A NEW RUSH NEAR GREYMOUTH.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1068, 2 May 1873, Page 2

A NEW RUSH NEAR GREYMOUTH.

PROSPECTING CLAIM APPLIED FOR. The Grevmouth Evening Star of the 2Sth says : —There was a good deal of talk and excitement in town yesterday and to-day owing to a report having gained circulation that a prospecting claim had heen applied for somewhere on the north-side of the Grey. We have heen enabled to make full inquiries regarding the report to-day, and the news is substantiated in so far that a party of miners called at the Camp on Saturday after Mr Warden Whiteford had left for the Ahaura to apply for a prospecting claim for some ground which they have been working for the past ten day. The applicants names are James O'Loughlan, Dennis McKenderry, Henry Hope, and Patrick Halpin. They brought in to the Camp several pennyweights of gold which they got in their tunnel. The gold is of a heavy flat appearance, and they have stated their prospects to be an average of two grains to the dish. In ono or two feet of ground they got as high as four to five grains to the foot, but for several feet the average was from one and a-half to two grains to the foot, and this is the prospect stated by them in their application. They state that there is five feet of wash, and the sinking is about twenty feet. The prospectors returned to the Camp again to-day to enquire if their application had been favorably entertained, and likewise to apply for a right for water. They are confident there is good wages to be made, and they have desire or object in puffing either their claim or the locality. We understand the men to be bona fide prospectors, and as a proof of their own faith in their discovery, O'Laughlin hired a horse yesterday, and rode as far as Black Ball to acquaint his brother

and mates of the discovery. His brother with others reached here this morning, and visited the ground, leaving men on their claim at Black Ball until they satisfy themselves of the prospects at the newly discovered ground. The ground is about five and a half miles from Qreymouth, on the Nelson side of the river. After following the B runner ton road as far as the Victoria saw mills, it is then in a northerly direction inland about four miles. The place has been named, today, Hope's Terrace, after one of the prospectors. There-were about sixty people on the ground to-day, many having left at an early hour this morning to pay the place a visit. A good many crossed the river on Sunday with that object. We have seen three or four parties who have returned from the ground this afternoon. Some are exceedingly sanguine of the result, and mean to return to-morrow to commence work, while others do not give the place any great name. The ground is immediately at the back of the creek known as Fiji Jack's. " Fiji Jack" gives us his account of the rush this afternoon. He has been working in the creek there for the past two months, and has been getting gold, a sample of which he shows us. It was of thin scaly appearance mixed with black sand. He says the prospects in the Creek are no great things, but an average of £2 per week can be made and has been made all along by him. He understands the prospectors followed the line of gold along the creek until reaching the terrace, where they commenced prospecting. Gold is reported to be struck in a second shaft this afternoon, and a good few claims have already been pegged off adjoining the prospectors. There is said to be ample room for a large lot of men, Bhould gold be found to extend on each side of the prospectors. The application for the prospecting claim was forwarded to Warden Whitefoord on Saturday to the Ahaura, but the Warden had intended to leave to-day for iieefton and it is doubtful if there will be any reply for a day or two. Senior-Constable Neville, who is acting as clerk to the Warden at Cobden, telegraphed to-day to ascertain if the Warden had left for Reef ton or whether the application had been entertained, but up to the hour of our going to press no definite reply had been received. It is probable the Warden will prefer seeing the ground and the prospects before granting a prospecting claim. Meantime we believe the report is not raised by the applicants for any pecuniary object or with the view of causing any false alarm, but is done solely from the firm belief that they have discovered some new and good payable ground. We purpose despatching a special reporter to the ground to-morrow and hope to give a more accurate and detailed account of the workings m our next issue.