Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), Thursday 5 September 1872, page 2


THE NEW GOLD-FIELDS AT OHAUTIiKii

. TOWERS, QUEENSLAND.

"We take the following from the Northern Minn' , a journal just started on the new tjrohl-ricM:-'The

prediction of mineralogists ami j;eolo-.,'ists have .'"been at length realised. A gold-field has boon dis

covered in Northern Queensland which will he a ., formidable rival to the best fields discovered in any ? ofthe' colonies. This is not too lauoh to s m

, Oharier.s Tower-, for eaeh day adds to the already '''exUtiiix proof of the vast extent and jjreafc liehne:^ 1 'of,' tlic tiehl. Of coutse we cannot pronounce

authoritalively that the reefs will go down, but everything indie ites that they will do so. Tine^vaUs.imi good, the reefs are well defined, and mo*,

of them are traced for a considerable length in the ground; many are tested at a fair depth, and all have turned out well. Had the gold-field been confined to reefs alone, its importance could not he over-rated, hut, as most of our readers aware, & few days ago alluvial was found, which has every induction of becoming an important lead. It is deep winking too, or what must be calleA dcep>inking in Queensland, that is from twenty to thirty feet, and so far it gives very good promise. la speaking of this field, we must not confine ourselves even to thf reef.iand alluvial that are within a radinnof ten or twelve miles of the Towers. The Scotchman'reef, ten miles from 15ro\ightou, i> scarcely the beginning of the field, and from that reel a series o others have been already discovered, existing over ;« tract of country from thirty to forty miles in length, ami we must bear in mind tint the country lias not been half prospected as yet. "When it has been longer opened, and when the increase in population-which wiH come with a few months -lus prospected the field, it will be found that the whoh country from the Cape to Kavenswood is intersected with reefs in my number. And, if we may argue from those already discovered, it is veiy likely that many will he found payable. All Uucrushin^s have bee;i good, indeed they have hern very rich, for there is little or no trouble in ge-ti;^thc^toue. The machines are now supplied wi:!. water, and they will prove rbe country and its richness. They have, already shown that thedi>trict contains a number of reefs that are highly piyaid . But new that they are able to crush with all their batteries, the escorts from hero will prove more '-thauanything what the district is. Judging from

the'appearance of the field at present, the machinery wow here will not be able TO meet its re-pm>

.'ineuts. ]>ut the number of mills will soon bo in

creased, as the vast resources of the place become known: there is already room for many more than are here, and new rinds arc being mud- every day. which will render the want of machinery still more

felt,

Six months ago Charters Towers was a place unknown. Scarcely that time has elapsed since ? Messrs. Mossmau and party applied for their pros

pectin^- claim on ivhat is now known as the North Australian line. IVarhig that short time what, a change has taken place? Several hundred reeling claims arc now occupied; thousands of tons of quartz are stacked, ready for caitin^to the machines as soon as the owners are .so fortunate as to get a *" chance to put their stone through; two main town

ships and several smaller one have sprang up :e: if by magic, the buildings being of a very extensive description, very different from what one would expect to see on a new rush; live quarts-crushing machines, in all 03 head of stamps, are on the ground, and the quantity of stone in the various . .yards is sufficient proof of the amount ot work-they

will h iVe. The population is daily increasing, and now numbers, we would judge, about

The alluvial to which we have alluded was discovered near the Queensland reef. The sinking is from tell to thirty feet. The wash is from two to three feet thick, and the prospects are very good, the wash petiing better as it goes with the deep ground. About a mile an 1 a half has been peeked out on the suppose,! line of the Ie.nl, an 1 most of those employed se;m to have goo! hopes of success. Th -g jld is of. a very pvod ijuaiity, rousrh. l«it it . does not appear to )Mve travelled t sr. Tile sinhir.j

and the w.,sh-dirt- :,r.» simil.r to those at the White Jliii Jvead, on the L'ape.

LAKI: Srrnuoi:.-Wu are informed l>y Mr. , Jfortbrills n.r.i^iiton. T.ike Suwrior. who h.ts

been i>rosi>eciiii.,' ill the district-, *:ib.n:c Thunder Kay, tha: the gold -tic-id discovered last fall l;es from 70 to l'j!> miles back from the head of Thunder Bay. in a most desolate rocky region, which ao'.hiug but gold woui'i tempt to stiy iu for a

Tiie gold occurs in a pure state and associated with sulphur.':: of iron, the latter bcini; predominant, lv.lt little actual minin;; has i-r-. n done in t-he gold veins this winter, owing to the .SUIT.-, A:.-. One parry of 1- ni-n have got out In', 'ton's of ore, which repeated assays prove to contain . from .Jol'OO to $7000 worth of gold per toil. Mr. .NortUrud states that the great Silver Islet Mine

is as rich as ever, and has produced a lar~e amount of rich silver ore during the winter, which would be shipped to the Wyandotte Smelting and lit lining Works by the first boats. A discovery of tin ore is spoken of, yielding from 40 to 60 per cent, of metal.-Saginaw (Michigan) Enterprise,