THE BULLER.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 196, 16 April 1867, Page 2

THE BULLER.

(FROM OUIJ OWS" CORRESPONDENT.) Kh Westport, April 11. raftAt last the Buller district stands a good||f > chance of being thoroughly tested. A realMT np-mistake-about-it rush has set in, and ■ each day adds hundreds to our- rapidly in? |L creasing population. " I I will proceed to give you a few details; I of the rush. „-ti It was known on Thursday afternoon W that a party of men had applied for a, I' prospecting claim, having struck gold I within five miles of Westport, on a new I field. Friday morning the news \vas-'con-= I finned, and a small rush of townspeople. I at once took place. The new field is about 1 ten miles distant by the track, but barely '? half the distance. "■ as. the cro;w flies,," .up ' the Orawaiti river, a small creek about a. • mile to the north of this to.wn. I have ' had information from several gentlemen ' ■ (in whom I place the greatest reliance) ■ who have visited the rush. The prospec- -'- tors (whose names I have no,t heard) com-- '-i inonced operations by driving into the hill from the gully, and about seven feet in, came on good color. Not content with this they sunk a shaft some feet up the hill to the depth of about ten feet. The prqspect here was. better, Going still I further up the hill «they stink another .; shaft about twenty feet deep, and. the { prospect from tliis capped b,oth the other? % > Satisfied with the last prospect they at ■ once came into town to gain protection, | which was granted, for ' a grain to the shovelful. On Friday, at daylight, a f messenger was despatched from the camp, I post haste, for Mr Commissioner Kynner-. I sley, who was at Brighton. The news, § was soon spread, and caused a good deal f of excitement. The trooper who was sent f down was surrounded, and information 1 .1 almost forced from him. What little he Jid knew was sufficient to induce a goodiy^fT number of diggers to at once pack up their I swags and away to try the new ground 1 1 Mr Kynneysley lost no time, but leftT Brighton at 10 o'clock, and halting at L Charleston to hold a Resident Magistrate's w' Court, pushed on, and was in Westport in. '' time for tea. That (Friday) evening the rushjiad fairly set in, and to such an ex-, tent that hotelkeepers were unable to accommodate nearly all the applicants for U beds. The boatmen drove a splendid-"" trade. Pull as fast as they would, num.-. I bers had to' wait their turn on the opposite I side of the river.. On Saturday the rush V was on the increase, most of the men, I merely waited to purchase a little tucker, I and then pushed on for the diggings. Nu- l' nieruus parties continued to arrive all Sun-. I day, and the streets presented an animated I spectacle, that cheered the lately despond- I ing hearts of the '• storekeepers and j others " who had previously thought that. M luck would never change for the better, vif Now, they have begun to reap the reward-- ™* of their lo.ng-Med patience. E.veryunQ,;^ who could has cleared o.ut for.- the ruslt ; storekeepers are left in the lurch by their assistants; labor cannot be had; in a.' word, the town is Ijke most others on the./ 1 coast when a new rush takes place— ak * most deserted by its original population.-!^ Tho Connhissioner visited the rnsfT] yesterday, and was favorably impressel Ai by tho appearance both of the couutry-lv :''£. which is a Pakihi— and the washdirt thai '3 had been raised. He brought down prol.-'f coods of a rather hurried bait careful waslfl > ing of. tliree shovelfuls of the wnshdirtA ' which, after being carefully cleared yielded V--v the handsome prospect of rather better 1 < than six grains to the shovel, or nineteen l'grains in all. Should 'there be any extent, 1 of country making such a rich return, I.J fortunes are under the feet of a consider-. • able number- of miners at this moment. 1 ■ After all, ' this "may only turn out a. \ patch, but the a2>pearanee of- the. country |- has so favorably impressed . those who. I have visited th 6 ground,' that numbers I have pegged out claims, left some one h\ I charge, and have returned to Charleston I and Fox's in a hurry to bring. up their- I mates and swags, which latter many had; I left behind, expecting the rush wouldj. I prove a duffer. " ■ -. - I; A small rush has also taken/place to a I' place known as Waite's Pakihi, some. l three miles up the Buller, and about" J^ seven miles inland south. Two separate. 1 1 patties of men came into to.w.n on Saturday- I : : to apply for a water-race right. The gold; I; at present got tliere is only a little more, 'mi\ than payable, but hopes are entertained ■<;' that a much finer prospect may be obtainedi | ■ in the vicinity. At present >it is surface I digging, the waslidirt being only 0 foot at I';; most below tho surface. The color can be. IjK found by ■ increly pulling up a tussock and lj| washing the roots. " • ' ms. The Waimangaioa quartz reefs avc^m^ attracting a deal of attQiition just now^lfi One' known as "Martin's" shows al|^ splendid prospect, I have myself seen! ff some specimens, and one stqne-in- parti-§,|f:' cular fixed my attention. The i gold ramp in a seam quite throxigh it, and Mffifc Martin assured me that they had to inserSp the end of a pick to wrench the stone nwi 1 two. Stampers, &c, have, been alreadyßjl^; ordered by the party, who all believe theiilll; ' fortunes are made. . • • - rf