THE NEW GOLDFIELD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 867, 12 October 1888, Page 28

THE NEW GOLDFIELD.

[By Telegraph.] (from our own correspondent.) '' ■ Havelock, October 5. An application was received in the Warden’s Court to-day for : a licensed holding from Jeffrey.; Moulton, James Muir, and Bernard Frank,’ styled the Bright Smile Quartz Mining Company ; locality at Mali a* kipawa, on the north east side of the Jubilee claim, and north of. the Mahakipawa claim ; extent, 30 acres ; capital, £15,000 ; mode of working quartz, by machinery ; lease, 21 years. It has been blowing a howling north-west gale all day, and has now turned to heavy rain.

Havelock, October 6. C. Homanris’ party of four have netted L6O sterling for this week’s work. This is quite correct, as I have obtained my information from a reliable source. The Homanns are in a terrace claim at Mahakipawa. There is no other news to hand of importance. There are further indications of heavy rain.

Havelock, October 8. There is no news to hand from Waikakaho worth recording. One party at Mahakipawa has netted 105 oz of gold since the Ist of September. It was estimated there were 500 persons at Cullens ville on Sunday, and Mrs Dickson did a large business. There were 200 at breakfast, 190 at dinner, and 90 gallons of ale were'consumed. An additional 30ft square has to be put on to her present building. About £SO worth of gold sold on Sunday realised £3 17s and £3 18s per ounce. Havelock, October 9.,

A deputation, appointed at a public meeting last Wednesday at Havelock, had an interview with the Minister of Mines on Monday. There were present—Messrs A. E. Hyde, .C. H. Mills, W. Douslin, John Brownlee, Hill, Newth, Hayward, and Gorrie. The meeting was held at Cullenville in the open air, a number of miners being present. Mr Dousliu was chairman., The following business was brought before the Minister by. Mr C. -Hill: —(1.) That as the Marlborough goldfields had now proved to be of colonial importance, the Government were earnestly requested by tt e deputation to allocate a special sum of money to assist the > Road Board to open up the mining lands belonging to the Crown. (2.) That a dray road from the township up Cullen’s Valley to the Forks was required to enable machinery to be placed on the licensed holdings for the working of quartz reefs, but a suitable packing track was at present imperative for those with alluvial claims to get their provisions up with reasonable faoility. (3.) That, in view of the present population of about; ,600, daily increasing in numbers, he would kindly recommend that a telegraph and post office be opened at the townßhip for, the convenience* of miners and business ,men, (4.) That the Government would subsidise a fund required for procuring the necessary working gear and machinery to test the deep ground on the level land of the valley. (5.) That repairs were urgently needed at the boat landing at Mahakipawa, and that the main road through The Grove urgently required metalling. The Minister, in reply, said he was pleased to meet the deputation, but it was impossible in the present state of the Government finances to place a special vote at the disposal of the local authorities!; but the Government, recognising the urgency for making the ~ track up the valley, had sent plans’ and specifications to the Pelorus Road Board, who would immediately call for tenders and let the contracts without delay, and if the diggings proved to be permanent the means would be provided from the ■ goldfields revenue and subsidies to convert the present track into a cart road ; and that Government would give every reasonable facility as .to postal and telegraphic communication, but lie did not think there was sufficient to justify the opening of a telegraph office at once. Ha could not promise any money toward a fund for assisting to prospect the deep ground by the help of machinery, and he thought the landing place at Mahakipawa was quite within the means of the Pelorus Road Board, which he exonerated from blame in the delay of opening up better communication with the diggings. There was now over £IOO in the Treasury to the credit of the goldfields revenue, and with the - Govern} ment subsidy he thought no further delay would occur in forming tracks. Ha, assured the miners that the Government? was anxious to assist the diggers in every reasonable way, A hearty vote of thanks was recorded, and three cheers for Mr G. Fj, Richardson, who then started up the creek, with the intention of visiting the quartz reefs and crossing over the Range to W&tkakaho. At a meeting of the Town Board on Monday night Mr O. H. Mills was appointed chairman.

