CAMBRIDGE GULF.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 752, 30 July 1886, Page 19

CAMBRIDGE GULF.

NORTH WEST AUSTRALIA. The Western Mail’s (Perth) Cambridge Gnlf correspondent writes as under about doings in that part of Australia. He is located at Bastion Hills, East Kimberley, and tell« of the doing’ of the Government party stationed there. His account of the country is interesting and instructive, and will be perused with avidity by our readers, we have.no doubt:— . j . _ . The Government Resident (Mr C. D. Price) went down by the Albany as far as View Hill, where he took leave of the captain and Surveyor General— who drank health aud prosperity to himself and Mr S. H. Wright—and subsequently, in the Government cutter, ran down to Stockdale Landing where they were saluted from the shore by quite a-battery of small arms, fired by some of Mr Stockdale’s party, who-were watching their approach. Tne Resident and party landed and remained overnight. Mr Stockdale, who was temporarily camped here while some of his horses and stores recently, landed were beine transferred to his ma ; n camp on th® Forest River, expected shortly to visit' the Ord River goldfields. About a mile to the left: of the landing there are permanent fresh water springs at the foot of ranges over-looking the Gulf. A knowledge of the locality of these springs may be of use to any one landing at this place. To the right of the landing the country is very rough and stony, and about the same distance in that direction a small quantity of pure water may he found in the rocks, being the overflow of a small spring which at high tides is covered with salt water. In this direction an interesting discovery was made—in a ctve of soft white and grey rock —of native drawings of alligators and bipeds. The drawings were executed by means of sticks of burnt wood, and although rude and rough exhibited no small talent.

Next day the cutter sailed for View Hill with a light breeze and flood tide, arriving late iu the evening. The inhabitants extended their hospitality to the party till the following morning, when the cutter again set sail for the Bastion Hills. Before leaving, however, the Government Resident held an inquiry into the death of a man named John Grussy who in January last started with a company of gold diggers for the Ord River. When 17 miles along the route he complained of pains in his head and.shortly afterwards died. Two of h’is companions were at View Hill when the Government Resident arrived, and from the evidence they gave there can be no doubt the man died from sunstroke.

| Owing to light winds and adverse currents the fifteen miles passage back to the Bastion Hi!ls was not accomplished under thirteen hours- On arrival the Resident found that the water supply at the camp was running short, the wells sunk in the gorges were dry, and the horses had to be watered at springs at the eastern extremity of the range, two to three miles away. Two men who had some to the district seeking for work had been set to well sinking, but so far with unsatisfactory results. There is plenty of water round about, but not nearer than two miles from the camp. The Resident, however, is doing his best to secure a -permanent supply near the lauding by deep sinking, and two other men were put on with this object to dig'in the bed of a dry creek at the foot of one of the mountain gorges, and I hope before the arrival of the Otway to be in a position to report favorably of the result. The camp now presents quite an animated appearance. The tents and the wooden aud iron stores are all ereeted ; the timber is stacked, the stores housed, and everything in sliiD-shape order. The surveyors are laying out the proposed towusite, which, if water can be found there, will be at the western extremity of the Hills. A large stone cairn has been erected on the summit of Mt. Albany as a guide mark for incoming vessels to the landing and. encampment. About this time several of the police and survey hores strayed away from the camp and with the exception of three were tracked up and brought b«ck before they had travelled many mi es. The three missing animals, also, were eventually found twenty-five miles away. In tracking these horses the men suddenly came upon two natives who ran away as soon as they saw the whites, leaving behind them a bucket which had been stolen from the stores of the last survey expedition to this district under Mr H. F. Johnston. The bucket was brought back to oamp as a trophyI may here state that the natives are either very frightened of, or intend to be very hostile to the whiles, for since the arrival of the Government party no blacks have shown themselves, although large native fires are burning day and night about the surrounding country. On May 9, the Government Resident, ac companied by Mr 8. H. Wright, proceeded by boat to View Hill with the object of meeting the s.s. Menmuir which was then due. After staying there a short time the Resident left, satisfied that the vessel, which was overdue, could not intend to call at Cambridge Gulf on that trip. Before starting back Mr Price held an inquest on the body of a Chinaman named Ah Moy in the employ as cook of Mr Lucanne, storekeeper. The deceased who had arrived by one of the steamers a short time before had been much disappointed to find so rudimentary a settlement, expecting to land at a large town, for shortly afterwards he said : 4 I not live long here.’ He said truly, for early on the morning of May 11 after boiling some coffee he secured one ot his employer’s revolvers, placing the barrel about two inches below his heart and fired, dying a few minutes afterwards. The verdict of the jury was suicide while laboring tinder temporary insanity. At mid-day on May 11 the cutter left for Stockdale Landing, and, arriving there in the afternoon, found the place deserted—all that remained being a little galvani-el iron and a few strings of dried apples. The Resident, therefore, set sail for Mr Stockdale’s main camp on the Forrest River, thirty miles up the Bastion Hill branch of the Gulf. The tides are very strong in the river, and the boat, after ascending about six miles, found that she conld make no headway till the turn of the tide, bo the party anchored till morning when the voyage was resumed. For fif-

