EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26963, 24 December 1948, Page 6

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ©tago Bail? Ufmes DUNEDIN, DECEMBER 24, 1863 - Mr Warden Robinson, in his report from Manuherikia, dated December 12, : writes: “The weather during the week has • been somewhat severe in the mountainous districts, two men having been lost in a snowstorm and since found dead on the Old Man Range. Mining operations on the Manor Burn seem every week to be wearing a more lively aspect, and the confidence displayed by the miners there in making extensive preliminary operations, speaks well for the future prosperity of the locality. A race which is to extend 15 miles is now being commenced by Jeremiah Drummond and party, and is expected to be finished in the course of 12 or 14 weeks.”

We have been favoured with the following extract from a letter from one of the Waikato volunteers: “Camp Papatoitoi, St. John’s Redoubt, December 5. Here I am, drilling away night and day to fight the Maoris, and already I have had one bit of a skirmish with them. There were 300 of us, and we pursued over 200 of them, killing for certain two of them and 'wounding God knows how many. Several of our chaps were wounded slightly, and your humble servant had a flask of gin broken by a bullet. This is the finest looking country I ever saw, and if a fellow is only lucky enough to get a good 50 acres, I will never regret coming. We get two stiffeners of rum a day. and drink is Very cheap—3d a nobbier.

We last week intimated that good prospects had been obtained by Ware and his party .oil the Adelaide quartz reef. West Taieri, and that specimens had been shown us in which gold could be plainly seen with the unassisted eye. Four prospecting shafts had then b,een sunk, each of which gave evidence of a payable return for working. Since that time two more have been put down, with increased assurance of success. The quartz is variable in colour, full of veins, easily pulverised and the gold appears to be distributed pretty evenly throughout. The previous experience of widening the reef downwards is confirmed by the last explorations, which have been continued along it for 220 feet. The width at the surface is about three feet, but it gradually widens until, at the depth of 18 feet, it measures five feet across, and the prospectors inform Us that thus far it has increased in richness with the depth. Some beautiful specimens of pure coarse gold Were shown us, one weighing upwards of a pennyweight, which had been knocked out of some of the quartz. We understand the prospectus of a company for working the reef will be published in a day or two, and in the meantime a trial crushing will be made to ascertain the probable return that may be anticipated. Another cfuartz reef has been discovered by the same party, the particulars of •which have not yet transpired.