THE NEW WESTLAND RUSH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4341, 23 March 1882, Page 3

THE NEW WESTLAND RUSH.

[BY TBLKOBArH.]

[FBOH OUB OWN COBBEfIPONDBNT.]

, HOKITIKA, Mabch 22. I have visited the new rush this afternoon. There is a largo increase in tbe number of miners on the ground, and of claims taken up and working, since my last visit. Tho prospectors have applied to put in a tunnel nine hundred feet long. The second claim bottomed has very good prospects. They are driving in opposito directions to see which way tho load goes. Tho dishes washed at various times show vory different results. Sixteen washed this morning only gave about ■half a pennyweight, while one which was washed whilo I was at tho claim showed less than a grain. After I left two dishes were wnshed f.orn the drive going Bouth towards Ross ; one gave five grains full, the other between two .and three. These dishes were taken up and washed in the presence of Mr WiU, the UDion Bank Manager, from whom I have this information. Another dish taken from .the opposite drive gave only one grain. From these indications, and others, in the prospectors" olaim, it ii considered pretty certain that tho lead runs southward, or parallel to the beach. This is looked upon as very much mora satisfactory than if it ran in the other ; direction. One claim nearer the Hokitika River, was bottomed to-day, and proved thoroughly satisfactory aftor driving a few feet. Anothor claim is getting very good prospects to-day at forty feet, but not payable gold. Several olaims expoot to bottom this week.

it is. to be hoped no one will come over unless prepared' to Bink a shaft at least fifty feet deep. Thero is no room for wages men at present.

[We have also rccaived tho following letter from our correspondent.]

HOKITIKA, March 20. Since I wrote to you last week, tho rush here has steadily increased. Nearly all the men are experienced miners, and I do not, as yot, hear of anyono going back. Several claims are progressing rapidly in sinking, and a very fow days will show whether there is really a new field, or only a patch. Meanwhile I may as well tell tbe people on your Bide that there is no need for them to hurry over. Every square yard of ground anywhere near the prospector's cla'ai is already taken up, and any person arriving now must take up ground on mere speculation. Of Buch there is enough for thousands of miners. The West Coast Times otatea that the weekly wash ,up at Lubbe's claim, which is one of the tunnel claims I described in my last, and near the prospector's claim on tbe flat, was 33 (thirty-three) ounces of gold. This is pretty wed. Several of tho other claims aro paying very handsomely. It was private information about these tunnel claims which caused tbe excitement when it was known that tho claim on tho flat had reached payable gold.

r JChcr. io also a small rush to the South Spit, within tho lim ; ts of ihe Borough, whero payable gold has been found for some timo, partly on private land. There is also a public reserve there, belonging, it is believod, to the Westland Institute, which it is hopsd may now prove of Bomo value. I am not enthusiastic about the now rush. I fancy roost people in Hokitika havo passed the oge for enthusiasm. We aro, spooking generally, a sot of middle-aged or elderly pereons, utterly and '-omplotely disillusion's, and nobody is inclined to bo enthusiastic. But certainly it aeema as if tho minors were satisfied with tho prospects of Woodstock Flat. They don't want a rush, although, as a general rulo tho larger the goldfield, tho bettor it is for the miners. But in this case thero will be, I fear, a difficulty in getting water. Tho claims all lio on high ground, and races must come from a long distance. Still, if the yield of gold ie rich, all this will bo done.

It strikes ono very forcibly that the miners have nevor discovered tha law. that govern tho formation of sold deposits. Considering tho loos of thousands of claims that have been opened both here and in Australia Bnd Califo-nia, it, seems etrauge that to this d.y miners have hardly ony rules to guide thein^ and that alluvial gold mining is just as much a gmie of chanco aB in tho earliest days of California. Now this need not bo so. The deposit of gold must be .overned by laws, just as the formation of coal is, and theso laws might have beon discovered long ago, if proper measures had been taken.

