Brighter Britain! (Volume 2 of 2): or Settler and Maori in Northern New ZealandHay, W. Delisle (William Delisle)
History
Brighter Britain! (Volume 2 of 2): or Settler and Maori in Northern New Zealand
Hay, W. Delisle (William Delisle)
Ethnology -- New Zealand; Māori (New Zealand people); New Zealand -- Description and travel
Dandy Jack has kept the horses; he says we shall need them. It appears
that the new field is twenty miles or so from here, in a district
called Ohinemuri. The Warden is camped there, and will proclaim the
gold-field two days from now. Not until that is done can any one take
out the necessary permit to dig for gold. And then there will be a
terrible race from the camp to the range where the prospectors' claim
is situated; for every one, of course, will wish to peg out his claim
as near as possible to that reserved for the original discoverers. It
seems that every one is buying or stealing horses for this exciting
event; and Dandy Jack has refused incredibly handsome offers, and kept
the animals he so luckily brought here in order that we may have a
chance of picking out a good claim.
It is settled among us that Dandy Jack and O'Gaygun shall at once start
for the Warden's Camp. They will go by the native track through the
bush, and will ride, of course. The other two horses they will lead,
loading them with our tools and swag. The Little'un and I remain at
Grahamstown, as we wish to see all we can of gold-mining there. We
shall reach the new field in time for the reading of the proclamation,
getting there by means of a steamer, that is already plying briskly up
and down the river Thames.
After seeing off the two cavaliers and their packhorses, the Little'un
and I begin roaming about the settlement. By certain friendly offices
we are enabled to visit various claims, among which are Hunt's, the
Kuranui, the Caledonian, and the Golden Crown, of course. We have here
opportunity for seeing all the methods employed for quarrying out the
auriferous rock, and we get much valuable information, and many useful
practical hints regarding geological strata, the lay of the quartz, the
character and variations of gold-reefs, etc.
Then we visit the great pump, the principal feature of interest in
Grahamstown, as it is, perhaps, the most stupendous enterprise in
the colony as yet. Water had proved a source of much trouble in the
Caledonian and other claims, which penetrated to some depth. An
association was therefore formed for the erection of a pump. £50,000
was the cost of its erection, and as much more is being spent in
sinking to lower levels.
The engine has a nominal force of 350 horse power. The cylinder is
eighty-two inches in diameter, and the length of stroke ten feet. The
pump pipes are twenty-five inches diameter; and the machine can raise
ten tons of water per minute. Its operation already extends to a depth
of four hundred feet below the sea-level. The output of the field,
from 1867 to 1875, has been roughly estimated to have been 1,080,202
ounces, valued at £3,465,093.
The next objects of interest to us are the quartz-crushing batteries.
Of these we are told there are thirty-six on the field. The smallest
has four stampers, and the largest sixty-two. Most of them have between
twenty and forty stampers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account