Rivers

Early Gold From Papua’S

Historical Survey By A. P. Lyons

ALLUVIAL gold has been found in almost all the rivers of British New Guinea (Papua), from the Fly River in the west, to the Gira River in the north, and on many of the islands; and gold-carrying reefs and lodes have also been discovered.

The first known record of gold discovery by Europeans is contained in John Macgillvray’s work Narrafive of the Voyage of HMS Rattle-

snake (London, 1852), wherein he says that gold was known in the vicinity of Redscar Bay as far back as 1852. A specimen of pottery pro cured there contained a few Laminar grains of the precious metal.

Redscar Bay is part of Galley Reach, which is a few miles west of Port Moresby. Both the Brown and Vanapa Rivers flow into Galley Reach.

Between 1888, when gold was first noticed in the primitive country, and 1937-28, when most of the fields were worked out, the total of the gold produced in- the Australian Territory of Papua was 552,459 ounces. In their order of proclamation, the following are the official goldfields of Papua:— Louisiade . . . . 1889 Yodda 19 Murua 1895 Keveri 19 Gira 1898 Astrolabe ... 19 Milne B 1899 Lakekamu ... 19 Mr. A. P. Lyons, as a Depart mental head in Papua, had charge of Mining for many years; and, aided by his excellent memory, and records which he has kept, he has compiled for PIM this very valuable record of the history of early gold-mining in the Territory. Mr. Lyons, now re tired, is a resident of South Queens land.

Captain John Moresby, RN, wf visited Port Moresby in HMS Basilis in a letter to The Times, in 187 said: “The only sign of miner wealth seen by the Basilisk's compar were fragments of gold quartz pickt up by us at Fairfax Harbour.” (Th forms part of Port Moresby.) Hon. W. Macleay, MLC, of Syj ney, visited New Guinea in 1875-' in the Chevert, and obtained spec mens at Hall Sound. The Angabunj (St. Joseph) River flows into He Sound.

D’Albertis found colours of go in the upper Fly River during 187 so did Sir William Macgregor durii 1889-90, and Sir Rupert Clarke, wi Frank and Jim Pryke and Arch Macalpine, during May, 1914, Andrew Goldie, a storekeeper Port Moresby, reported alluvial go in the Goldie River in 1877, and tl Rev. Mr. Lawes found some am ferous specimens in the Kupaloloi River shortly afterwards. These we: reported on by Mr. C. S. Wilkinso Geological Surveyor of NSW a January 7, 1878.

Goldie and Kupaloloko are a fluents of the Laloki, which is tributary of the Brown River. TI latter was named after a prospect drowned in it in 1878.

Many miners came from Queen land in 1878 to prospect the Lala River and its affluents, but did m find payable gold. Queensland Go ernment stationed officials at Pc Moresby to watch over the interes of the prospectors. Another t* years elapsed before the industry w' established.

IN 1883, Mr. G. E. Morrison led t expedition to New Guinea, whir was sponsored by Melbourne Age.

et with misfortune and returned, his Mr. Morrison was afterwards mous as “Chinese Morrison,” cor spondent of The Times in China.

The Hon. John Douglas visited idest Island (Louisiade Group) in Wentworth, in 1887 and engineer nvell obtained specimens. Mr. ouglas recorded the discovery of >ld at Sudest in June, 1888.

David Lindsay White, a pearl eller, applied to Mr. Douglas for protection area to secure him in tssession of certain gold-bearing efs on Joannet Island, near Sudest. ouglas promised favourable con leration when sovereignty was pro limed. White accompanied Douglas Cooktown, where he obtained as tance from several enterprising izens, and a party was organised go to the Louisiades. The party is not successful at Joannet Island, it found alluvial gold in the bed of 2 Runcic River (on Sudest, where »well had obtained his specimens), lis discovery led several hundreds men to Sudest.

On September 4, 1888, Sir William acgregor proclaimed the Crown )lony of British New Guinea. One his first act§ was to adopt the leensland mining laws.

In 1888-9, Sir William visited

Sudest, and took miners from there to Rossel Island, where they found traces of gold. He conveyed some miners to St. Aignan (Misima) where they found rough colours at several places. They found colours on Normanby and Goodenough, but not on Ferguson. Gold was found on Ferguson in later years. The Cus toms at Cooktown reported that up to June 30, 1889, 3,850 ounces of gold had been declared there since the opening of the Louisiade Gold field in 1888.

Sir William Macgregor obtained gold-bearing wash and specimens from the Vanapa River and in the Knutsford and Musgrave Ranges, on a journey to Mt. Victoria in 1888-9.

Mr. Nettle found good colours in the upper Angabunga River in Nov ember, 1892.

Sir William Macgregor In

March, 1894, found colours in the Mambare river wash.

Queensland geologist W. H. Rands reported (in 1893) gold in specimens from Rossel Island and the Anga bunga River.

In September, 1894, 15 Queens land miners found prospects inland from Bartle Bay. James Hurley, leader of the party, was killed by hill natives, and the others returned to

the coast with about 7 ounces.

Shortly afterwards, 13 more miners joined the first party, and went inland from Goodenough Bay, but without success.

A third party of miners, led by George Clarke, arrived at Bartle Bay and proceeded to the Mambare

River, in 1895. Clarke vva treacherously murdered by th natives up the Mambare River, i 1 July, 1895.

The party retired downstream where they met the “Ivanhoe Pros pecting Party” coming up. The; joined forces and went up the rivei This was the beginning of th famous Gira and Yodda Goldfields John Green took up duty as Gov ernment Agent at the Mambare oi October 18, 1895. Vigorous pros pecting of the Mambare River, it tributaries Chirima and Yodda, an their affluents, was carried on.

