COOLGARDIE.

Otago Witness, Volume 01, Issue 2123, 1 November 1894, Page 20

COOLGARDIE.

By Murray Aston. Hearing that Messrs Redoliffe and Co., a West Australian firm, had opened an agency at No. 17 Willis street, Wellington, I thought that I would, like Paul Piy, just drop in and hear what they had to say about West Australia in general and Coolgardie in particular. I was so fortunate as to find Mr Harold Redcliffo "at licme" ; and, having introduced myself, I was received with that courtesy which foims so prominent a feature in the Auetralian character. " I hear tha l " you have recently re'.urnei from Coolg*rdie ? " wa« my first inquiry. '•Yes, Mr Aston," was the reply, and then laughingly, "Is not my colour a sufficient credential ? Quite the genuine article." And then I noticed bow brown the Western Australian sun had tanned the complexion of my friend. " Well, tell me something of Coolg»rdie, will you, pleace ? " 14 Certainly," replied Mr Rcdcliffe. "Our firm, thinking it advisable to obtain a personal knowledge of the fields, the lot fell to me to make the investigation. So after getting a few necessaries together, I was soon on board the steamer Bullarra on my way to the West. Fremantle, our final part, is 12 miles by rail from Perth and about 14 miles by river. I found the wharves blocked with every kind of merchandise. Customs officers were perspiring, porters yelling, carriers cursing ; but. making my way through the din and confusion, I caught the train for Perth, which city I had visited on two nrior occasions. I waß much struck on my arrival there with the marvellous change it had already undergone since my last trip, tome 18 months previous. Shops, hotels, restaurants, indted every kind of business i houses, had fiprung into existence, while dwelling houses had Sprung np like mushrooms. Here I met two of our party, the rest having proceeded to Southern Cross by road, to which place we again took train and joined them there. En route we found Nortb&m in a similar condition to Fremantle — viz., all "hurry and scurry." "Northam ! — is that the vine-growing district ? " I asked. "Yes, aud a very flue country indeed for the purpose. I have heard," went on my informant, "of 161b of gcapea yielding in this district a gallon of win", whereas the average yield in South Australia is fully 50 per cent less. Norfcham is the terminus of the Government railways, the line from thereto the Cross not having then been hatdod over to the Government. The contractor's name was M'DoweU, ana as he