(per press association.) Blenheim, October 5. A miner who has been on the Waikakaho field since the first of the rush iuforms tho Marlborough Times that at one time there must have been 700 men on the ground, and that now there are only 200, and most of these are leaving fast. Four or five new men arrive on the field in a day, and 40 or 50 go away. The deepest shaft on the field is down 26ft but the workers have had to stop on account of the water until they get the pumps fixed. Several parties are deepening their tail races, determined to bottom if possible, while others are leaving their claims in disgust. u Blenheim, October 6.

At Waikakaho several shafts have been sunk, but a great crowd is waiting the result, contrary to the labour clause of the Mines Act. The general intelligent opinion is that there is gold there, but at great depth. . , \ The Just-in-time, Kapai, and Marlborough reefs at Mahakipawa are looking up. ■ • .- .. ..

(FROM ▲ CORRESPONDENT.) So many excursionists to Mahakipawa have informed your readers as to the beat route by whioh to reach the diggings that It

is needless for me to say more cn this subject further than to reiterate the assertion that if you intend going only to Cullentown you should proceed there via The Grove from Pioton by steam launch, or else by direct steamer from Wellington, A brisk walk, if you land at The Grove—if your swag is a light one-stakes you to tne Mahakipawa “ township ” at the point where the creek empties itself into the flat, which latter consists of an' alluvium deposit of about three miles in length, by an average width of nearly half a mile. j On this flat is situate the homestead of Mr Cullen, a squatter on a small scale, who will be immortalised by the discovery of the newest of jthe Marborough diggings.' Mr Cullen, although his-- income has been considerably augmented by reason of the alluvial deposits "recently discovered on his run, is said to be anything but friendlydisposed toward gold seekers,' and this, notwithstanding that the recent goldfields have had the effect of considerably, increasing his inoome. His sheep nqw. obtain a ready market at the township. He, with his brother - in • law, , Mr Gregg, derives a large dividend from . their olaims in the creek, and whilst in addition he charges those who have taken up claims and business frontages on his property a large weekly rental, Mr Cullen has drawn up a schedule of charges which miners and business people at Cullentown must pay if they squat on his property. The rate is, for diggers’ olaims, 10s per week, while, the tariff for sites for stores, &c, ranges frqfff to ~6os per week. For a barber, a tobacconist, or ahe-waagentr'rgquire a building site, he must pay ,10s a week; a storekeeper has hitherto paid £1 per week, and a bank is required to “ part ”■ no less a sum than £3 per week Tor the privilege of squatting on Squatter - Cullen*s Isnd. Up to the present, time ' the privileges have not been very'extensively availed of. There are four stores—owned by Messrs Litchfield, of Blenheim, another by Mr Fisk, conducted by Mr A, H. Soott, one by Mr Sherwood, of Nelson, and the fourth erected by Mr Grensill, of Picton. In addition to these general stores there are three butcheries and one bakery, while another oven was in course of .- erection. The 41b loaf is being sold for Sd, beef and mutton ranges from 2Jd per lb, whilst flour, tea, sugar, and general stores are equally reasonable. -1410618’ tools, gunpowder, and dynamite are also sold on the spot at prices at which they could be obtained either at Blenheim or Wellington. The creek at Mahakipawa empties itself suddenly into the flat -just at the spot where stands Mis Dickson’s accommodation house, and rapidly spreads and widens till it reaches the sea, a distance of perhaps three miles, the jdescentj Being very gradual all the way. Up to tne present time there are only two ‘claims being thoroughly worked, but for a considerable distance from the township, and toward the Sound, olaims have been pegged out by “ gentle shepherds ” who are anxiously awaiting the time until the two claims.. in question are bottomed. When this most devoutly desired consummation will be reaohed it is difficult to state with any degree of oertainty. Both parties were on Monday last down a distance of 30ft. ; ,The country they are going through consists of very wet and dirty silt, in fact the sinking is in stuff little better than a pebbly quicksand.'-'‘Of course the shafts have to be close-slabbed, and behind the timber they -.have to , be puddled, and yet withal the greatest difficulty is experienced in keeping the bottom of the hole from caving in. Corbett’s party have purchased an eight-horse engine and pump at Pioton, and expect to be in-a position to sink expeditiously in about a fortnight’s time. The other prospectors have made arrangements for a four-horse pump and engine, and as soon as these are erected they will be able to proceed with their work, The prospectors on the flat are of the opinion that they will bottom at 70ft. Should these anticipations . be realised, and the water not 'prove to be too much for the prospectors, the shepherders will no doubt go to work in earnest, when the question as to whether the flat is any good w*ll be solved. Should' a lead be struck here there is room on this delta to carry thousands of men for a long time to come. Up to the visitor’s arrival at Cullentown all has been smooth, plain sinking. The road fora distance of six or so miles after you have landed at The Grove has been but a pleasant stroll; trouble for the pedestrian, however, now commences, for directly he leaves Sheerwood’s store he begins to encounter difficulties in the shape of dense scrub and forest country. Just before you get into the creek yon come across Davis and Carr’s claim on the hillside to the right hand, and on the terrace. A more unlikely or unpromising gold-bearing country than where this party are at work il: would bo difficult to conceive. Purched up in an eagle’s eyrie, about 50ft up the side of a perpendicular yellow clay terrace, you catch sight of a small hole, which is the entrance to a tunnel which has been driven into the hill. And unpromising as is the look of the claim, it is one of the most paying in the district, as will be gathered from the fact that during the last two months the party have obtained, so lam informed, 170 oz of gold. The stuff after being tunnelled is thrown down to the side of the creek, where it is ground-sluiced. Strange to say, Davis and Carr's claim is the ODly one on the terrace for upward of a mile of terrace working in which the precious metal has been found. For the whole of the distance indicated, although claims have been pegged out on the right-hand side of the terrace, nothing has been got in payable quantities. Jnst at this point I met quite a number of Wellington men who had been trying their luck both on the terrace and in the oreek, but none of them have done any good; and indeed, many of the party informed me that for two or three months past they had done nothing but sink dufferß both on the terraces and also in the creek. The work in the latter proves more exhausting and more costly than even that in the terraces, on account of the numerous boulders which have to be encountered. _ These boulders are some of them of gigantic size, and in order to get them out of the way they have to be blasted either with gunDowder or dynamite. Shots are being fired at all hours of the day,_and the progress of ascending the creek" is in consequence at- I tended with extreme danger to the pedes* |

