The Lake wakatipu Gold Mining and Sluicing- Company.

Otago Witness, Issue 1933, 7 December 1888, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Lake wakatipu Gold Mining and Sluicing- Company.

TO THE EDITOR. g JR> — A feeling of distrust as to the bona fides of the abovtnamed company having been created through the publication of certain statements made by your Arrow correspondent in a letter dated September 26, and which appeared aboul the beginning of last month in the Otago Daily Titne3 and Witness newspapers, and although such statements were ably refuted by Mr L. O. Beal, Mr C. C. Boyes, and others, I have thought that (those gentlemen being all more or less connected with tho formation of fclae company) perhaps the independent testimony of an outsider who has no axe to grind j might to some extent influence those in search | of a 6afe investment, to give the matter a second thought, and to at least ascertain for themselves the actnal facts. j Your Arrow correspondent, who is considered : to b-< generally reliable, appears to have been made acat'd-paw of in the present instance. This i<3 borne out by the very strenuous opposition made to the granting of certain water rights and privileges applied for by the promoters of the company, as also by the fact that a numerouslybigued petition to the Government to resume possession of the laud had not been given effect to. My mates and I prospected both the Five and Seven Mile creeks before there was a solitary tent where Queenstown now stands. We got excellent prospects at the Five-mile, but those were stirring times, and it was only after getting completely "flyblown" by rushing from one place to another that we roturned to the Five-mile and set in to work. This was iv January 1863, and although the best of the ground was then taken up and in full work, we did very well for over two months. I had opportunities of knowing how some of the neighbouring claims were turning out, some of them being very rich, at least for the size of the ground, as the workings were, mostly confined to the bed of the creek, and that was very narrow in most plp.ces, The only terrace then working v.as the one immediately below the track on the side of the creek next Queenstown. Borne capital payable ground where the creek enters the laku was completoly smothered and rendered unworkable when the water was first turned en to this terrace, and I can well remember the a.'/ful looks of my mates on discovering that our claim was being made a tailings site of, and tsiere being no Warden's Court near than the Dunstan or Nokatuai, wo lrft for fresh fields. I have often wondered since if this piece of ground has ever been worked ; if not, ife will amply repay anyone who can manage to reach the bottom. The gold was principally in the crevices of the rock. Being in Queenstown during the late carnival, I paid ft vinit to me old haunts on the Five-mile. Nenrly 26 years had pic-bed away since I worked the re, and I W3S very much surprised to find j tliufc with the t'xcipiion of the disappearance of

ibe heavy timber, very little change had taken place. The terraces have scarcely been touched. I mf»y state that I visited the ground ai, the request of one oi? two of the promoter?; of the companj', and was accompanied by Mr Cameron, juu. We T?ont over the whole of the terrace lying between the Five end Seven Mile creeks, and I believe this to be the most, valuable portion of the company's pro-p-roy, there being every indication that an ancient river bed, full of auriferous w.T-b, runs righi through the whole length of the terrace from the Seven to the Fivc-mila creek and terminating nenr whore tho track crosses the creek. This chauuel is at a considerably liighpr level than the terrace traversed by the track. The outlet into tho Five-mile cieek is well defined, and some excellent gold was obtained close up to tho boundary of Mr Cameron's freehold; in fact, hit; fence has been undermined in following the lead. The Seven-mile end of tho channel is also well defined, Mr Kyle having worked close up to the boundary with highly payable results. The lower side of the channel ia defined by a rocky rim, almost continuous. Two or three narrow gullies or breaks occur in this rim, in each of which good payable wash has been found. These breaks will be found very useful as outlets for tailings from the main lead. As Mr L. O. Beat's report deals ably and almost exhaustively with the geological features of the ground, water supply, &c, I 6hall only state further that my researches were confined entirely to the terrace formation lying between tho Seven and Five Mile creeks. I got several satisfactory prospects in some of the holes inside Mr Cameron's freehold, and was shown a parcel of 2oz sdwt by a party prospecting on the hhallow ground skirting the lead. This was the yield of a small paddock measuring seven by 12 fjefc. I may conclude by saying that, taking into consideration the aatural facilities for obtaining water supply, hydraulic preesure, for tailings, &c, &c, I should think that with an efficient plant and good management, the ihe terraces on the Five and Seven Mile bid fair to rival Stony creek, Londonderry, or any other terrace workings in the Wakatipu district. — I am, &c,

John Allan. Springvale, Alexandra South, November 17.