OUR FUTURE GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1762, 29 August 1885, Page 22

OUR FUTURE GOLDFIELDS.

' No. 6. ' , Many years ago a legend was related to me of quartz-reefs having been seen by some of the old 1 pioneers in the neighbourhood of Strath-Taieri. I have never come across them, and from the look of the country thereabouts I am inclined to consider them purely legendary, but on the adjoining Rock and Pillar mountains it is highly probable quartz-reefs may be discovered: Coarse, ■*■ rugged gold is found 'scattered hi patches over a certain line crossing the range, which could only have been deposited in' that locality from the , degradation of an auriferous reef. Following > i this line we come to the Serpentine reefs, where several claims have been explored and worked hi a ' perfunctory fashion. The latest .crushing from one^ — Turnbull's — gave over 4oz of gold per ton, and why the proprietors don't push on and open up the mine is " one of those things no fellah can understand." There is a good 10head battery on the field. Certainly the climate in winter is somewhat inhospitable, but if' once a population got settled there the climatic , influences, as in similar elevated tegions. hi Otago, would seem 1 to alter,! or fcecome modified, so 'as to be bearable. Crossing Long Valley, the same reefs crop out on what, I believe, is named Little' Bough Ridge, a trial crushing from one of which yielded, if I recjollect aright, l|oz per ton. '"At present they are all lying idle. From the peculiar steepness' of the range excellent opportunities for deep levels, by means of short adits, here, present) themselves. " We then come to .the Knobby Range, where no ; outcrops have yet been seen,' but i^ is, possible the continuation of the Serpentine reefs might be unearthed there, near the head of one branch of ( the Manorburn ;;the gold found there has' not travelled far from its matrix. Then, crossing the Olutha, we come to the latest, quartz -field opened— at the [Obelisk, "Old Man Range"— ;which from all accounts is , likely |to make a stir in the mining world in a very short time. Ascending and crossing the range, on the same line, we pass several old diggings — Campbell's, Potter's Nq.,2, and other gullies to the head of the Nevis Riy'er, and source of that very Sermanently prolific goldfield., Now, as gold, ke water, will not travel up hill of its own Volition, • and as all the rich, gullios worked in the .neighbourhood of the line indicated seem to him to 'have sprung from & common Bource,' it is .only .natural, to suppose that if the prospector tried the elevated country above ;the 'golden, gullies ,he would probably Gnd the lodes which ' furnished the supply of the , precious ttietal ; they may be covered up, .but they mo|st certainly ought to be there,; the entire absence of rounded wash on these hills proves that the source of the gold is near at hand. , , j The next belt f we will suppose, commences at Saddle Hill ; the sudden collapse of the company, lately formed to work the reef at this place, is a mystery to, me; from a conversation I had some .time, ago with a. thoroughly practical toiner, who had worked there years ago, I should have predicted a very different fate for the venture. ■ However it isonly one more added to the list of failures.; In concluding this, article J ; intend making , a few remarks on ,the -probable, causes of failure ;,if .the, shareholders in the Saddle Hill .misfortune "recognise any; affinity in their case — not! |or a moment, would I say there is — they can reflect on ."what might have beenl" Twenty- three .years ago a friend and, l we|e taking , a^constatu'taonal on, " Primrose Hilli" at the t tpp' oj.\the;>,,Canongate,V- Dunedin-f-.'what' is, , I_ presume, Jmown : as . Serpentme , Avenue now.',, He stooped., and picked' >up a piece of ' quartz, which, after examination, I put into my pocket. ; When we,got backto thjehotel I washed it, and five very rough specks, of gold showed up on its surface. I don't .know if ever the locality has been tried, but to the best of my recollection .the place should be somewhere in line with the reefs at Saddle Hill: I have never been there since. We then come to Hindon, where the usual farce of opening reefs, erecting 'machinery, crushing stone, and final abandonment has been gone through. The next point I would direct attention to is in the Lammerla'w Ranges. I was only once there, many years ago, but a backward glance showed me that these hills should be /' of mineiral lodes. We then come again to the Serpentine Valley, at a point 2£ miles distant from the reefs mentioned in the last paragraph. A claim