trian. Each party, in order to bottom, has to turn the bed of the creek, which, in a time of flood, is a work of time; labour, and money. At the time of my visit there was but little water in the creek, but I was informed that in wet weather, and, indeed, after a rain storm, the creek swells in an incredibly short time, and the mountain torrent sweeps everything before it with irresistible force. At these timeßjthe diggers have not unfreqnently to leave their tools behind them, leaving their sluice boxes to be swept away by the flood of stormwater whioh rushes past and over the workings with the force of a deluge. After leaving Cullentown you, for the first mile or two, encounter but very few parties at work, although, as I have before stated, the creek and right-hand terrace aro closely pegged out in the hope that the “ sweet by-and-bye” will open up a develop, ment sufficiently good to warrant their setting in in earnest. About two miles up the creok, however, the stir and bustle attendant on a mining community in full swing becomes apparent, and this bustle more or less prevails ail the way up the right-hand branch. The work is anything but child’s play. Fluming has been brought to some of the olaims for a long way, and in the creek the laborious working entailed by the use of the Californian pump -is encountered on all sides, and also in far too many instances has to be encountered in vain. Before reaching the prospecting claim of .Patterson and company, two or three parties of Maoris are at work, and are stated to be doing fairly well. The excitement of the Natives is said to be very great when engaged in “panning off.’' They stand or squat round whilst one of their number is engaged in the operation, and if they oatcb sight of a streak of the yellow metal they dance and shriek like dervishes. Homaun and party, in proximity to the Maoris, obtained 12 or 13oz last week, and their neighbours, Messrs Gorry and Co., who own one of the best claims on the right-hand branch, have washed off, on the average, £25 worth per man per week for the last three months. Greg and party, who got the 260 z nugget, are also said to be doing well, but, as is to be expected, they are exceedingly reticent as to their finds. A party hailing from the Wairarapa are reported as having “ struck it ” heavily, and the statement is, in a degree, borne out by the cheery manner in which the men go about their work. The premier claim at the Mahakipawa diggings is that worked by Newman and party, who are said to have washed 31b weight of gold last week, and it is also rumoured that they have a nugget weighing 440 z, but beyond giving this as common report in the stores at Cullentown I am able to say nothing. .Newman’s claim was last week visited by the only female on the field at present—Mrs Dickson, who keeps the hotel and accommodation house. This lady showed me a nice little speck and a couple of pennyweights which she was permitted to pick out of the stuff in commemoration of her visit to the claim. Her jaunt was an exceedingly plucky one, inasmuch as she had to pull herself up to the workings, a distance of more than 100 ft, by means of a wire rope.

