OFF TO KLONDYKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2298, 17 March 1898, Page 18

OFF TO KLONDYKE.

DEPARTURE OF MINING PARTIES. (From Oub Own Corhespondknt ) Axjcklakd, March 12. The largest party of minars who have left Australia ou their way to Klondyke, icspired with visions of gold, sailed away tc-day in the Cape Otvray. The party numbers close on 200, and among them is Mr W. R.'Cuthbertsori, 0.1 ii., F.R G.S , an experienced exulozer, who is going as the representative of a fcvydney syndicate. Powerfully built aad o, mm ol fino presence, Mr Cucbbertson has apparently ail the characteristics of a leader and daring exploiter. His experience and advotiturcs ia many climes suggesb his suitability ior the somewhat b&ztrdoua mission which he h« undertaker. Strangely enough, Mr Gn.^;b'-!rfc-son says that. 1 'okin^ biirk uoou aH Li trcvs.l : he has suffered more from privations in .Amiralia than in any part of the woiid. Keit 1!.--ring to the number of rniuers vrao are leaving Australia for Klondike, he exptessed tLse hops that they would do well, though, ho warns them that it is a hard journey for anyone not acquainted with the couatry aod not Uded to tevero cold. For himself he has a good ron.Butui.ion. " I had criginal'y intended goiug to Klondyke on my own account," he observed to a reporter. " Bui several friends thought they would like to have a stake in the country, so they formed a little syndicate to support me. I take full control of the txpsdition, however. I had t«o offers from London to go last year, bub preferred to wait. I am not a aanguiao mau, and only lock upon is aB a speculative venture. Therefore Ido noi offer any induceinent-i to the ejndicaic, who, like myself, have to take the thing en trust. My authority for Klondyke is Mr Ogilvy, the Government} surveyor in the Dominion of Canada. He i« an independent authority, whoie reports, I think, justify me in going." It was diffiou.t from this end, Mr Cuthbertson added, to give any idea as to what his programme would be after landing at Victoria (British Columbia;. Nobody, he thought, on this tide could evui say which was the best route to take to Klondyke,

