IN THE LAND OF THE KAKAPO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2258, 10 June 1897, Page 53

IN THE LAND OF THE KAKAPO.

INDUSTRIAL AND OTHIJR RESOURCES. |

I I.— MINING AND MINING PROSPECTS, i A large proportion, nob less perhaps than onej sixth of the provincial area of Otago, remains, , practically speaking, unexplored territory. : Considering the demand for agrarian rights, j not to mention enterprise and natural iuquisi- [ tivencss on the part of the colonist, that state of things is most perplexing. Regard ib as we I may, the fact remains that the settlement of | these parts, with the exception of a few patches j of country around the seaboard, followed iv the I wake of the gold digger. He was pioneer in tho 1 march of progress, and, to this day, frontier i settlement is determined by the limit of his ■ wanderings. The reason why his researches did j not extend into the Eiords County — being the j still unexplored portions of the district — is soon I told. Arriving at the eastern bank 3of Lake i Wakntipu, an exaggerated story vras circulated I to the effect that the recesses beyond weca I peopled by a wild, lawleea race of natives, ' known as " The Lost Tribe." So implicitly was j the story believed that the then Provincial I Government issued a, decree prohibiting the ' hivadiDg digger from venturing into thete ! western wilds, unless well armed and in ' numbers sufficient to ir.pel strong opposing ' forces. Meantime, and while measures in ! accordance therewith were being concerted, tho '. golden sands of Westland presented counter claims, and the rush seb off in the direction of Hokitika. It is hardly necessary to add the sbory of this lost tribe has sines proved a i myth. The seaboard, with its ramification of ', sounds, kylee, aud waterways, has been i ransacked iv- vain for traces of the fugitive?, and landward excursions and explorations ; therefrom have proved equally abortive. What i is known as the Cadman Lake series, extending ' I back from the head of Chalky to Dusky, in the | direction of Seaforth Valley, is a clasg of coun- | | trr admirably suited to native purposes. The ' kakcuo, the eel, the kiwi, and other native ! i supplies are abundant, und vet neither the \ I banks, beaches, nor coterminous coutitry, when i \ first visited two or two and a-half years ago, j afforded the slightest indication of native or, J indeed, any human occupation. One or two • | 'native families or small hapus may have j struggled into these remote fastnesses. Cap- ( tain Cook mentions having seen & few harmless , individuals ; bnt with only oce party, consist- i inj of one man and two women, he succeeded j in establishing intercourse. A quarter of a i century later a crew of shore whalers residing j on what is now Resolution Island repeatedly, ; according to the information transmitted to us | through. Sydney Cove records, saw natives, who j held aloof from them, rejecting all overtures at j friendly relations. Still more recently we are j told of a party of Ngatimamoes proceeding i along the ■ coast having unexpectedly come ' i.upon a strage native woman, who could give no j intelligible account of herself. The Ngatimamoes, so the fctory goes, disposed of the doubt ' by disposing of the woman to the best advantage, as per ancient native custom. These are j abuut the only complete narratives bearing ' on the uubjtct. Rustling noises, as if caused ! by natives retreating into the bush, are spoken j of by others, and, on one occasion, a Maori ; mat wag picked up and forwarded to Kaiapoi i in evidence of the existence of the lost tribe. As ' a matter of fact nothing authentic on the point i was ever got, and it is but right the story j should now be disposed of, once and for all. At \ I centres of tourisfc traffic, these sounds rapidly I ; getting into vogue, and it is very necessary it | should b«. made generally known that the ! j remotest chance of thtir being infestei with ' hostile natives has been disposed of. | | The long-ctntinued neglect of thesß parts : j presents another, and it is satisfactory to add, 1 | more happy significance. Here we have, in I this " great unknown, " fresh fields and pastures new, with possibilities in the way of fortune and adventure akin to those of the early goldfields days ; which days, by the way, stand out in bold relief to the settled grooves into which : colonial life ab the present dajs has drifted. ( In other words, Fiords County bids fair to re- i produce goldfields enterprise in its pristime [ glory, and it is in the nature of things the con- , ventional " pile " ar.d the rich find should follow ' thereon. Designed as these speculations are to quicken public interest in the subject, the subject itself branches out into two separate questions — one dealing with the probable character of the ss diggings, the other with their possible extent. Two or two and a-half years ago the writer took part in certain explorations radiating from that portion of the district situated in and about Preservation Inlet. The result thereof, together with a sketch plan of the country ex- i plotted, was published by the Mines depart- J rnent, in conjunction with the statement , delivered in the parliamentary session of 1895. The country traversed on tint occasion comprised the eastern shores of Chalky, by way of the Neclr, Southport, Edwardson's Sound, ' through the valley of the Left-hand River to , the head thereof ; over the subalpine and through the pass to Dusky ; thence by Mount Burnett over the divide leading down from the

