THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELD

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 7165, 8 September 1886, Page 3

THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELD

A PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The Lyttelton Times 1 correspondent telegraphs" bn_ "Sept. Ist: — "I -'have had an interview with a Wellington j resident who had just returned from a prospecting tour at Kimberley. He ccnfirms tho unfavourable accounts which have lately been received from that place. ■ Some fonr months aero accounts having been published describing Kimberley as another Bendigo or Ballarat) the prospector in question, G. Hunter by name, determined to ' start for tbe field so as to be the first. He ht^d been late on the Ballnra't ground, and made up his mind to be not behind time in reaching this new field, where gold,, it is said, abounded Hk« pebbles on a river bed. Keaching Sydney, Hunter fell in with two experienced West Coast miners, and tbe three decided to cast in their lot together. la duo ' course they reached 1 Cambridge Gulf with a horse apiece and an ample stock of provisions. A guide was ready to hand in the person of settler named M'Donald, and when they asked him to pilot them to the goldnelds he told them he could take them to the place where gold was alleged to abound, but could riot say whether it was a gold field or not. The little party, together w,ith about 200 other persons ill bent on the same errand, soon commenced their journey ,to Kimberley, but when a short distance on the road, the guide, hearing that a fresh party had just landad at the Gulf, said he would go back and fetch them. He did ■o, but, during his absence, some of the original party, impatient to reach the golden land, started off on their own hook, with the result that they took the wrong track, and would have gone marching to and fro and up arid down on the earth like the Wandering Jew, or a still more notable personage, but the guide returned before -they had gone 1 t6o far, and brought the wanderers back to the fold, which, by the way,'was now increased by another hundred eager prospectors. From this time all went well till the contingent reached Kimberley af ter.nearly six weeks' travelling, when they separated and spread themselves over the country, My informant telh me that there are none of the usual indications of mining in • the district, and he saw no holes deeper than >12in. The- method of prospecting is to scratch among the most likely ridges, and if no sign of gold is discernible to move on to some other spot. Thus men travel all over the district, moving along at the rate of eight or ten miles a day. There is no township, no warden, no -mining proper anywhere. The face of the country is sterile and slatey, being thinly covered with a stunted scrub, and tbis is the only means of subsistence afforded to live stook. Water is exceedingly scarce, and wash dirt has often to be conveyed in bags a great distance. ' There ia'no settled locality in the district, and very little gold is obtained. Hunter says he remained three weeks at Kimberley, prospecting far and w.ide, but .only obtained about an ounce, and knew of no ■ others much more fortunate than, himself. Utterly disgusted with ; his want of auccess during these three weeks, he left for Derby to return to New Zealand by the first vessel. Five weeks' travelling over B-flat country, composed chiefly of soft chocolate coloured sand, brought him to the coast, where he took passage, •in company with otherdisappointed prospectors for Sydney. On the road to Derby he passed about 150 men bound for Kimberley. Some were, on horseback, some were swaggers, and 14 weietrundling laden barrows,a circumstance which showed they had pluck enough to deserve a better fate than that •which evidently awaited them at the end of their journey. Hunter states that the stores At Derby and Cambridge Gulf are largely overstocked, and provisions generally are cheaper tkan in Wellington. He saw flour sold at Derby for £9 per ton. Potatoes were the only dear articles of consumption, being £16 per Mr. Hunter says that while he was at Derby and Kimberley, over 4000 people landed at those ports. He strongly urges peopla not to leave for Kimberley until ' at least some news of a reliable character. warrants the step. It is possible, he thinks, that paying gold may be discovered by sinking, bat so far tbe field has " turned out a fraud," to quote his own words. ! By the Wakatipu, which arrived from Bydney this morning, seven New Zealandera returned from Derby. iFive are old West Coast diggers, and two hail from Canterbury. They are thoroughly disappointed with the result of their tour.