FROM "THE PRESS" OF 1863.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14686, 7 June 1913, Page 6

FROM "THE PRESS" OF 1863.

SATUKDAY, JUNE 6th

''Another explorer, says our Dunedin correspondent, has succeeded in reaching the West Coast overland from Lake Wakatip. Mr Caples, who was unaccompanied, started by way of tho Dart river, the same starting point as was' adopted by Mr Hartley. After encountering many difficulties of tho usual character experienced by West Coast explorers, Mr Caples reached the sea, at Martin's Bay, a short distance south of the Canterbury border. Glaciers and hitherto unknown mountain lakes and rivers were discovered and prospected, and tho explorer fully verifies the accounts of other travellers respecting the fearful ruggedness and dangerous character of the country. Tho most important result- of this exploration is that after prospecting for throe months in almost every creek, river and gully in tho eourso of his route, Mr Caples found no gold. Ho returned by a more southerly route, via To x\nau lake, and prospected the Tukatimo mountains, but with the same unsatisfactory result, so far as gold is concerned. It is worth recording that both Dr. Hector and Mr Hartley coincide in the opinion that no gold will bo found on the western side of the ranges. The prevailing material in tho rivers and creeks is black sand, containing a large proportion of magnetic iron, but without any but the faintest traces of gold. It would seem that tho gold fields of Otago are limited to the area bounded by the great dividing range, and so eastward to the Molyneaux ur> to tho Mnnnkau. and south to Wakatip. Dr. Hector is of opinion th.it the great deposits of gold on tho Wakatip remain undiscovered, and that a largo area of nnworketl country will be found to bo very rich in gold."