Granite Wall to Fanny Cove, and onward to

• Seafortb. River, in the vicinity of Lake Mere, at the foot of the valley leading up Mackenzie Pass to the western arm of Manapcuri. The i return journey comprised the deecent o£ the ■ Grsuita Wall ; the navigation of what has since i bsen named the Cadtnan Lake series down to the 1 foot of Lake No. 1. Thence our explorer crossed country to the Cunaries, reaching Preservation by the neck or strath connecting Canaries with La9t Cove, in Long Sound. The entire journey occupied a period of four months, and involved a great deal of roughing — including bush-outting, boat skidding over portages miles in length, besides perils by land and sea, which, on the principle that all'n well that ends well, need nob be recounted. Prospecting in the goldfiekls acceptation was a. primary object of the expedition, and ib is right to add the tin disb. The pestle and mortar was a part of the equipment held in constant request. A result of these operations, together with their conenrrenfc observations, was that on the afore-mentioned sketch plan there was plotted off three separate, sections, marked respectively auriferous belts Nos. 1, 2, and 3. At the tune the plan wa3 sketched no prospecting is known to have been accomplished on either of these belts beyond that mentioned above, so that they were in tho first instance defined solely on the information gleaned by our prospector. Since then a Government geologist (Mr A. M^lCay) avid his assistant (Mr i F. Linck) have gone over the ground, or, at all events, a considerable portion of it. 'Thesa gentlemen report as per "geological sketch , map to illustrate their report, elated August 1896," that the country in question comprises six distinct atratific&tiong — ■ viz., the granite, arcbaejn metasaorphic, lower Silurian, po»t pliocene, recent, and cretaceo-tartiary. Of these, the first-no m«d fiv* are set down as gold-bearing, the sixth and last coal-bearing. The lower silurian, together with the srcbsjiii metamorphic, with tho intruding granite on the silurian, are the Btrafcas marked against one or other oi the auriferous belts indicated above. We may therefore coucluds ' the information supplipd by our prospector is tolerably accurate — sufficiently so to justify it* | publication hi his own words, which wa giva ia ', the following :—": — " The plot marked auriferous 1 belt No. 1 comprises that tract of country fo!I lowing the coast line from Cattle Cove, rounu ; by Cavern Head, through the neck to Southporii | and up Chalky to a point situated ab the month lof the Cunaries. I limited the area within the • first and last named points, from the fact tbab the slate was traced right round from the one fco i the other. Beyond these the granite area ssta , in, which, as a rule, is not considered favouri able for gold. At the cove end, the line of deI marcation between the slate and the granite is ! i moat distinctly marked at F*ll Creek, coming . j in at the