CITY OF GISBORNE MINE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7765, 28 October 1896, Page 4

CITY OF GISBORNE MINE.

•;.- .. , _.-■ :■ i -c , ' ,- .„ A T RIP TO CABBAGE BAY. : 4\ls.s f v. ; (Contributed.) '-: Mt friend persuaded me to accompany ;. him on a flying visit to Cabbage Bay and |; -**«>£« ", ?.o i».e left -Auckland about 5 p.m. '■ r ''itt'the s.s. Akaroa, commanded by Captain Braid wpod r a 'gentleman well known in 'i Gisborne. having been previously in the :■_. : employ of "the Union S.S. Co. A more genial oaptain you could not wish to meet. -•. ji.-jArrived at Coromandel about 9 p.m. and v secured lodgings for the night, which was no> the easiest task in the world as all the ■ botela and lodgings were taxed to their , trtmost. After a stroll up the main street ,3 (which was in darkness) we retired for the night, but not to sleep. We lay awake until about 2 a.m. listening to the monotonous clank, whirr, and thump of the machinery which was producing the morn- ; ing issue of the Coromandel Sun, a biweekly paper. After breakfast my friend v had some mining business to attend to and we parted for the time being, so I amused myself by looking over the various mines in the vicinity of Coromandel. I first ,?><BMjr the Hauraki, where I am told gold is \, "being dug out) in lumps as big as bricks. .. v This mine is owned by an English *•*' syndicate, and the secrecy with which all the ' English mines are worked is very •''noticeable.' The quartz is conveyed to the surface in trucks and then tipped into a large wooden receptacle, at the bottom of which are gates. Another truck is placed at tho mouth of one of those gates >n or shoota and filled, and then guided on . . -rails by one - man through a long tunnel V, driven through the hill to the battery or , stampers on the beach. Here the quartz V- is orushed and the filthy lucre extracted therefrom. I did not see the process, as I explained before that the English com- . pauies will not allow visitors down their mines or in their battery sheds. I saw all I could of the Hauraki, Bunker's Hill, Kathleen, Welcome Find. Golconda, Hauraki North, Wynyardton, Zealandia, and some other mines the names of which I have forgotten. After lunch we left for . Cabbage Bay at 1 o'clock in the s.s. Falcon, a boat about half the size of the ' Snark and only lately put on this running by the Northern S.S. Co. Arrived at Cabbage Bay at 2.30 p.m., landed ia boats on the beach, and were introduced to the mine manager of the City of Gisborne Gold Mining Co. He kindly invited us to visit the mine, promising to give us a shakedown for the night. We consented , on being informed it would only take an '■■ hour or so to reach the claim, and as we had no luggage we started at once. After a terrible climb of two hours we reached the top of the ranges, to find that we had not covered half the distance. Coming down the ranges would have been an easy ■ t matter had there been fewer fallen kauri trees to climb over and creeks and gullies to cross. However, we reached the beach on the east side of the peninsula - and travelled a considerable distance, and finally struck inland. By this time it was growing dark and my friend 'Complained of feeling faint for want of food, as we had bad nothing but a sandwich since breakfast, and it was now after 7 o'clock. We were cheered up on being told the camp was not far off, and that tea would be ready on our arrival. Passing through heavy bush, occasionally falling into water holes and creeks, we were agreeably surprised to come to a clearing, and disoerned the camp a few yards from us. We did not hesitate to do full justice to the meal set before us— boiled eggs, hard corned meat, and camp-made bread, which was very good — washed down With several pannikins of tea. After retailing the Auckland 'change news over several pipes, we all retired to our bunks, and smoked a final pipe for the benefit of the mosquitoes, which grow to an enormous size. We were made very comfortable with rugs and sacks, and might have slept well if it had not been for the fleas, which attacked us in thousands. However, we were up at 7 next morning ..(Sunday), and after a wash in the creek « and breakfast (which we were careful not to miss) the mine manager and one of his men escorted us over the City of Gisborne mine. The rest of the men went fishing. We were first shown the main reef, which is 86ft through, and into whioh a drive being cut We chipped off a piece of quartz from the head of the drive in about Wft into solid quartz— very hard and highly mineralised. Our next move was _;.; up* the hill— a terrible climb, for the country is very rough and precipitous. About half-way up we saw what is called Hunter's drive. This is an old abandoned drive, but the present manager is working on a couple of promising leaders in it. We were invited to enter, and each carried a lighted candle. About 100 ft into the tunnel we were shown what is dreaded by all miners, viz., soapy seams. Withr put a moment's warning the mouth of the " tunnel closes, and the unfortunate miner within is buried alive. This rather cooled our ardour, and we were for making a bolt for the mouth of the tunnel, when the manager stopped us and persuaded us to continue to the end, which we did very reluctantly. We knocked some pieces ot ■ . stone off the head of the drive, and were more than pleased when the order was given to return. On reaching daylight we ascended tho hill again, and were shown several abandoned shafts on the top, whioh were worked by Maoris, who no doubt got a lot of gold from these shafts. We picked several pieces of quartz from these old workings, and on our return to camp crashed nnd washed them, and were rewarded with the result of a very good tail of gold. Coming down the hill from these workings was done in quick time, t as it was only a matter of jumping and sliding anol holding on to branches of undergrowth to gain breath, and occasionally being brought to a dead stop by the prickly lawyer. Arrived at camp we • pub on the billy and had soon had dinner ready, bread and butter, onions and cheese, with copious draughts of hot tea. As I write these lines at home I now firmly believe that when we left the camp there was very little tucker left for the .miners for the rest of the week. After a shorb rest we make tracks for Cabbage Bay. The mine manager and one of his men very kindly accompanied us to the beach to put us on the proper track. On the road down we met the fishing party, who had secured one very large black fish. After receiving strict injunctions as to the proper tracks to take (which, I may say, wore soon forgotten), I and my friend started off on our lonely tramp over the ranges, lost our way eeveral times, and eventually reached Cabbage Bay again about 6.30 p.m. After tea we went for a stroll and fell in with an old Gisborne identity who is living there. My friend waylaid him and tried to persuade him to produce a bottle of Buchanan, but I regret to Bay unsuccessfully. After a disturbed night's rest, owing to some late boarders trying to find a place whereon to rest their ■flfeary heads, we were called at half-past ' fpur in the morning, discussed a hurried breakfast, and walked to the beach and Were taken out to the s.s. Falcon in a boat. Here we found the Falcon aground. By dint of hard work we got the little craft! into deep water again and steamed for Coromandel, arriving in time for „ breakfast. Leaving Ooromandel the same day we reached Auckland at 10 o'clock that night, after a most enjoyable and at times exciting holiday trip. We will always remember the courtesy and kind,iießs with whioh Mr Delahunty, the mine manager, and his men treated us, for we visited them as perfect strangers and they treated us well. Mr Delahunty informed us that he is well satisfied with the prospects of the Gisborne mine, apd would not be surprised to strike payable gold at »wy moment,