Coal Island, Preservation Inlet, and Mainland.

Otago Witness, Issue 2003, 14 July 1892, Page 14

Coal Island, Preservation Inlet, and Mainland.

(From Our Own Corhespondicnt. ) July 10.—By the last trip of the s.s. Invercargill we had a visit from Mr Wilkins, chief postmaster at Invercargill, to inquire into the irregularities of our pobtal service. Mr Wilkins called a meeting of the miners on board the steamer, and the majority who attended expressed the opinion that the post office would be more convenient if shifted to the lighthouse store, mainland. After the mail closed for the day all letters and papers were handed over to Mr Partington, chief lighthouse keeper, Puysegur Point. This can only be a temporary arrangement, as Mr Partington cannot properly attend to the duties of the post office and those of the lighthouse as well owing to the lighthouse being about two miles from the lighthouse store where the post office is placed. As Mr M'Kenzie is erecting a store here, it is probable that as soon as he gets into proper working order he may be appointed postmaster. There is great diversity of opinion among the miners as to the wisdom of this change. To the majority the new site is moie difficult to get to than the old office, and the spot chosen is the most dangerous landing in the inlet, and a regular hotbed of sandflies. These little torments enlarge the vocabulary of the most lympathic individual, and in this spot they congregate in millions. A short distance from here a whole boat manned by six sailors was capsized, and five men drowned. This happened some 10 years since. A shallow bar runs in from the mainland, and there is nothing to distinguish it from the rest of the inlet except the occasional, sudden, unlooked-for break of a heavy roller, and woe betide the unwary boatman caught by it, for it gives no warning, and there is no escape. Early last week we were gladdened by the Bight of a trim little cutter sailing smartly up the inlet, dropping anchor in front of Sandy Beach. As no one came ashore from her for some days various were the surmises as to what she was. At last it turned out that it was a party of miners from Riverton bound for Gulch's, seven or eight miles from here, towards the Bluff, with a complete mining outfit, stores, tools, &c. This party intends keeping a store and starting miningas well. Good prospects have been got here at different times by prospectors, and thence all the way to the green islets. But as goods can only be landed at any of these places in favourable weather miners had to give up working there. Now that they can get to it overland and get "goods on the spot this district should show up during the coming summer. There is nothing new in mining on the island, and but little work has been done at the Wilson, owing to the continued high state of the river. A few claims have been given up after four months' waiting and working when possible, without any payable results. A slight accident happened there to a young man, and in a rather unusual manner. It was a very narrow escape from a very serious injury. He was cutting down a tree to clear the ground for the site of a hut. As the tree fell it tore up another by the roots in which he was caught and shot through the uudershrub 20ft down the gully as if propelled from a catapult. He was very badly stunned, but is now all light. Had it not been for the resistance of the scrub he would have been smashed against the tree ho landed at.