head of the Cuttle Core basic, within j | a mile or so of the cove. The be&ch boulders at j I that place are quite sufficient to indicate the dis- ■ j tinction. The creek, which carries * large stream i ' of water, is fed by two lakes or mountain tarns j j situated amougsb the ranges above Cuttle Cove. To force a passage up through the creek would j ' be a work of great difficulty. The creek itself I must; have done a great deal of rock-cutting and eroding higher up amongst the ranges. If it i ! were carefully examined to its source, it is more ] than probable diaciosures of importance would jbe made. From the lay of Cuttle Cove reefs I ib is most likely that they would be found cut ! through and otherwise exposed in the -creek. j If so, Cutfcle Cove prospectors would learn & ; 'wrinkle' by following up this stream. It ! would afford a most important clue to the leads J mnuing through the country between Chalky i and Preservation. Since indicating this belt I j liave had opportunities for improving acquain1 cancti with the ground higher up the sound, and i there tan be no doubt bub that the granitefor- | xnaiiou, in it*- juuofcion ab all events with the ! elate, is gold-beaiing. In that case auriferous belt No. 1 would appear to be much more exfcenI sive than was originally indicated. At * mil?, '< or, Bay, a mile and a-quarte-, above Feil Creek, I in the granite, and away altogether from the I silurian rocks, vrbat promises to be a valuable lode is just now receiving attention. - It is a sirange admixture of iron, copper, lead, and zinc, carrying both silver and gold, j The copper is nearly pure sulphide, and ; : in some parts of the lode it is the more i abundant of the minerals. At other places j I the iron as an arsenide (mispickel) abounds, to ' I the exclusion of the other minerals, and, in like ! . manner, lead as galena and zinc as zinc-blend , abound, to the exclusion of the other metallic , minerals. A 100-acre seclion of the ground { has been taken up by Bradshaw, late of the ! Bluff. A shaft 20ft or 30£t has been sunk, and • two cross-cuts put down on the face of the hill, , 300 ft or 4-OOft behind the shaft. The reef is \ distinct at each of these openings, well defined, . and of considerable thickness where sunk on. ! Various trial cruehings and working tests have J been made. One Bent to England resulted in j an offer vaiionsly stated at £9 to £14- per toa for the stuff in its raw state, lauded in England. i The reef crops out on the western beach, a mile j and a-half above Cording Islands on the Isbhi mus side of the sound. The country is abrupb, leading up steep acclivities and lofcy faces to the Granite Peaks, flanking Mount Trebles. I spent last Christmas holidays on these peaks, ' and in this connection it 13 only necessary to say I found distinct traces of the lode in fchs granifca faces, high up amongst the ranges. The granite peaks will loom more largely when I come, in a future issue, to deal mth the