The Gira and Waria (Uaria Rivers were prospected later or and the former and its affluent yielded rich gold.

Sir William Macgregor went u the Musa River in August, 1895 with 6 miners, to its bifurcation int the Moni and Adaua Rivers. Trace of fine gold were found in the Mus gravel. Sir William also went u the Kumusi River, and found bar traces of gold.

Sir William visited Murua (Wood lark) Island in November, 1895, an found 12 men at work on Wan Creek. About 300 ounces of gol had already been obtained. Othe European miners were at work o other parts of the Island.

Sir William says the presence o gold on Woodlark seems to hav been first proved by Mr. Lobb. trader settled at Nada. He prospecte with his partner Dick Ede, and man named Soelberg, and foun payable alluvial.

Sir William Macgregor visited th Musa River in 1896, accompanied b two miners from the Mambare Rivei W. Simpson and S. McLellanc Others were prospecting in the Mor Valley, where Simpson reporte colours.

John Green, Government Agent £ the Mambare, with four of his nativ police, his private native servant an three native prisoners, were treacf erously murdered by local native while they were erecting a ne’ station on the bank of Tamata Creel on January 14, 1897; and, about th same time, five European miners o the Mambare River were killec There were more murders, and arme resistance to Government patro soon afterwards.

Miners W. Nettle and W. .

Kelly, in 1896-7, reported crossin the mountains from the South Coasi reaching the Yodda Valley, an finding gold in many creeks betwee the Chirima River and Goll Creek (McLauglin’s Creek where Mo Laughlin had taken much gold); an W. E. Buchanan found good coloui

Memi River (affluent of Kemp elch River).

Alec Clunas and Bob Elliott found ►ld on the upper Chirima River in SI and Bob Elliott and Moses cLelland located gold bearing untry in the Yodda, a little later.

There were 60 miners on the Gira ver—l,222 ounces were taken by miners from one gully in three jnths. >Y 1898-1900 the Mambare-Gira country was being opened up the prospectors. There was a rich icovery in Tamate Creek (Mam re system) in January, 1899. Some ,000 oz were taken out of the ra field in 1898-9—nuggets :ighed up to 26 oz.

Jacob Hagarup, Jack Gray and n Lindon found gold in the head iters of the Sagarai River, which ws into Mullens Harbour.

The BNG Prospecting Co., which d been reef mining on Sudest for me years, closed up in 1899. But now the Yodda field was being ened up—and credit for that dis very is generally given to Sam ;Laughlin, An incident of 1899-1900 shows w these restless British prospectors re now pushing across the border e between Papua and German ;w Guinea—tracking down the Id of what was afterwards the nous Morobe field.

About 1900, the Rev. Mr. Walker )ught from German New Guinea : launch Musa, with two Papuan lives who, four years before, had m,. working with two miners in the unbare Country. They had been acked and their carriers dispersed, e two natives had found their way a German mission station on ion Gulf.

Fhe two miners were Davy Davis i Arthur Darling. They had ispected well into German Terri y before losing their carriers, and i found good gold. Darling told lark Eye” (Black) Bill Park lut their discovery. Park bided time and, when he could legally i conveniently do so (after Ger n New Guinea was taken from the rmans in the 1914-18 war) he nt up into the “Darling country” i won a lot of gold thereabouts, ich led to the establishment of the >robe Goldfield.

FTER the turn of the century, - and as the control of the Ad listration was extended over the ive people, the prospectors steadily landed their areas of search. Three able goldfields were developed in

the next ten years—the Yodda, Keveri and Lakekamu. The follow ing data are taken from the Annual

Reports:

1901-02.—Rich ground found in Keveri Valley (behind Cloudy Bay)—headwaters of Domara River. 1904- —R. Elliott and D. Davis found colours in Kemp-Welch River. 1905- —Mat Crowe and Arthur Darling were prospecting headwaters of Waria River. . Recorded that since 1901 most gold output from Murua (Woodlark) Island had come from batteries working on lodes. 1907- —Twenty-one miners on the Waria River. 1908- —Anglo-German Commission de limited boundary from Gira River to Waria River.

1909- —Mat Crowe, Frank and Jim Pryke reported payable gold In the Tiviri River. Lakekamu Goldfield proclaimed, December, 1909. 1910- —Jim Swanson and L. Lett found traces of gold in Vailala River. . . . G. H.

Massey-Baker reported faint colours in an affluent of the Strickland. 1911- —Fred Kruger reported finding traces in the upper Biarn River. 1914- —Alluvial mining carried on on St. Aignan (Mlsima) Island since 1888-89; but promising lodes recently located now being developed by Broken Hill Pty. Block 10, Ltd., with crushing plant, a wharf at Bwagaoia, and a railway line to the mines. These lodes were mined right up to World War n. 1915- —John Fletcher reported payable gold in a branch of the Imili River (20 miles west of Keveri Valley).

1911-18.—A new find of alluvial on Moni River (Upper Musa) attracted miners. 1919-20. —Geologist Evan R. Stanley re ported traces in Koro (Curnick) River (affluent of Kikori). 1921-22. —Warden of Murua (Woodlark) Goldfield reported mining there at a standstill.

Mrs. Percy Smith, of Lae, New

Guinea, with her young son, recently returned home after a holiday in

Australia.

Madame Namure (Ethel) Nordman was in Melbourne, Vic. recently as the guest of Mrs, D. Sawyer who has, as well as Victorian interests, a sheep property on Erromanga, New Hebrides. The vivacious French- Tahitian Namure, “of the speaking hands and laughing voice,” as one newspaper gossip-writer put it, appears to have completely fascin ated staid, old Melbourne. She is now en route to France and leave, on board the Roma with her hus band.