THE TRIUMPH'S TRIP TO KIMBERLY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2384, 27 August 1886, Page 2

THE TRIUMPH'S TRIP TO KIMBERLY.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

[Wellington Evening Press],

Before starting to give you an account of our voyage, I would like to caution those coming after us to' be sure, to bo well supplied with all necessaries, as there are a groat many of the passengers who had not the proper outfit for the journey, and-who therefore suffered considerable hardship. Wo had a passage and could not expect better weathor than we experienced. The accomodation on the steamer, however,

was very bad, tho crowd rendering proper attention to the passengers almost Impossible. During the voyage tun horses died. Amongst them, ono belonged to the Udy .Company,. one to J. B»r» of Wairarapa, and one to the Bhanahan Company, of Wellington., Thls'.li oulr ft Bmallper centasre of deaths compared to some .voisels which have arrived here, although if a little better judgment had boen shown in stowing tho animals and looking after them the death rate need

not; have .been so The weather which we experienced cuuld not have boen more favorable:; we had only two or three days which were very hot. If that had continued, twenty or- thirty horsos would no doubt have sucoumlied. Tho steamer was vory badly accomodated with wind-sails for hot weather. There was one case of fever 011 board, and when we arrived here the Health officer, who is also! the R.M., paased a sentence ofquarntine for soven days on us; but as the patient had been recovering fast, all the passengers objected, and a number took possession of one of the ships boataand.declared thoir intention of going ashore that iff the doctor, would not ohange his mind and allow them to go ashore the following morning. Tkis he agreed to, seeing the impossibility of being able to carry his sentence into execution. About 80 passengers were landed on the Sunday morning the 25th.

' There is no wharf, only a jetty - and very shallow water; The steamer ancliured about 12 miles from the jetty, and, thore is a small steatnor here which is used to unload large sioamers. As 1 write thore is no probability of the Triumph being discharged for over a weeijs. So far no horses have been hurt in the'landing. The accounts we hear from the field are not very satisfactory, and a« we cannot, verify current reports, it is. hardly* worthwhile mentioning them. The sorgeant of tho police came down from the field about a month sinco, and his account is something similar to ,tho account rfi-

ported m New Zealand before wo loft. Ho says there were about 50 men on the

field, and all of them getting gold, some making from sdwts to 3ozs per day; There are no provisions on' the ground, and the men are hard up for rations,' On Monday 26 camels arrived here for the purpose of packing stores up to tho field, and starting stores' along the road between horo and the fiold. Stores are very cheap horo. Flour 10a Cd for 501 bs, sugar Bid per lb, and tea 2s 6d to 3s per lb. AH other things at prices as reiwonable as those already mentioned. There is no buying horses. Some men by tho Triumph had to pay a very high price for horses, and others could not get any at all, no matter what price thoj wore prepared to give. - 'There Is ashlpmailt of hofaes oat 43 days from Freemantlo, and It is greatly fosred something has happened to them and that the vossel has foundered. Some men have loft tare and taken barrowß with them and wheeled their swag and stores, to last them about six weeks. Others hare ordered barrows, j which are in course of construction, and they will sot out m soon ut they m finished.. The road for about £5 miles Is | sandy, and a horse would not take a hoavy load. After 25 miles it Is good, with an occasional sandy patch, untjl about 50 miles from tho field, when it is Bandy again for about 15 miles. Thero is a rough road finished. At present, thero is plenty of water along the road, and'the report that there was a scarcity , of water on tho road is totally withoutfoundation. Some men are going back by the Triumph, and a gooa many more would go back if they could only dispose of thoir things at a reasonable price, but tho place is so largely stocked, that a man will find it hard to dispose of.his outfit. Thore aro about 200 men camped In Derby waiting to got horses or carters l to take up provisions for them. ;

