THE STORY OF THE EARLY GOLD DISCOVERIES IN OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 1834, 14 January 1887, Page 14

THE STORY OF THE EARLY GOLD DISCOVERIES IN OTAGO.

-■■ ». . fALL BIGHTS RESERVED.] • By Vincent Ptkb. Chapter XI. Conboy's.— Butcher's. — Blaokman's. — BanNOCKBURN.— BeNDIGO. — NoKOMAT. — NEVIS. — FOX'S Kt7SH.-CAEDRONA.~THB ARBOW River Original Discoverers. — Maori Jack. — W. G. Rees. — McGregor and Low. — Cormack's Party. — The Shotover, — Arthur's Point. — Scarcity op Food. — Exports of Gold. Before the termination of 1862 upwards of 70,000 ounces of gold were sent to Dunedin from Dunstan by escort, and a considerable quantity was also taken down by private hand. Towards the end of September, the Clutha river, flooded by the melting of the snows on the mountains at the head of Lakes Wanaka and Hawea, covered the 'beaches' and drove the miners from their claims. They then began to explore the surrounding country, and numerous rich gullies were discovered. One of the first and most prolific of these was Oonroy's — so named after its discoverer. Butcher's and Blackmail's gullies, lying respectfully to the north and south of Conroy's, were next opened up, with some others of lesser note. All these head from the Obelisk Ranges — the 'Old Man' of popular parlance. The auriferous character of several creeks and gnllies heading from the Carrick Ranges and flowing into the Bannockburn and the Kawarau, was also developed about this time. Bendigo Gully was discovered on tho northern flank of the Dunstan Range towards the end of the year, and so also were Drybread and Tinker's on the southern slopes of the 6ame mountain-chain.

In September another discovery was communicated to the Provincial Government by Mr James Lamb, one of a party of six Victorian miners who brought to Dunedin about 28oz of coarse, nuggetty gold, obtained at Moa Creek, on the Nokomai river, — a tributary of the Mataura. This eventually led to the discovery of the Nevis which falls into the Kawarau — the two streams rising, the one on the east and the other on the west side of a low saddle lying between the ' Remarkables,' or Hector Mountains, and the ' Dome,' or Garvie Ranges. The first mentioned being the popular, and the latter the official designations. The Carricks — a bold and lof fcy ' chain of mountains — separate the valley of the Clutha from that of tho Nevis. Three miners crossing this range, discovered payable auriferous ground on the western watershed, near the short track bo the scene of Lamb's discovery at Nokomai. With a shovel and: tin dish they obtained two ounoes of rongb gold, and reported the circumstance to the Warden at Dunstan. As usual a rush took place. Some exceedingly rich finds' were obtained, and the locality received the name of Potter's Gully in honour of one of the prospectors. It was afterwards known as ' Potter's No. I,' to distinguish if from • Potter's No. 2,' and ' Porter's No. 3 ' — the two latter being subsequently discovered near the head of the Waikaia river, in the Umbrella ranges, on which river rich goldfields of some extent have long been, and are still being successfully wrought.

But a much more important discovery was yet to be disclosed before the end of the year. In tho month of October it was rumoured that a miner named Fox had found a goldfield of surpassing richness in -some remote and unexplored region, and this rumour was confirmed by the statements made by Fox himself during ahurried visit to the Dunstan township. Numbers went out in quest of the new field, but for a time their search was baffled, and the disappointed miners began to regard the report as a delusion. One party, however, whilst roaming through the country on thi3 errand, accidentally lighted upon auriferious deposits of considerable value and extent.

