The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956)(about) |
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Friday 7 March 1856
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2 corrections, most recently by JonathanAuld - Show corrections
PRESENT STATE OF THE OVENS
DIGGINGS.
(From the Ovens and Murray Advertiser.)
" Kx uno disco onuics."
? Having received letters from parties of minors at Bendigo and elsewhere requesting information concerning this gold-field : having noticed in contemporary journals several in- dications of the increasing attention with which the Ovens is regardedf, and having ob . served the steady addition to our population, which has been made every week since the i commencement of the year; we have takon Hie trouble to collect the following par- ticulars respecting the present stato of these diggings,-in the hope that they may be of some service to those contemplating a visit to tho Ovens. Once before, this gold-field, has beon lushed; but people came for big nuggets, and went away disappointed. We wish to guard against another blind rush of this de Fciiptiou, for ita few thousand people, igno laiit of the locality, come to shenheid a fow
claims and to walk away again, they will in- evitably do the district much injury, by spreading unfavorable reports. Tlioro is n very general opinion (founded, tve presume on tho high rate of wages ruling here) that labor is in. demand in this district. This is quite a mistake, and many recent arrivals aro now spending valuable time in seeking em- ployment, Instead of taking to digging on Ibeir own account. There is plenty of elbow room for any number of miners, and this gold- field foi Innately presents different features in different localities, offering opportunities to Hie capitalist, the poor digger, and the man who can overeóme natural difficulties by en- gineering skill. We will now proceed to give' o brief description of the various diggings on
Hie Ovens.
? The Woolshed is a creek several milos in length, bounded on each side by lofty ranges. It is the richest spot yet discovered, but the giound is too wet to bo worked without machinery. The creek has consequently fallen into the hands of capitalists and com- bined parlies of miners. There aro twelve steam-engines on " the AVoolshcd, used for pumping the claims, besides a great numbai of tvaterivhcels and horse-machines. The i ules of the Loeal Court allow ten yards of the cicck, irrespective of breadth, to each miner, and no capitalist or party of diggers are permitted to hold moro than eight claims, or eighty yards. The breadth of tho creek varies considerably, being in some places nearly aOO yards across, and in others much narrower. The sinking is from 20 feet to 80 feet iii doptli. The method of working is to strip the whole of the earth from the granite, or, in other words, to " take down paddocks." Immense excavations arc thus made, and, owing to the superfluity of water, the claims have to bj worked out as quickly as possible. For this purpose several bauds are employed, the average number to each claim of eighty yaids being forty. In some cases more than this number arc engaged; at Korr's claim, for instance, 150 men are at work, their wages amounting to over £1000 per week. The gold is small and mixed with black sand, but fortunately tlioro is plenty of it. The soil is sandy, and the gold is washed in sluices,-a very economical mode. The Woolshed claims have kept up a steady yield for ten months ; a few of them aro nearly worked out. but the majority are not half ex- hausted. Employers are very generous to their men, and the large returns yielded by the claims enable them to pay the highest rate of wages known in the colony, but these wages are only attainable by experienced hands. The population of the Woolshed is about 1000. Three miles below the hut known as " the Woolshed," and on the same creek, a large flat has just been opened, which has been christened Sebastopol. The space between this flat and the workings we have described has not yet been taken up, although the ground is believed to be rich. At Sebastopol there are two engines, and a few more are on the road up. This flat has only been occupied for a short time, but there has been a tolerable rush there within the last few days. We understand twenty-five pounds weight of gold has been taken from one of the pump-holes, and another pump- hole has yielded eight pounds. The pump hole is usually eight or ten feet square, and the gold is generally pretty well distributed throughout the breadth of the creek. Other claims at Sebastopol have given good pros- pects, but only a very few are bottomed. (The sinking is shallow, and the placo in evoiy other respect resembles the Upper I Woolshed. Another vacant space of about
I four miles occurs, and the Napoleon rush is
readied. This place is chiefly worked by | French-Canadians, and the miners are re- ported lo be doing well. Below Ibis spot there is the El Dorado rush, also doing well, but the sinking at the lower end of tho creek, and near Its junction with the Ovens River, U veiy deep, reaching 150 to 170 feet. A boring-apparatus has been tried at this place, but the diameter of the boro i? scaif-ely large enough to admit of the formation of a satisfactory opinion ns to the richness of the ground experimented upsn. In our idea the creek ¡8 moro or less rich throughout its entire length ; in fact it U difficult to imagine how gold could be washe I into the various spots now being worked without some of it finding its way into the intei vening portions of tho creek. Tho Wool-
shed Creek is no placo for the individual miner : for single claims cannot be worked with advantage, and labor ta not in demand. Capitalists would lind their scope by no means limited, but nothing is to be got with- out f peculation. The banks of the creek are now leceivlng a little attention, and in some instances they have yielded good prospocts
There has liiU-ly beon a rush to some dry diggings on tim bank, and nour the camp, but as yet this has not turned out anything very extraordinary. One or two parties are making wages, and tho greater number of holes arc yetunbottomed.
