DR. HAAST'S REPORT ON THE WEST COAST GOLDFIELDS.

Press, Volume VII, Issue 801, 24 May 1865, Page 2

DR. HAAST'S REPORT ON THE WEST COAST GOLDFIELDS.

We have received from the Secretary for Foible Works a copy of a report by the Provincial Geolofjtf, r upon the goldfields of the West Coast. i Mouth of Teramakau, [ \ 1 May 4,1865. I Sib, —A heavy fresh in the River Hokitika pra--1 vented mc in carrying out my original intention to ascend that river, and therefore I started on the 80th , of April to visit the goldfields north of the Hoktoxs ■ i instead. Being here detained by heavy rains, I take i this opportunity to lay before you, for the information - - of his Honor the Superintendent, the results of this b examination. As this part of the province mclodes i the most important portion of the goldfields at present L actively worked, a short description of the physical i features will not be superfluous, the more so as the i character and the nature of these goldfields can only i be understood when the changes in the physical i geography of this part of New Zealand have been taken into account. In my last report I stated that south of bake Brunnjer, and on the western bank of the BigHohonu and Greenstone rivers, a large granitic zone stretches to the Teran_akau,-forming, where the former tends towards south, a gorge through which that rirer 1 forces itself. With this zone are associated metftjtior* - phic rocks of, various characteK partly auiifereßlf--but I may point out once more'fhat the jjreater*jW**'" of the auriferous rocks lies east of this forming bold'foldihga. ' Q&ejjame platprac rwfesw-; again met with in the River Arahaura, about 20 from its mouth, stretching:"as it seems m,an=slßW«t T f contmuous.line,towards soutli. ... ~ ,''. ~* s ; 'West of this granite zone large alluvial, fan-Hked*- v posits are situated, inolining towards the se*, ; Ai»J having covered during their formation tbelßgtojLs-. points of the low tertiary ranges, which 3romsj?;-.'-Grey river run southwards along the coast, stiretohfflC;. six to eight miles inland. '* This alluvium consist'<»:.'» the debris of the dividing range and its finuation, brought down by the Rivers Terairalati,V ; Arahaura,- Hokitika, Ac, - which here have forj&|;aj, fan, very much resembling the Canterbury _B*™ltf with which' we are so well acquainted.' •-.""'"''. i'; The lithological character of the boulders, of this alluvium consists, gives us at once aammhfriatfc.& the nature of the beds from which they stef teftnwJgs There are, besides, dioritio sandstones, iaWayWatfapj conglomerate and briaja, day graywacke, sih'cious slates, dioritio and diaba_& *fowgi| associated with, them, and" all found, ns«;th*ig summits of the Southern Alps-7-the fbi&gtm&6i}s light-colored gneissio schists chfflraeteris&'ol But byfar the greater part conaiste of metani()ra««Jf| and plutonic rocks, too numerous to clearly indicating that the longest course of went-through rocks, of that descriptiotti but: am the greatest denudation has taken place them. Tt would be easy to collect within * in these river-beds pegmatite gneiss, mica-chlpritic, «*nd 'f*b_Pf______ffi T dioritie porphyries, traprockß, and a of slates, all derived from the ranges west ofwj»frp| tral chain, and of whumleveral are highly ftiaevi&fot.thaV,undea? these boulders, gravel, and sand by which, by fc£&ffa3m mentioned, those alluvial deposits: are <^^_____f_^__W contain a great deal of gold; but which, would not be worthy-of being extracted, bad ~ a *ft___mo the subsequent changes in the < »!^6 country,-nature- itself concentrated the ~P*_fl___W. metal in numerous localities by sluioing original accumulations on a scale, *_°_____y:gi only natural physical forces can, act This besides being mtersected bjr those two barge «»f_Wsi !nearly.sepamtedfrom the.higher mountains the outrunning" spurs of the Southern*- Alp*W£9 streams running cither, north .to the Tetnroakatti «fesj south to the Arahaiwa rivers. The oonseqneßj»%&| that for a long period it has remained almost *____fyfS till smalfer watercourses, derived from the drainage, began to form channels,-of which principal ones are the nisin branches of the Xflp"*^ " " , "?>*

