DOME CREEK, SWITZERS. To the Editor of the Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 928, 11 September 1869, Page 15

DOME CREEK, SWITZERS. To the Editor of the Otago Witness.

Sir— lt will be wichin the recollection of your numerous readers that the Government authorised LSO to be spent in the ereotion of sholter sheds on tho track loading from Switzsrs to the Domo Creek, similar to thoso erected on thoCarriok Ranges, bottcr known as tho Old Man Range, some six years ago. It will bo remembered that 33 miners perished while crossing that range, and that only 39 of thei-" bodies wora found. Throe yoara ago, three minors perished on tho same rango, endeavouring to cross from the Domo Creek to tho Carrick lUngo s and up till thiß wmtor tho creator portion of tho miners working on tbo Domo Crcok woro obliged to abandon their work for tho winter BC!Won, whioh was a grc.it loss to thorn, as nil that timo tho crcok was always tho lowest. Although thoro am many doing wnllthoro, and othora doini? but little, thoro woro two parties who netted, tho week twforo I went over, betwoen 57 and 60 ounces of gold ; thoy obtained it in 14 days. Tho parties are all annll-two in ono party, and throo in tho other. I visited several of thoir claims, being ft minor myself, and they know my mission. I wa* treated with courtesy. I may mention that two ot threo parties arc doing wall — Robertson and party, Handysido And party, Btyth nnd party -tho last-named party has got a splendid oldim ; bnt nolossa roan is really a practicaloreok worker I would not adviso him to try his luok ou tho Domo Crook. Tho system of working is by wing damming but it ia necessary to have a tail-race, and the length ot that is uncertain. Some of the tftU-rncoi aro from ffO to 100 yards beforo you oomo to tho bottom, and as the gold is on the bottom it necessarily follows that your rnco mutt bo on tho Iwttom. S*id roo* it nothing xnoro or lets than a culvert, built in nuoh a manner at to stand agAtntt all floods. It it often the ot«o that the race eroMOft and ro-orottes the oreek, tho wator from whloh runt over it, To nroronfc it gttdog choktd they pteot in il • buudlo or

short faggot of wood, and this answers as ft filter, iihd allows nothing to pass through- it but water. In the event of a' flood the mouth' is built 'up with fltoneß. Should this race give way it Would entail probably weeks : of labour to repair its again ; and as this creek i has been openert five years, there "is a great difficulty in knowing what is new ground and what is not. In all the claims there is a good deal of blasting necessary to open them up. There is one great comfort, there ia plenty of firewood quite convenient until you go up pretty well towards the top of the oreek. Up to >the present time, the top par b of the creek has never been prospected. There are about 10 or more, miners engaged on the creek at the present time ; and there are between 10 and 12 pack-horses go out weekly with provisions from Switzers— say each horse carries 2owt, that is, from 20 to 25cwc a week. The distance is from 30 to 40 miles, and it, takes them at the least 12 hours to go out. This creek runs east and west, and was originally supplied from the Nokomai. The Eange is so precipitous that horses cannot go down to the creek in the winter time. There were several horses killed endeavouring to supply the miners with provisions from there. Now the whole supply is from Switzers. The aide they approach the creek is very precipitous, but it faoea the sun, and there is but little snow lies on that side. Mr Handyaide, a miner, had a valuable horse killed a short time' ago while grazing. By some means or other it missed its footing and rolled down nearly half a mile before it stopped. Of course it waß killed instantaneously. It is only at certain spurs or points that packers oan getdown, and then they areobliged to go zigzag,g zag, indeed coming up empty they are obliged to do the same. Of course this creek is limited, there ia no terrace on either side. Landslips are very common on both Bides of the creek, consequently the gold is confined to the bed of the creek only. My journey was to select two sites for shelter slwds. No 1 shed is about 10 miles from the present township of Switzers ; it ia built about 100 yards past M'Donald's fence and Menlove's boundary. It is known as scrubby fence. My reason for recommending it ia that there is excellent feed for horses, plenty of wood and water, and it is just at the bottom of the spur, so that the miner or packer can stop for the night should he see any danger before taking the mountain or range, No. 2is built 10 miles distant from No. 1, nearly on the top of the range ; it is ! on a epur between two branches of Steeple Creek. The reason I recommended it to be erected there is that it is quite close to timber, aud should the packers be overtaken iv a enow storm, they oan unload there and tnru the horses adrift, and they will make down to the shepherd's hut at the bottom ot" Steeple Creek, wnere there is plenty of feed for them, and they can get there perfectly safely. The size of the Bheds is 8 x 10 in the clear. They are both built of sods. No. 2 is covered with galvanised iron, and two inches of thatoh under the iron to prevont the damp from coming through. No. 1 is covered with thatch 4 inches thick. Each of them has a bank 6 feet by 5 feat, 6 inches clear of the wall, and each a fireplace. No. 2 will be occupied only in case of on emergency, but No. 1, I believe, is occupiod six days out of seven. The packers generally go as far ne the i first ; stop there all night, and then start for the Dome in the morning. I did recommend snow poles similar to the Carriok .Ranges. The track is so olour that one can- 1 not get lost : there is only ono part of the track dangerous — that ia ja^t opposite tho Big Dome, where the three men parished I called that the Bay of Biscay. You have to turn to your rigbt at that plaoo, as it is thevo you first sight the T>omo Creok : it is at the further ond of this s*ddl« No. 2 shed is. It is the only part of tho wholo track yoU of vegetation ; aud you may judge of the forca of tho wind, when stones axe turned over between 21b and 31b weight.

In conclusion. In making out tho specifications, 1 was obliged to come as noar as possible to the LSO. Should there be any surplus, I recommend it to be laid out m cutting a now trade through the soru"by fences, which would shorten tho traok a*out tbroo milcß, tuid avoid crossing tho Domo CVeok flvo time*. Tboro wns Bufiloiont for that purpose. Tho track now ia— you tako tho leading spnr at tho Lont^fom at tho Waikaia slaughter yards, and keop the dividing range, tho wholo way between Oomo Creek and Steeple Crook.— l om, &c. J. S. Grovo's Creek, Swit/.ors, August 20th.