INTERVIEW WITH A PROSPECTOR AT KIMBERLEY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2201, 17 August 1886, Page 3

INTERVIEW WITH A PROSPECTOR AT KIMBERLEY.

The Western Mail's correspondent writing on June 12th says :—: — Perhaps the man of greatest interest in this part of the colony on Saturday was Mr C. Hall, the gold-digger. He arrived by the Otway from another visit to the Kitnberley goldfiold, and bore with him a nugget of 2Soz— the largest that has yet come from the new diggings. Some time ago the l ( Joz. nugget found by Morgan was the great Kimberley prize, but it must now retire before the superior magnificence of Mr Hall's "find." Mr Hall has honour of being the first man who brought gold from Kimberley, and he is generally looked upon as the lucky man who should receive a Government award. He is a man of experience as a searcher for gold, having worked for many years on the New South Wales and Queensland goldfields. When, therefore, he declared that he had found a goldfield the information generally was accepted as trustworthy. Upon his return from his most recent trip to Kimberley, therefore, it was advisable to gather what facts he had to impart, and our reporter waited upon him on Saturday. The story of his expedition is as follows :—: — In November last, at the head of party of seven men, he left Derby for Mount Barrett, by means of packhorses. The found the route to the fields an easy ene, their only difficulty being here and there a scarcity of water. On the wny they had no adventures of any kind, but making steady progress reached what will always be known as Hall's Creek. Here it was that Mr Hall struck gold on his first visit, and here it was, therefore that Kimberley diggings were inaugurated. Hull's Greek runs into the Elvira at a point about 22 or 23 miles to the south-east of Mount Barrett. Here on a day somewhere about three weeks before last Christmas, they encamped, with the view of making the creek their head-quarters. Two of the party were sent out on a prospecting expedition in a south-easterly direction. On their return a few days before Christmas they reported i o their mates that they had found the colour of gold abounding, but they had not come on any payable patch. Of course they confined their attention to fossicking, not troubling to attempt to test j the many promising reefs that they discovered. While these two men were away from the camp, the remainder of the men busied themselves with fossicking in Hall's Creek. Here they worked for eight or ten days upon a payable patch. Just after Christmas two others of the party went out prospecting, striking northwards. They followed creeks, and got as far as the headwaters of the Panton, but, though they found the colour of gold everywhere, they did not come upon a good fossicking place. Then they made for the Elvira, following it until they reached a creek coming from the south-west, and in this they found a little gold. This stroke of success induced them to work right up the creek, but, though again they found the colour, they did not come on anything payable. While still in this creek one of the party from the main camp reached them with the news that there was now plenty of water at the main camp. They returned to the camp, when they learned that Slattery had found a gully a mile away in which tln-re was gold. They cleared this patch out, and found also other parties near at hand, all mure or less having found gold. The party then heard of parties working seven or eight trii'es to the .south-east, amongst them being Moore and Hedley. A party under a man named Topping was in a gully about two miles and a half away, having worked patches up it for a long distance. Everybody on the fields wat> getting gold, but Mr Hall could not say what quantity they possessed. Mr Hall's party found several gullies near their camp, and got some gold from iLost of them. When they were doing well two of the party fell sick of scurvy, and had to remain at the camp. Then two others started for the south-west on a prospecting trip, and at a point about 14 miles to the south-west from Hall's Creek found a gully with gold in it. This gully runs into the lilack Elvira, and here it was that in a good patch, and at a depth of only a few inches, the 28oz nugget was discovered. When they were pushing on with the woik of fossicking up this gully news reached them that their sick mates at camp were worse. They all returned to the camp, and on their arrival found that the horses had strayed away, and that olhers of the party were still suffering from scurvy through having to live on salt diet. After considerable trouble they mustered the horse;*, and then debated as to what should be the ne\t step. Finally it was decided that, owing to the sickness of most of the party, they should make for Derby, prospecting as they went. They got " shotty " colours in various places on the Mary river, bot nothing payable, though Mr Hall believes good patches will be found there during the next wet season. They kept to tiie south of the ordinary Derby route in order to carry on the work of fossicking. When they left the diggings in March there wa* sufficient water there for the work of prospecting, and they would not have returned but for the sickness of some of the party. They left Derby in November, and arrived at Hall's oreek in four weeks, inclndiug a stoppage of one week on the road for shoeing the horses : left Hall's creek in March, and arrived at Derby on May 1. They had a fairly successful trip, but declined to make public the extent of their "find." Mr Hall says that the jjoldfield covers a large area, and that it will prove a rich one. Although it is simply fossicking that is done now, he is of opinion that it is really a reefing goldfield, for promising reefs are numerous. The country he describes as rockbound, of slate formation, with sandstone and granite cropping up, and as very broken. He believes th.it gold will be found in towards the Prince Regent and Leopold ranges. Very few men, he says, are now upon the fields, and he does not think Sub-inspector Troy, who is there now, will be able to glean much information. There is very little feed upon the hills for horses, as it consists dimply of green patches along the sides of the creeks. The climate there, ho says, is very healthy. He and his men intend to set out on their return to the fields in about two months time in order to arrive about September. It would be of no use, he adds, to start earlier, owing to the absence of water. Light showera, which would be sufficient to allow prospectors to work, fall, he believes, in that month. If any parties do go now he would advise them to take a good equipment with them.

