DISCOVERERS OF WAIH!

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 214, 8 September 1921, Page 7

DISCOVERERS OF WAIH!

GLIMPSES OF THE EARLY DAYS OPENING UP THE BIG LOBE. By W. G. C. NICnOLL (Prospector and Discoverer of the Martha). I first saw Waihi Plains from the crest of Tc Aroha Mountain, and I could (?ee outcrops of reef on isolated hills on the north side of the Plain, and a few weeks later found mc on the Waihi hills where, reefs were cropping out. There had been prospecting done on all these reefs, but work had been abandoned. I tested quartz rubble along these outcrops, and failed to find sufficient trace of gold to warrant further investigation. But on the northern end of the hill known as the Martha the reef was hidden by a top burden of three to four feet of sandy loam with a (lint boulder protruding here and there, and here I decided to prospect the reef as far as it was possible for mc to follow it. I potholed through the loam to the quartz, drift. When I washed a dish of it I was surprised to find a tail of yellow gold that I estimated to be worth 4oz to the ton. I tested the reef as far north as I could, and found it to be carrying payable values. I cut into the reef where T obtained the best prospects, and found it to be a good thing, so staked out a claim of five acres and named it the Martha. This claim was staked out 200 ft north of where any prospecting had been done, and as far as I had- prospected the reef south of the pround 1 had staked T thought it worthless to mc. I walked through to C'oroniandcl to aeq-.iaint my mate. Bob Majury of my find and Ret him to g-o up and man his share in the ground. No one on mc round for three or four weeks, nnd by this time Majury and 1 had driven a drive into the reef and had five tons of ore paddocked at the mouth of the drive. This ore was sparkling with gold all over, and would bo worth £100 per ton if crushed by pre-sent-day methods, the reef showing gold freely. The only thing I am sorry for to-day is that the men that prospected there before mo did not extend their energies 200 ft further north, as they would have saved mc a lot of trouble and had the battle to fight instead of mc. THE FIRST SYNDICATE. After tho news ■got round the Thames three minintr magnates appeared on the Rcono in Messrs. Adam Porter, James Darragh, and Evan Bailey Fraser. Thpy told mc that their business was to try nnd get an option over tho mine and build a battery of fifteen head of stampers and two berdans for a third share in the mine, providing we put in a tunnel and cut through the reef at a depth of 50ft below the surface. For this they were willing to advance £00. They selected the site for the tunnel and where the reef was to bo cut through. I was to #o through 80ft south of the point I struck gold on the surface. We agreed to this and walked Into Owharoa and drew up tho agreement nnd eigned it in Mr. Reed's Hotel. Majury and I started homo to commence work next day, and we were some distance on the road before either of us spoke. Majury at last broke tho ice by asking mo what I thought of the whole business. "Well," I said, "they have licked Uβ all over, swallowed us claim nnd nil, and I am just waiting to be digested. I don't know how you feel.' . We started the tunnel next'niornim? in earnest. It was good going pround, and w completed the 200 ft insido a month. The reef at this point was sGft 9in. with ft little gold on tlie hanging nnd footwall, the balance of tho reef flint. We sent word to tho Thames that we had finished the drive, and Long Drive Walker came and sampled the reef, taking samples with him to the Thames. A few daye later ho sent up word that they had chucked in the sponge. Now as this happy release came I could see that there wa« nothing for it but to pet our five tons of quartz dragged or packed to Owharoa and crushed. " The result of this crushing was soz to the ton—2noz of sold, valued at £3 ox, this bcim; tlio richest value bullion found in any reef in tho northern poldfields. People doubted the truth of it, iind sent a yarn round tho Thames that 1 had salted my crushing with sovereigns. I heard a group of men on the footpath at the scrip corner at the Tharncß while on my way to tho bank with my gold talking of salting with sovereigns, but luckily I did not know it was mc they were alluding to. The next attempt nt flotation was made by Carey Nicholl, but he failed and later Mr. F. A. White promoted a company of £15,000 in £1 shares, undertaking to put up a battery of tifteen head of stampers for one-third interest in the property. FLOTATION OF A COMPANY. The first seven directors were Messrs. C. J. Stone, Wilson (of the "Herald"), Adam Porter, Bycroft, Firth, Majury, and myself. We made a call of oiie shilling per share to start Uie mine. Mr. Jjaiaiug \va6 given ttu; say of battery site and water-race. Ho laid the battery site where the mine manager's house now stands. The gum tree now growing in Mr. Oilmour's garden was planted at the 'back-door of the old battery when it started. By this time a bit of a rush had set in, and aibout a dozen claims pegged out, five being pegged out on the Martha Hill, the hill taking the name from its prospecting , claim. Mr. Manakau Jones staked a claim on the southern end of the hill, and boug-ht tho claim between him and' the Dulcie. Mr. John Leydon (auctioneer) staked on the no"rth gide of Messrs. Holiis Bros. Mr. John McCombic and Mr. Andy Wilson staked the Silverton Hills. Mr. Alec. Macky staked a claim on the south end of the Amaranth Hill. Three days after floating the company a policeman appeared on the scene, and handed mc a summons. This was from my namesake, dear old Carey Nicholl, to appear on a claim of £5000 damages he had entered against mc for .breach"of contract. Sir Theophilu.s Cooper, that is now, and Mr. Alf Whittaker were representing mc, and three Auckland lawyers represented Carey Nieholl. The case was heard in the Thames CourthoUse. and Carey Nieholl lost, his agreement to float a company having expired. The company let a contract to drive a tunnel 400 ft to open up the load in the Martha, and to rise 90ft to the surface. After this was done the mine was sufficiently opened up to keep the battery working for a few years, aa it was intended to work the reef with an open cut from wall to wall, and feed the battery with the best of it, and dump the rubbish over the tip. STARTING THE BATTERY. Mr. H. Adams, contractor for the battery, rushed the work through, and had the plant quickly ready to start. Everything in Waihi was now commencing to look like business, with its high trestled water-races, hoppers, tramways,

