JOHN TITTERS GOLD-MINE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11457, 14 January 1905, Page 2

JOHN TITTERS GOLD-MINE.

\Contribti£ed.) , ,„,,.., "l-o yon did not think": ttvare - were," any gold mines Iwi^-g 'workefi/ in Wafrganui,, } fc " *hr" said a cLtiz-e'n.to m«:fehe other day.'. - '••\\ r c-11, L gun assitrs -you, there "*re several,".,. .• s.nid lit, •and a very good paying one is disclaim pi-ggedjjiic hy Mr J«jhii _Titter, a wcli-kno-.vn c;tiz€-n of this town. Some old digger chiinr o¥-<his was unkind enough to insinuate thai John could 'draw the long bow, but thos-> who know John best r,ce quite convince-! that he has no euch Aiuni'haiis.en-l:k-? proeLy.ties, and that Da Rougetnont is it person he ne<-er heard of. But 'to the stpry of John's claim and how he came to peg it out. John had i>een working hard at several things,' and they all turned out. dUfFers., .so he was a • bit down oil his 'liu-k; but in doing a*bit ' ■ of prospecting jon« t day- he rambled as far as a piac? known' as 'Brickniakers' Flat,' and looking aitßigrinse 3iilLside he thought it a likely spot to drive or tunnel. Itwas private property, so he looked up the owner, who happened to be an oid digger himself, and said he would like to peg out a claim and work the ground aa a tribulsr. or he would take a lease. Aa" 1 " the owner had ahcady worked some of the ground and found the sinking. „. too .. harcir ho decided to let John have a try to sec if he could knock out tucker. Well, he pitched his camp, and set to work and rig»ed up a pudd; ing-machine and began to strip. First, he found the surfacing payable, giving a pennyweight or so to the load; then when he puddled the clay it turned out a good many nuggets, though a, ii2w chum might not think bo, but John knsw better, so hs took- a good : many loads away,, andr.if lie didn't wash the stuff someone else did, and he .got th© gold. Well, then, after stripping all th© mullock he came to the washdirt, but instead of putting this through the cradle, 'Tom,' or eluica-box, he took a pennyweight a load for if;, aud let it go. He is still working away at the claim. Working, did I say; yes, and John can give somo of the young ones a start at that game- yet, and then beat .them. If they, had a thousand or two like him at the. Transvaal they would soon iner-easo the output and settle the South African diffi- < culty. The. last time I saw John he vraa making his way to~tho bank to-send away a hag of gold by the oacort." SUNDOWNER. P.S. — I forgot to say that the' ! stuff John put through the puddling-machine used to go nearly an ounce to the load, but now it only gees about eight pennyweights. . , .