The site of this discovery was on the upper waters of the Cardrona river. The circumstances under which it was made were thus narrated in a letter addressed to the warden by Michael Grogan, one of the fortunate miners who lit upon it:—

* On the 9th November, whilst a crowd of diggers were camped upon the banks of the Cardrona, Mullins and myself took a walk to see how that part of the country looked, and in walking along the river, where what I call a " slide" had occurred, there had been a track formed by the cattle. I being a little further up the creek, sat down until he came up, and he immediately told me that some person must have lost some gold, and produced about four pennyweights that he got on the cattle track. We still contiuued up tha creek, until we thought it time to return

to our camping ground ; and on our way back he showed me the place, and on searching for more gold me could get none ; and from the appearance of the black soil we certainly thought it must have been lost by Fox or some person., . ... On Tuesday, 11th, after receiving some information as to the whereabouts Fox was working, myself and mates were ahead of the others, and on coming to this place I took my " swag " and laid it on the bank. " There," said I, "is where the gold was got;" and on breaking up the surface, the first thing I discovered was a bit of about 3dwts ; and that afternoon we nuggetted out 9oz 6dwts Sgrs, which all hands which were there could .see.* , An expression used by Grogan, in referring to the site of this discevery, accurately describes the appearance of the locality as it then existed,' and accounts for the peculiar circumstances under which the discovery was made. The valley of the Cardrona is characterised by a series of " slides " or landslips, by some of which the lower strata have been projected to the surface. It was in one of these that Mullins first observed the gold, which had been washed bare by water oozing from the hillside, and was lying bright and clean, about shoulder-high.

Many miners hastened to the new field ; but in the meantime Fox had been tracked to his haunt, and the fame of the Cardrona was speedily eclipsed by far greater attractions. At that time Dr Hector, then Provincial Government Geologist, was on a tour through the country, and he happened to be a spectator of ' Grogan's discovery. Following-up the Cardrona to its source he crossed the Crown Range, on the western side of which he came upon Fox's party and " about forty others " quietly working in a secluded gorge of the Arrow river. A few days after Dr Hector's visit, a large party of miners, pursuing nearly the same track, observed the smoke of camp fires; and following the clue thus given, they suddenly presented themselves on the scene of operations. Secrecy was no longer possible. The news was rapidly circulated, and an extensive migration from other fields ensued. The Arrow and its tributary gullies were thoroughly prospected, and very large quantities of the precious metal rewarded the toil and industry of the miners.*

The frequent association of Fox's name with this discovery has caused him to be regarded as the original discoverer of the Arrow gold-fields. Such however is not the case. The first persons who developed the auriferous resources of the locality were a Mr McGregor and his mates, who commenced mining operations on the 4th October, Five days later Fox's party tracked them to the spot. But in truth the real discoverer was a Thames native — Hatini Whiti, otherwise Anthony White, but who was best known as " Maori Jack." I was always aware of this, but to strengthen my memory, I applied to persons who were veritable actorß in the events I am going to narrate. The first of these is Mr W. G. Rees, now resident at Timaru who was one of the earliest and most energetic explorers of tha country around Lake Wakatipu. This gentleman discovered and took up the Wakatipu country in December 18^9; got bis sheep up there in 18?0; had his first shearing in December 18TI ; and very kindly sent me the following interesting notes in December 1885 : —

' I think it was early in August 1862 that Maori Jack and a companion made their appearance at the station, ostensibly with the intention of making their way to the West Coast to look up some other Maoris said to be there! Jack, on the evening he arrived, showed me a sample of gold, which be said he had washed with his shovel from the bed of the Arrow. I then felt certain (for I had been at the Turon, N.S.W., in 1852) that it was only a question of a few months before I should be surrounded with diggers.

' At the end of September McGregor and party found gold in large quantities at the Arrow, ju6t at the back of the present township. I know for a fact that McGregor got a hint about Maori Jack's find from a cadet I had at that time McGregor and party were getting at least 20oz a day with cradles alone.

' Fox and mate were next on that 6pot, and gradually some thirty men were at work there ; but no ( rash ' set in, as I managed quietly to supply all with tucker, even whilst my shearing was going on ; and not one of my hands betrayed the fact to the shearers. I was most anxious to get my bit of wool off before the rush, which I knew must set in. Fox however, like a fool, must needs go to the Dunstan ; and the consequence was that he was watched and followed.'