teen miles the river runs up a valley between high and rocky mountains, the .seenery being strikingly picturesque, while for the next fifteen miles grassy plains-—capital pastoral country—are passed through, etretebine back as far as the eye ran reach. Mr Stockdale is located on a fine piece of country.- His runs extend on both-sides of the river and are well watered. When the Resident landed he found excellent springs, and waterholes which led in'o a chain of lagoons situated in magnificent country. Here a supply of water was obtained for the boat and an hour later Mr Stockdale and bis party lagoons having been three davs on the road from the landing. Just above where the boat anchored, on the left hand side of the river, where a series of high rocky cliffs over 200 feet high which dropped perpendicularly into the river. <>n the ledges and in the holes and the crevices of those cliffs were seen quantities of rock wallabies and pigeons. The current between the cliffs and the shore on the opposite side was very strong and it required no little exertion to propsl the cutter’s dingy against the stream. The cutter left her anchorage at the lago >ns, for the West Bastions, after a stay of about two hours, and proceeded but a quarter of a mile when she ran on a sand bank in the middle of the stream. The tide running out very fast at the time left her high and dry, in which positiou she remained until morning. During the night some good speciment of petrified shellfish were obtained on the steep muddy banks which line ea-h side cf the river, and early next morning the dingy was pulled a couple of miles down to inspect the channels which at low tide are so shallow that they can be crossed in a few inches of water. As far as could be asccr tained the river at low tide is blocked up by sandbanks and bars, intersected by narrow streams of water runniog sometimes on one side of the bank and sometimes on the other. It was feared'that the boat had come up by an unusually high Bpring tide and it seemed doubtful when she would be able to get down again. However when the tide came up all anxiety vanished-for the cutter was soon afloat and all the banks ,l covered with' sufficient water for her. to resume her homeward course without further difficulty. Where the boat grounded the Forrest was only navigable for small craft and for them only at high tide. Probably for some miles from the mouth upwards larger crafc conld be taken, but cutter passing up at high tide no idea could be formed of the navigable capabilities of the lower reaches. A change of the tide caused the entter another night’s delay at the river’s month, but early next morning at low tide, she was able to get again under way. It may here be desirable to state that about three quarters of a mile up from month of the river, on the right band side, a creek of permanent water may be fonnd. To reach the creek it is necessary to land at the second salt pan to the right, when, following the salt panto its extremity, a small stony ridge, about twenty yardsacrossisencountered, on °the other side of which the creek is situated.

On arrival at the Bastion Hills it was fonnd that Surveyors Nyulasy and Robinson had left camp for the Ord River.' iu charge of a portion of the survey expedition, Surveyor Ranford remaining behind until the site of the town of Wyndbam should have been finally fixed, when the necessary snrveys and plans having been made,' he proposed to leave camp with the remainder of the party to complete the survey, of the surrounding country, starting from the King River and meeting the other surveyors probably half way between the Bastion and the Ord River.