He proposed to play " a lone hand " from hure, and to make up hit* party anil stores ou arrival ia Victoria (British Columbia), lln recognises that health is the firufc consideration, and he is prepared tor both h-ac and cold lirt O.oes Tif.t anticipate much difficulty iv transit", srid he expects to reach his destination about, the end of April. •' That is quite e&rJy enougb.' he remarked, " as some who leit a year ago have been hnowed up and are, not there yet.'' The Capf: Otway left to-night tor Juaeau, via Buva atid Vancouver, AUopcthoc tnra Sydnt-y ami New Zealand »h« ha J < 3'j saioou and 17ti tteersyi passengers for the Kiiuuijke. A Wellington ttlef;rain states that the Miov?era, which left for Vancouver oa Saturday, had 114 Bwerage ]ia?s< ngers from Sydney, raostlj' ior Klondykp. Th'j steerage had to bs enlarged by ruu'ii-ig v\> rough berths. None of the mei> a-e tji-iii^ l;i»-> than £100 wilih thera, and most of them h'tve £200 to £300. Jfotes from Vfakatipu, (Fhom Our Own Corrfspo.ndent.') Aruo^stown, Mirch 12.— One way and another theie is a g^td deal of activity in alluvial as well a3 in quarlz mining There '& quite a ru-,h for fptc<>l claims at Moonlight Ureek, where nearly all tbe likely ground has bien taken up, aud the water ditto, lc is 'trange thtt t'tu splendid feluicing giound in the Sh'Oover Valley an<i its tributaries has not lou# ere this atti - acted more attention xhau it has do.id. Iheie are nuny well-tiied specu ofTe'-ins sinsula-'y g oil and safe investments in ground upon whicti mininf? and fcluicnfj liave been CAniii on cvi r s.noe th.c eirlv rush to th/: rUstiic^ wll'i payable leiult^, and :is the gold is tufed frtitlifi bick into tho t^rraoes, nov/ and hitherto uu'u->pii".ted i uns of golvl aie mot with, yielding pro-p j i;i^ betttr th.ii any hitherto obt"ineci. Thib f »Cj fchows that Ihu terraces ia the hhotover Valley will not be cxViauatcd until every inch of gr.ivol they ca-iy \v\-> liee-i bUinei over, and as yet they hay- oivy bctn worked along thi* edges To woik fie back runs requiie-s lrnng aud laige timne's o riven through the ssolil bediock — »v undertaking ttia' i^ beyond th« miiaiia and titse of piwAte paiti';='. la quurtz-nmung there is a good Jeilof pro-pe;t-and getting leadj .■> ith -tirtiug borne of the mines previously worked upon a new basis. The piincipal one of the-s* latser i? the Gallant Tipperaiy, nuar Skippers Pmut. Ihe mine has turned out a considerable amount of c;old m times pist, ami though it offers ui];iai'.'.nel»d facilitie-s for beiug opened at a low level, l.othing has been done to test th« real value of' the lode, the upp^r portions of which hava pr .vs 1 the existence of 1 irge bodies of st^ne, some of wl>ic'n exo-sed-d tbe ounce p.-ir ton a.verage, while tiiL- great bulk of it prove 1 p be of medium grade— that is to say, quartz that requires a large and powerful crushiug plmt to make it pay, which has not been provided, and hence the mine has struggled along in a linger-and-rti« kind of candit o,i, until ai last it wouli sp.iear to have got into hands which will dv justice I<j ths cnnmi-trtiioev, and biing the miue for n aid as a ivgu'ar divi'lend-paying c-moerii. The new oinpanv lately formed has the bttnt-iit of some '.¥<) years' exppriencts of the mm.% the lessons of which pl.uu'y teach the conditions upon which success depend 1 .. Tho new ompanv compris-j-^ smonesiiits shareholders some who have bseii intimately conversant with tha history of tlu miuc since it; was started, anl a3 tbey aie me » of piovei eiicigy and gieat ininiTg exo'-rieac, it may 1> 3 presumed that tbry wifl caiefully a.vo d tag rod:s upou which their piv-dscr'-isors hays run »£!o-;ii^. Work is ak'i carried on upon several of the kuowa lines of loilc-s viiiich traverse the di?tiict, !»iid pioapdcting fur now l)i)es hat. b;nn carried ou all through t}.o «uiamof, encouraging prospects beiiis obtained from Htt»y trials widely apai'o, which goes t-> rhow That i.^les e^vij-;nar gold are by. no ui^auj: scare}, ail foil >w tto woll defined belt of iiuiiftii'-jus rccics that ctoS3ss the island from east to wi j sd. Owiog si the scai city of w^iev there is au absence uf mining ncvi'. 0 , muny parties baing altogether icil j . _ Jfoles from rromwell* (From Our Own Coivrewomjent.) March 7.— -In my ioimor report on t)i»s Alta mine !. forgot to mention that one of the Bsndigo shaifho'd^is, while on a wa'k from the Cromwell inins tn the Alta pioperty, discovered a quartz leaddr bhowicg on the face of a bluff abutt.ing the Bandigo Creek, a few chains south of the Al'.a boundary. Upou being prospected this leader, which was traced for a fair distance, proved to contain really g)oi god, and to open out to a fceirn of quartz 6iti or so in thickness. The Alta shareholders hav<? pegged a prospecting area, aud are going to see what rbe leader may mako into. It lies in the same Sine as the Crumwell lccf, ami, if it ■! akes into auy bony of stone, is in a mooC advantageous position for workinr, a-3 n groat bod^- of stnne could be got out by simply driving into th a cliff. My wii-j re Cromwell tributers' cske was iv error in saving that the whole of the stone was crushed. I tiad that only 200 tons were crushed, and the cake was less than 2oz short of 4030z — a very satisfactory return indeed. Notes from Lj r ell. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Lyell, March 11. United Italy —The following is the report from the mine : — "The work of extension of the No. 2 level has bejn lesumedaud a distance of sft has been diiviii, miking the total length of the level 152ff. A ssiiall gold-bearing leader is being cmied along, und the track of the leef still continues of su encouraging character." Alpine. — Ths raauag-r reports: — "The No. 10 main south level ha 3 baen driven for a further distance of sft, making the tobal extension 3 13fr. The now make of stone has baen broken out back to wheie it started to make, and we are now ranying aljng tha reef fully 13ft ia width. Gold is occasionally -v teibla in the stone, and I consider the reef of payable quality. A riss has been taken up fiom the level to connect with No. 5 stiping, which operations aie being carried on. The work ia tho rise has, however, been suspended for a few days, and the leading slope to the south of ths same is being carried along immecHatelv at the back of the level. The reef in Nos. 5 6, and 7 stqpss is from Gffc to !)ft in width aud of (similar quality to what it has bsen heretofore. In the incline uprise above the top stopesthe reef i-T s,bout 9ft iv width, but considerably broken. Sdw: of the stone v, however, of good quality. T,vo men aie »lill engjge.l rising on ab iu 1 . rf ia the Ly. 11 Cieek OVmpmy's old upins. Additional men will be put on to woik lifcrj as soon as the machine paddock is divided, iv order that this sttine may be treated separately at the battery. The pulleys will be placed in position in the chamber above the main shaft immediately upon their arrival, when everything will be in r<-adinc-s to commence the baliug of the shaft. During the week 163 tons of stone have beea sent to the battery. The result of the cleaning up at the battery on Saturday last was, 2240z lOUwt retorted gold from 615 tons of stoned