THE NEW RUSH NEAR WESTPORT.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 639, 31 March 1870, Page 2

THE NEW RUSH NEAR WESTPORT.

GROUND EXTENSIVE. PROSPECTS GOOD.—WASH-DIRT THIN.

It is well to be precise in figures relating to new rushes, especially in a case where; the facts are easily ascertainable, as they are in relation to the rush which took place on Monday to the terrace now known as Bradshaw's, on the south side of the Buller. With regard to the prospect obtained by the Warden in the prospectors' claim, and washed at the Bank of New South Wales, it was said by us on Tuesday that it was thirty grains, or \\ dwts. to three dishes of wash-dirt. Of course this should have read li dwts. The accidental inaccuracy revealed itself by the statement of the number of grains; but as a number of clever people may imagine that the printer knew no better, or was designedly exaggerating, it may be some satisfaction to them to have the error thus early corrected. In the narrative of the incidents which preceded the rush there was also a statement which, when we are correcting, we may as well rectify. It was said that the two Scotchmen— Alexander M'Lean and Alexander Simpson—who prospected the ground on the recommendation of Bradshaw and Penuiall, its lease-holders, bad come from the Wairau after a season of sheep-shearing. The facts are that it was Bradshaw and Penniall who had been so employed, and it was on their return from Marlborough, and on their way hither by the steamer, that they recommended the two Alecks,who were fellow-passengers, to give the ground a trial. Though capable of aiding them in the discovery of a new goldfield, the Scotchmen disavow any acquaintance with the mysterious art of shearing a sheep. Of the rush itself it may be said that the "prospects" are very promising. Unfortunately for the ready acquisition of any accurate knowledge of the character and extent of the ground, it rained most relentlessly for forty-eight hours after the rush commenced. By the superstitious this is recognised as an excellent omen, their opinion being that the best rushes are always attended by plenty of rain and slush. Practical people, however, prefer to know that, so far, the prospects are good. We speak of those obtained on Tuesday, under most disadvantageous circumstances. On that morning, in the midst of heavy rain, those who had marked out claims crossed the river, and complied with the law so far as to be present on their ground, but the surroundings—the atmosphere and the bush—were so soaking that only a few were induced to set in to sink. On the four first claims next that of the prospectors, on the south side, this was done, but the day was very discouraging; to any work being done above ground, and up to four o'clock, only one hole was really bottomed on the regular run of wash. In that hole, with only four feet sinking, a thoroughly payable prospect was obtained. This was in the claim of Morris and Miller, who are third from the prospectors on the south side. They first sank a hole of the same depth somewhat close to the foot of the terrace, and came upon a thin layer of the wash—a bluish grey sand and gravel—but not more than a few colors to the shovel were procurable, and that much is procurable in almost any part of the ground through which they sink. The next hole they put in about twenty feet sea-ward, and, while our reporter was present, there were several shovelsful washed out, in each of which the prospect was payable, the gold being of the same scaly character as that obtained in the prospectors' claim, with a considerable quantity of black sand, but no rubies apparent. The sinking was through a couple of feet of loam surface ground, and a foot of dry grey sand until a layer of shingle anil boulders was reached, the boulders—to make a familiar comparison—ranciner from the size of a two-pound loaf to that of a fifty of flour. Immediately under-lying these was the wash, and the gold was occasionally visible in it as it was taken up by the spade. At the points at which it was struck, it was not more than eighteen inches in thickness, but it is possible that it may increase in thickness either in the direction of the hole which was first sunk or further outward on the flat. On a line with this hole the two parties holding ground between this claim and the prospectors were also sinking when our reporter left the ground on Tuesday, and, though they had not then bottomed, the indications so far were similar. The first holes they had put in had also been too close to the terrace. Number four claim, M'Master's, had not been bottomed, neither had the holders of number five sunk their second paddock, but both seemed to be on the same sort of ground, and on the line of lead, and by this time (we are writing on Wednesday morning) we have no doubt that they have aho proved their ground to be payable, however much or little there may be of it.

On the Buller side of the prospectors' claim—between their boundary and the Lagoon—several claims have been marked off, but as the ground is still under crop, the surface has not yet been broken. Higher up on the terraces, above the prospectors' and above the other claims contignous, ground has also been pegged out, in the hope of other layers of wash being found at a different level from that discovered, and, from the appearance