'£>. -_rs>A* W-imea, which both take their source on %£_tn*B*ean itself, having the character of a swampy *" :°s!!S«HßflTered with manuka scrub and other vegeta|___m peenh&r to moist localities. I have already TT_lth._ the older alluvium covered the highest r**!l tertiary ranges, which are of an altitude of 800 IflOO feet, reposing unconformably upon older ' j-UsCTstfte near the Grey. Of this fact I met instances during my various journeys -Sals I*T** goldfields, where sharp razor-back '"Safbave been formed, and. still having a distinct "S«rf subangular boulders of older rocks on their Following down the main sources of both the plateau, we soon arrive at that harrier, "^^wr^T°* J oan £ tertiary strata, through which Sswaters have cut their way, showing by the terMtsthst the process of denudation has been a very jafafl OBC » or Deen a 006 ! 61 or retarded according changes in operation. Am m many localities no denudation has taken -fees on the upper part of the plateau, the sluggish tZZnoanea, meandering through swampy or boggy jhjbimL no gold is to be expected there ; and only >~ffeaesnamg for a few miles, where the alluvial cap--iaf ha" been extensively removed, and the gold - ~ easwaed in it has become concentrated in the present - _ i !■■! run-sea or in the terraces formed by previous ' essßßebb gold in payable quantities is to be expected. ■ Bat by far the richest creeks are those which take tbeirrise in the claymarl hills themselves. Those gg&n which have a moderate fall, with an approuiistfi breadth, are those which yield the richest hariest to the miner. Owing to the favorable nature of the bottom, the greater part of the gold has been ' retained in them, and even the terraces yield a large munlilj also. Thus, for instance, the creeks taking in these claymarl hills, as Fox's rush, Greek thtOy Bos. 1 and 2, falling into the Arahura, the . tootbern and northern branch of the Waimea, the jfaori and German gullies forming tributaries of the Sopites, have proved to be very rich, giving a fair . itmuneratibn to the mining population. But also Hie terraces on both sides which, owing to their peculiar nature, present mostly some difficulties of Jobtsnung water, so that the miner is often obliged to waft for rainy weather before he can strip his ground «jr which generally he has not long to wait), are axteneively worked with advantage, and will be still Bore lucrative when some new appliances are introduced, so that an ample supply of water can be > teoagbt to his assistance. " _ ft is true that the terraces are more or less patchy, ' but their bill being less than that of the present water channel, the gold is heavier; and many claims -fere pointed out to mc which are considered to be extremely rich. The gold in all these creeks, like that in the greenstone, is of the same fine scaly nature, which, eoasitlermg the deposits from which it is derived, --: having travelled so far in a former large river, is ; easily accounted for. When the gullies are short sad steep the force of the water has been so great as to sweep away the larger quantity of the gold, : p_-_itn_; through the natural sluice; and I may only as an example instance Caleyban's gully, falling into the Kopitea, in which the yield of gold in comparison toother neighboring creeks has been insignificant. T Jn mat creek only veiy large boulders are generally fbond,between which the gold has been retained; '_ V whilst the terraces above, descending with less slopes, ' aregrring • far better yield and much heavier gold '"" 'flan the bed of that gully itself. * 5 *' "As scon as the rivers lose their gorge like character, - appj*oaching the sea, the extraction of gold begins to be not ao remunerative as in their upper course, Iwrrich is easily understood if we consider the breadth of the river-bed and of the terraces bounding it; the gold becomes finer and lighter, and although every- "~ where prospectors obtain the colour, to use a mining expression, its working is no more payable. Tha is . the mason why the Kopitea, flowing in a broad valley, - .has hitherto not given satisfactoiy results; but, I have no doubt that some of the lower in that river will yield ultimately a fair reinmeration to the miner. : ; -£___ many other localities, when the lower terraces too poor to be worked with advantage, smaller rf :, -ereeks traversing them, having again concentrated the jH-lft contained in the alluvium by which they were : finned, occupy a population of several hundred miners. Such gullies are found for instance in the - " - Waimea, about four to five miles from the sea. -v It is evident that a range which has furnished the na-terial for such enormous auriferous accumulations must, since the formation of that gigantic fan, and at present the denudation going on nnin- , terruptedly, set free large quantities of gold. Bins we may fairly expect that above the gorges of - fin Rivers Hokitika, Arahuara, Ac, new goldfields will be discovered, where the precious metal not hav*ttg been subjected so much to the action of running * fr ~water will be of a more coarse and nuggety nature, * and in fact the gold obtained in the rivers south of the Hokitika, where the ranges approach nearer to -" the coast, is of that character, and may be considered another proof that such a theory is more than a ... mere supposition. Therefore we can anticipate that the goldfields will ~ eventnauy reach not only along the coast for a long distance, but also far back towards the central range behind the granitic axis, and that rich finds will re- : #*sja*d : "' the enterprise of our hardy mining population : it has once fairly penetrated into the interior. circumstances that our present goldfields are— what is technically termed poor man's diggings— ' of a more perihanent nature than many other mining . tustricta in New Zealand, because the gold being de- " posited as it were almost equally everywhere, a great ' deal of country besides the terraces will be found '*• which may be considered to be more than only payable; the more so when roads of a more passable •♦i character wul reduce the cost of carrying provisions There b no doubt that the western ranges still continue to furnish auriferousalluvium, which besides -ti_herevidence,wemayconcludefromtheimportantfact Oat, for 12 to 15 miles, and even higher up, the alunglereachesoftheßiverArahaura are worked, giving -many instances a good remuneration to the miners. Bros, a comparison with the banks of the Biver .-_ Molyneux is obvious, and I should not be at all surprised if, when the former river is very low during the winter months, more extensive operations on its banks would not gene/auy yield »tisfactoryr«ralte. " In smnming up the evidence obtained during this teurwy, in wMch I have visited all the principal manngs, crossing several times over the day marl ranges, and following some of the principal t Valleys from their very source to their junction, exgerlencmg all that time a continuance of very rainy weather, I may state as my conviction thaT t|iese diggings for several years to come will afford for a number of miner (several thousand) ample and advantageous occupation. It is true that many of the principal gullies will soon be worked out, but the terraces remain, which, when once extensive races - wfll be brought into operation to work them hydrauheauy, win yield satisfactory results, and many leads -«9 dJaoovered in those terraces, at present nnknown. Owing to the dense character of the forest vegetation the abeeiiw of roads, many gullies are without doubt still in existence, which hitherto have - the exertions of the mining population to find new ground. Besides, one and the principal consideration has not been lost sight of, namely, as soon an passable roads will exist, present ones bemg only channels of semi-liquid mire, intermingled with -roots of trees, pxovxrions "wfll become much cheaper, sad in consequence a great deal of aariferou* ground, winch hitherto baa been reported not payable, owing ~h> the high prices of provisions, wffl become remunerative as soon as good and anbstarAal roads reduce them to a reasonable standard. Witn one word, the future of the West Coast goldfields depends ra a great degree on the nature of the roads tne Provincial Government thinks fit to have constructed. Great are the exertions of the -miners, those pioneers of dvihsation, who straggle manfully against all the d»s-__vantages which the nature of this coast, it* efimate and vegetation have placed in their way, so that every wett wisher wul join with mc in urging upon yon to a-anst them aa much as it ism jour * power to change a wilderaeea into a ftoowstuag ooeatry.whkh in manyother respects POf**"?" many advantages that the Province of_Osntsrbmry wuloneday be pwod of its western portion. Jly

