A TRIP TO THE ROUND HILL.

Western Star, Issue 426, 12 March 1881, Page 2

A TRIP TO THE ROUND HILL.

By YlAioii.

We left our readers at the Bound Hill, or rather they left us there enjoying the hospitali j of Mr Berndstou. As the evei ing came on

showery weather set in, thus limiting our peregrinations for that day. This was regretted, inasmuch as our purposed stay did not extend beyond the morrow, and we were told that it would take fully two or three days to “ do” the Bound Hill properly. Here we made the acquaintance of Mr Walton, a gentleman of considerable mining experience, who had arrived just after us from Kiverton. Mr Michael Fitzgerald, a Round Hill miner, whom we had met with before, also added his friendly greeting and his presence to the company, and Mr Beveridge, a Lougwood miner, who had borne us company in wandering thus far, completed the company. The recounts of former experiences and adventures on Australian and New Zealand goldfields made up the entertainment of the evening. The next morning proving fine, we sallied out under the guidance of Mr Fitzgerald, and bent our steps westward across several claims into a gully to look at a quartz reef. Here we found a batch of “ leaders” and “threads” of whitish quartz running through the gully in a direction about north-east. The quartz in character was fissile, containing little or no pyrites, and no appreciable indications of gold, but it was pretty well mixed with small scales of mica, which under some aspects might resemble gold in the solid stone, and be difficult to distinguish from it without a magnifying glass. After this stone has been exposed to the influences of the atmosphere for a short time, the mica in it changes color, £ro*i a white silvery appearance to a more delusive golden brightness, which renders it so deceptive to anyone looking for gold in the quartz. This change in the color of the mica is caused by the rusting of the iron in its composition. As a rule, quartz containing mica is “nogood.” We gave our own experience by stating that we have never yet seen a speck of gold in micaceous quartz, and will be surprised to meet with it in such a condition at any time. We were once shown a specimen of this same kind of stone by an Orepuki gentleman of mining experience, who seemed to think that be had found a piece of quartz in the district with a veritable speck of gold in the solid stone, but which upon a subsequent examination proved a delusion.. This brings to our mind the Longwood “rush” two years ago. During the feverish excitement which then prevailed for a short time, when everybody was a miner pro tern, we were shown some fine-looking specimens by a miner (?) who seemed honestly to have good faith in them, but whether his faith remained as strong after the interview is doubtful, for upon inspection the said specimens were proved to be micaceous quartz, and bad passed through a fire, which brought out the golden color of the mica to perfection.

On another occasion we were called aside from the street to the shop door by the proprietor, to look at a specimen which a sapient individual was exhibiting. The specimen was then taken out of a small bag, unwrapped with care, and exposed to our wondering eyes. We did not need to handle it, but quietly told the owner that if he wanted any more of it we could inform him where he could get as much as he liked, and “ peg away” at it till the next generation if it suited him ! The fact was he had got hold of a piece of mica schist which had been burnt, and thereby transformed from common bed-rock into a dazzling specimen. We have merely mentioned these cases to show how easily persons may bo deceived by the changed condition of the mica. As in the two last, the parties themselves had unsuspectingly, by burning the quartz, been the principal cause of their self-deception. But to return to our party at the quartz reef in the gully. It was said that a prospect of loose gold could be washed from the leaders, still we could not recommend much attention to be given to it, as the reef was of a kind likely to occur frequently in the bed rock, and at the out-crop would probably collect a little free gold in the crevices.

The alluvial claims on this side of the hill were next inspected. The first thing noticeable was the great depth of the “face,” which in some claims was as much as 70 feet from the surface of the ground to the bed rock. Looking down into one of these claims, we were not a little surprised to see Chinamen working under such a wall of earth ; generally we have found “John ”in safer ground. "Working in these claims is attended with a considerable amount of danger from falling trees, whose roots have become loosened by the falling earth, and by unexpected falls from the face and the sides os the claim. An immense amount of earth had been swept away from these claims into the flat below by the steady persevering sluieers, which had by accounts given, left a good profit with the owners. We were kindly shown a “prospect” in O’Brien’s claim taken up on the shovel ; we did not count the specks, but thought there were a hundred or more, but the gold was very fine, in fact it was the finest we had ever seen collected.

Returning from that side of the bill we were joined by Mr Berndston, who lod us into some claims on the other side, which falls into the Arawa Creek. Here we found Chinamen following the “ wash ” into a spur with drives, after a sort of “ rat-hole ” fashion—leaving more behind them than what they took out. From this place we passed over to Marsh’s claim. Here again we noted the same deep face with its stratified “ wash,” but not meeting with the owner of the claim, we only took a general view of it. We bad no time to visit the claims in the fiat beh>w, where sinking and driving were going on, but were told that the prospects were good. One thing we did observe in reference to that quarter — the flat gi’ound was fast getting covered by the sludge which in some places had accumulated to the extent that trees were being smothered up by it. The Round Hill has two great wants. The first and the greatest is a proper channel to convey the sludge to the

natural outlet in Wakapatu Bay. Call that a “tail race” or a “sludge chaunel ” or whatever you will, still it is sorely needed in the district. The debris is dally accumulating ou the “flats,” and covering up good raining ground at a great rate. It appears that a company is being formed to construct a proper channel, which when formed must prove a great boon to the district. We have no doubt they will succeed and get well paid for it, and although we have not a particle of interest in either the company or the Round Hill, yet we very cordially wish both good speed. The second want is water —more water. To help to meet this need, Mr Berndsten is cutting in a race from the Bald Hill side of the Longwood. The race is to carry about six government heads, which will be a grand acquisition to the water supply of the district.

The name “Round Hill” seetrs after all to be a misnomer, as the place is situated on the spur running down from the Longvt ood, and the diggings are all over the spur, and at the foot of it, besides on the flat ground towards the sea beach.

The geological formation consists of recent deposits of clay, upwards of twenty feet thick; underneath this a bed of fine sand stratified with “ black sand.” The thickness of the sand bed varies from ten to twenty feet. A seam of coal shale next occurs, about five feet thick, resting upon clay with boulders through it; and the bed-rock, is for the most part ihornbiende greenstone. The gold is found scattered through the sandstone, and also underneath the seam of shale. This formation is very uniform, and seems continuous for some distance at this altitude. The lower flat ground also bids fair to have another series of strata and deposits peculiar to it, which might represent heavier gold prospects. There is work for miners at Round Hill for many generations, and we wish them good times in getting the gold, and beg to take our leave of the Round Hill.