j sceneography. Ab tho huad of Isthmus Sound ! another of these galena lodes iiaa been disj cohered in close proximity to the beach. 16 is a " keep-it-dark " aflfou' in the meantime, and nothing reliable is known. It must be an least two miles above Bradahaw's, the assumption i therefore being that the intervening country l will, on better acquaintance, disclose many 1 such, leads. Between Guttle Cove and the head [ of Isthmus Sound the mountaius flank abruptly lon to the sea line. There *re a fow boulder benches, bub nothing that can iv tho proper sense of the word be termed beaches or terraces. In their absence there can, o!r course, bo littlo or nothing in the ehapo ok' catchment for libevatod gold t'aor'i tli<> coterminous heights. Such gold *s may have g-ob down muab have been wnehed into tlie neft. Whatever show there iB for dredging, thera oau, therefore, be liltie oc no posaibilicy uc alluvial wcrkiogs alouK this particular coast line. Dredging may bo, or psrh*p3 xt would be belie? to sajo might become, a £«asib!e project. My doubfca respect-I-g the pressnfc ara that the water would prove too deeo. S.'ill fcher« are banks and benches «6 bhe mouth* of ths creeks where the gold is most likely to deposit thut raighc becorus suitable for (Iredfcmg. Between the hand ot tht?. souuJ *nd Jsne Core, at Long Sound, a mcraicie 'junk has befiu piled up, dammm^ the ' waters <-■£ sho upper Sod from flowing *k,wo j through Ittt.>!iuui Svanfi, and diverting fc'neai , Into fche lo ,ver pool it Preservation by way of • ihe N^ttows and Revolver B*>y. 'the bank oc ' obstruction thereby created if. of considerable ! extent, and m.\y nob improbably have acted as - ijotainrt or caichrnecb for Site golden debris I swept from tha surrouuu" : nij height*. M/ i O-.YH opinion is &afe alluvial gcomul fortc^u iv I this- w«,y will b« found in parts «f Sao country. Xn that opinion I am suppoited by Uio district wtu-deu, Mr IPovntoa. Hl3 view oC 1 tha qt- e*.t«on is embodied m fchs SoUowing re- ■ marks, recently made to a deputation ths.fc ! waiicl on him relative to these goldfleld^ :— ! " Some people seem to thiufe thai; this wisl 1 or.lv b« a 'quartz field, but I hava formed a ! different opioion. Wherever there ha* been a ' dislocation of primary gold-bearing rocks and a ! catchment for the debris, alluvial fields havo '' always been found. Ou the West Coast, further j north, towardn Greymouth aud Hokitika, the j stimuli outcrops are M&uateOt at soras distance f rom tlie eea. £se.twaon them and the sea coast iliera ara iargu areas of more receai formatnia, | snch as the pliocene and cretaceous. These i have caught tha drifb from the ancient rook", ! which form the alluvial goldfields. At Presc r- j v.ition these ancient rocks are right on tho ses. coast, and there is no catchment for bhe detri- j i tvs, which bas been washed tosea, coDsequsnUy i there will not ba a large alfuvial deposit found there. Bub on the waterfall towards the i_aifc, when the firsb range of mountains is pacsed frcm the West Coast, there will be any amount of room for ,Y&st deposits of alluvial drifts, which aio certain to contain gold, as deposits oa lb.fi West Coast, further north, do. I understand thah *)bhoueb the granite cuts out the silurisn iwac the We:--t Coast it forms 3gaia further inland, so that all indications ara favourable to the existence of a large alluvial field on bh 1 * unexplored country between tbo Waiau and Long Sound. ' j -I was much struck with these observations. ; Thoy gave, so <;o speak, a more definite tone to certain vague tdeas I had formed on the point, i At'Te Whara Beach, in close proximity bo the Neck, I toai seen some of these sea benches worked to good advantage. Thay were all situated at the mouths of creeks, <mU, in contradistinction to tho geusml opi?jion that th& gold h«.d been cashed in on the tide, I could ' not resist the conviction it had been washed down the creeks. Being all more or le«s iv the nature of mountain torrents, with high water leap 3 and deep basin*, ib takes some trouble fco gefc-througb. them. Selecting one of these creeko, 3 at the mouth of which excellent {jol<l had been 1 got,. I made one of a party to scale it. Going j and returning it took exactly four days ; and, j in a direcb line, I do nob bslieva the creek j traversed more than four miles. My expectations were more than realised. Besides outcrops, leaders, &c, we found three enormous reefs cut right through from wall to ws.ll. The cuttingtould nob have been more complete if it bad been done by experienced miners. The creek itself was in the silurian country, bub it was literally paved with heavy granite boulder*, plainly showing that the erratic blocks and other morainio matter of the ice age collected in the vicinity had been washed by the force of the receding currents into the one channel, the corroding and cleavage occasioned thereby cutting through the reefs and recks, as stated above. An immense amount of gold must have been liberated and gone down that one creek alone. Had the catchment been of sufficient size, instead of a mere bench of gold there might have been an extensive alluvial flat. As bearing on the probable character of these diggings the subject is an important one, aud will be again reverted to in connection with the further treatment of this and the other auriferous belts referred to.

"Imitation is tho Sincerest Flattery."—Peraiaa Proverb. | !