GABRIEL'S GULLY GOLD.

Hutt News, Volume 10, Issue 6, 8 July 1936, Page 2

GABRIEL'S GULLY GOLD.

"BLACK PETER'S" DISCOVERY,

How Gabriel Read was enabled to make his dramatic discovery of gold which started the Gabriel's Gully rush 'n 1801, is told by a resident of Dunedin, Who has furnished some interesting de tails of an expedition made by three men in the Tuapeka district for the purpose of finding crossing over the Molyneaux River. Instead, they found some gold, which is still in existence in a shape of a ring, while their discovery was made known to Read, who soon afterwards imparted the knowledge to the whole province. The Dunedin resident is a grandson of one of the men.

Mr. William Dawson, together with Edward Peters and another mail, were Bent by Mr. William Anderson, of Inchclutha, witlr a mob of sheep to find a crossing of the Molyneaux. They were unsuccessful in their quest and on the return journey the party camped one night at the mouth of a gully. Mr. Dawson went to a nearby creek to obtain watei 1 , and on his return stated that there was some good "hearth" clap in the stream, and had lie been nearer home he would have taken some home.

Peters ot 'Black Peter," as he was commonly known, had had considerable experience of gold mining in Victoria and California and realised at once that the type of clay was a gold bearing one. After tea he took the basin in which the dishes had been washed up, and walked down to the creek, the others following later. He worked for some time, but aa it commenced to rain the other members of the party returned to the camp. About half an hour later Peters came back tc the tent, and, holding out his hand, said: "I got 'im." The other men had not seen raw gold ibeofre and were inclined to be incredulous, but Peters assured tlrem that he had found the precious metal, and he gave his "find" Mr. Dawson to have a ring made for hia wife. j This ring of pure gold, was worn by Mrs. Dawson up to the time of her death in 1915, and it is now in the pos-| session of her son, Mr. G. T. Dawson, of Timaru. Peters and the third member of the sheep had been taken [back to Inch party returned to the locality after the clutha, and secured more gold. They then left for Dunedin and while staying at an hotel in Milton they showed their specimens of gold to a man who was also a guest, at the same time telling him where they had discovered it. The man proved to be iGabriel Read, who lost no time in using the information given, and after prospecting the district thoroughly he made a report to the Superintendent of the Province (Major-'Richardson), and within a few weeks there had commenced the great Gabriel's Gully rush.