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The Goldfield: A Suggestion.

TO THE EDITOR. | Sir, — We have heard and read a great deal lately of the vast amount of trouble to which the Hon. Mr M'Nab and others nave gone to procure data to enable them to write up a history or record of early New ' Zealand. '

At the time of the dredging boom jt was no infrequent occurrence to see or hear of an interested or would-be speculator iSeeking from the old miners their opinions and knowledge of this or that claim. i Now, Sir, I think that as many of the " pioneers of Central Otaero are dropping | off, it would be to the interest of all oon- | cerned in the welfare of the goldfields if an officer were appointed to procure and record any information which might be valuable in the hereafter regarding the various localities, with the particulars of shafts sunk, the nature of sinking, etc., and also the cause or causes of abandonment. Between Alexandra and Clyde three deep shafts were sunk in- the early .days — one above the hospital,.. one below it. and the • third between the old DuDStau- jUujeoourse and Alexandra. I have always understood that a local syndic*Ue r pi4d/ for tVe sinking,, and that ftie inflow^, or vat«f was so great that operations had ,vto' be, discontinued. There were manyjs_other shafts sunk years ago in various ptttcee, and each - has- its "■' own history frn<J;4f" these wgrje opened up with up'to-date plant and Wider, jardjfer . supervision they might be the means of reviving mining in the interior, and also be the means of irrigating some of our dry regions. For all that the miner of the present day knows of the depths of Central Otago, we might have payable reefs and lodes at our very doors. - How many- of us know the particulars of the Ida Valley deep lead, the Butcher's Gully and other reefs, of those three shafts, on the Dunstan Flat, and the various shafts throughout the interior which have been sunk in quest of coal, antimony, and other minerals? No doubt we have any amount, of unworked ground, and perhaps if an account of the various places tried, the nature of ground met, and also the reasons why they were not persevered with were brought to light in an official manner, many <ti- those places considered " Not good enough years ago might prove good- enough for us. It is aleo quite possible, that some of those shafts may prove to be artesian wells. It is a well-known fact that the old miner looked for a. certain wash, and when, he struck what is' now' known' locally as granite he left that hblef and . did' not even take the trouble v to try it, and' it is only of recent years that it has bsen looked upon as gold-bearing. In every locality throughout Otago — in fact, throughout the gold- | fields of New Zealand — there are to be j found of old prospecting holes, the ' history of which, if authentically recorded , and kept, may prove valuable in the near ! future. How many of the rising genera- ', tion have, ever heard tell of the Blacks No. 3 Deep Lead, Blackwell's claim, Cameron and Bailey'e claim, the Alexandra and Bannockburn antimony mines, the various old and abandoned coal mined, and many other early ventures which would have paid handsomely if the pioneers had been possessed of the present up-to-date methods and conveniences? If the pioneers would be so good as to record their experiences and knowledge of the various localities they would be leaving a valuable legacy to the miner of the future. ■ . -, . ~ ■ It is well known that ,riaitf f alons the Ruggedy Range from -tHe 1 " raknorburn to Blacks Station, beyond Ophir, good patches $ . were found, and, as in those days they had to wheel or carry the -wash loUg di&ences, only the beet would be payable ; but now that the Bonanza race is to be cut in above all that ground it is to be hoped 1 that all miners who are not able to go j back and profit by their former experiences in that locality will impart their knowledge to those who will go. It is well known amongst the older residents that Bendigo Reefs, Blades No. 3 Deep Lead, and many other places had to be abandoned as the then existing modes of working were far too expensive to cope with the water and drift met. I could mention several places where the early settler sank holes and where water was met, and the miner was forced to retire. In conclusion, I would like to say that, with the railway close at hand, with carriage cheaper, with modern methods _of sinking and pumping, and with supervision by t-ho Mines Department, many of the obstacles of 20 or 30 years ago are now removed, and that prospecting is only required to cause many of those places onoe classed as unpayable to be tried once more, and, let us hone, where there are only faint signs of old shafts, that ere another year pa6«es poppet-heads will be over them again, and may Bendiero. No. 3, Carriok, Criffel, and other fields have a bright and glorious future ahead of them. In my time I have seen dredsres leave Alexandra, and the ground they left has since proved to be the richest part of the river. Then why should not similar results be obtained in the alluvial mines What is required is that a full and reliable account be obtained of all those abandoned deep shafts and a further test made of them if considered worthy. — I am, etc., Alexandra, August 20. T. P. Beck. •

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19060905.2.46

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 2738, 5 September 1906, Page 13

Word Count
945

The Goldfield: A Suggestion. Otago Witness, Issue 2738, 5 September 1906, Page 13

The Goldfield: A Suggestion. Otago Witness, Issue 2738, 5 September 1906, Page 13

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