THE KARAMEA GOLDFIELD.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 708, 8 September 1870, Page 2

THE KARAMEA GOLDFIELD.

In our last we gave a short account of a miner having brought in some gold from the neighborhood of the Karamea after five weeks' work there. Since that was printed, Mr O'Brien, the miner referred to, has furnished the Nelson "Colonist" with further particulars. Our contemporary forms aa opinion that the approaching summer will see the development of a goldfield of very promising aspect, with room for hundreds of men. Seven weeks ago, Mr O'Brien left Harding's store, on the Motueka river, with a swag of flour, bacon, Ac., upwards of seventy pounds weight, directing his course for Salisbury's Open. He had procured some slight information of the place, and having been shown some gold from there, the appearance of which led him to infer that very payable ground existed, he determined alone to make the journey and see for himself. The imperfectly defined track was very arduous travelling, through the hill and spurs which had to be surmounted, and in consequence of the snow which had to be passed through, knee deep, on an uncertain track, and in which, in some cases, he would break through and sink in up to his armpits. The ground ho worked is on the plain situated about ten miles on this side of the Karainea bend, that is ten miles nearer to Nelson, and he reached it after a day and a-half s very difficult tramp from the place he started from. During his work here, by himself, and unconnected with any party, he washed out forty-two ounces of gold; but the provisions he started with getting short, he was forced to commence his return journey, which was still more difficult and painful to him than the former, plunging through the snow having skinned his feet and legs, and reduced him to a semi-crip-pled condition, having had to pass through at least nine miles of snow that covered the track from the Open down to Flowers's Creek. Mr O'Brien has been in several of the New Zealand gold districts, and he says that he never saw better prospects generally for the miner, or the probability of more favorable ground, and he believes it will be found to be gold bearing from Flowers's Creek to Salisbury's Open, and possibly as far as up to the Bend! He urges the necessity for the Government to make a track, which will avoid the difficulties of Horseshoe Hill and Mount Arthur by taking it further towards Takaka way, which he believes to be perfectly practicable. Mr O'Brien particularly urges those who are inclined to visit this ground not to do so at the present season, as it would be perfectly useless and ill-advised to think of trying this road for at least two months to come. After that time the suow will most probably have disappeared sufficiently to allow the prospecting and working of the ground to go on with some chance of success.