Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Saturday 21 January 1854, page 2


THE NORTHERN GOLD FIELDS.

THE ROCKY RIVER,

(from our Correspondent.)

Hanging Rock, Saturday, Jan, 14, 1854.

The whole of the main creek is being well sluiced by a number of parties. Every avail-able piece of sluicing ground in this creek is taken up, and those situations which were formerly considered incapable of being worked, on account of the rocks and gibbers presenting so formidable an appearance, are now being suc-cessfully worked by sluicing parties.

Gold digging is one of the greatest lotteries in existence, tor when men, however well ac-quainted with the art of mining, strike into un-broken ground, they cannot tell whether or not gold will be found there in payable quantities. The most unlikely spots have frequently turned out the richest, and so also ground which has been imperfectly worked will often pay for re-

working.

There is a little gully at the head of the main creek which has yielded upwards of £30,000 worth of gold ; as much as 37 ounces have been taken out in one day, and it is not yet worked out. Children with a tin dish get two and three pennyweights a day, and one lad got £4 worth of gold in a week there. After heavy showers of rain pieces of gold are found on the surh.ce.

There are now several situations which would

pay well for sluicing, namely, the ridges and the beads of those gullies which have remunerated sinking parties so well.

Cock's party have bepn doing a " good stroke," technically speaking, this last month. They have been sluicing a dry ravine branching out of the head of the main creek. In the past week they got upwards of £80 worth of gold.

Messrs. Gibbon and Ryan are still persever-ing m prospecting the flit on the swamp. They have not as yet come on the run of gold 'I hey are certain there must be a vein ot gold there, and it is the opinion ot competent judges that the main run ot gold lies in that situation. Mr. Ryan is superintending the work, and from his well known ability in the art ot gold getting, we should say he cannot tail to come upon the gold, it there is any there. Mr. Rían has been one of the fortunate diggerH. It was on his chum, at the bead ot Oakanville, that the large

nugget was found.

Men are still in request at a high rate of