Mr John Cormack, of Tuapeka, who was one of the first on the ground, has also furnished me with aversion of these occurrences, which differs only in detail from that of Mr Rees : —

•The party of miners of which I formed a unit, found the diggings in the Arrow river in October 1862. Three parties were then at work, viz : — McGregor and Low's, who were there first ; Fox and party, who were second ; and a party headed by an American named West. We were nearly three weeks there before any more miners came; and had it not been for the station flour running short we should not have been found so soon. The proprietor of the station sold us flour at Is 6d per lb and mutton at £3 12* 6d per sheep, which we had to Mil and dress, leaving the skin. The bullock-driver who was called Maori Jack was sent to Invercargill for a load o£ flour ; but did not get back' in time to prevent our having to go to what is now Cromwell. This led to the finding of Fox, whose partners, Mellody and another, had left for Australia, after working- a short time, and who did not quite conceal the fact that Fox was getting plenty of gold. Maori Jack was the first who found payable gold in that quarter and informed McGregor and Low, who were looking for sheep country.

The fact that we were liable to be * rushed' at any time, and our claims limited to 24 feet square did not affect Fox's or West's parties

* Official Report of the Qoldflelds 1 Secretary 1863.

who i only worked eigtit' hours a '•day,' with frequent 'spells' and Saturday half -holidays. The other two parties worked early and late, taking their full quantity of unbroken ground every night. Each party did well. Fox's got 401b weight in two weeks, before Mellody left ; McGregor's gob 821b, as I "was assured by Stewart, one of the partners ; and we — " New Chum party" in a little over four weeks got 1101b, of which we deposited 1001b with Sergeant-major Bracken on his arrival there. We cradled 109 ounces in one day.

In another communication Mr Cormack I writes — " We should no doubt have been dis«' covered much sooner, as there were many hunting for Fox, but the river filling the gorge, left no track to show where we were ; and the 'rush' ultimately came through what was called Bracken's Gully, and over a . ' saddle ' into the Arrow." , , . , The attention of the miners was next turned to the Shotover river, fourteen miles beyond the Arrow in a westerly direction. The , fortunate prospector of this locality was Thomas j Arthur, who, with three mates, obtained 200oz of gold in eight days, by washing the sands of the river beach at what is : known as Arthur's Point. Ho showed me and Mr Charles Worthington a tin dish full of gold, which he had lying under his ' stretcher' in a i tent in the month of November. Mr Rees says : j — " Arthur, one of my shearers, found gold on the Shotover one Sunday afternoon washing out 4oz with his tin dish in three hours. So rich was Arthur's Point that he and his mates secured £4000 worth of gold before they had been at work two months." This was in November 1862, and as no secret was made of the discovery, the largest rush that ever occurred in Otago set in to the Wakatipu district Owing to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the district provisions were extremely scarce and dear. 'My stock,' says Mr Rees, ' being at ■ that time nearly all ewes and hoggets I had to give Trotter at the rate of Is 3d per lb (wholesale) for mutton to supply the diggers. Fortunately for all hands, the first Nokomai rush proving a failure, the drays from there nushed on to the foot of the lake ; and I had to pay £100 per ton for flour for the diggers, and often had 200 to 400 men waiting for my whaleboat to come up, from what is now Kingston to get a few pounds of flour each ; and so hard set were some of them that they would then and there boil their flour in " billies," not being able to wait for baking/

I can testify to the correctness of all these statements ; and I may add that I have known Mr Rees to leave his bed at 3 o'clock in the morning when the flour-boat came in, and immediately proceed to serve out the flour to the hungry crowd.

Before the arrival of the police Rees was the general custodian of gold — as much as 5000oz being often left in his charge ; without weighing and without receipt. It was in his famous whaleboat that the first escort with 25,0000z of gold went down to the foot of the lake ; and for some time after, all the gold produced was conveyed in the same way. There was no way in fact of getting stores up to Wakatipu, or of sending gold or wool to the coast, other than by the lake, and Rees's boat was the only craft upon those dark waters until the police were supplied with a boat for their special use.

The immediate result of these discoveries was that the exports of gold which had fallen to 10,3750z in July advanced to 37,2600z in December, and to 72,0000z in the following February. In all 332,4300z were exported in the year 1862.