had the right to run passengers and freight to the Cross he was making a big thing out of it. We were despatched in open truck* and smarted at 8 p.m., but did 'not reach the Cross until 9 a.m. the following day, shivering and Reedy. Whenever we stopped on our. journey, cold, numbed mortals would leave their trucks and hastily light a fire by ths line and avail themselves for a fe,w minutes of the genial warmth, and then at the sound of the whistle hasten back to their respective places. When we reached Southern Cross we were compelled to camp for five weeks waiting for rain, as the ' soaka ' and dam supplies had given out, and only two teams a day bearing special permits from the ' clerk of water supply, an important Government official, were allowed to Btart on the journey. But, at last, becoming disgusted with the delay, we determined to force our way through " "What is the distance from the Cross lo Coolgardie ? " Twelve miles— mcs l ly flat sandy country. Wt passed through one plain some 20 miles across, on which not a blade of gr*ss grew, only a miserable kiud of scant shrub growing up like leaflets sticks." "What kind of formation is a 'soak' that you referred to just now ? " "On the road to Coolgardie, at intervals of about every 20 or 30 mile?, are huge granite rocks, nob very high, but covering a large area. These are indented oa the surface with numberless little hollows which are full of water after rain. Much of this is lost by evapor»t : on, but a good quantity percholafcs through the recks into artificial shufts or wells wbica have been surjk for the purpose. One of our party would descend a shaft, and l>y means of an empty meat tin would slowly fill a bucket with the precious fluid, which would then be drawn to the surface. The water would, however, soon becoms exhausted. Leaving a sentry on 1 the spot to prevent onr c!a ; m being jumped we 1 would be constrained ro wait a few hours, wbon 1 a little more water might have oozed through, | and so on throughout the night till the grey dawn lit up the sky." " And what was Ccolgardie like ?" " But a small township, the street called after Bailey, the pioneer discoverer, lined on 1 either side with galvanis:d iron or tent shops selling mostly provision? or clothing. Buildings are in course of erection on aJlsioei. There are innumerable claims around Coolg*rdip, some doing well, some indiffertntJy ; but it is the Londonderry mine and the Wealth of Nations which have centred the attraction." "And what," I asked, "is your opinion of the prospers of the goldfiolds ?" "I believe in them thoroughly, although there must be much hardship met with, and, like all goldfields, there will be hundreds of disappointed men." " You think there are, however, good chances for good men ? " " I think that men with good constitutions, able to contend against hardship and with money behind them, have much chance of success." " But men can'fc be expected to put up with prolonged hardship for an indefinite period, can "Ah ! that's where it is," exclaimed Mr Redcliffe. " A man iv going to the fields must enter into the speculation as he would any other venture. He must be content to ostracise himeetf from the world for a couple of years if needs be. He must, moreover, determine to devote his whole energy and muscle to the pursuit, with no fixed ide^ of returning to his frieadß." - j " Would you advise anyone to throw up a situation or fair prospects in this colony and make tho trial ? " > "Certainly not. 'A bird in the hand is, worth two in the bush.' I would never counsel a man to throw up a certainty for what is after all a risk. If a man is out of work and has money and a good constitution, I would say 'Go/ Not otherwise." I "What money do jou think he should possess ? " , „ i "No man should go unless he hava, say, £100 in reserve— that is, unless he is prepared to make an expensive experiment. He might strike luck withia a few weeks, but, ou the I other bund, mouths might elapse before his turn ooraes." "Are many returning home from Coolgardie disappointed P " "Yes. They reach Coolgardie all right, but having got through all, or nearly all, ttwlr cash, they find it impracticable to continue ; and I assure you that I have seen scores returning who had never once need a pick on the \ ground. I am confident that great treßßures still remain to be unearthed quite equal to anything yet discovered, but to find them will require all the qualifications of strength, constitution, deprivation, and patience. Hundreds will retire bea'en, but the hardy man of grit will reap the reward." "What did the finders of the Londonderry get for their property ? " " £80,000 was tho pries paid in cash, but ElHofct and party, th^ fiadera, retained a sixth phare in the concern." "What about the cost of living in Coolgardie ? " " Twenty-five shillings a week will provide a tent, mutton, and damper, but living in hotels will make a big hole in £1 a day. Tinned meat and vegetables are everywhere the order of ths day, although I did once see a fresh cabbage sold for 8s being at the rate of Is per lb. There is a lot of New Zea'and butter ueed there, and a Taranftki brand was thought passing cheap at Is lid per lb. Potatoes were 5d per lb, and flour was 18s 6d per 50lb for the im- I ported avetiele ; but West Australian, which is I of inferior quality, could be bought for 13s 6d per 501b. These were auction sale prices, and ■ had been much higher." "Where do the camel* come from ?" " They are pr'ncipally bre-i in the northern territory, where they ate in common use. They have a wonderful capacity for living without j water, and can easily exist for six days with- ' out drinking, aDd have even been known to go for 10 days wa f erle«s. The cost of a fine camel in South Australia would be from £40 to £50, and about £60 on the goldfields. An Afghan merchant named Mahomet owns neatly all the camels at Coolgardie ; but David Lindsay, the explorer, who resides in Coolgardie, has also several trains. It is by no means a rare sight to encounter strings of 30 .0r 40 camels. Their average burthen is 3cwt." "I* the West m Australian a good breed of horses ? " "Well, they are not up to the New Zealar-d hone in appearance, but they are very hardy, and, like the camel, have a great capacity for endurance without water. We only watered the horses of onr party every second day, and often they had to go three days without drink ; and you r-eed not wonder at this since each horae would imbibe Bgal at a time, costing generally 6d »nd often Is a gallon." " What is the process of dry-blowing, please P " "The miner has two dishes. One he holds over his head, and repeatedly allows its contents to fall in*o the other at his feet. The process ca^, ouly be performed pn a breezy day, when iJve wind fey degrees carries away the

dust and allows only the heavy particles to remain."

" You have been connected in business with West Australia for some time ? " I made bold to inquire. " Yes ; we have branches in Porth, Melbourne, and Adelaide, doing intercolonial business, and a largn quantity of land 'hat we have disposed of to our clients in various centres haR already been re old by them at large profits. At prt-sent our principal busim bs consists of the * aloof land— city, suburban, and country lots in Perth, which, as you know, is the capital of We»tern Australia, and we anticipate a brisk demand for our sections from the New Zealaud public. These plans, I think you will allow (showing me some beautifu)lyde»igned lithographs), are really good, and we forward thpse free upon application to anyone interested."

It only rtmainfd for me to thank Mr Rodcliffe for his interesting details, which I send along in the hope that they may prove interesting to the readers of the Witness.