OUR RESOURCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1784, 30 January 1886, Page 11

OUR RESOURCES.

THE NEW OPHIR. Seventh Article. I have received several letters respecting goldmining and old-forgotten " finds," which I will use as opportunity occurs. One of these, referring to the Moeraki beach workings, is so interesting, and so germane to the matter, that I quote it in full without comment, except to say that I am fully cognisant of the circumstances mentioned : — " About 1864 gold was discovered in a gully on the top of the Horse Range (on the left hand side of the road goiug to Moeraki), alongside of the Main North Road. A few men worked the ground for a short time, and then abandoned it on account of its not being rich enough, at that time there being richer attractions up country. About the same time a long gully at the back of the Kartigi Hotel (then kept by Mr William M'Kenny), west of Kartigi Beach, was vigorously worked by a large number of men, some of whom made fair wages for those days. The workings all up this gully can be seen to this day without a doubt. In 1865 and 1866 Mr J. R. Perry and his brother worked a portion of the beach at Moeraki, and also worked about the estuary of the two rivers ; they won as much as 13oz of gold in a week. In the same year Mr J. A. Chapman, hearing about the Perrys and their success, prospected the Kartigi Beach and obtained good prospects, which induced him to engage some men and take up two teams of horses and apply to the then Secretary of Goldfields for three miles of the beach with the intention of bringinginasupplyof water and working the beach on a large scale. At that time Mr Chapman's request could not be granted, as the foreshore did not belong to the Otago Provincial Government. However, Mr Chapman worked with success a portion of the beach, carting Tihe ruby-sand containing the gold to a small lagoon, now almost filled in, but the remains of which are still to be seen from the railway carriages as one goes over the Kartigi Downs. Thegold in the ruby-sand on these beaches is extremely fine; indeed as fine as the finest flour, and requires careful treatment to save it. Along the beach small blind gravelly gullies are to be seen coming from the Downs. The sea has evidently greatly encroached, because these gullies were traced below the sand on the beach and some really good samples of coarse gold were obtained. The wash was 10ft and 12ft deep in one gully near the lagoon. In 1867 gold was found on the beach south of Shag River in a coarse gravel wash about 4ft below the sand. This beach was profitably worked for a short time. There is gold there at the present time that will pay wages to men that know how to work it."

I am informed that some miners are still working in the locality referred to, and that their number has increased since the appearance of my last article in the columns of the Witness. From what Mr Perry told me years ago and Mr Chapman informs me now, I have no doubt but that the Moeraki or Hampden beach is pretty fairly auriferous. Only the other day Professor Ulrich showed me a flat, waterworn piece of stone, picked up at Hampden, impregnated with fine gold throughout. But Moeraki is by no means the only part of the east coast where the ocean sands are goldbearing. There are "beach-combers," as the coast miners are facetiously termed, at Taewaewae's Bay by Orepuki, and between that place and the Taieri River there are many miles of golden sands. No flight of poetic fancy this, but a very well-ascertained prosaic fact. It would be unfair to individuals to disclose private information not intended for publicity; but I may go so far as to say that I have in my possession letters respecting rich patches on various parts of the beach in the direction indicated. One correspondent writes to inform me of rich yields obtained from the Maori reserve near the mouth of the Molyneux. Another tells me that Oatlins River and the Bluff, for a disr •'Spice of 12 miles, his party have found payable gold, evenly distributed amongst black sand "Working on the ground for six weeks we averaged 35s to 40s a-week each—hand-pumping and sluicing in a most primitive style." Whence he very logically argues that the ground would pay handsomely for sluicing on a larger scale. But the old difficulty— want of capitaWerops up. To sluice on a large scale it is necessary to fetch water on to the ground and my correspondent tells me that there is a fine stream in the vicinity from which ten heads of water could be brought in at an experse of about £2000. " You are aware," he writes "of my experience in goldmining for the past twenty years. I can assure you I never came across anything to equal this for uniformity and permanency." Now here is an opportunity for investment in a speculation that can be tried and tested at our own doovs. My fear is that it is not far enough away to tempt our Dunedin folk to invest a few pounds. I see that the date of the letter from which I have quoted is, March 1885, but I think the writer could yet be found. He wanted a loan from the Qovernment, but I could not help him in that. It ip not the function of a Government to lend money for. the promotion of private enterprise (although it is given for such purposes in the