After leaving the prospector’s claim in the creek and Newman’s party, who were, I -was given to understand, “ laid on” by Patterson (one of the prospectors), and who are doing so excellently well on the terrace above the prospectors’ original ground, and on a position of what I was informed constituted a portion of the latter’s claim, I pushed on after partaking of a welcome meal, washed down of course by the inevitable and refreshing fannikin of tea. Since 1 had left the flat had travelled, I learned, only four miles, and I had still four miles—much the roughest part of the journey—to go" ere I could arrive at the reefs and begin the ascent of the mountain, which would take me to the Waikakaho rush. I thought my walk hitherto had been hard enough, but I very speedily found that it was a pleasure trip in comparison with the difficulties I had yet to encounter. The bush was denser than ever, and very frequently I had to leave the side of the creek in consequence of the fallen timber and branches of immense forest trees which stopped the way at frequent intervals. But the large boulders encountered were even worse to clamber over than were the trunks of the trees, and I more than once offered up my deep but silent gratitude to a friend w-hom I had met in Havelock the previous night, who had done the pilgrimage, and who strongly advised me to leave even my overcoat in that township. How many times I crossed that creek I cannot say, as I lost count; but it brought to my recollection a visit I paid to Boss town (below Hokitika) more that 20 years ago, when I was compelled to ford the creek 32 times within a period of about an hour. Bush bridges, in the shape of felled trees, permit one to get over at some places dry shod, providing you do not lose your balance, when overboard you go into the creek, which, however, when I visited the Mahakipawa, was merely a gurgling brook. Many of the diggers, however, appeared to be exceedingly expert in crossing the tree-bridges, and with a small supply of stones on a long-handled shovel, which latter they used as a balancing-pole, they walked across with the agility begotten of practice, and rivalling that of a Blondin. Operations were proceeding actively all up the righthand branch, and some of the parties were said to be doing very well. The general verdict, however, was the reverse of favourable so far as “a poor man’s” diggings is concerned. On more than half the claims only one man was working, his mates having gone off to try their luck at the Waikakaho rush. Old camps were to be seen in any quantity, but if all we have heard about the new rush during the the last few days is correct, a large num- i ber of men have returned to their claims at the head of the Mahakipawa. After a tramp of perhaps a couple of hours I

