THE OTAGO GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 18

THE OTAGO GOLDFIELDS.

THEIR PAST HISTORY* THEIR PRBSENT POSITION, AND THEIR FUTURE PROSPECTS. t (By Ova Special Commissioner.) no.- vi. THE VALLEY OF THE OLUrHA.

Bal/D Hill Pi at. Looking down from the high altitude of tho Old Man Range, tlie flat below bake* the form of a basin or valley, and the conclusion forces itself on one's mind that whatever gold entered this valley or basin, known as Bald Hill Flab, was denied an exit by the high bills and terraces surroundiog it. The exred no- of those who have worked the flat, b>th in early and later times, strongly bears out this conclusion. The gold fonnd in Bald Hill Flat is thought to be derived from a concentration of the material from the ovot topping range, and some very rich claims were worked here in tho early day*; as well as along the face of the range directly above Bald Hill Flat. Indded, it is in these d»ys shorn of very much, if not all, of its ttEoient glory. Bat this is not because its goldproducing powers have bscoma exhausted, but rather becauce the means employed in its development are inadequate, and incapable of performing the work demanded of them. In fact, the extent and magnitude of the mining operations conducted on Bald Hill Flat convey but a poor impression of what might be done under more suitable conditions of working. The accepted opiuion is tbafc the main bottom in the claims along the fl*fc has never been reached. They are at present working on the top of a false bottom, with wash of a drift-like, nature. ,It is certainly not a true wain. There is strong reason to think that the toaiu wash is below the false bottom, but hew deep this false bottom is bat nob been made quite clear. It may in places be 50ft, or again it may be more than 100 ft, but there can he no doubt but its depth is very considerable. At the lower, or south end of tho flat, a different wash, -more like a true wash, as well as a different sample of gold from those found on .the top of the false bottom, have been obtained. Strong running springs of water have also been found, after a paddock has bs&n taken out, issuirg through the false bottom, indicating that there must bo gravel underneath. In the same manner, in siuking their elevators through these false bottoms, the miners have frequently to contend with ft good deal of water, furnishing still further proof of the existence of a wash of some kind below. TJiia question is obviously one of the deepest concern to the owners of claims along the fl.it. if, as geems tolerably clear, there is still an uuworked main bottom with »n extensive bed of true wash, gold mining on Bald Hill Flat U as yet little more than in the dawn of its 'history. • But it is clear, from present"appearance*, that the owners of claims are not in a position to do full justice to itheir propetties under the prospective conditku s I have spoken' of. There is a feeling fcwoug the claim owners that their wieest course under the circumstances ie to combine their strength aud resources— in other words, to amalgamate— and subject their ground to a more thorough and exhaustive process of working. A mining expert — the representative of a northern <<yudicate— recently visited the district and iuspic >A the claims, aud it is nob improbable that Gveitires may ultimately be made to the claimowners with a view of purchasing their properties and working them en a more extensive scale and on more modern principles. There is also ground along the low terraces for a long distance up toward* Chatto creek that might be profitably worked. In fact, between Bald Hill Flat and the Glutha there is a large area of table land on which a considerable depth of auriferous gravel is known to exist. This, it ii thought, was deposited there at a time when the Glutha river covered a large area in its own valley and also in the valley of the Manuherikia river. On the table lands referred to the gravels, it is thought, would pay well for working if water could be got to command the ground.

Some very good returns have been obtained in recent years from the claims along the flat. Mr John Ewing's claim was until recently the property of the Bald Htll Sluicing Company (Limited), Chrisrehurch. This company began operations in 1890, with very insufficient capital. It soon got into troubled waters, and after many vicissitudes the company came to an and in November last. Mr John Ening had daring the four previous years famished the company iritb the requisite capital to purchase rights, construct races, and extend operations. He had in addition acted as managing agent for the

company, and had succeeded in bringing thing* to a paying point when the end c&me. Th-> company was iudebted to Mr Ewing to the extent of £+000, and the property eventaally came into his bands. Since, the charge of ownership the returns from the mine hare been of a most satisfactory kind. For the eight weeks ending the middle of November last 191ozof gold were obtained, giving a profit for that period of £550, The chief, if not the only, obstacle at Bald Hill Flat, as in so many other mining district?, to a larger and more uniform succcs3 is. the inferiority of the water supply, particularly during the summer months. And, as if to intensify the diffionlty, the sources of supply at Bald Hill Flat are largely sealed up during the severe 'winter mouths.

There are also threa or four other claims being worked towards the south end of the flat. Carroll and party are tlevating on ground that, has been worked for the last 25 years. It took them five years to bring in their tail race, one mile in length— the removal of one landslip alone entailing two years' labour. The undertaking was a herculean cne, and only men of indomitable will would attempt it.

Wilkinson snd party are working an adjoining olaim. They have about 100 ft of prt ssure in their pipes with a good fall, and profess to be able to do better work ground sluiciDg than could be done under the circumstances with an elevator. Portions of Maori canoes and stone chisels have been found on the bottom, indicating that they are working io the vicinity of an o'd lake bed. The Hon. Mr Cadman, during a recent visit, offered to supply tbe necessary timber for a shaft to ascertain tbe depth of the main bottom, the party up lo the present having been working on a false bottom.

