THE WAKATIPU GOLDFIELDS

Otago Witness, Issue 3855, 31 January 1928, Page 14

THE WAKATIPU GOLDFIELDS

RUMOURS OF NEW FINDS.

By

W. F. Sligo.

Rumours of new finds of gold attract the attention of most men who have been associated with mining. After a great many disappointments you begin to discount a little by inquiring who the pros pectors are, and if the names submitted are “new chums” at the game suspicions are aroused, but when we heard that that intrepid and good old miner Mr Oxen bridge and his son were on coarse golo at the Twelvemile Creek, between Queens, town and Glenorchy, we decided to halt a lock. So Messrs Peter Reid James Hamilton, and Pat Lynch (all good mincis) and the writer hired the launch Riv<-rton, and, with Mr Thompson at the wheel, started out from Quecristown, skirting close in to the discharge of the Five ano Seven-rhile Creeks. At the Five-mile Mr Vear (diver) and his party have installed an Bin centifrugal pump and Fordsot; cn gine, and are winning a fine sample of coarse gold from the ledges overhanging deep water. The divers go under water for two hours at a time, and feed the pump, but the process is too slow, and a careful survey would have to be made to ascertain whether there is sufficient area of gold-bearing wash to warrant the expense of a more comprehensive system of working and the possibilities >f generating power. Arriving at the Twelvemile, Mr Thompson obligingly ran the launch up on a gravel beach and tied her up to gum tree. Mr Oxenbrid ge’s tunnel is amout half a mile from the beach and about a mile on the Queenstown side oi Bob s Cove—an ideal camping spot with an abundance of clear water and firewood. A long time ago, probably half ,i century, a miner, said to he Bob Johnson, planted one or more gum. trees, and there is now quite a forest of beautiful gums in various stages of growth. One near Bob’s Cove, has a trunk 21ft in circumference, and saplings and seedlings are thriving magnificently along the >ld ake terraces. It is ouite evident that the lake level was, at a remote period, '('de 150 ft higher than it is at present tile levelled down terraces and lake wash are plainly in evidence. Hugh morainic deposits have been combed up and remain lodged along the north-west shores of the lake, and these are cross-: it by creeks, starting in the form of high moun tain torrents. As erosion of the mountains continued and the mourns of tiie creeks filled up, the creek waters attained a. tairly even Mow for miles back into the hills, making it costly to use the water on a large scale for power purposes. These creeks acted as sluice boxes, and the distributed gold m the morainic mass was concentrated along the creek ben and in seams at various levels in the o.d lake terraces.

Mr Oxenbridge and his son. and, I andcistand two others, have drivino ln ) i> a , ke ‘errace between Twelve-mile ami bobs Cove for a period of about tniee years. Our guide produced a packet of candles, and we followed the tunnel tor a distance of about 2000 ft. I n addition, a number of small prospecting drives 7.” r CaVated ’ C,ose to the end of the the tunnel there is a fairly heavy wash, which is being trucked out and treated, and we were informed that the gold contents are quite good It is evidently intended to block out the wash, which must prove a fa’rlv expensne method of working even with free gravitation for water, for a ceriain amount of timber will have to be used. Near the end of the tunnel a rise was put up some 15ft, and after clambering up a ladder vve found ourselves in old workings in first-class order. This tunnel is in about 1800 ft from the entrance, and close to the end. carved in a firm sediment on the wall, we made out the name “ Andy Small, 1871,” and close by other writing which we could not decipher. \\ e were informed that the brothers Small worked there at about the date mentioned. Mr Oxenbridge had to exercise great care in tapping these old workings, as a great deal of w: ter had accumulated there, which had to pe carefully drained off. Those associated with Mr Oxenbridge deserve success for their courage and enterprise. I paid several visits to the Big Beach Sugar Loaf sluicing piopcrty. The manager was good enough to show us over the claim. The water supply was surprisingly good considering the dry season. Several large falls were brou-h‘ , down from the high face, and when sluiced away exposed a fine body’of H'Jxy wash. The bottom is dipping towards the hill, which will necessitate deepening the tail race considerably. Then it must be borne in mind, that heavy wash cannot be rushed through the boxes in the same way as the material now being treated, but from the appearance of the wash and dish prospects the possibilities are eneoura; ing. An investor in a mining venture is entitled to expect anyway 10 por cent, and a return of his capital within, say, ten years. To do this on the Dig Beach capital of £22,000 the company w mid have to win £44,000 clear of expenses in that period.

Several miles back in the mountains from Skippers Point, a small lode carrying a good prospect was found many years ago, and a company was formed to prospect it. A low level adk was driven about 450 ft, and as there was no indication of a lode, work was s spended and the lease abandoned. Several years ago Messrs Reid Bros., P. Lynch, and others drove a short tunnel into the slip where, the reef was first located, and were so satisfied with results that they

decided to extend the low level tunnel, and the lode was tapped at 659 ft in. The reef, though small, is carrying good values. \\ hen we were there Mr Tripp, the manager, had driven'about 15ft west on the line of lode, and a fail’ amount of water was coming from the face, probably indicating a larger body of stonq ahead. A rise was put up about 50ft, and the ore body had improved in width, The syndicate has spent about £2OOO in development, but has not yet reached the stage that would justify an expenditure on crushing plant. Further development of the lode is necessary. There is now a regular motor service to Skipper's’Point, and anyone visiting Queenstown should not miss the trip, The view from the Saddle is magnificent, the geological features are full of interest, and the configuration of the mountains and valleys wonderful. The famous old Shotover River winds its tortuous course through mountain gorges, the terrace workings showing ample evidence of the great wealth that attracted thousands of men to what must have appeared a most inhospitable region. Scattered around arc old stone walls and partly demolished chimneys, indicating o’.d camping grounds. What a romantic story is wrapped in those old remains now nearly effaced by Nature's forces! The lure of gold reminds me of the old digger who appeared at the gate of heaven, and when asked by St. Peter what he had done on earth he referred to the hardships experienced on the Saotover, Conroy's, Fox's, etc., but the good saint was not impressed, and said “ Your kind are rather a nuisance inside, digging up lawiis and fossicking here and there.” The new arrival undertook to have al! the miners removed, and the following day thousands, of diggers trooped out. followed by the Shotover man. Peter smiled benignly on him, and asked him how he had succeeded. lie said he had spread the story that coarse gold was being won in the “ other place.” “ Well done, now you need not go with them,” said St. Peter. “ Oh, yes.” says the man from Conroy's Gully, “ you know it might be true.”