DISCOVERY OF OILS IN THE WAIOTAPU VALLEY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9325, 30 March 1889, Page 5

DISCOVERY OF OILS IN THE WAIOTAPU VALLEY.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Rotorua, Friday. That traces of kerosene exist in the Waiotapu Valley has long been known, bub never until the other day has it been found in any quantity. Mr. Scott, in one of his prospecting rambles, followed up the lead, and breaking through the treacherous crust he was nearly stifled with the pungent fumes which issued in force from a boiling cavern underneath. After this had subsided sufficiently to enable a closer inspection, a black oily-looking fluid, furiously boiling against the sides of dark crystal prisms, was discernable. On applying a match to a piece of the surrounding stuff' it flared up, and smelt strongly of naphtha in its crude state. Following down the creek a little way, Mr. Scott, on poking 1 his staff in the bank again, struck oil. This he continued to pump until the surface of the creek was covered with a film of unmistakable oil, in appearance as if a bucket of tar had been poured into-it. Mr. Scott is of opinion that large quantities exist at no great depth, and had he the appliances for boring, paraffin might got in an almost pure state. Many other valuable minerals, oils, sulphates, and oxides, are also to be found in this valley ; awl as they exist principally on Government kind, it would only be doing its duty if the Government placed within the reach of Mr. Scott some means to bring about a practical and doubtless a valuable result.