of the "ground, it is not improbable that other and probably better leads may be developed. Although the bush is in some places close, or choked with fallen trunks, the first ten or twelve claims are easily accessible by the blazed boundary of Bradshaw's and Penoiall's ground. Beyond that it is not so easy to proceed, and the representations made as to the ground being taken up for a couple of miles is all a fiction. At least such was not the case on Monday or Tuesday. In fact there are not men in the district to take up ground for any great distance within so short a time, nor are miles of ground in dense bush run over so rapidly as some plucky pioneers would lead people to believe. The most ready way of reaching the limit of the ground marked off, or to proceed along the lead, is to mount the terrace at once and to get on to the Pakihi. Along the top of the terrace there is usually a strip of bush a few yards wide, but in many places the terrace is an abrupt descent from the open flat of which the Pakihis consist. Along this flat there is easy walking till you reach a clump of bush growing" on river-side terrace at right angles to the sea-beach terrace in which the gold is got. That is the only impediment to clear walking for a long distance, and it is the preferable route for prospectors to take, in proceeding southward. Should the district be developed in that direction —and the alleged procuring of superior prospects two miles south is significant of that probability—the Pakihi would be the best road for packers and others to take. It is easily accessible from the spur which runs up from behind Bradshaw's house, or, by a detour, froin the track to Addison's Flat. Provisions or implements can be got on the ground also by canoe or boat proceeding up what is both a branch of the Lagoon and the outflow of Dirty Mary's creek, which apparently empties itsell into the Buller at this great distance from its source. But it is not likely to continue navigable very long. Should the terrace be worked, tail-races such as the prospectors have cut to the creek will require to be formed, and the creek is also the most convenient situatien for washing, so that, by the accumulation of tailings, its character may very soon become changed. Water-rights upon the Pakihi have already been secured by the prospectors, by M'Masters and others, and in obtaining a sufficient supply no great difficulty is apparent. But it may be essential to bring in a greater supply than the Pakihis can furnish, as the ground seems especially adapted for hydraulic sluicing. Should this be the system adopted, water in such situations as the water-race to the brewery, or in the water-races supplying Addison's Flat, will become of considerable value.

Going always upon the presumption that the ground is extensive enough to sustain a considerable population, one of the first works to be" done is that which we have already suggested —the cutting of a track and the construction of a bridge between Packers' Point and Point Penniall, or whatever the beginning of the lead may be designated. An application for protection has already been made by persons who contemplate constructing a bridge fit for passenger and horse traffic, but the work is so simple that it might at once be done by order of the Engineer, and without any special charge upon the public. For the ordinary ferry fare from "Westport, the grouud would then be accessible. At present it is only so by a devious route through the labyrinth of the Lagoon, at the cost of half-a-crown, and at only a certain stage of the tide is passage possible.

LATEST PARTICULARS

Yesterday proved, in point of weather, a most agreeable contrast to the lugubrious watery days by which it was preceded, and those who had pegged out claims on the scene of the rush put in a considerable appearance numerically, and a creditable appearance in point of capability as miners. A few there were, of course, who, in shirt sleeves, shouldered shovels, and manfully breasted the bush, but their town breeding revealed itself by their greater familiarity with the uses of ham sandwiches, and with the respectable firm of Messrs Hooper and Dodson, than with the purposes of picks and shovels. By them no excessive amount of work was done ; and, to a man, they voted the place a " rank duffer:" What they had or had not seen in Victoria, Otago, and at the Grey would take a long day to relate. Suffice it that, compared with the poorest of the poor places there, this was poorer, and, according to their dictum, the rush was at an end.

There was another class represented —-the class which is in the majority in this district—miners who already hold claims on the terraces and to whom nothing but a substantial "show" would afford any inducement. They went seriously to work to test the depth and breadth of the ground, and, so far as theirprospectshavegone.their opinion is worth having. If they err they err on the side of detracting from the character of the ground, because nothing but what is really and exceptionally good would satisfy them personally. Their opinion is that the ground will be worked—that it will pay wages—that it will afford steady work to numerous parties for a number of months—but that, so far, it has not proved itself worth a man's while

to put a wages man on in a claim elsewhere. The third class of diggers is represented by the few who have had experience of Auckland and Waugapeka, and they are satisfied. They believe that, even by cradling, a living is to be made, and that there are, on the coast and elsewhere, many men who would be glad to have such ground to work, having, as they should have, plenty of it at their disposal. The facts are that, ior such shallow sinking, existing so near to the source of supplies, the prospects are good. The sinking so far has only ranged from three to six feet, and in holes four and a half feet deep the best prospects have been obtained. The prospects have been in some cases a grain to the shovel, and in the majority of instances from a grain to a grain and a half to the dish. The prospectors' representations have, in fact, been most accurately verified. But tho quantity of wash in the only lead which has yet been " tapped " is small. In certain situations—usually towards the terrace—it is not more than six inches, thickening as it extends towards the flat, but not reaching any greater thickness than eighteen inches or two feet. So far as has been showu by the few holes bottomed yesterday, the lead isnot more than twelve or fifteen feet wide, but the flat is absolutely uuprospected, and there is at present no knowledge as to what number of leads may exist either there or towards the terrace. The experience of the Okarito and Greymouth beaches would suggest that there others, but at present, of course, they are so many " castles in the air." The deduction from all tho observations which have yet been possible, and from all the honest, intelligent testimony that is available, is that there are several miles of ground which, in itself, is rich, but that it is only sufficient in quantity to give a good week's wage. The same prospects in the Northern Terraces, where the wash is several feet in thickness, would be productive of pile claims.

