TEAROHA GOLDFIELD.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 7 January 1881, Page 2

TEAROHA GOLDFIELD.

■ : » - The following letter from Mr Charles Brunn, nn old and highly respected resident of Eeefton, has been kindly placed at ot'ir disposal. It is dated from Te flrolin, and was addressed to Mr James Grieve, of this town .— First you must excuse mo for not wr?« ting to you ere tbis; I have several times thought oF doing so, but lure post*poned it from time lo time for the reasons j that I hare so far been un ihle to form any definite opinion about the place, as to whether it is going to be a success or otherwise. However, I will delay it no longer, ns I well know you will be Bnxiou» to hear whatever news or what" ever ficcounts I may be able to giro yon rpornrding it: I may siy that from the first (lav I came here I have felt doubt" ful,of the rayn'ileapss of the reefs of this field, and I still feel so, though in a modified (\esrpp, n« during tlie last few days rather hetlc prnspeets hive hepn obtained, and reefs of larger sizi and apparent permmency discovered, but withal they are nrt sue'i as would b° thought much of on the West C"v»st« We have a large number o? .rcefa of different sizes, averaging from 3 inches to 7 or 8 feet or more in thicfenees. nnd running in various di« reef ions, but Hie crreat majority *of them show very little gold, an 3i£ would be ex* iremely Inzirdous to pronounce them navaWe. There are however three or four, which I think may be classed as payable, first among which is the Prospector, and as this place is very young yet. the chances are that more will be discovered and found to be payable in course of time. A parcel from tho Prospectors of 35;-wt. was sent to the Thames a fortnight ago to be crushed, and yielded at the rate of lO|ozs to the ton, which is of course highly payable, though the reef is only about 6 inches thick, and the gold is only worth £2 15 j per ounce. Ihe United Company also sent dnwn a sample for trial wh'ch yielded 12 dwts to the ton from a reef about 7 feet in thickness. Another company tho'Golden Anchor ob« tamed S dwts 12 grains from 2 cwt of stuff, or at the rate of about 4 oz-» to the ton from an 8 inch reef. The Bright (Smile sent down last night 5 tons, from which they expect 1 nz per ton, and the Gulden Kagle forwarded 1 ton as a sams ■pie to be tested. The river steam boats running between the Thames snd Te Arolia are taking Ihe quartz down at the low rate of 2s 61 per ton, but a ten head crushing plant is about to be erected on the fie'd. The field wa3 opened by proclamation on the 25'h November last, by Mr Warden Kenrick. I arrived from Auckland on the day before nnd was fortunate enough to secure one of the best business sections in the township. S uch a scrams ble for sections as there was in Tc Aroha »"ie {meliin^^da*^ «nd Mining ll^li^e^pf^ M 4teve stood on lM siM "Vt*lhe back of the newly '.-"surveyed township and overlooking the 3 me, and have witnessed the eager ex* pectancy of some scores of faces turned towards the hill from which the signal can was to be fired, wh-ieb should pro* claim the field open, and when that signnl was given at 9 a. in; to have seen the Yush of men racing each round the allotment he Dad selected with pegs in band, ready pointed, to facilitate their driving, must have been a spec'aele not to be witnessed every day. But though I saw the pegI uers ready waiting at the corners of their allotments, and in some cises there were as many as 6 or 7 competitors for the same allotment, yet I saw nothing of the rush itself, for the moment the puff of smoke appeared, and not even wailing to. hear tie report of the gun. I was driving my first peg and went round the section fo drive the other three, and being the first in the run, secured the section. i iutended lo start business immediately after the holidays. I have bevn dubious of tho place, or I should; have commenced sooner, but confiJence in the ultimate prosperity of Te Aroha is gradually gaining ground. Is'ew buildings are going up every day, and the carpen* ters*are having a buisy time of it. Three hotels are already in full swing and plans and specifications have been prepared for two more, then we have four restaurants, fire stores, two drapery establishments, five butchers, three bakers, an I representatives pf evfirj^xit!inr (irmjft-or—fyrpfgg&iort-includinz sharebrokers, surveyors, nue« tioneers, chemists, and last but not least a printing office, where is printed and published the Te Aroha Miner, a triweekly pioneer. During the last few days, men> ers of the various religious denominations have selected sites fur the erection of places of worship. The Anglican, the Wesleyan, the ltoman Catholic, the Presbyterian, the Baptists and the Congregationalisls are all represented. . We have also had a visit of Mr Murdoch the inspector of the Bank of JN T ew Zw lancU but 1 have not hoard whether it is the intention to estaliish a braaeh of that bank here as yet. Of '< ;t!l the qolclfiehld 1 have ever been on, new or old, this i.-s the uio3s easy auci convenient ol recess Siearners run from AuckLud and the Thames right up to our very doors so to speak, iho lowa i* situated at tlie base of Mount Te Aroha. ;md between it nnd the Hirer Waihou, the river winding round the lower end of the town. In consequence everything is *'cry cheap, almost at Auckland prices. lneaL 11 lo 6 ! pvr lb> bread 4ib loaf 9 j iie* £0/ aloes Si pc awt,, timber^Ksuri

10s per lO.'Jft, and everything e-lse in proportion, Passage per steara°r from Auckland right through 15*. freight for goods 25* per ton, The hot Sulphur Springs are immediately behind the township and about 300 yards from them is a natural fountain of Soda Water. I have endeavored to describe as far I am not able 8t present to state the as* pects of Te Arohalas a field, what its future may be, I shall not pretend to predict. If you were to ask my ndriee ns to coming here, I should say that I would not give any direct a!vice neither toyouorany one else to corae here, but on the other hand neither would I advise you or anys body else not \o come, if you are doing nothing where you are, and have no pros* pect of doins anythins, I would say, come, and take yonr chance, for independent of the goldfield, I venture to pay there is a fu(ure in store for this place. With the vast plains and beautiful and fertile valleys of tbe Waihou, the Piako, and the Waitoa stretching away in the far distance,* right before yoa, as you aland on. the slope of Te Aroha, looking outward 9 towards the Waikato- country, jhe Wairaki and Mateurata plains 6n your left, and on your right the* Ohinttimuri and Upper Thames valleys, the j whole of which is now being rapidly taken up ; the settlers neatly painted home steads dotting the plains and nestling iv the valleys, on which peaches, cherries, and many other kind of fruits are growing wild by the ton in groves along; the river banks, and with the magnificent rivers traversing the plains, navigable lor more than a hundreJ miles for suitable river steamers. With such natural adj vantages as these, this part of the country must prosper, even should it fail as a gold field.