It' any proof were reeded that there are no rules of any real value by which to gu : de rainev. in their search for gold it mcy be found :n tho existence of the present rush. The new ffoldfield, if such it ti" as oat to be, :'■» BV.^.cd o*i the main edcUi road from B"ol-'.":a; ?t ?s orly between four and flvo m''cf> frooi Hokici'ra, r id le3s .Van two fro*- 1 . Kar/ei"., whe o .here has been gold mining s'ne. the West ("oast d"gg.*_gs fu.t "broke out," ••> xi',o tbe cuvent phme. Nobody encm t > have tbongpt of t\y ; r>g it, yet the Ae 1 y firs, ehi-lt sd.k p:_-3uccj > 'yablo gold. i Had t'nt I Wv-i lnninfo-'Mcd as to a second shaft he. t '.rjg bofcto red on gold. This infoi maiion carce to mo L-om a eo^ce on which I could not absolutely lely, but I was not satisfied until I h;d enqu-V; i from one of oc- Bank managers md the sergeant, of police. Both sf ake roniidontly as to the i, ath of tbe report, and then I to.'egraphed to you. I was tbo rroi-o inclined to belie vo it truo because two days before, I had sent up specially an intelligent nim to get me pm_.to information as to tho progress that was boing mado, aud he stated that tho claim ia question was nrotty deep and could not be far off tbo oottom.

Those who are acquainted wioh minora and goldfields need not bo told that the m ; ners who aro getting " good gold " do not want a ruah. Tlioywantto keep tho fifld to themselves. Thoy never give any information unless to somo particular frionds or old mates, when they havo struck a patch. A single man's claim on theso goldfialde is only 100 feet square. Noiv anybody who chooses to p»;e off thirty-B<x full paces will get » pretty fair idea of tli3 size of a claim. It will not tako many months to work out at tho rate gold mners work when tho returns aro rich. Henro it is that there is no credence to bo given lo tha i-iko of minors about tho poor returns thoy nrc getting— they do not waut to leave the spjfc they aro on and oeok freah Molds when tho ; r claim is worked out. Hence their iu^re.st lies in preventing a rush. But, Bomohow or othor, the story of a good paying claim always le.'.k-* out eoonec or later. Men confide in their wives, and though the men cm Id re.van from boasting of thoir gains, tho h-dkj cintiot ! If it docj not como out in so many words, it com.3 out in now bonnets and new dresses, end trip to Melbourne.

There are souse amui-ing bloivcs current about tho wr.y in which miners avoid giving any information about tho richness of a claim. One dodgo it to sell the gold at Greymouth instead of to tbo banks here. Now this scorns a vciy unnecesßary trouble acd expense, r.»'!«8B tbo miner goes to iho extent cf fe'ss statements as t> when the gold was obtained, bocuuso if tho miners suspect, that tho b:.uk official* would betray their secret, thero 13 not much gained by going to Greymouth. A^ a matter of fact, however, the bank oflicinls aro nevoi*, so far as 1 know, guilty of any such breach of confidence. One man who hud a very rioh claim pretended extreme poverty, and when he went to Groymouth went in tho poorest clothing, with the gold in bags sowed up in various parts of hin trousers. It is said that being taken ill, and having ta go to the Hospital suddonly, ho sent a friend for a parcel hidden, away in his hut, and tli's wfli found to contain fourteen ounces of gold. 1 was told by a sl--ri > -c.' , pi thdt ho wont lo tho hut of ;t " hatter" to obtain payment of an account of a fow pounds. The miner pleaded poverty, but tho slorokcopcr was going to leavo tho neighbourhood, and {aid ho should certainly summons him, whorcupou the minor produced a roll of what inun- have been nt least fifty or sixty notes, and paid tho account.

Anothor man told mo thtt v former nwte of his, when thoy wore working v claim which paid about a pound a duy per man, always said tbat they wore only just "gotting tu.-ker.*'