A few of those who visited the ground yesterday took the route by Packers' Point, walking over the narrow peninsular strip which intervenes between King's Hotel and the Lagoon. Our reporter, who has become quite agile and gonlla-ish in circumventing "supplejacks" and "lawyers," went this way, and, following King's fence, he found a good open survey track straight to the Lagoon. If a road were made this way, three or four small culverts would be required, and a log bridge over the Lagoon at Bradshaw's; otherwise aroad could be easily and cheaply made. At present, excep"t at dead low water, this route is not recommer.dable. The way was not long, nor the wind cold, neither were those who walked it gifted with minstrelsy, or infirm aud old, but they revealed shocking bad tempers when they arrived at the bank of the Lagoon to "whistle on their thumbs," or to invite by " coo-ey " the aid of a boatman from Penniall Point. They had put their faith in King, who was to have had a boat on the Lagoon, as any decent boatman would have had for sixpence a head, but Mr King had not completed the cutting of a track, if he ever means to do it, and the poor Pil G-arlics who pioneered for the benefit of the public were first "joed," and then charged a " bob " by a gentleman who also represents the hotelkeeping interest by the proprietorship of a cask of beer and a few bottles of " hard," which were fairly patronised, and seemed to go well with cold potatoes.

The prospectors' claim, which is on the cleared ground, and on the track of visitors, has had nothing done to it since the commencement of the rush. Next to it, on south-west side, is a claim in which Champion and Stephen Forrester, with other mates, united, compromising their claims to it. They had sunk two holes, getting gold in each ; from a third hole on the same ground the prospectors had payable prospects. G-racey, of the next party, was bottoming, and in the afternoon had done so, with a similar show to _ that in the claim of Morris and Miller. From the latter claim similar prospects to those of the previous day got—occasionally a grain to the shovel; and from M'Master's several were taken, two of which, when cleaned at one of the Banks, gave a grain and a grain and a half to a small dish. In cleaning these prospects it was found that there is little or no iron sand in the wash. It does not take to the magnet, but has to be blown, and it is more properly described as grey sand, such as prevails in some of the other districts of the West Coast. Smith and a party of four or five had nearly similar prospects to those around them, but they exhibited a recommendable spirit of ambition, and, in a variety of digging parlance, desiderated the possession of something better. The prospect was good, but perhaps not equal to a Junction Hotel or a well-managed dairy. Bill Damins and his party had sunk a hole on the upper edge of the lead, and were monarchs of all they could survey in another sunk by the prospecters. Between the two they put a third in, and they got some nice little pieces—quite nuggetty in their way for such small gold—and otherwise they had a fair average prospect. The Albion Claim, under the active personal management of Mr James Milne, immediately adjoins, and from tho hole sunk several prospects were washed, equal to a grain to the dish. The next claims are Bill Murray's, Aleck Russell's, "Whelan's, and

M'Mockan's—the last-mentioned being one of the shareholders in the extensive water-race which is being brought into the beach at the Karamea. The prospects were all about the same, and the complaint the same —not enough wash. Sherlock and party had got a small rough prospect in the usual trial hole near the torrace, and were sinking others more towards the flat. Next them was Mathew Steele's, and he was able to show as good a prospect as any one—got from the first hole, four and a half feet deep. Though good, it was, perhaps, the product of all the wash exposed in the little hole, for the wash was not more than six inches thick. However, Mr Blatthew is somewhat satisfied, and makes what appears to be a reasonable estimate of the value of the ground. He thinks it will pay best by cradling; that it will at least run an ounce to tbe load, or half an ounce per day to each man ; and that every bit of the ground will yet be worked. We hope and believe his calculations are correct. Numerous claimholders beyond these were sinking holes, and several had bottomed with very equal prospects, though in a few instances superior. A number of, but not very many, new hands were also on the ground, and were taping off those who, for themselves or absent friends, were holding more than their allowance. It ia not improbable that the southerly end of the lead will be found to improve in value, the theory being that the gold is not the product of the ancient Buller, but of the creeks which have, in past times, flowed through the auriferous ground of Addison's Flat, or from the same source as the gold which is distributed there on a still older line of beach. A very few days' work will illustrate by facts the value of this theory, as it will also test the extent to which the lead as yet exposed will be worked. Meantime it is known that heavier gold has been found to the southward. Ridiculous rumors prevailed as to the Wallabi bringing some hundreds of passengers from the south, supposed to be induced to come by exaggerated reports. We do not believe exaggerated reports have been transmitted elsewhere, and, as to the Wallabi, she arrived last evening without passengers, and without any knowledge of the rush.