j ohject being simply to give you a general outline of the character and the future prospects of these goldfields, I cannot of course enter into a more detailed description, which I have to leave for future reports. Hokitika, May 10,1865. I have the honor to inform you that I retnred last j night to this town, after having visited the country north of the River Teremakau, and ascended the River Grey as far as the Coal-measures. My favorable opinion has only been strengthened by this new visit to that most important coal field, and I traced for a considerable distance the main seam on the Canterbury side of that river till it rises to an altitude of about 50 feet above the level of the water, thus insuring ample room and good success to any company which would undertake to open coal pits in that region. I have to refer you to my report, addressed, five years ago, to the Provincial Government of Nelson, in which I have given all the necessary details about these Coal-measures, to which I have nothing more to add: The low country between Lake Brunner, theTeremakau and Grey rivers, and the sea coast is of the same description as that south of the first mentioned river, and although comparatively a few miners are working at the Pawa creek, and some few other isolated localities, there is no doubt that ultimately more payable ground will be found in that quarter, which has hitherto not been so actively prospected as the country more to the south. In returning to the Hokitika I observed several parties being actively at work, paddocking at highwater mark, and cradling the washdirt of a thickness of eighteen inches to two feet, on the sea beach. If such claims should prove to be remunerative it would be impossible to foresee the extent to which such operations could Be carried on ; but till at present I was unable to obtain the necessary information, if the j result can be considered satisfactory. | As soon as my preparations are finished I shall start in a few days towards the headwaters of the Hokitika, and I hope to be able after my return to give you some favorable accounts of that interesting region. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, (Signed) Julius Haast, Provincial Geologist. The Hon. John Hall, Secretary for Public Worke, Christchurch.