Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Thursday 7 February 1907, page 9


POSEIDON RUSH.

THE FIELD AS IT IS.

(FROM OUR REPORTER.)

TARNAGULLA, WEDNESDAY.—Judged from a purely mining standpoint the Poseidon rush is baffling; that is to say it has few characteristics which permit of a comparison being instituted with other fields. No practical miner of large ex-perience of Australian mining would have expected to find a highly-auriferous belt where the ground is now riddled with holes. This is best proved by the fact that the ground had been practically neglected for

many years.

In some general characteristics the field resembles the Wedderburn district lying between Wedderburn Junction and the township, but miners who have been at Poseidon since the rush began agree that there is a better asset than all mining knowledge with which one should start prospecting here—that is simply good luck. The reef, which is believed to have at once held all the Poseidon gold—the Woolshed reef—runs due north and south along the crest of a hill, which forms the eastern boundary of the rush. It is close up to this reef that the shallow ground begins, and as the lead or gutter is followed m a westerly direction it deepens at about a milo west of tho WooIs-hc«f reef The lead appears to take a turn to the north, and in these northerly and westerly lumts it attains its greatest depth-about 70ft. or 80ft 8ome of the miners working on the western limits aro inclined to tho bcHef that the lead extends south from tbar claims as well as north, bnt this has not yet been proved

On the east of the field, in tho shallow ground, como of the biggest nuggets have been unearthed notably that of Woodall and party, which was discovered ochcre the lead was only ]8«n deep Up till tho lust few days attention was confined principally to what was known as tho main guttcivrun ning in a ovcstorly direction from the Wool

sheil However, Gascoyne and Hannan, whose claim is -sell sonth of Otts gutter, chanced on a good nugget called "The Out-sider" or "Little Willie," and tn a few hours the surrounding ground was pegged out. Now there are nearly 100 claims south of what was popularly called the main lead These claims occupy a piece of ground about three-quarters of n mile in length, onth a width yarymg from a quarter of a mile to half a mile So far the new claims on this parcel of ground have met with only indifferent success, a few small penny weight specks constituting the finds About a quarter of a imle ndrth of the main lead the Kick o' Time lead runs parallel to it, and between tlicso two leads practically no work is being done Anyone can peg ont a claim on this ground and tri nts luck Prospectors will laugli and say 'Oh vc», but ¡hit ground ia off the leail " to which a persistent fossicker could retort, "So was Gascoyne and Hannan's dann "

On Ore main lead several new-chmn miners have been mistaking a hard lime-stone layer which occurs at varying depths for the bottom This layer is, however, merely a false bottom, and below it several feet of good looking wash is frequently found Tins fact has been pointed ont to a number of men, who havo picked up the limestone, bottom and uncov/ercd tho layer of wash * j

All over the field against trees and on ' the very edges of prospecting holes thou sands of tons of clay and wash are stacked Just at present the miners admit that they are searching for nuggets but, cvcntuatlv, when the puddling capacity is increased, most of this dirt will undoubtedly be

treated f>o far the wash-dirt and clay fuddled have not been highly payable al I hough in a few instances trial lots liare yielded up to 2oi of gold to the ton Other wash lias gone as little as a "divt. to the load «Inch is of course, unpay able It is difficult to «mae nt the ave-rage of the nash treated hut it would probably be between 5dnt and lOdwt to

the ton

U present the puddling machiner-) on the field is wholly inadequate There arc seven pud Hing machines nt work and five or SIT more arc in course of creation It is estimated thnt there an between MOCK) and GO 000 tons of ela) and nash awaiting treatment The capacity of the machines ia about 10 tons of clav or 15 tons of wash dirt a d«v The puddler carts and treats the dirt for 3/6 per leal TIIP greatest iliflkulli 14 to oin un wait r mill most if the puddling machines have been com pelled to fix on sites on the Jxvldon River about thrfe-qiuirlers of a mile from the centro of the rush There is a steam pud Hing machine, with a treating rapacity of about SO tons a day on the ground, but It has not jet been started, owing to a dispute regarding tho right to mo ad-jacent water

The count*-) soil is easilv described On tho »urfieo there is a forest deposit of black »oil llclow Una there » ck«> of varying depth, then a limestone layer and below that the washdirt ündernenth the wnsh dirt is tbo hard mndstnno bottom, below which no work is ntUemptcJ

Interesting experience«! on tho locality of the rush are relate«! lo some of tho miners Seien jears ago Newitt' of *Neivitt and Cox owners ot the Little Wonder claim put down holes about TOft south of his present ground He dug threo shafts, but met with ver> lullt encouragement The

claim on xvluch ho it non" working, Ixow

OAer, In» already produced £.'.000 worth of gold, and it is not jet worked out by any mean». The little block of (¡round from which Woodall and party obtained tlie largest nugget the field lias produced bin had an interesting histor}'. At three dif-ferent times within recent years prospectors havo put itown holts in the ground. Two of these thafts cut into one another, and left a jutting piero of «round. AVOC__L when he pegged nut his claim, knocked off till« comer, and found a OOOox. nugget.

Men of til ranks and professions aro ti. . ing their luck ou tim field. Jn one claim a medical man it «ccking hu fortune, wlnle many clerks and artisan» aro putting in their fortnight's IrolMny nt the ruth. Per-haps elie mott interesting party is that con siating of two deaf mutes. Tiley are hard working, iiidutlriotit men, and from their little »trip of ground they are getting en-couraging return». NN hen they come to tlie ttorc fixr provisión», they draw from a pocket n miall tiste, by meant of xrhich they make known their wants.

-he l"ottmntterGeneral has deeiiled to ettabh»li a pott-oflico at Poseidon, and he has selroted a« pott minter Mr. II. At. Burn tide, who has a centrally-tituated store. Mail» will Ive delivered «lally, between t p ni. and 0 p ni.

Provisions are cheap on the field, owing te keen competition. , Keitaiinuits tupply a good meal for a »lulling, tnd bread ia ob Itintble st city price» lix en Die loen] barber hat In« tent, over willoh ho lung* a augnlinanl, Inviting the miner to be slinvrit for (he modest turn of tlirecpencc.