Straight Tip About Coolgardie

Opunake Times, Volume I, Issue 33, 23 October 1894, Page 4

Straight Tip About Coolgardie

Mr John McPherson, who worked ‘ at the Ti-tree for several years, and is well known on several of the goldfields as an experienced and practical miner, writes as follows to his mate, Mr Charles Wilson: “I kept putting off writing from week to week, expecting that I could offer you an inducement to come and have a look at this place ; but unless it •would be to work for wages I could not advise anyone to come here at present, as without a doubt it is the most God-forsaken place that a man can picture to himself. But if a few men could land here with £BOO or £4OO and lit themsalves out for three months prospecting in a waterless desert, they -would stand a chance of making a good use or nothing, as there are very rich patches of quartz to be met with from 50 to 150 miles north of Coolgardie ; but, indeed, it must be rich enough to get the gold ont cf the stone without water, which is as valuable here as gold, and from all appearance it is likely to be so to the end of time, particularly in this district—say, 100 miles north and south from where lam writing. Just imagine that every drop of water that is used for iO.OOO people and half as many animals has to be condensed from salt water which is pumped from below. This is a terrible drawback for a goldfield that doubtless is the richest by far away in the Australian colonies ; but in my opinion the present generation are not likely to eveivtake-half the gold from the very ground that at, present is being worked by the dry-blowing process, and the dollying of the richest of the quartz will also only get half under the present system of working. Of course, the last conhle of rich finds—namely, the Londonderry and Dunn’s find—could not be crushed by battery for this reason : the stone is caked Wisi gold, from a quarter of an inch to-an inch thick, running in streaks through the stone in such a manner that the stampers would only flatten it in the box, so that the gratings would not discharge the stuff. But rich finds are not to be met with every day. x\lthough there are thousands of pounds sterling spent here daily looking for them, still they are few 7 and lar between, and for every rich man they make, they make twenty poor ones. The quantity of people coming here on the off chance of getting a Londonderry or a Wealth of Nations is something alarming for their own sake, and their chance is equal to that in Adams’ sweep on the Melbourne Cup, while the risk of losing their lives is five times ns great. However, no amount of advising will keep them out of the country, with all the privation and starvation they know they have to undergo. Still, just as many return as come, so they get food and water somehow, although many eke out a miserable existence, weltering in filth and dirt, there being hundreds that water does not touch their faces once in three months. But in the Eastern papers you often read a series of the most infamous lies in regard to the richness of (he fields—the rain we get here, &c.—but I can tell you honestly for every man that makes £4 per week ihere are 100 men that do not make 25s per week. And as to the rain you have read of from time to time during the last five months, I can positively state, without fear of contradiction, that half an inch of rain did not fall within five miles of Coolgardie since I came to the colony over live mouths ago ; so you can see from this the prospect of a man coming here with a few pounds to look for gold, and pay from Gd to 2s per gallon tor water, not speaking of the high rate for, provisions. Where I am situated, 44- miles S.E. of Coolgardie, all the water I use, and also my men, costs me not less than Is per gallon, I have it carted from the condensers at Coolgardie’, 100 gallons at a time, which runs into a good cheque, even in a month, although I have only three men at work ; but the forge and the explosives, or rather drilling, take a . good deal of water in a month. As for prospecting with water, this is out of the question. Our claim here looks very well; it is about changing hands, so I purpose spending three or four months prospecting about 100 miles N.W. from here. I intend to have two camels,, a Malay, and one European, so I stand a fair chance of making another find. The trip will not be made much under £4OO, so yon can well understand that there is a lot of money spent in looking for gold in this country. An odd one loses his life, but onjhe the whole the deaths, so lar as I can hear, are not numerous, considering the hardships endured. There is one thing I would like to impress upon you in regard to the rich finds you read of in the eastern papers, and tiie large nuggets and rich yields. Take and halve them first, and then divide by six ; this will give you near the truth, which I am sorry to say you seldom read of in regard to the doings on this held. I am often amused at what I read here from the eastern papers; but such is the case in all new gold-fields, and 1 suppose it was and will be, to the end of time, where'the game of chance is played with success by even one in a thousand. I think I have pretty well given you now as near the truth as I can possibly do. I saw Lawrie, who was in the tribute at the Ti-trce, just as I left the train at Baraeappin, but I have not seen him since. In conclusidh, any of our well-wishers that are inclined to come here, advise them not to do so for the present, as labor is not plentiful—l mean for wages—so I should advise people of small means to keep away and await further developments.