NEWS FROM KIMBERLEY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2470, 7 December 1886, Page 2

NEWS FROM KIMBERLEY.

; Tho Perth Inquirer is indebted to the ' Acting Colonial Secretary for placing the | following report from tho goldfields' at ( Kimberley at its disposal for publication: Police Camp, ; Kimberley Gold Fields, September 14th, 1886. I beg to loport for the information of Hie Superintendant of Police that on the i 7thinst. 1 left camp, in company, with Mr Resident Warden Price, Trooper Buckley, and P. C, Forbes, to visit tho various diggers camps. We went to McPhee's Camp, where we found about 200 miners at work. In answer to enquiries most of the man stated they were barely getting enough gold to onab!e ! them to buy food; somo said they were not getting any gold. From that Camp we went to Hall's Gully; There wo found 40 men;.they also told us they were getting very little gold. From Hall's Gully we followed the Black Elvira round to its junction with tho Elvira and saw about ton men only, who were prospeoting. From the junction we .proceeded uptheElvire. Wo saw about 254 men; soma of them were working on tho Elvira, but the majority of the men were working in the neighborhood of Brookman's Gully, The men were .walking six mile daily and were engaged dry-blowing.' There is no water in Brookman's Gully to wash with. The men hero likewise state that they are only (jetting 2 to 4 dwta. of gold per day. At Hall's Creek we found about 96 men. They seemed as a rule very niuoh depressed, stating they were only getting one or two dwts of gold per day, A party of six men discovered a reef at Hall's Creek. The holders, showing us a specimen of the reef, or rather the casing that surrounds the reef-a kind of soft red sandstone, very fine gold was visible through the specimen. The reef is on tho top of s slate hill and Ims a north-east and southwestdirection, orthoreaboutg. From Hall's Creek we passed through the gorge on the Elvhei Caroline Pool is.» nice hole of permanent water at. the mouth of the gorge.. About lj miles above the gorge we came to the terminus of the Cambridge Gulf road, ilerewc found a party of men camped who were inuharije of their goods their partners being absent On the works or prqspecfcintr. At this camp:we saw 35 drays, and a little higher up we saw i other drays. Some of these drays are said to have been abandoned by their owners, who have returned to Cambridge Gulf, having conoluded they could do no good on the gold field. We continued on to the Palm Springs, 7 miles east of Mt. Barrett. Here -we found two men in

charge qt about 60 horses belongin/ to the miners, From the Palm Springs we. proceeded to look at some water holes: between: Mfc Barrett and Trig Shtioj( J54. We found two or three good water I .' holes, but they are of little use, owing to the rocky nature of the country, and the absence of grass about them, From the

rook-hoks wo the fioraetprs Camp, on the Derby road, with a view to raoefc our teatna. My home ■■- knocked up, and we had to.camp without water. The following morning we went -' on; about a.mUe from the .Horse-tailer'a '. Canuj we met a party comibg fom ]}s&:"% probably a coupjetfdayfrUrney distant;'"* v • We therefore deoWed to return to iaitip, • • which we reached in the evening,- puimg our travelled about% ; ;inileliv. ■-'■ and-visited, the camps of Blfi.diggirt. We ''• hoard of nutob*eM\of-nien'.,ffKo'werp' , sitit,v ' prospecting; there 'cannotbe less than' : 200 men engaged at this work, and partiei are arriving daily from Derby, ,and from Cambridge Gulf. So far as 1 wm ."'; able to ascertain the diggers iare not'a',"'). very high opinion of the future of thedig- ■:': ginga. They agree that'a littlejgold may v •* bo obtained anywhere bnt.not in payable, quantities, oxcepfc on yery'small patches, which are quickly worked .'out. ~lfc is. thought by some that a good.field may yet be found, while others say the oouritry ii'" too broken and has too little'^viarr. ground to ever bo much as ; alluv^pijj(r- : ' .- gings, whatever it may prove as a wefiiigf '. ;■. held, During the last week>threr inert' "■;' r have died, two at Hall's Gully,' fthi'diie: : ,. at Mcphee's Gully. One'diod ofspurry,:.:.■>'.one of dyaenfcry, and tlie thirdof praifigj. - '. The names of the deceased/. V& DavidGormack, -WilljamPepperton; anbV' ;'."i ;William.EiohardGoiildiOne-object of ;■ if; Mr Price's trip wastofi'nd aplabe to his camp, as the preseui oaihp is unsuit-.'";•■; able. Ho has not deoided'yet' whether; 1 ! hewill canip at thfe terminus of. the-Oamv ; ? bridge Gulf road or at:the Palm Springs;; ' "'"i TheJatter is the best spot, but .the former '"''" is nearer the digging!,; There apposite . be & good supply of.' provisions '. field at present. The'iqamels aflHr j on.the 10th from Derby ;witli abohrnve tons of storos, and supplies' havo beetf sold by parties loaving. About 200 head of cattle have arrived from Messrs Fisher and Lyons' station on the Vidtoria. Mr Macpheo is also bringing oattlo froni ■-. ■. Messrs Durack's Ord River Station. Mr •■-, Hamilton arrived to-daywith 200 sheep, and Messrs Edwards and : Collins'flock of . 1200 will shortly arrive.' As matters stand at present there seoras; no' likelihood of the services of the gold escort being required. Everything is.quiet arid orderly on the field. 1 omitted to mention that '• We visited a digger's -camp about two miles west of Maophee'sGully. 'Most- of the men wore engaged :dry-hloj|jg on the head of the Mary.River..'-, SiW-four • men were camped at thfcplace-liko the others, they stated that they were scarcely. earning their food by very hard work.— ■ P. Troy, Sub-Inspector.