SHOTOVER & ARRDIGGINGS.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 11, 16 December 1862, Page 2

SHOTOVER & ARRDIGGINGS.

[We published the following report" Our Special, in an " Extraordinary J Friday last : — ] -I INVERCAEGILL TIMES OFFICE, Friday, DecSmbbb 12, 4, r ; I will not. in this place, trothle^ readers with an account of the road\i recently discoved diggings on tile /| and Shotover rivers, but starting frou Kees' Home Station, will endeavor fct as correct an idea of the value of t$ coveries, as could be formed during a, ; what hurried tour over atl extreiiulti and mountainous part of ihe '-■ try. A walk of about five in a north easterly direction llecs' Home Station, brought ; to a point on the Shotover river, al mile below where the prospectors v work. The tr;u;k would be impassit. drays, even supposing them to be ci, hut park horses «ru(d, I should r ,[ carry a very fair load of provisions,. Shotover is a river considerably largfV the Waipori at its jnnciion with th{ merlaw Creek. Like most New Zu streams, its course i» % very tortuom-v the current exceedingly rapid. Moi^ of enormous height rise abruptly ' the river bed. their sides clothed he. - there with nirch and pine forests, the present time, ihe river bed has nc worked, the water being very hi^i I am certain that, although in the \ * months the rock may be laid bare ir i places, this bed never will be syatfi c»lly worked. \j The stream is too large and the def loose shingle and sand too great population at present on the Slit does not exceed 200 men, and out < : , number, some have not yet .« - .' The yield of gold has been consid - exaggerated, and up to the time < ' visit, only a few of the points or henc ; - ( turning out very good. The prosp" claim and the adjoining ones are verand the men will clear out with? tiling handsome, in a few cases " Lobs." In one of these claim* *V with whom I was conversing at tin*, washed out on his lone; shovel, from two handfuls of s'nff rather more * d«ts. He dug the gravel out (>; bank in my presence, and told me had plenty of ground which would pt „..■ turn out as well. The greater part-. Shotover gold is being obtained in i si ravel deposit some feet above the r the river. What I saw of it was f. scaly, a good deal of it much disc > and, altogether, resembling closel; t got in cement. There are Inrue quj ■ of sand both in the viver and for . siderabltf height up the banks, and many feet of stripping has to b through, before the washsfuff is . Gold has been got amongst the losi; on the various parts of the river bs:are dry, in some instances the resu very payable, and there can be no that sluicing would be a good sj present all the men are usinsj cradles. The geological format | identical with that of Tuapeka, huna, &c, being niicose schist. j served some larjje boulders of quart: ; the course of the river, and from sizB and solidity it is likely reefs will be found. All I men I spoke to appeared content^ - I what they were getting, exceptfi '.. men, one of whom had only just ■• on the ground, and tlie oiher whogri at 2 dwts. lor an houi's work (for't^r. and mate). Very few of thesmtlj^ I taries have been tii^d. Timber is p'| !on the banks. There are no store* w$ supplies being obtained from Mr, station. Flour has been as his-h as lb., latterly a reduction has taker | the ruling figure being 1-*. 8 1 is not half enough obtainable. Tli no gold buyers, those who want 8r sell at the station. The populating .:. as I am able to judge, are order! cer ainly the men were very oMigi : '■ ready to give all the information power. I saw no grog at a'l on ill ' On Friday last I heard of a ne i A digger cime to Mr. Kees' home biinging with himsom** very heavy did not ascertain the quantity,) \v ; stated was »ot in a gully about Bmi . Mr Rees'; but he would giv« no fur' t formation, not even the direction ' j lieen prospecting. Going to Mr. R; £ about 12 miles from the homes' <

met four or five parlies of dijjgt had already got thn news, and had

Arrow river or its vicinity for the t of finding out the locality. I ra remark, that a considerable nui f miners are engaged looking out fur < •] new spots, in preference to set j near where g'»M has been almvl i payable quantities It is rea<o' i suppose that a great deal of new y will be opened shortly. The tra t Mr. Rees 1 home station to the A ] from the ferry over th* Kawarau t fair for pqckhorses. There are firf j plaints of an insufficiency of pn £ and men have to come from the t River to Mr. Rees' station for ■ Ti The population on the Arrow R n the adjacent gullies must ai a r 1 calculation bp 2,0(>0 ; but to n tl accurate aiateinent would mr J enormous amount of work, owir y ; nature of the country and the which the tents are scattered. J side «he gorge of the Arrows coiv number of diggers are campe j. small flat. In this spot „ counted upwards of a hundred W several more going up. The number in each tent would be ab; as the character of the country the men to carry as little w possible, and consequently the m . tents for the population is not so is usually the case I may state .• *■ estimate of the number of men is . : a ' partly from having counted the! a distance of seven miles up the r on the various spurs, and partly di formation furnished by the minc'v* tl selves. xi The Arrow is not nearly so lat^ir Shotover, and although at pre"--p] stream is high, there is no doubt i* well worked. The whole of the at I previously mentioned will probi .W Some holes have already been f 8^ ; payable gold got on a false bottnn " a entering the Gorge tl'ere are a cor ro number of men at work doing * "^ gravel in the bed of the creek is m rally speaking, of any great dep gold is very heavy. A sample oi >) pound weight, which was shown Wl not contain a pennyweight gold. There are numerous sms **° running into the Arrow, some ' ' are turning out well. On soro* ,Co bends or points men are workings up the range, and doing very «el f ! I gether the Arrow is being work* prt present time for a distance of twe'.'^wii up from the Gorge, but of coursers . many spare places intervening. " 83 . n the old dodge is being tr'cd, $ y9n

