Page 29 - rigneymaster

One Man’s Goldfield: the story of the Horseshoe Bend Diggings, William Rigney and Somebody’s Darling

Rigney’s will, signed in 1883 leaves everything to Charles Cooper, Merchant of
Roxburgh. [link to copy of will] Rigney was to continue to have debts with Mr Cooper
until his death.

Rigney's next unsuccessful brush with officials came in 1886. Rigney offered
evidence for the plaintiff in a case concerning the dissolution of a dredging partnership
in 1886. Once again he was unsuccessful, Warden Hickson deciding against the
plaintiff and, in doing so, remarking that the plaintiff had failed to establish himself as a
36
partner in the dredge.

For many years Rigney worked at a claim on the west bank of the river opposite the
Corstophine Creek. His main endeavour was to attempt to bring a sufficient head of
water to the claim to allow it to be sluiced. This required a high race on the east side
of the river and a pipe across the river. He attempted this feat, with limited capital,
37
using canvas pipes and pipes of zinc and spouting. In 1885 he attempted
38
unsuccessfully to obtain government assistance for the project. Eventually he was
forced to take partners in order to obtain the capital needed to develop and work the
claim. In exchange for their capital, Rigney retained a twelfth share in the claim.
Rigney was a loner, and a very strong willed individual. He no doubt continued alone
until he had no choice but to share his claim with others. By 1891 Rigney had
indebted himself to Roxburgh storekeeper Mr Cooper for around seven hundred
pounds, a debt which he acknowledged that he was unable to repay. Rigney made
what payment he could by surrendering a life insurance policy to the storekeeper, and
paying part of the debt in instalments. The storekeeper does not appear to have come
out of the transaction very well. Rigney had already borrowed against the policy and
the storekeeper had to pay the annual subscriptions until Rigney died twenty-one
39
years later before he could collect the balance. [link to copy of agreement]

With Messrs Edie and Kirkpatrick as partners, and capital available, the claim was
quickly developed. From a reservoir in the head of the Talla Burn a substantial race
was cut to opposite the claim. The water was then channelled in steel pipes down
approximately one hundred metres to the river, across the river, and to the claim. This
provided an excellent head of water for sluicing operations at what was to become a
very successful claim. The work involved in getting the water to the claim was
considerable, even with a good supply of capital. The race crossed very steep faces
far above the river. At one time a section of the race slid off the face, requiring a
40
tunnel to be cut through the rock for over a hundred metres to avoid the slip face.

Link to site of pipeline across river in Google maps

Link to site of Rigney / Eddie / Kirkpatrick claim in Google maps

To carry the water across the river a suspended pipe along the lines of a suspension
bridge was built. The race, and the concrete piers which supported the pipe across
the River still remain. The wooden superstructure was recently salvaged from the
middle pier, having survived almost a century of floods.

36 Tuapeka Times. 20.2.1886
37 "The Otago Goldfields: Their Past History, Present Position and Future Prospects" Otago Daily Times. 1896
38 Tuapeka Times. 21.10.1885
39 Rigney, W. Personal Correspondence from a private collection.
40 "The Otago Goldfields: Their Past History, Present Position and Future Prospects" Otago Daily Times. 1896

© Jeff Robertson 29