Ibattery, hotel, and store. Two huge , turkeys with about three inches of fat ! on their ribs had been specially fed up by Mr. Adams' negro cook at his cookhouse for the opening 'banquet. A lot of settlers from Katikati rolled up, among them were Messrs. George Vesey Stewart and Captain Stewart. All the people in the district seemed to be there, j The water was turned on by Mr. | Adam?, and the fifteen stamps ' started to dance. After five minutes' I run 1 was satisfied the contract had ! been completed satisfactorily, and took it ; over. Followed, the turkey and good things, and everyone enjoyed themselves, what with various speeches and a lot of kid. and drinking of toasts. Mr. Adams had the balance of the turkeys , carted to the cookhouse, they bein£ [ only prospected in a few places while ;at the battery. I do not know what i became of them, but I think the darkic !, fed his boarders on the lean, and ren- ! dered the blubber down to run the battery on. Mr. James Gri'bble was appointed the first mine and battery manager of the Martha. I handed him tho keys, and a start was made to crush. Ho. ran the 'battery for five weeks, and cleaned up with HOoz of gold, valued !at £3 6/ per oz. , A call of one shilling per share had to be made, and I went to Auckland and explained to the shareholders that if the reef was taken in a face and picked and the hijrh-grade stuff only crushed t'lia.t the mine would pay dividends for years. The result was I was appointed to manage mine and battery. Unfortunately the water wa-s getting less, a dry spell 'having set in, and the battery would now only beat thirty-nine blows a minute. I only managed to put 200 half-ton trunks through for a three weeks' run, and on cleaning up yielded lo loz of retorted gold. i tocrk it to the Bank of New Zealand, Thames, where it lost 14oz in the inciting, its value was £'.i 6/0 per oz. j CLOSING SCENE?. | The drought continued for six months; no parsons appeared to pray for ra-in, and to get steam power to drive the battery would be Useless as no water could he got to tho battery to supply the The drought was getting Iwird on my nerves; what I would have given ripht t'en for n "-owner to pop in ■>d bring rain. A scheme was sin? irested to am-.t.najnaie .il I'ne claims and remove the battery to the Silverbon site, where there would be sufficient water Ito drive it. I thoujrrit it a mad business, as the other claims were worthless to us, but in tho end 1 chucked in the upongf, seeing the amount of money that had been spent fry the shareholders mid no return coming in. I thought it wouldn't bo just of mo to stand in the way If thoy thoujrht they could better bhemsolvcs 'by amalgamating. The I>u'cie sharenoidcTS held out, thinking the number of shares offered to them ridiculous, so three claims joined and built a tram from the Martha battery to conne<"t with Manakau's tramway, to remove the 'battery, and get ore from the Martba portion of their ground to the battery. Mr J. H. Moore was appointed manager of the new company. Work was started on the Smith level, and kept the 'battery going on a rib of the reef on the footwall in the Martliu ground. Having worked this reef to tho surface, the mine was let on tribute to Meesra. Holiis Bros. I Mr. T. H. Russell then bought the company out. put men on to cut through t'lk< reef on tho Smith level, and three shots unearthed ricli ore, which carried through to the rnindgingwa.M. Sueli is (he historj' of my connection with the old Waihi. ; With regard to tho first man that pldked up t'lie diamond n.nd threw it away, there are s o many u-lio ciaun to 'have done it, a.ml similarly it would he .hard to nay who wa.* the first to discover gold at Waihi, but Robert Majury and I were the first to stay with it and •prove, its worth, and no man ever put a pick uito the Martlm claim beforo mc. S!ie \\«.s tho prospecting claim of the , Wa:ilii goldlield, the 'builder of Waihi, and saviour of the Waihi Goldminin" Co. The game is mot worth a uamlle to the .prospector, ns he generally comes out in debt, as I did in tho Marthjv, and tilio correct name for a prospector is a ■bora madman. I a ni sorry for having to write this article, for Miate notoriety and never met the man yet that was any good that was a lover of it. But in selfdefence I have put pen to paper otherwise fche (nets us 1 know them would have 'been buried with mc.