Ou May 19 Mr H. Stockdale, visited the Hills and stayed two or three days, leaving by the cutter oa the 30th and calling at View Hill, and Stockdale landing on his way back to his station. When six miles np the Forrest River Mr Stockdale, accompanied by Mr Farnell and myself, took i he dingy and searched along the river side for fresh water which was found in one of the mountain gorges a few miles further np. In a cliff about a hundred and fifty feet high, we inspected a cave twenty four feet square. Water was dripping through the roof, very slowly, drop by drop, while tracks of wallaby, rats, and birds were plentiful upon the groand. The dingy then followed after the cutter, pulling fifteen miles up the river, and came to an anchorage in a mangrove creek, ten miles by water from Mr Stockdale’s camp, the party landinghere and walking across country to it—a distance of about five miles. The cutter had arrived an hour earlier. On the march I collected native peas, boab nuts (the native bread fruit) and hemp—which grow in great quantities here-abouts-—alßo specimen of bark from the native cork trees which are very numerous- A most serviceable and durable timber, known in the Northern Territory, S.A., as iron-bark is also fonnd in patches. This wood, said to be even more durable than jarrah, does not: attain any great growth here, only small and stunted trees being found about the Bastions and surrounding country. About a mile from View Hill a large hpllow_ boab tree, growing along the ground, is quite an object of curiosity and interest. The opening in the tree is large enough to admit the body of a full-sized man, while within there is room enough for four or five men to camp—the length of the cavity being fifteen feet, the height over seven. • On May 22, the Government Resident received a visit from Mr O’Donnell, who with bis party had just come across from the goldfields. Mr O’Donnell reports having found an excellent road between Cambridge Gulf and the fields. The distance, he states, is 220 miles, and the road easy to travel. He also reports the diggers all doing well ; with him he has specimens of gold from the diggings. May 24, Queen’s Birthday, the usual holiday was observed in camp. A shooting expedition was organised For the purpose of scouring the hills on the other side of the Gulf. The party on their return reported having fallen in with millions of flying foxes. This may seem incredible, bat it is true nevertheless. A number of blacks were seen who did not seem at all concerned by the presence of the whites. They were quiet and peacable. I ascertained that on that (the west) side of the Gulf, there extend for over five miles, between the Forrest and Darack Rivers, reefs of quartz which may prove worth careful examination by such prospectors as may seek this settlement.

i On Jane 6, the as. Gambler arrived with 250 diggers, 140 horses and 30 drays, bringing news of vessels being on the berth in the

other colonies for Cambridge Gulf and Derby. The Gambier was chartered for both places, hut the diggers with the exception of about 30 landed here, as they were satisfied that this was the best route for the fields. The camp at once presented a very aui.nated appearance : tents being erected in every direction and diggers’ stores and supplies befog landed from the steamer with the utmost dispatch. The steamers Victorian, Ariel and Afghan are hourly expected with a large company of miners and storekeepers, and It is hoped that a strong, substantial jetty and customhouse will be erected as soon as practicab’e, to meet the large shipping requirements of the port. Already four storekeepers are established aud a hotel will be in course of construction almost immediately, to be opened under the management of Mrs McQuirter. So far no supply of permanent water has been found on the townsite, but the diggers will encamp on Parry’s Creek, thirteen miles from the landing, up the Gulf, where there is excellent feed and any amount of water. On June 12 the s.s. Afghan arrived with diggers and horses, having passed the s.s. Victorian also on her way to the Gulf. The Afghan is a fine vessel of the British India line, of over 2,000 tonnage. She brings nearly 300 diggers and 17Q horses. At a public meeting held on June 12 Mr O'Donnell was requested by a large party of miners to conduct them to the goldfields. They stated, that if they were nob shown the route disastrous consequences might result from their endeavor to reach the fields and that a practical man who knew the country thoroughly, to pilot, them through, was indispensable. Mr O’Donnell expressed himself ready to help them in any way lie could, and in recognition of the valuable assistance given by him to the miners in dcsciibfog the route and in taking charge of the first detachment a substantial testimony was presented to him, subscribed to by a majority of the men. I append Mr O’Donnell’s written description of the route to be followed from the Gulf to Mt. Barratt. Wyndham, June 14.

INTERVIEW WITH A PROSPECTOR.

