out a whale-boat from Fox's River, to bring off tho remainder of the crew. They accordingly rowed off from the vessel, and were just within Fox's River when a " curler" came and upset the boat, and left the two men at the mercy of the waves. As soon as the accident was seen there was a tremendous rush made 'from the shore, and tho miners by joining hands endeavored to reach the drowning men. jvhilst ono brave fellow, named Daniel Collins, boldly plunged into the sea, and swam with a rope towards them, but found it was too short, and was hauled back almost insensible. Now I have to relate the conduct of the ferryman, which for cowardice, callousness, and selfishness, almost exceeds belief, and is enough to bring a blush -of anger to every manly cheek. Whilst Xloluna,-ftacL - - others were doing their best to save the poor fellows, others rushed to the ferryboat iv order to man her, but what was 'their amazement when the ferryman said he would not go nor allow the boat to go. The miners were just going to take her nolens miens, when the fellow coolly paddled into the stream to be out of reach. So as no time was to be lost, another small boat wa3 launched, but it was found she had no oars, and the volunteers cried out to the ferryman to lend them his, which request he flatly refused. At this juncture, Mr Coleman, who has the grant of the ferry, came up, and at once got the oars. The boat then put off, and succeeded hi saving Moore ; but Kenneth M'Leod was drowned. The body waß picked up on Sunday, and an inquest was held on Monday, when the facts related above were distinctly sworn to. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death ; but added a rider to the effect that the conduct of the ferryman was inhuman, and worthy of the greatest censure. Mr Kynnefs-" ley has since cancelled the grant of the ferry , to Mr Coleman, and allowed other parties to ferry, as the grant was given on the understanding that a competent ferryman should be in attendance. Had there been one on Thursday evening, both men could easily have been saved, as a few strokes of tho oars would have brought the boat beside the drowning man. I cannot find out the name of the ferryman, but he was known here as "Flash Harry." Fortunately he has saved us the disgust and loathing his presence amongst us would occasion, by leaving for G-reyinouth — the people of which place will know how to appreciate such a specimen of humanity. The wreck of the Volunteer drifted on the beach south of Fox's, and was sold for L 29. The Julia got so roughly knocked about on the bar that her bottom was knocked out, and she was sold for L - The cutter Hope succeeded in getting safely to sea the same night the Volunteer got wrecked. Masters of vessels leaving are now employing surf boats to tow them out. Two were thus towed out on Monday. The ketch John Mitchell, when attempting to get to sea, got tlirown on the north beach where she remained for a couple of days. By clearing the sand and putting large poles under her, she was by the aid of levers and hundreds of willing hands got afloat this day. The lock-up, a massive piece of wooden architecture, is finished, the Court ' House nearly so, and a flagstaff erected at Fox's Kiver, under the charge of Mr M'Neil, deputyharbor master. A newspaper has also been started, so you see we intend to go ahead. Christmas, with its usual sports, lias visited us again, and all the miners ara in town enjoying themselves. Over LIOO was subscribed by the publicans, for prizes to the \ ictor3 in the games. The different prizes were very well contested this day, and we are to have another day's sport to-morrow. Not a single untoward event happened to mar the festivities, very few tipsy to be seen, and not even a fi>ht to cause excitement. ° December 27. The sports were continued this day with unabated vigor, and everyone appealed quite determined to make the most of his time. All the miners intend leaving to-morrow, to try their fortune on the beaches and oranges between here and the Buller. The Christchurch coach left on its journey to Eastern Canterbury at the usual hour yesterday morning. Messrs Holeman, Fairbrother, and Philips were (he only passengers. There was, howpver, a parcel freight. Our Buller River contemporary states that — " In the ' G-overuinent Gazette' a notification appears constituting Westport a port of entry. The spajo fcr landing goods is from Gladstone strJefc to Wiiinby street, under the Regulation -Li. 1860.'- The port is officially christened Westport, and the Customs' area is one miii from the mouth of the Buller. A tliird notvs> jnakes this a port for the expor: gold imn-r t,\? jregulations of 18f$0." t «.