KIMBERLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1844, 14 June 1886, Page 3

KIMBERLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

The excitement in connection with the Kimberley rash, notwithstanding the dearth H news from that quarter, Joe* not diminish, aud we hear first of oue and then another who has made up his mind to ■* sell all that be hath,” like the man in the parable, in the hope cf discovering hidden wi-altb. The several Wairsrapa townships are contributing :o the rash. Situations are thrown up, businesses disposed of or let, aud money is scraped together to carry the enthusiastic explorer across the sea and over the long inland Australian journey. And this is going on also in all the larger cities and country townships. On the West Coast of the other island a large nomber of miners have cleared off for Kimberley. Most of them are, with one or two exceptions (says the Grey River Argus) entitled to be classed as “ old diggers,” but some of them—and not the least efficient of the crowd, if not of the old band of “ fortyniners," of whom so few, alas ! are left—are men who dale their miuing experience from 'SO, 'sl, and '52. It is a curious commentary on goldfields’ history tbat the most susceptible subject to the news cf new gold discoveries is the hardened—we might eay case-hardened —" old digger," the man who has undergone all the ape and downs of that uncertain vocation. That ie, that the man who has seen all tbs wont sides of the picture of s goldminer’s life is ever the first to lead a rush. He is always the avant garde. It really does seem a* if the old argonants are determined not to die oat while there is a “ golden fleece ” to be won. A rare old band they are. The pity ie that they should 1« thinning off so quickly. There are no terrors for them. Fever and ague, flies, blacks, and crocodiles they lengh at. A stoat heart carries a man far, bat we only hope that the drawback! of the climate of Northern Australia want nothing more to enable men to contend ■gainst it. If that part of the country is to be opened up it will be done by the men from the other coloniee, “ New chums ” will never do it. And if there is really any bottom in Kimberley the trained diggers from New Zealand and Australia will find it. If they should succeed, Western Australis will become one of the fineet colonies of the group, and will owe a debt of gratitude to the men of the other ooloniee who rushed to her boundary at the first note of the discovery •f gold.

Ai old Otago minar writing from Kimberley to a friend in Hokitika, with regard to the alau ot country to be travelled says •• We (meaning a party ef twenty-fix), left Malboorae on March 2nd for Port Derby, which place we reached in about aixteen days, and left almost immediately for the scene of the naw workings. The first 126 miles we travelled on foot with comparatively little difficulty ; after that we covered another 60 miles without coming across the slightest trace of any water, the heat being something terrific, and the hardships we had to put up with are beyond description. We next passed five days without coming across water, except what we managed to carry with us. Four of our party were then attacked with fever, from which thiee died. We are now in camp (as I write you this letter), a distance of 304 miles from Port Derby, and have not yet reached the principal gold workings. We met a survey party, by whom I foiward this latter, who informed ns that the sinking was from three to lour feet, and that a quantity of gold waa found under the tussocks. I would not advise you at present to come here, at leaat until you hear from me again, aa just now there really is very little to in. ' dnce anyone to come to a country like this.” j Robert Puryee, who lately returned from Kimberley, sends the following interesting letter to the Dubbo Despatch "As I have just Come back from Kimberley, after nine months’ prospecting and exploring, I am able to give you full information. We made up a party in Port Darwin, and came to Cambridge Gulf in a boat chartered by a storekeeper, who brought 40 tons r f goods and started building a atore at the gulf. He i brought a quantity of fowls and geese, which I did not last long, being eaten by alligators I and snakes. After waiting six weeks six of ns and 20 horses started up the Ord Eiver ! and followed it for 200 miles through wellwatered and splendid pastoral country, the grass growing to the height of six feet and being of good fattening quality. The Ord is 1 a beautiful river, mnch like the Darling in j ■ixe, qnd abounding in fish for 50 miles. As far u the tide goes it is infested with alligators, and beyond that it ii full of crocodiles. | There are plenty of game, wild geese and dneka, along the river. The blacks in this 1 pan are cannibals, and eat tbeir own ! children. They are too wild to attack white I men, and run like deer at the eight of themf 1 In appearance, they are the finest race of i blacks I have seen mostly six feet high, with | fine limbs and broad chests. After leaving , the Urd we struck up the Pantou River, on i to the Elvire, where there were mountain! and gullies, well grassed. After six months' travelling we came to the gold region, which I believe will be the future El Dorado of Australia. The party divided here, and got neatly 100 ounces in three weeks, being compelled to leave there, for want of rations, and return to Derby. About forty mile* away we •track gold, getting twelve ounces in a few days ; but we bad to leave or starve. There never waa a white man in tnese places before. The party we separated from got gold sixty miles north of ns. The intervening country is not half prospected. The gold is a beautiful sample, and we got i.4 per ounce for it. We found a great many quarts specimens thickly impregnated with gold in the face. One-half the geld, I behave, will turn oat grand. It is no use for man logo till the wet season sets in, which waa January with us. In the dry season there is no water for gold-washing, ana only sufficient lor domestic use, after carrying it for miles. Men must be provided with provisions to last through the wet season. They tequire plenty of pack-horses, which are dear at Derby—£3o each. On our way down, we wire compelled to live on boned grass and grubs, ana thought ourselves lucky if wa could catch a snake or an iguana, being away from mote desirable game turongb having to travel on the high ground, it being the wet season, and the low country being flooded. After much trouble and privation, we reached Derby, considerably tne worse lor wear, having no hoots, and very few clothes. The cumste agreed with na, but not with others. I am going back with another company at once.