arrived at the reefs, which have been pegged out for a very long distance. Before leaving Havelock, I ascertained that sixteen leases in all, of 30 acres each in extent, had been applied for, bub that to many of the applications objections had been lodged at the Warden’s Court by small parties of quartz-reefers, who were deisirous of working the reefs with private money, and who considered 30 acres too much to grant in one lease. Being the day before thAcases. were to be heard by Mr Allen, the warden, the litigants had nearly all gone "to Havelock, and as those few men who were upon the ground were very reticent,.l could gain but little information as to'the prospects obtained. I heard that Mr Logan (late of Lambtonquay) had arrived at Picton on the previous night from Wellington, bringing with him the result of a crushing of 201bs weight of quartz, which had yielded ldwt some odd grains of gold—not amalgam. His statement was subsequently borne out by. Mr H. Hughes, mining and mechanical engineer, of Wellington, whom I saw at Picton,. and also by Mr Falconer, landlord of the Terminus Hotel, Picton, with whom Mr Logan had stayed on his way to Havelock. Mr Longhurst, a prospector, who hak also obtained a large lease on the reef, also showed me some rich specimens at Picton, which he assured me he had 'got from the cap of the reef on the ground he had pegged out. The reef runs nearly north and south, lying two points to the east. The quartz which crops out in many places is either nearly a milky white colour or else crystalised. In none of the quartz I saw on the ground was gold visible. The reefing country hereabouts is approaching the perpendicular, more like the side of a house or a very steep lean-to than anything else, and the work no doubt will prove to be very costly, to say nothing of putting machinery pn the ground. In granting the applications for such extended leases the- warden of course took into consideration the fact that the applications were-‘foreground which is at present almost inaccessible and totally different from reefing ground in Victoria, for instance, where, especially on Bendigo, the reefs extended over comparatively flat country. Some few days prior to my visit Mr Allen, the warden, had visited the reef and observed for himself what the place was like. As it was raining I was anxious to cross the mountain—for it is not anything like a leading • range and so reach the rush at Waikakaho, and was fortunate enough to meet a man who had been over the track before, and was returning that afternoon, who very kindly offered to show me the way. The height of this little eminence appeared to be about half as big again as Mount Victoria. There were but few trees as -we ascended, and the ground was a loose shingle, which slipped from under our feet as we clambered up the sides of the mountain. As we crawled along there was almost a sheer descent of several hundred feet below us, and if a false step was made it was all oyer with us, for nothing could save us from being dashed to pieces on the boulders beneath. My guide several times on the way cautioned me to take heed to my ways, and on no account to look down, and this advice I wisely and most scrupulously followed till we reached the summit above. A magnificent panorama spread itself before us. For miles below, stretched on every side, could be seen dense forests of timber, with here and there glimpses of the Sounds, which appeared to be so many miniature lakes surroundedjjjby woods and grassy glades, and beyond lay the strait. In clear weather I believe the headlands of the North Island may easily be discerned. Our descent was much more easy of accomplishment than was the ascent, and consequently we were not long in getting to the site of the rush, which resembles so far as the country is concerned, very much that of.the Mahakipawa. The lefthand branch of the Waikakaho might be taken for the right-hand branch of the older rush. All down the. terrace and creeks were hundreds of men, and the scene was incomparably busier than had been that at Mahakipawa. I could not, however, find a single party who had bottomed except the prospectors, and the men who were working, and many to whom I spoke, expressed the opinion that the rush would prove to be a duffer. It is, however, but just to say that, whilst there were a large number of men who appeared to have “ set-in ” in earnest, yet by far the greater number on the field were said to be waiting for something to turn up. A few parties of Maoris were said to have obtained the colour, and on the flat one party had sunk about 30ft, but had not obtained any indication of gold. They, like, their neighbours at Cullen’s Flat, were troubled with water, and anticipated that, like them, they would have to get pumping - gear if they decided •'tsink deeper. At Suttonville, the ' digging township of the rush, there were four or five stores, beside butchers’ shops, &c., surrounded by a large number of tents, and it was estimated that there were between 600;• and 700 men on the field. Declining to take the way to Blenheim, which is nearly ten miles of a good road distant from the rush, I struck along a track to the left, and after a longlbut walk reached Tua Marina rHilway : station, where I took the train to Picton, and thence the steamer to Wellington, pretty well knocked up by my trip.

(FROM OUR OWN- CORRESPONDENT.) Havelock, October 3. I telegraphed to you the main business of