Some of the men here are going! to Newcastle by tho Triumph. I It would be very foolish for any person from rNow - Zealand to come here!at present There Is no work here for m'en

to do, and if they come hore without money they must starve, as there is no

way of a' man oven making hii food, There are some men hero making a tramway from tho jetty to a point about ill miles from the water. Derby ii situate# about three miles from the jetty, It If a small plase, but there are publichoujns (they call them hotels) and about six stores scattered aboat through the scrub. Tho town 1* altogether without formation. Tho mail closes this evening and deprives me of. tho change sof sending jm the latest Information. Two men are'on their way down from the field, and aro on a station 50 miles from here, Some of theit horses got hurt and that prevents ■ them cojnlng into town for a few days. By the next mail I will be able to give yuu more information from the field,; w thoy will be arrired by that time, There is a police escort going to start from here in a short time to proceed jto the field and bring down any gold there is there. If reports are correct there; is a less quantity of gold on the field than wai anticipated. Some of the men that were on the field last season are gone to tho stations to shear sheep, and that does not give a very promising aooount of theli opinions,

The moat of the peopln have gone >7 Cambridge Gulf m It li the shortest route, but, this route li best for any person bringing horses and drayi as they nan got them easier to tho field it present.: Any person attempting to coma here after Sopteijiber will have to stop here all the rainy season before ho could proceed to the field, and at orient no ono need come unless he has horses.

There wore two horses (old for £IOO each that would bring about £l6 !}n Wellington'. i . The weather is not quite so -hot si' I expected. For about five hours it is hot, but morning and evening it is' cool, and somo nights it is very cold. The flies are very troublesome, but ,1 have not see#' tyiy mosquitoes sinco I came here, and report says there are even fewer flies on the field than there are here, and that! it is not so warm during 'th# day, but' a little-more heat night ind morning, r It is not yet known how many men 'will reffifh' m'the'-Trianiph?' ,; -THefWr<j! many who are wavering whether %

will proceed orlfetum. The,news is so conflicting that it is hard to dfccidewlilyh is right,, • " The ' most of ..the passengers me going to get.&b(Hsout'26 miles'frbtn here its, there is water and grass,out! there, and,they are going a week to., rest their. hoftSs" ; . There are two of the Wellington. ex-A. 0. mfen in thri raoiitited police 'fare and they aregoingtobo two,of the escort party; one. i» named Brophy,' and the other Mullard. - One-of them was supposed to be the victim of tho murder 'committed by the natipes. ,Thoro is - anothor murder reported as having been committed near the field, It appears onoman out of a . party of threo went into a gully and found gold. He.returned to his mates at . night and the threefot out in the morning and wont down tofae spot. They were attaoked by the natives and one of them was killed, and another wounded Beverly ; wounded • across the temple, having a narrow escape for hii life. The third'.raan .was not iujured. The narnos of-tho persons I ain unable to state as they wore! not kiiop by, the party who brought the Information to By the next maji'l -will bo able to'give you a moro correct , account of the .field and district, 1 .' ; , ,

The young 'man Bryan, from Christ- , church, who was bad with feverhas i almost recovered but as none of sengers have come.over 'to-day,tßs . unable.'to get any Information about , With this one oxco'pllon wpjave all iii good 'health.' ..'';*f |~ Derby, July 28th,1386.' : 0 -f ' !' V ' (FfiOll AHOTHKU COKRHSPONDHNT .• Oue of the Triumph's passengers,writing to a friend in Wellington who h» v kindly placed his letter at our, dispofdkf says About half the Triumpiv Jf passengers would roturn if Ihey. had the means, but Harry and I are nnshakjen, and mean to go on, and talk about returning when we are starved out—and;'that wont be this week I There are very, few mon down from the field, 'and they decline giving any .information further than that all mi tho field are getting gold more or less,' I would not adftsp anyone to come until they get better newi. A Government Warden came fronuthe field with an escort of'l7 to day, which-.looks well, but it is strange the Government officer will scarcely answer questions any more than that there is gold and so go and find it. I must.now oloso, and.leave you in as great a mystery with regard to tho field as evor. 1 have seen some of the gold, bo that is something l ."