shape of bonuses), but it is a very legitimate thing for private capitalists to take up. Of one thiug I feel assured. There are many miles of our beaches between Moeraki and the Waiau river which would pay handsomely if they were wrought with proper and efficient appliances. If men can make £2 a week by aid of the rudest and, as my friend says, "primitive" means, what may not be done with fuller resources? I have been asked to say something about the " turning of the Molyneux River." Before doing so I will jusb quote a passage from a report of Mr Balfour, the Provincial Marine ■ Engineer of other clays. He says : — "At a point below the junction of the streams from Wanaka and Hawea, I calculate the discharge of the river (from Dr Hector's approximate measurements) at 414,000 cubic feet per minute. After a course of about 40 miles, in which it falls 270 ft, or an average of 6fft per mile, the Clutha is joined by the Kawarau, the outlet of the Wakatipu Lake, which was gauged by Mr Hacket in August last, and found at Frankton to run 108,000 cubic feet per minute. Allowing for the Shotover, the Arrow, &c, the Kawarau may safely be assumed to discharge into the Clutha 160,000 cubic feet per minute, after a short course of about 30 miles, in which it falls 340 feet, or an average of fully lift per mile. Thus at Dunstan the approximate lowwater discharge will be about 522,000 cubic feet per minute In May last I had the Clutha gauged at the Ferry (Balclutha) with somewhat rude appliances, and the discharge was there found to be 1,690,401 cubic feet per minute." Mr Balfour then describes other expeiiments made by him, and concludes by saying : " I believe the discharge in May last, or, say, 1,690,000 cubic feet per minute, is not too high an average for the whole year, as even then the settlers considered the river low" (Report of Marine Engineer, 1864.) It will be observed from the foregoing that the outflow from Wakatipu is only about onefourth of that from Wanaka and Hawea, and contributes only one-fifth of the united waters of the Molyneux at Dunstan. One of the mysteries of the mysterious Wakatipu ("Devil's Canoe," as it is usually interpreted) is that twenty times as much water flows into it as visibly flows out of it. But people, who will not take the trouble to make themselves acquainted with the land they live in, talk as if all the water in the Clutha came from Wakatipu, and imagine, that if this lake could be turned or manipulated in any way the bed of the Molyneux would run dry ! The fact is we have somehow got into a slovenly habit of calling Wakatipu "the Lakes" — whereas it is only a lake — one of a triad which contribute to the Molyneux, or Clutha, and contributes much the least. And here I may fairly say a few words about the names of this river. The Maories call it " Matau," and the next river the "Mataura" or little Matau. Bold Captain Cook came along and named it " Molyneux," after one of his officers. Then came somebody of iconoclastic proclivities, and tried to rub out both names by dubbing it " Clutha." Now it is known as the Molyneux up to Cromwell, and as the Clutha above that point, whilst the largest arm of the river at Inch-Clutha retains the venerable name of Matau. Now having given Mr Balfour's estimates of the discharge of this river, I may add that in the same Report it is stated of the Nile that its discharge is 1,386,000 cubic feet per minute — that is 300,000 feet less than that of the Molyneux. Of the Thames, the discharge is given as only 102,000 cubic feet per minute ; whilst that of the Clyde is no more than 48,000 feet; so that the Otago river pours forth a volume of water about sixteen times greater than that of the Thames, and nearly forty times more than the Clyde. This is a pretty big handful of water to divert from its course. And yet there are places where I think it may be done, of which more anon. Vincent Pyke.