Ci

fSfi ie °^ w !" c " u worked with [vß^goch-succes's, is being gone over. a second B time/ and very heavy gold taken from. it.. i I saw about 5 dwts. to lour buckets tnken I from this place. There was a #ood find made I th<- day before, some distance upthe Kiver — \ Six Pounds Weight being washed out by ]| one party during the course of the morning. >rt •] Accounts of instances of good luck are rvl Tt>rv numerous - Some men to my own I knowledge have come on to the ground I utterly penniless, and are now doing well. E I I fre! preity sure about the permanency J| of this goidfield, but should no ne» places '1 be opened, the ground already discovered le R nd being wuiked, must Jnst for many d t months, as the riv^r for miles up is highly 4 auriferous, besides which, there are thf '°'| tributaries, some of which, as [ before "'I mentioned, nre being made to yield their *•» quota. Admitting, then, the value of the a field, without exaggerating in the slightest il i\ degree its importance, perhaps I shall not I be far wrong in drawing the attention of your readers to tlie manner in which the 1 miners are to be supplied wiih stores, and meat. Tbe road from the Dunstan digalS einWfthe point by the way fiom which Hj most of the diggers at present on the sin. ghotover and Arrow rivers have c k come), is very bad and presents ' H almost insuperable difficulties to IS « S the transit of goods ; the distance is X* ' about 70 miles, nnd the shortest time in he I which a packhorse, not very heavily laden Zt I could t.et over the pround would he about )l *s! three days. The Dunstan market being n v\ the dearest in New Zealand, it follows '}' ' that supplies must come from Invercargill ll ' e '| and Kiverton, eiiher of which routes are | pood. I wjis present a few nights a#o at n <| the gorge of the Arrow and watched the 'Ste sale of a load of goods packed from the c H Dun&tan, the man assuring me that c>nin | sideiins the amount of risk in bringing the ate j goodsover, and the market he had purchased I in he was notgettingany extravagant profit. lep l The prices realised were as follows: — tea, | l t , 12s. per lb.; tobacco, very interior, l-l-s.; j »o| common clay pipes. Is. each; matches, j '■ of i». 6.1. per 'small box. There was no nd c hance of getting boots, socks, trowsers, or ! ' f l|j anything in the soft goods line, although 'y| there whs any amount of demand for them. :n(M All these things are wanted u: gently, also ' s P|i miners' iools. With regard to Hour (I he■erjjj Jit-ve this is now partly remedied) there has h| been such a scarcity as I hope never again » e *G towitncss — many poorfellows being almost 's# starved. •'■qfi On Sunday Mr. Rees' home station was )ll i|l literally besieged, and the little he had r efj was bought up greedily, As the boots cf| were expected from the bottom of the TOej,' lake witli a supply, the men for the most P r ff pnrtjcampetl that night near the homestead, rt $ almost every bush sheltering some one. la U The boats ai rived between thiee and four lf> % in the morning. Mr. Worth ing ion. the * flff Jfokomai Commissioner, accompanied by a isc|| trooper, came in one of thorn, also seven e 'y,<l diggers and their swags. The cargoes con}*ss, sisted of about half a ton uf Hour, a little r i'l grojr, potatoes, eve. Th whole ot thefl ur id^f was sn ipped up directly it was landed by bf'Jj crowds of hungry men, am! numbers of is if them had to walk back miles to their )sefi| tenis without geiting a morsel. Some of ' i( ljK! tlmse men told me they had not tasted flour su;js fonnan\ days.andcomplained bitterly ot ihe no N neglect they had experienced at the hands sp£ of ihe people of Southland. I could not '" fj but think that they had good grounds for iat iH murmuring, 'lhewavin which Mr. Rees |5 lms accommodated himself to circumstances ' •• jp is admirable. Caught just in the middle of t r tzi* his shearing, lie Iris had a busy time of it. om.i The home station has been literally bel.V j:/ sieved by men in want of food. As fir j as possible he has supplied their wants *¥■% in fact, it wou'd have been