The following letter has been received by Mr R. 8. Walpole, of No. 13, the Exchange, Melbourne, from the well-known explorer, Mr O'Donnell : — Windham, Cambridge Gulf, 9th June, 1886. Dkak Walpole,— Just a few lines to show you that lam still alive. lam just down from th* new goldfields that so much is spoken about down south. When there I found only some twenty-five or thirty men, their mates having gone to Derby, some for supplies, others to spend what goJd they had found. I haw seveial small parcels of gold, and have it on good authority that all of those who had started for Derby had more or less gold, from 2oz. to 100 oz. each. My partner (who has had no experience on goldfields) went out the afternoon of the day we got there, and shovelling up a small bag of wash from the gullies a little way out, brought it to the water, and panned out, getting 7dwt. of nice coarse gold. This prospect was so good that he and my .son derided to remain while I and the blackboy brought back the pack-horses to this port for fresh supplies, as we had at once cleared out of what we had brought with us. The men up there then hud but little provisions, so as the price was £200 per ton for carriage (by packing), we have decided to give up our explorations to south-west of here and make hay while the sun shines. This state of affairs cannot last long, as I notice from the accounts in the southern papers that there is great excitement below, and a big rush is sure to set in shortly. One ship, the Gambier, arrived a few days ago, and landed all her horses and diggers safely. Another, the s.s. Afghan, has arrived within the last hour, and I do not know how many are on board. It was very lucky that I happened to be here when tho Gambier arrived, for, owing to some mis-state-ment through the papers, Derby hah been pronounced as the nearest and best port. This is a great mistake. It is now wellknown that, as a port, Cambridge Gulf is

one of the finest harbours in Australia ; and for the proof of this see the reports of the various captains of vessels which have been here lately. Now, as to the route between here and there. This route is practicable at all times of the year, has abundance of grass and water in every day's stage, and at easy distances, the longest at the present time not being greater than eleven miles. I should, however, strongly advise men from rushing out to here without the wherewithal to keep them for a few months, and to be provided with, at least, two horses each. Provisions are rery scatce and very dear on the diggings and likely to continue so forborne time to come. Thero are no .stores up to now, and not a single station is passed on the way on this short track. I have discovered another track by the Ord River station, but the distance is greater by thirty miles. I fear much distress and great loss of life may occur by parties coming here without being properly provided, and I advise those who have but small capital to wait until such time as the rains set in, which is usually about November. Tin's will give these men a better chance of moving about among the gullies at the heads of the creeks, where the bes*t gold is to be fouud, and by that time plenty of rations may have arrived. The auriferous country here is very extensive, and I can foresee a great future for this part. I have lately passed over as likely-looking country (for gold) as any yet prospected, and no white men (but ourselves) have been near it yet. There are hundreds of square miles that never have had a pick it. Up to the present time the gold has been found on the surface, and no gold-bearing reeef of any magnitude has yet been discovered. I have made this letter a greater length than I intended ; but I wished to put you in a position to contradict any fake reports that may be spread about these fields.