AN EVENTFUL LIFE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18513, 25 March 1922, Page 13

AN EVENTFUL LIFE

PIONEER MINER’S GOOD FORTUNE. HOW A RICH MINE WAS DISCOVERED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND. March 24. After as eventful life, Mr George Ciaxkson. of Vermont street, Ponsonby. has just passed away at tho age of 30 years. Ho was a fine stomp of a pioneer, but special distinction has always been connected with his name as he was ono of tho party which on August 14, 55 years ago. discovered the famous Shotovor claim on tho Kuranui Creek at the Thames, a find which caused a rush that practically emptied Auckland. Mr Clarkson came of a fine old Scotch family, and arrived in Auckland by tho ship Resolute in 1865. In the year 1867 Mr Clarkson was mining at Coromandel, where gold was discovered, and, seeing an announcement that the Government was ottering a reward of £SOOO for the discovery of a payable field he made for the new ground at Thames. For two weeks ho went prospecting, mainly up the Karaka Creek, but though he got loose gold enough by washing, he did not see much prospect of lifting the, Government’s big reward, and decided to turn his back on the Thames. When he went up to a butcher’s shop he mentioned his intention to the young fellow in charge, but another miner who was in tho shop at the time said that, the Maoris were going to open no another block, and suggested that it would be just as well to bang on for a few days longer. The Scotchman took the advice, went to the steamer and retrieved his swag, and again took up his quarters in an old Maori hut which was the temporary home of the few miners then on the ’Thame.-. Next morning at 6 o’clock Clarkson wont up the Kuranui again, and this time the prospect, lie got satisfied him that he had “ something pretty good,’’ but it was essential that he should have a mate, and lie went, prospecting for one. Eventual! v he picked up a man named N. A. Hunt, and another named John White, and when ho showed them what he had found up the creek they agreed it was “a fine show,” At White’s suggestion they went still higher up the creek, to where there were some falls about, 60 feet high. It was at the bottom of these falls that young Clarkson found the reef. “ I spotted a piece of gold about the size of a pin’s head,” he used to say when describing the dramatic event of his life, " and shouted to White to go down to the hut for a pick. I may say that the pick was a coal miner’s, and was one that one of my brothers brought out from the old home in Scotland. As soon as I got the pick I began breaking out the stone from the reef. It seemed to be all gold. I took out about 21 pounds, and you can imagine my joy at making such a find. It was a grand sight. We put the gold into a bag, and carefully covered up the place with moss again so that no one might find it before we hod secured our claims.” As they were walking along the bench on their way to report to tho warden (who was Mr Jas. Macky) Hunt suggested that they should have another mate, and White said; “I know a little fellow named W. A. Cobley. Let’s take him in,” and that was how a “ little fellow named Cobley ” came into fortune. At the advice of the warden the lucky party did nothing for a few days aa tho ground had not been properly thrown open, but Mr Macky was famous for handling Natives, and within a couple of days the ground from the Huranui to the Tararn Creek was available. Then, of course, the news spread, and a rush started. Things wore very bad in Auckland at the time, and the story of a great find came to willing ears. Auckland was practically denuded of men. Everything that could float was put on the run, and a steamer called the Maori Chief was even hauled overland from Manakau by bullocks, so great was the demand for passages, to the npw El Dorado. From a place of a few whares the Thames became a great canvas town, as though by magic, and within 12 months there were 1500 claims Begged out. and 6000 miners at work, while the total population of the Thames was 12.000. But to return to Mr Clarkson and his marty. They got out two tons of stone, carted it to the police station for protection, and then brought it on to Auckland, where thev stored it in a Hobson street boarding house while they got Mr George Frazer to bui'd them a berdan. a Hg iron bowl sort of machine, in which the quartz is ground no fine. Thev recovered 50 ounces of bullion, but Mr Clarkson used to say that he was sure another 150 ounces must have run down tho drain of that Hobson street boarding house. Within a few months the claim gave tho luckv finders £40.000 to divide, and afterwards paid a large sum in dividends to the company into which the concern was floated. Ono of Mr Clarkson’s most interesting possessions was the pick which broke into the Shotcvcr reef, and it is still kept in his family.