the Warden’s Court, and I now send you the judgment or decision given in the application for a licensed holding for 30 acres from Mr Alexander, Grey Hill. Mr James Hayden appeared for self and nine other objectors, Mr John. Connolly for applicant. After taking evidence, the Warden gave the following decision The law with regard to objections as to applications for licensed holdings is as follows ; “ That the objectors shall, prior to the hearing, forward to the Warden a full statement in writing of his objections, and serve a copy on the applicant, &c. In this case the objection is as follows : “ We object to a license being granted to applicant for a quartz reef claim at the head of the right-hand branch of Cullen’s Oreek. In the case of such a large area being granted it would enclose our claim of ten men’s ground, legally pegged off by us on the Bth instant. 1 ’ I think the objectors are legally bound to confine themselves to the objection as thus given ; but, as this is the first case of this kind, I stated, at the commencement of the case, that 1 was quite willing to give_ them every reasonable opportunity of bringing forward their objections so long as the opposite party was not prejudiced thereby. From the evidence it appeared that there was no further ground of objection, ex cepting that the objectors thought that it would be granting a monopoly to issue licenses for thirty acres. I will deal with the written objection first. I must conclude that it is bad on the face of it. In the first place, the applicant (Hill) pegged out the ground on the 6th of September, and the claimants, according to their written statement and evidence in Court, did not peg out their ten men’s ground until the Bth Sept., and they were not aware of this ground having been previously pegged off by Hill when they put in their pegs. It further appears in evidence that on the Bth September, when Hayden and party pegged off their ten men’s ground, only three of them held miner’s rights, and it is doubtful whether at the time the ten men’s ground was pegged off, on the Bth September, there was more than one man who held a right. The objection therefore is bad, inasmuch as that on the Bth instant the objectors did not legally peg off ten men’s ground. I consider the objection also bad for the reason that on the face of it the objectors show that they did not peg off any more of their claims until after Hill had pegged off his ground. It was shown that Hill lost no time in lodging his application for a license after pegging off’ the land ; therefore if it had been shown that the objectors had some standing in Court as second applicants, still under rule 7 I must have decided in favour of Hill ; and under rule 8 I must hold that as soon as Hill pegged off his ground and put in his application the ground was exempt from occupation until the application of Hill had been granted or refused.

I have now one or two remarks to make about the question of monopoly. I have been on the ground where these applications are pegged out; they are situate on the top or nearly the top of high precipitous bush-covered mountains. There is a very large extent of reefing country of this description, and a great number of such applications as these might be pegged off before anything approaching a monopoly would be created. They do nob in any way interfere with alluvial workings ; it is ground that can only be worked by companies with plenty of money at their command, and will be expensive claims to work. If the reefs turn out well .it will be a good speculation ; if not, rich companies are better able to bear the loss than parties of miners. In short, it would be useless to take up the ground unless they could get capitalists to support them. I consider that it is no injury to either miners or the district to grant applications of this kind. It is my desire to see the district go ahead. I believe Marlborough to be a rich mineral district, and as long as I remain Warden here I shall do all I can in a fair and honourable manner to open up what has hitherto been a “ closed district. ” I do not wish to discourage miners from searching for reefs and applying for licensed holdings, but I must object to miners watching others prospecting, and then when gold is supposed to have been found, trying to take the ground from them. Now, with regard to working these holdings, wardens have been instructed that, in consequence of many persons holding large pieces of land on goldfields without proper use for them, that for the future the labour clause, 24, section D, of the rules is to be enforced. This means that the companies must employ at least one man for every two acres of land that they hold under license. It has been the rule here, and I suppose in other districts as well, that if any 20 applicants take out

licenses or leases, 19 of them would squab round the shaft that the twentieth, mars, sinks or works, and wait to see if he finds anything—this will not be allowed. _ Tlie warden probably will not take the initiative, but miners and others are to understand that if the companies who take up these holdings do not bona fide work them, anyone can apply to have the license cancelled. If we have a hot, dry summer nearly three-fourths of the alluvial claims will be closed for want of water. Surely it must be a good thing for miners who are forced to stand idle to have their reefing companies close at hand to find employment for them. The objection must be dismissed. I cannot finally decide to grant the application until the plan is completed. The next sitting of the Warden’s Court in Havelock will be on Wednesday, October 23. Apublifc meeting was held in Havelock on Wednesday, October 3rd, Mr C. H. Mills in the chair.' After Mr A. PSeymour, M. H.R., had addressed the meeting and given an explanation of his action with the Government as to tracks to the Mahakipawa Goldfields, the following resolutions were unanimously carried : —Resolved —“ That this meeting request the Postmaster-General to take into his favourable consideration the opening, without delay, a telegraph and money order office, &c., at Mahakipawa ; and that in the interest of miners the office bo situated at Cullenville. ” 4< That a deputation, to be appointed by this meeting, wait upon the Minister of Mines on his arrival at Mahakipawa. ” ‘ ‘ That the Chairman and members of the Road Board, Mr Seymour, M.H.R., Messrs Hill, Mills, Douslin, Gorrie, and Newth be the deputation.” “ That a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to Mr Seymour for his address.”