Was opened here and a five head battery erected, but from what I could learn from good authority the company came to grief through ignorance and mismanagement. I should judge from what I saw that the ' permanent lodes of that locality should be found at this particular spot. Following on, we cross the Clutha between Roxburgh and Bengerburn, somewhere at the back of which a reef has been tried near the source of the Pomahaka. We then cross the Umbrella Mountains, which I don't think haye ever been tried for reefs. This place fell into evil repute in the days of the notorious "Blue Mountain rush," and the diggers seem to have avoided it since, but poor Gabriel Read had a good opinion of the locality, and commended it to my attention if I ever wandered so far. We then reach the source of the Waikaia goldfield, then over the Garvie Mountains to the. Nokomai.' The next place where gold has been'obtained, so far as I am aware, is near the head of Te Anau Lake. Some years ago a friend of mme — who had been there in company with three others, and found what he considered payable ground— and I arranged to give the place a trial, but in the meantime he was accidentally killed, and it remains a terra incognita. As we travel southwards the belts of reefing country seem to close iu — that is, they occur at lesser distances apai-t than to the north. Next, starting at the reefs of Waipori, which are still in work, we must follow a similar and parallel course to the last. At a distance of from 12 to 15 miles gold has been found intermittently along this line ; and the same remarks will apply as in former descriptions. The reefs 'of Tuapeka come next in order, but except in the Tap'anui mountains I could not point to any likelihood of their continuation being found, unless somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Waia'u River or Manapori Lake, where I believe gold-has been obtained. The immense plains . of Southland intervene, and here the continuity is lost or buried beneath the accumulated alluvial drift. The so-called " reef" at Longwood I take to be only an infiltration .from the adjacent auriferous country. I have seen somewhat similar formations elsewhere — a rent or crevice in the rock is filled in by material derived from the denudation of the neighbourhoo J ranges, gold being, deposited along with it. The expectations from this claim, when I was down in that part, were something immense ; unfortunately, the disappointment was ditto. No one but the veriest ''new chum" would have, anticipated any other consummation. I think if it was possible to to thoroughly prospect the Longwood Ranges, which appear to be the source of the gold of Orepuki .and the district generally, quartz lodes might s be discovered; but these being so' heavily timbered, rencjer the work almost impracticable. When prospecting for reefs on the surface one wants to be able to see well around him and get the bearings of the country. Now, as to what the Government might do to further the industry of gold-mining. A thoroughly-equipped prospecting party of picked men — gold-diggers — say four, ene to be appointed leader, with a "go-as-you-please" commission, should be dispatched into the field, and they should be visited once a month by a I competent geologist, who could publish a report of work and .results after each visit. If these prospectors were successful in opening new , fields, of which thtre is little doubt in the minds of most old miners, if necessary, the " comprehensive scheme of water supply," dwelt on by Mr Larnach, could be initiated with some degree of safety and certainty as to its utility. As already hinted, the Government might fairly agree to subsidise the cost of the continuation of the Bendigo deep level adit, if a company willing to go on with it was formed — for the reasons .given in a former letter. A survey might be made of the country intervening between the places where reefs have been discovered along .the lines indicated in my letters; the bearings being taken fcom tb.e, lodes at present. open and accessible, and the approximate lines on the distant ranges marked at intervals by cairns as guides to the prospector. Owing to the invariable " underlay " of the lodes at a few hundreds or thousands of feet difference in elevation, a great difference occurs in* the apparent direction taken at a given point, and a prospector following on the assumed line may be miles off the true course of the reef. Lastly, a school of mines, or some nubstitute for the same, at a central place on the goldfields, or, as suggested by Black, periodical visits from our scientific lecturers and instruction were afforded, it would be a great help to the miners. However, in the present state of the public exchequer, I suppose very little assistance is likely to be afforded, but anyone reading the above must admit there is very little asked for. In conclusion, I wish to say a few words as to past failures. In view of the yields from quartz, which leave a fair margin for profit in the neighbouring Colonies, I do not think, in nine cases out of 10, the quantity of gold in the quartz can be blamed for the failure of mining ventures in Otago. In my experience it has been mainly due to the want or the requisite knowledge of mining and its accompaniments on the part of those in charge, to the absence of skilled management. Looking at the scarcity of competent men, one would I almost think that the true mine manager was li^e the poet is said to be, nasaitur non fit, so rare is he. There are managers, and managers. I knew of one, very extensive mine managed by a respec liable ex-member of "the force';" another by one who shone as an artificial flower maker ; another by a musician (?), who made his debut in the Colonies behind a " hurdy-gurdy j", grinding out his native airs to the intense delight of the young colonial ; a ploughman, a shepherd, and other incongruous selections, after a few months underground and displaying a conspicuous amount of "Scotch navigation,". were considered by wise (?) directors to be qualified to take charge of mines and men's lives. Such substitutes for , the i genuine article (usually engaged for low; pay, their, only recommendation, I take hV the . results ■ of. the appointments on the •.•cheap .'and nasty." system oh quartz minirig t here) is sufficiently, apparent to the most carjs- • less observer) The incompetence of such men has administered blow after blow to the industry until, like the loser of the glove contest the.-,oth,er,,'day,. it has been "knocked out of itime;" howeverj like the historical snake, it ;is only " scotched, not killed." There is plenty of vitality left if only judicious remedies are applied in time. The continued success of quartzmining in Victoria is principally due to the superior class of well-paid managers and trained miners sent underground. One quartz-field— Old Bendigo— after 33 years' steady drain, turns out half as much gold per week as the whole of the Otago goldfields do in a month. Looking at the immense tracts of reefing country we have awaiting development, the above fact is very comforting and reassuring, and it should lead the Government and the public to give our gold mines a little deeper and closer consideration, and to try if they cannot evolve some way of rendering them similarly prosperous and permanent. A very great deal more might be written on be subject I have so crudely ventilated, but I

expect I have pretty well worn out the patience of your readers. If any of my ideas lead up to results benefiting the mining industry in the future, I shall be fully repaid, and in the hope that the seed attempted to be sown by me, may not fall "in stony places," for the present I take leave of " our future goldfields." Plutus. August 22.