THE HAU HAU DIGGINGS. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

West Coast Times, Issue 187, 25 April 1866, Page 2

THE HAU HAU DIGGINGS. (FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

(Continued.) By this time the^ preparations for christening the claim having been completed, Mr Waite, upon whom the honor of officiating had devolved, addressed the assembly in a short, pithy speech, and, at its conclusion, dashed a bottle of wine against the wiidlass and named the claim the " All Najions," the first ever christened on the Hau Hau goldfield. Three hearty cheers vyere given, and all drank success to the Company, the crowd afterwards quietly dispersing. There are eight shareholders in this cjaim, whose names respectively are Peter Bent, James Rowland, Stephen Quick, George Ambury, Wholoff Oulston, John Quinh, William Caldwell, and Robert Douglas^. The above little episode caused no small excitement amongst the diggers, who, during the afternoon, "rushed" the lead a long distance ahead. Indeed, I was informed the next morning that nearly the whole distance.between the " All Nations" claim and Tucker Flat (which are quite three miles apart) had been staked off. /^Although this is the first time an attempt has ever been made to lay before" the public a detailed description of the Hau Hau Goldfield, it cannot by any means be considered a new " diggings," as ground was broken and gold first discovered over twelve months ago in the Three Mile Creek, which takes its name from the distance between its junction with the sea and Hokitika. Some miners term this the Hau Hau Creek ; but in doing so, I believe them to be mistaken, as that stream is a tributary of the Three Mile, joining it about four miles from the sea. It is some four miles above this junction where gold was found last year by a party of prospectors, who were either on their way to the Eanieri rush at the time, or had pushed out from that locality in the direction of the Waimea, hoping to strike new country. In this they succeeded, but kept their discovery a secret ; and as the Kanieri was the centre of attraction at the time, and the bush exceedingly difficult to penetrate, only a favored few stumbled upon their whereabouts. They, however, wno did work in the vicinity of the " old township on the Three Mile were, I am informed, exceedingly fortunate, one or two of them clearing out with £1500 per man. I had not time to visit these workings, which are quite distinct from the principal lead, and are situated a mile above it, on the left hand branch of the main creek. This creek runs through an extensive flat, which extends right up to the Coast Range, although towards the head it is broken up into ridges, by the points of small spurs projecting from the range, and is bounded on either side by high terraces, which, on being surmounted, are found to be merely ridges, also running down from the ranges. In fact, the Hau Hau Goldfield is formed by a succession of such ridges, all of them running in the same direction, and separated by gullies and ' flats, of which the Three Mile is the most extensive. As the direction of the Coast Range is abont AI.N.E. by S.S.W., so these spurs run nearly east and west, and a short distance beyond, where the lead crosses them, taper off, and become merged in the flat which sweeps round their base. Thus the country is exceedingly rugged and difficult to traverse, but its features must charm the eyejof an experienced digger for never did I see a more " likely looking spot for gold." fAuriferous indications abound and ore most marked, and were the excessive growth of timber cleared away it would be easy to detect a resemblance between the Hau Hau and some parts of the Fryer's Creek district in Victoria. As it would take days to visit and thoroughly inspect the different working*

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in the Hau Hau district, and as my stay there extended to twenty-four hours only, I shall not attempt a description of any other portions of it than that traversed by the deep lead, and a part of the Three Mile Flat. The latter certainly contains the principal workings as not only is there a considerable population located at the diggings near the old township, but a lead called the " Blue Spur" has been traced from the head of the right hand branch of the main creek for a distance of one mile and-a-half downwards and past the juncti in of the two. This lead takes its name from the color of the washdirt, which consists of a heavy blue sandstone wash, through which a considerable quantity of granite gravel is distributed. The sinking varies in depth according to the inequalities of the surface, the shallowest holes being at its head close to the creek, but as the run of gold was lost there some parties are prospectingjthe side of the spur where a depth of seventy feet has been reached. I had not time to visit the locality, but hear that miners are sanguine they will find payable gold. The lower end of the lead I inspected and was informed by some diggers, who asserted that they first opened it, that from end to end it payed well, and although " pile claims" were not common, good wages, say from £7 to £20 per week fiad been made. Besides a thick layer of washdirt on the main bottom there is in some places another above it on a false bottom, which paid nearly as well, and it was in this that these men first struck gold twelve months ago, and they have been working in the same claim ever since, but are now employed taking out the lower layer. The lead is still being traced downwards, and has very nearly reached the line where the deep lead crosses the flat. The sinking at the end is shallow, not more than sixteen feet, but as there is a great deal of water to contend with shareHolders are cutting a tail race from the creek to drain it. This they can easily do as the creek tuns through a narrow gorge in the flat, twenty feet below the surface. More than a mile of the bed of this channel las been turned over, attd in some places paid very well; in fact, a party who worked a portion of it, told me that he could cradle out from 4oz. to lOoz. of gold daily. It was, however, soon exhausted, and was throughout exceedingly patchy. To define the width of the Blue Lead would be somewhat difficult, gold having been found from the creek to the range. Indeed, the eurface floil on the side of the latter is impregnated with the precious metal, and would pay well waait (systematically sluiced. The lead proper however is about three claims wide, but seems inclined to narrow at the lower end. The last claim bottomed will pay about 1 oz. to the load, with two feet of washdirt in a solid reef bottom. The gold is coarse and nuggetty, pieces an ounce in weight having been unearthed. Although my inspection of the Three Mile Creek diggings was cursory in the extreme, I am fully convinced they will be permanent, and that the flat will prove payable throughout its entire length. There is nothing in its features to lead to the supposition that the onward course of the Blue Spur Lead is likely to receive a sudden check, but rather on the contrary, that it should become richer and more defined after it crosses the line of the deep lead. It is only natural to calculate on its being fed from either range, and therefore until that point is reached where these ranges dip into the lower country bordering the coast, it is only feasible to believe that the run of gold will continue and pay well for working. There are others who entertain the same ideas as myself touching the future of the Three Mile, for a township has during the past month been formed at the end of the Blue Lead, and albeit the site is both muddy and unpromising, it is susceptible of improvement and will in all likelihood yet carry a thriving little community. There are several detached stores on the flat, all of which seem to be well patronised ; of these the principal is kept by Mr Kellet, and it affords me much gratication to make due acknowledgment to that gentleman for the kindness and hospitality I received at his hands. It is also currently reported that one or two hotels will be erected shortly, so that visitors will find no lack of accommodation when chance leads them that way.