THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELDS.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1839, 2 June 1886, Page 3

THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELDS.

It ia astonishing the effect the late discovery of gold in Weatern Australia baa had, not only upon the mining population et Maw Zealand, but upon all classes of society. In the larger cities of the colony paMic meetings have been called, and steamers chartered, and in tbe country districts the new gold field is “ all tbe talk.” Among many of our young mao there is a strong desire to •• try their luck,” but the dietaries from our shores, the enormous cost of a fitent, and the difficulty of getting on to the stand in their way. Merertbeless, n lew enthusiasts in thia quarter hare resolved upon going. We hone our young men will saMy sonsldsr what they are doing. While we would not for a moment say a word •gainst Mg young fellow nsi upon a gold Mi it the field was a goon one and nearer hesse.pst we an afraid there is an unhealthy •■ailtaaant afloat ocneerning thia Australian Arid, width wU, in ths ted« (rave disastrous jffy. the XrafihsltsMs sums ‘of last ■Weelgj ssge >-“ Ws are*** going to do i».IM M W VMS svmybody,

without exception, from trying their look at Kimberley. By all means let the right men go. _ What we are going to do is to protest against the fresh, ignorant and inexperienced floating thither. The place is one for old hands, and at present for them only. The veteran Australian digger, lean, sinewy, sun* burnt, and kiln-dried with labour under semitropical skies ; who has been baked at New South Wales and stewed in Queensland ; full of shifts and devices and experiences—he, and be alone, is the man for Kimberley. Everyone must have read or heard of the acute sufferings undergone* and tbs thousands of lives lost, in the old rushes to California and Australia. But the gold seekers who flocked thither went, at any rate, to temperate climates. Kimbeilsy, on the other hand, is well within the tropics, and has a heavy tropics! rainfall. The meaning of this is, that it is fatal to life for white men to do such extremely hard physical work as gold digging in tbs open air when the sun is shining. It means that where there is no water there is malaria, and consequently fever and ague, to strike a man down at a moment’s notice, and leave him, if be recover, a shivering ghost of his former self for week afterwards. It means that KIMBERLEY IS AS HOT AS INDIA, a country where Englishmen, even with every appliance in the way of comfort and sanitary aid that science can give, lose health and life itself as the penalty of exposure end rashness. In the waterless parts of the Kimberley districts, fever is, no doubt, almost absent, bnt then it is only where water is that men can live and allnvial gold digging be carried on. As with all tropical countries, it is the coast and river bottoms where disease most larks, and as accounts show, it is in those that gold seekers have to halt and travel. How many of those who are on the eve of taking passages for Derby know what living in tents or huts doting a tropical rainy season entails 7 It is not a mere question of hardship and abject misery. If these were all, men might flock there by the hundred for ought we cared. It would be for them to take their ohanoa and make the best of things. Nothing great can be done without hardship. The Australian veterans who are now making their way to Kimberley by land and sea know that, and are most of them prepared to endure any amount cf discomfort sod danger. Bnt the men who mean to go from here are, most of them, not likely to do anything or achieve any result .beyond pointing a well-worn and very sad moral.” THE COUNTRY AND THE CLIMATE As there are many of our readers i nterested in the new El Dorado, w* give a few particulars in addition to those already published. One who knows something of the climate says ;—" Let me implore each man to take with him a few pounds weight of quinine. 1 should also recommend them to take one long white, plain shirt.” In other words a shroud. The diggings are situated well within the tropics, and this will render the climate very trying to those who have known nothing hotter than the New Zealand sun. Tbs Western Australian Government sent ont the explorer Forrest in 1880 to survey the country. Since then little has been done in the shape ol settlement, save by a few adventurous spirits, who squatted there to run stock.

THE WAY UP, It is impossible to accomplish the journey from the sea coast without horses. From Derby, at the head of King George’s Sound, the distance Kimberley is over 350 miles, via Cambridge Gulf 390. Mr Charles Carlisle and a party who started from Cambridge Gulf on Got. 13, were two months travelling up along the Ord, Fraser and Panton rivers before they struck the Elvire, where gold is first found though not in (payable quantities, had some of their animals speared by tho blacks. THE GOLD COUNTRY. With regard to the gold and its quality, and the extent over which the field has been traced, Mr Hardman, the other authority, in the summary of his report to the Western Australian Government, reckons the area over which the precious metal extends, at some 2000 square miles. For nearly 150 miles along the banks of the Ord, Panton, Elvire. Margaret and Mary rivers, both alluvial and quartz gold were found by him. The geological formation are lower silurian slates and schists traversed by an enormous number of quartz reefs of a promising character—most likely a continuation of the gold bearing metamorphic now so successfully worked in North Australia. Mr Hardman’s guess seems to be born out by the fact that the samples already received in Sydney were remarkably rich, and the nuggets—average weight 1 for-did not appear to have been washed far from the matrix, and exactly resembled the Palmer River and North gueensland gold, fetching the highest value of per oz. Mr Carlisle says.- " 1 have not the slightest doubt that this will turn out a great goldfield. All who have rations to stop six months longer are quite sanguine of making a good thing of it, but gold cannot be found everywhere. It requires an experienced digger to look for it. and it will require a man to have at least £l3O to fit himself out with rations, horses and tools for six months trip. It is a hard country to travel in. It is one raasa of gullies, creeks, and ravines intersecting and crossing each other in all directions, and overgrown everywhere with spinnifex. No£a blade of grass is to be seen, except in the creeks and rivers, where at the present lime there is plenty for a limited number of horses. Should there be any influx of diggers, all of them with horses. I am afraid there will be some difficulty in finding grass for them. The best time to arrive is the middle of December, when the grass is beginning to spring. The great difficulty at present is to get rations and requisites. They can only be got at Derby or Cambridge gulf—either place is nearly 400 miles away.”

The Premier has received the following cable from Mr M. S. Smith, Acting Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, dated Perth, 31st May

The following is communicated by direction of Governor Sir Fred. Broome, for the information of your Government“ Gild field has been proclaimed in the Kimberley District. Every reason to believe it will be extensive. About 2000 ounces of gold already obtained. Mount Barrett is about J tbe centre of the field. The distance from Derby is about three hundred and fifty miles, and from Wyudbam about three hundred miles; tbe former is at present the better loute. There are indications of gold one hundred and fifty miles from Derby. Drsj • can travel without great difficulty for about three hundred miles, then paokrhorees have to be used lor the remainder ol distance. So far as gathered there are not a large number of miners at the diggings at pr sent, but more than one thousand men are i tiled to be on their way there. It is most essential, to avoid hardship and risk, that parties proposing to go to diggings should be well equipped with drays, horses, and tents, and should take provision* for several months. Nothing can at present be obtained except at Derby and Wyndham. Recommend all parties coming to bring their own supplies, drey* and bones. We are awaiting report of polios party that left Derby for goldfields on 10th inst. A Warden has been appointed. He proceed* shortly with an escort to the goldfields. Various works are being under* taken in Derby to facilitate the passage of vessels to Poit Derby and tbe landing and storing of goods. Tba passing from the Point to Port Derby is bring properly buoyed, the jetty added, e tramway eon* strneted from the jetty to the town of Derby, end a luge bonded store constructed. An engineer has been sent to Derby to superintend these works enu to expeuiete matters. Additional force of workmen is being despetebed there. The town rite ol Wyndhsm at Cembridge Onlf has been selected, tbe hubour there is excellent, e Government resident end police sntsev «• •

' j. .. . .. - - —«wuiaiu the dietnel. At present, from whet we eau learn, it would be easier lor all parties to co toltoty. h'leaso publish ibis toSwiwß,';