imp 'ssihle for ; M' r 'p him to have «1< ne more than he ha?. A ; t &f short i inir* since, some of the di Offers rushed j % t y\ the vardsand slaughtered someofthesheep, . ' r ,tyjL but'since tint they lime been orderly and ! ••»i'p geneialiy spfakin;; they have behaved J i p!i very well. Mr. Ileus is now com:. filed to ! I wi / kill some of his ewes, although I believe he •I r - | has made aririn^einenis for «i supply of, as fj weiheis. There is a very small supply of fe n ! j beef |_-^ r - U orthint;ton intends, 1 be- j ' • lieve, to send down an official report | n* to DunediM. To do the thin- well i \ Bl || will require a tremendous amount of | ' on fp knee action, however he is one of the j p r M ritrhi sort, and quite up to the maik. There \ 'gifffi nm-t he a \t-ry laiee amount of pnld in j n ';Jj the hands of the diggers as ihey ha\e hul , ln 6 no i pportunity "f disposing of it, and im- j net l metliaft' actionshould be taken for sending j i e H up an escort. ! v y\\ The police force should also be increa-ed, w ,'i" v ' hut this, of course is for the Ofa^o Go^ crnm 'p ment to see to ;no doubt some of the black | urt M sheep from the older di titrin^s will soon j II '."& make tlu-ir appearance. There is at pre- i R f 'f sent one trooper stationed at IS! r. Hees' ' • st'"'; out-station, on Hay's Lake, about two : ;? e U' miles from the gorge of the Arrow. I j *d »■;*. believe a trooper will also be placed at ! '^ •'•■ the home station. i m "; '. The road up from Tnvcrcar^ill is very ' iui:- ■ ffiir. for a very lonpdis'Hnce it is excellent. | jr ( '[*. Tlmt from Kiverion is also very s:oo<I. | ie^il Morehnataccommodalion is warded on Lake i >a ''.Vi' 'VVakatip. |,ut that i 3 hwinij remedied ' "on!."! Tl-e roru! round the Lake, a distance of '■',() ! eff fl miles, is wretched, a cifat part of it being j raCi| through a perfect jungle of flax and fern.. A|j rack-horses certainly, do travel it, but i aur; the lake is the only good means of comK re^| inumcatimi. Rees' big boat, 30 tons, will pi"^ be completed in a few days. The shape of j the;.} the Lake us laid down on the Govern- ! r *Jtt ment mnp ij incorrect. I Relieve it has j Rjr! never been properly surveyed. Altlioutrh i Igi nkatipu lias an immense water-shed, i up there is hnt one outlet — the Kawarau j nrfe River. 1 fi llcy t ] iere IIIUSt be a subtervin..i ranean passage! ■ h j|| NDKOMAI. J^ There is very little doin? on these °"ji"vi dippinps; in fuct, the place is, romparaP $ tively speakh.cr, deserted I expect, how- j ;t M ever, there will be more rushes in that ! 1 w Wi direction. * i " c J Statement of out-turn of parcel of j rv« JS ' oknmni gold F-urvha?od at Dunedin :— N )komai. After moil inrr. As«av. lIU I 6 ° Z8 ' 5 ° ZS " 12 llwts - l" 8 "• 22 ' 1 6 " 8 s0 By this statement it appears that the j ltei | extreme value of the gold is 70s , not ! n jjjj allowing any niaigin of profit. iet| swuzer's. er| The population is about 250. The lyff d ''Sgin^9 are situated on a creek rising in me® the Umbrella Ranges and falling into f|<he Waikaia, which a^ain empties itself lar® into the Mataura. The creek is worked prealpyp for about two miles. Pa>nble gold hti^i i» olitained in some of the blind gullies ie S| a^J ace »t. The diguin»:s are about 16 obap niiles due east of the Victoria company's n ifi| station, about 6 miles east of Chaplin's, tofltati ' ate Switzev's stntion. I 'hink the best :on# rout « would be the North road from Tnr vim ven-argill a« far as M'KelJar's plains, from is tim tnere °» to loot's. M'Donal'ds, M'Gibjep'J Oll 's and Sydney Bill's, from thence to 0 { I Tibbett's station The diggings are then wn I within 5 miles. The road is good all the nt fe \ va 3'- men are for the most pait, BiW»P "°' n g well. No stores erected; most of ne fi ttle provisions come from Shaud'M and oni«| Cox's. wefe l^ T e understand from gentlemen who r ke| profess themselves to be well acquainted Lwei w>th the biy of the country, that the roue, r3 eia3laid down by us is incorrect; at the >g- l^ 6 , 1 " 306 ' tbe y nave not burnished us j^p^nh bfltter information.] 'Pi