THE NORTH BULLER DISTRICT. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 21

THE NORTH BULLER DISTRICT. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— Allow m<? to give a little informatioathrough tho medium of your valuable pacer to those who are de&ii'ous of investing 'in. chedging pioperhes north of the Buller River. The^ god-bearing creeks and rivers from the -Bxillcr to the Karamea are 12 in number, ancl as far as prospectors' rcpoits go all are highly payable. From the Brtller to iSTgakawa. a distance of 20 miles, there are what are 'termed beach leads, aIT of which gave handsome returns in the early days. The miiiers rnrde as lnuoh °,5 £iQ per week, working by the most primitive method, such as washing the wash," o.\ iaihe v , bird: sand, over bags and. in many cases plush, with water earned by hand from, the 'je,i. The chief method, however, was by iiiean? of a copper plate 4ft Ly 2ft. Deposits of gi.ivel and black sand have been left inland from the beach, nearly all being under water, and corasqueaily termed wet leads. These dc-> pojii^, were caused by tbe action of the sea, b.z the mateual was brought down by the creeks and rivers. Only what was left above water, and that was very little, has been worked, but from my own knowledge I can say that what was worked gave handsome returns. Some -of the weii loads have lately been tested by boding, tile bore ni some instances goiag tliiough. gold-bearing Wash to the depth of 20ft. At Jones Creek highly-payable results were obtained — as much rs 2s 4d* per lone*, ?nd in the TVareatea Gold Jtfining Company's claim by the last bore as raach as 18dwt peryard. The ground m question was tested Tjjr experienced men, such as Messrs PoppelwelZJ Powick, and Green, the last-named gentleman having obtained highiy-payab!e results from the Wainiangaroa River and from Stony Creek by the spoon dredge. Dredges are to be placed at both places as soon as- possible. With regard to the wet lends, there are no snags whatever, and the laigest scone does no 4 exceed 9in in lcrgfch. In the wash m the rivers very few snagt! are Iq be met with. There are sometimes heavy floods, the rivers rising quickly and subsiding quickly. In connection with dredging where black sand abounds, the great drawback is computed by some to be hx the saving of the gold; but I fail to see this, as there are men born, and living, here who have dene nothing else all their lives. Thejt^ anticipate no trouble in saving the gold, for I have conversed with several of them on tho subject, and I would most earnestly advise anvr company who has -any properties here to securu the services of such men to look after their! gold-saving appliances, as it will pay them ta do so. I write this because I feel sure there ore not 20 out of 100 that come here who know how to treat the sand and save the gold. Men that can tell you at a glance of -a prospect what it will give per load are surely the men for such work, and it means tha'salvation of many a company for the simple' reason that there are too many sc-c? lied -mining experts sent over here who don't Iniqw so much about their work as they profess, 'to do. Some of them, could not even aniaigania+e, nol- could they pan a prospect off./ I know of one sent over here who condenined a claim without any trial. Can driving a boring appliance down until the point" of it returned to the surfaca behind him in' a curve, and then trying a slip from the river bank, be called prospecting? Stive tha mark. -There is plenty of good ground

1 — — — . ihere, held by good, trustworthy people, who 'decline to have anything to do with such exjperts; and my honest opinion is that there is a 'good future here for dredging and hydraulic •sluicing, wnich will pay well if carried out in "a honest, straightfoiward manner. My earnest advice is, if any person or company wishes to invess, let them come and see for themselves, and m case they desire any more information I place my name and address with you. — I am, etc., Pbospectob.