Perhaps the man of greatest interest in this part of the colony on Saturday was Mr C. Hall, the gold-digger. He arrived by the Otway from another visit to the Kimberley goldfield, and bore with him a nugget of 280z —the largest that has yet come from the new diggings. Some time ago the 19oz nugget found by Morgan was the great Kimberley prize, but it must now retire before the superior magnificence of Mr Hall’s 4 find.’ Mr Hall has the honor of being the first man who brought gold from Kimberley, and he is generally looked upon as the lucky man who should receive a Government award. He is a man of experience as a searcher for gold, having worked for many years on the New South Wales and Queensland goldfields. When, therefore, he declared that he had found a goldfield the information generally was accepted as trustworthy. Upon his return from his most recent trip to Kimberley, therefore, it was advisable to gather what facts he had to impart, and our reporter waited upon him on Saturday. The story of his expedition is as follows : In November last, at the head of a party of seven men, he left Derby for Mount Barrett, travelling by means of pack-horses. They found the route to the fields an easy one, their only difficulty being here and there a scarcity of water. On the way they had no adventures of any kind, but making steady progress reached what will always be known as Hall’s Creek. Here it was that Mr Hall struck gold on his first visit, and here it was, however, that the Kimberley diggings were inaugurated. Hall’s Creek runs into the Elvira at a point about 22 or 23 miles to the south-east of Mount Barrett. Here, on a day somewhere about three weeks before last Christmas, they encamped with the view of making the creek their headquarters. Two of the were sent out on a prospecting expedition in a southeasterly direction. On their return a few days before Christmas they reported to their mates that they had found the color of gold abounding, but they had not come on any payable patch. Of course, they confined their attention to fossicking, not troubling to attempt to test the many promising reefs that they noticed. While these two men were away from the camp, the remainder of the men busied themselves with fossicking in Hall’s Creek. Here they worked for nine or ten days upon a payable patch. Just after Christmas two others of the party went out prospecting, striking northwards. They followed creeks, and got as far as the headwaters of the Panton, but, though they found the color of gold everywhere, they did not come upon a good fossicking place. Then they made for the Elvira, following it until they reached a ereek coming from the south-west, and in this they found a little gold. This stroke of success induced them to work right up the creek, but, though again they found the color, they did not come on anything payable. While still in this creek one of the party from the main camp reached them with the news that there was now plenty of water at the main camp. They returned to the camp, when they learned that Slattery had found a gully a mile away in which there was gold. They cleared this patch out, and found also other parties near at hand, all more or less having found gold. The party then heard of parties working seven or eight miles to the southeast, amongst them being Moore and Hedley. A party under a man named Topping was in a gully abont two miles and a half away, having worked patches up it for a long distance. Everybody on the fields was getting gold, but Mr Hall could not say what quantity they possessed. Mr Hill’s party found several gullies near their camp, and got some gold from most of them. When they were doing well two of the party fell sick of the scurvy, and had to remain at the camp. Then two others started for the southwest on a prospecting trip, and at a point about 14 miles to the south-west from Hall’s Creek found a gully with gold in it. This gully runs into the Black Elvira, and here it was that in a good patch and at a depth of only a very few inches the 28oz nugget was discovered. When thejr were pushing on with the work ef fossicking up this gully news reached them that their sick mates at camp were worse. They all returned to the camp, and on their arrival found that

the horses had strayed away, and that others of the party were still suffering from scurvy through having to live largely on a salt meat diet. After considerable trouble they mustered the horses, and then debated as to what should be the next step. Finally it was decided that, owing to the sickness of most of the- party, they should make for Derby, prospecting as they went. They got “ shotty ” colors in various places on -the \ Mary River, but nothing payable, * though Mr Hall believes good patches will be found there during the next wet season. They ; kept to the south of- the ordinary Derby ' route in order to carry on the work of fossicking. When they left the diggings in' March there was sufficient water there for the work of prospecting, and they would not have returned but for the sickness of some of the party. They left Derby in November, and arrived at Hail’s creek in four weeks, , 7 including a stoppage of one week on the road for shoeing the horses ; left Hall’s Creek in March, and arrived at Derby May 1. They had a fairly successful trip, but decline to make public the extent of their 44 find.” Mr Hall says that the goldfield covers a very large area, and that it will prove a rich one. Although it is simply fossicking that is done now, he is of opinion that it ia really a" reefing, goldfield, for promising reefs are numerons. The country he describes as rockbound, of slate formation, with sandstone and granite cropping up, and as very broken.- - He believes »that gold will be found in towards the Prince Regent and Leopold ranges. Very few men, he says, are now upon.the fields, and he does not think Subinspector Trpy, who is there now will be able to glean much information. There is r, very little feed upon the hills for horses, as * it consists simply ot green patches along the sides of the creeks. The climate there, he says, is very healthy. He and his men intend to set out on their return to the fields in about two months time in order to arrive about September. It would be of no use, he adds, to start earlier, owing to the absenceof water. Light showers, which would be sufficient to allow prospectors to work, fall, he believes, in that month. If any parties do go now he would advise them to take .a good equipment with them.