Papua
p. 23 · Read in the full issue
Early Miners In East
A CORRESPONDENT in the Trobri ands, Eastern Papua, declares that Mr. Robert Bruce’s history is all wrong, in his recent references (Sept. P.I.M.) to Pat O’Hara’s gold find in Eastern Papua.
Our correspondent says: Cloudy Bay Goldfield was discovered by Frank Pryke and George Klatz, about 1901. The field petered out in 1903, and the miners left for the Yodda field —they were not driven out by natives. Gitara Goldfield was found by Linden, Jack Gray, and Jacob early in 1899; and soon there were 150 to 200 men there. Mrs. Mahony then opened the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Mr. Bruce’s story about Pat O’Hara going over to the mainland and returning with a chamois of gold is “rot.” O’Hara was never in Samarai. There were 150 to 200 men working at Gebera, and on the mainland opposite Samarai five years before the time of which Mr. Bruce speaks.
The Cloudy Bay miners were not chased out by natives. They stayed there, in
spite of the man-eating Orakivas—the gamest fighters in Papua—so long as there was an ounce of gold. The Ora kivas tried hard enough—to their sorrow.