About three years ago Messrs Hesson and Simmons took up some ground on the flat, and erected a hydraulio elevating plant, and have in tbe interval purchased th<3 water rights of the Commissioner's FJat Company, which went into liquidation, and have constructed a water race from Coal creek to the grouud They hold two claims of 70 acres, but their water supply is not sufficient to work both of them longer than a few months of the year. Their dams are constructed on the ' Old Man Range, one of them costing £250. They have two elevators employed in one claim, and work their two properties alternately.' They have a very good plant — the -best and, largest in the district, — ! and they employ en »n average about 15 men. The whole of the parties mentioned are getting very good returns from their properties— that is to say during the comparatively brief season during which a sufficient water supply is permitted them by the extremes of beat and , cold to which they are H liable. Tbe greater portion of tbe flat, which contains about 8000 acres of auriferous ground, has been sold io pma.te parties, and if, therefore, beyond reach of the miner. The hardehip that such a state of things imposes is fctrongly inveighed against by the miners. Od Mr Butler's land at the time of my visit some five or six men were mining and paying the owner £10 an acre for such of his ground as they worked in addition to a royalty on the gold obtained. After fulfilling these conditions I was informed they were abla to m&ke from 15s , to £1 a day. I own to haying some sympathy with a' farmer whose land is alienated on the ground that it is gold-bearing, but there are cases in which the conduct of the landowners themndvea undeniably warrants Government { interference. None of the land in the neighbosirhood, it may be explained, i 3 trofth more than £7 au !.cr<<.

The reef« on the Old Man Range continue to be worked with varying success, and generally under very trying circumstances. Since purchasing the reef knowu as the Excelsior Reef (Crossan and Grey), Mr F. Gray has struck a fresh leader further back in the hill. This is paying very well, aud he has taken a couple of very good cakes out of it. To aay how long this may last is not, of coarse, possible. Mr R. Sj mes was working away steadily, hoping to get on to some of the rich veins that are understood to exist in the reef. Four men are employed, and about fair wages are ba'.ug made. The Exhibition iesf, which belongs to Mr H. Symes, was paying faidy well. £orne additional plant and machinery were recently purchased, and it ia probable that under the new conditions the returns will be larger and more steady. Esson Bros, a short time since struck a very promising reef between the north and middle branch of George creek, which is expected to turn out well. Nicholson and party were workiDg a large fl*t or basin at the head of the Fraser rive**, on the Old Man RaDge. The nature of the work that miners uudertake and the hardships they endure in such country are little understood by the general public. At the time of my visit, almost without warning of any kind, a furious snowstorm set in, accompanied by a biting wind, fearfully trying to those accustomed to the gentler ways of the weather in the lower latitude?. Very eoou the enow lay heavy over the range, the tracks were covered up, making movement outside impossible, and driving the miners to the cover of their huts. Yet amorjg the gullies aboundiug in this inhospitable region may still bo fouud old fossickers — survivals of a race now almost extinct, men weighted with year*, but still robust and vigorous and as h&rd as nails. Thtre is scarcely a place to be found ou the face of the range, particularly where the rock is overlain by alluvial drift, but would pay for working. The time is not yet, but it will certainly come, when reeflng on aecile but little conceived to-day will be carried on all over this range. Messrs Nicholson undertook to bring a race over some of the spars, which involved work of an exceptionally heavy nature, haviug sometimes to go down to a depth of 25ft. Because of this and the shortness of the season (work being possible only during a few months of the year) they found themselves, for tho time at least, compelled to abandon that portion of their enterprise. They intend eventually to bring up and erect a hydraulic plant on the ground, which is likely to pay well under such assistant of working. They are enterprising men of steady aud intelligent purpose, and are deserving of success. In the meantime tbej have come further down tha creek, and are now working shallow ground. To them belongs the advantage of having tke

i first water-right, and therefore the control, to a large extent, of the Fraser river. Of conrsii mining at such nn altitude is entirely confined to the hummer months. From thin it m*y be e«ily inferred that nothing less thau the mrst perfect faith in the possibilities of the grouud could induce men t-) embark in an enterprise laden with so many unattractive feMmros It was in the vicinity of their claim th*t a miner known by the sobriquet of German Charlie made over £2000 single-handed in a brief wording seascn Mr Kemp, one ot the pioneer miners of Bald Hill Flat, and &very enterprising man, engaged a few years ago in bringing a race on to the banks of the Molyneux from an altitude of 600 ft above that river. The object of those infere?t<-d in the work is to command six miles or thi ragouts of the river binka for ordinary slu'c'ng purposes. They have already spent gome hundreds of pounds, the rrajor portion having been found by Mr K>mp, But the work was suspended frr financial reasons, after the hewi- st ground on the line of race had been passed. The value of such a water race consists largely in the fact that it would provide) a constant stream of water at a time of the 3 ear when the source! of supply were sealed by Ihe heavy frosts in the high country. ( To bt continued. )

The Jutland Flat (Waipori) Gold Mining Company (Limited) obtained 250z 12dwt of gold for Hi hours' wages time— l3B hours' actual dredging-— last week.