Yackandandah is one of the most perma- nent diggings in this part of the world, and it continues to yield a very fair average quantity of gold. The creek is several miles in length, and has been pretty well turned over, the principal diggings now being on Osborne's Flat. The claims require to bo worked by water-power, and the mode of getting at the gold is the same us is adopted at the Woolshed. There is some good sur- facing at Yackandandah, and it is belioveJ that all the hills would pay well if wator could be brought to them. Water is, how- ever, a rather scarce article, and one of tho races is twelve miles long. Sluicing is the prevailing oporation for washing the gold, this method having been found to nnswor where toms and cradles would fail. Tho ground below Osborne's Flat is reported to be rich, and first-rate prospects have been obtained there, but somehow or other the place bus not answered the expectations of the diggers. Population about COO.
? Tho Buckland river is about fifty miles from Beechworth, and 150 or 200 individuals havo been settled there for some time. The diggers turu the river in places, and pass the sand and gravel forming the bed through sluices. The sinking is extremely shallow, and tho miners aro doing well. The banks are also being worked with advantage, aud the plnce is capable of supporting a much larger population than is now located thoro. Abount fifteen miles from Beechworth, on the Buckland-road, there is a very promising quartz-reef, which has been worked for several months. A crushing-machine is in courso of erection there, and some specimens from this reef havo been exhibited equaling in richness any wo have Been from Bendigo.
The dry diggings comprise the Two-miio »ml tho Three-mile. We suppose we may also include the Nine-mile, otherwise callad Snako Valley, for the bed of this creek has long been worked out, and the operations nro mostly confined to washing the surface of the banks. Tho population of the dry diggings we estimate at about 4500, and this number is rapidly increasing, for the majority of tho new-coiners find this tho most suitable field lor their labors. These diggings woro origi I nally separate, but they aro rapidly becoming
united into one large field. The Two-mile is 1 just now attracting a great deal of attention,
and there havo been several heavy finds there. Every one is getting something,-and tho ave rago earnings como up to a very fair standard. The sinking is shallow, and the stuff has to be carted to the creek. Puddling machines have lately been introduced on tho dry dig- gings, and thoy appear to be paying well. The Three-mile is a much older diggings than tho Two-mile, Eut things aro not very brisk just now at the farther end of this locality. The stagnation is, however, only temporary, for new rushes are of fre- quent occurrence in this quarter, and the . ground being auriferous for miles round, they
generally turn out well. Great activity pre- vails at the last new rush, which is near tho paddock of Mr. Goodyear, and it is believed the lead has gone into ¿lie paddock. The en- closure was accordingly rushed, and Mr. Goodyear has allowed tho diggers to work the ground ou payment of £1 per claim. 300 claims have been paid for, but as yet only about a dozen have struck gold in paying quantities. Thoso holes from thoir situation would appear io have hit on patches, and for tho present the lead has jieen lost sight of. The sinking does not diffor from tlie usual mode, and tho holes aro mostly shallow. Snake Valley is one of tho earliest workings, and the population is . small but settled. Sluicing is the favorite ' modo of working, and the surfacing is found j io pay moderately.
Besides the abovo diggings, wo have Spring î Creek, on the borders of the township, a place . which has yielded richly in its time. A few parties of miners occasionally contrive 'lo find good patches in parts of tho crook which havo beon overlooked by the earlier diggers ; but the place has seen its host days. The same remark opplies to Roid's Creek, in the neighborhood of the Woolshed; but those who remain there are said to bo doing well. A few days ago one of the sluicors of this worked-out creek hired thirty men to .assist in turning over tho stuff once moro. Another place which has lately attracted con- siderable notice is tho Gap, which is situated about six miles from Beechworth on tho Buckland road. Our description of this locality has already obtained extended pub- licity through the medium of contemporary
newspapers, and experienced miners couour
in the opinion that tho Gap is a likely place. About 2000 people rushed there a few weeks since, and a few holes were sunk at tho foot of the ranges, to a depth of 1C0 feet, without reaching gold. Tho place was then aban- doned, and the population went to retrieve their lost timo at tho Two-Mile. We hoar that the Gap has not been bottomed after all, and some parties aro busy gadding through boulders in hopes of coming upon tho lead.
The above aro the principal diggings in this district, tand it will be seen that tho miners havo a pretty good choice of tho va- rious modes of working. We say nothing about individual earnings, as the escorts toll their own tale.