THE MINERAL WEALTH.
An expedition under the leadership of William Hann, sent out by the
Queensland Government left Fossilbrook station on June 26th, 1872, and
on August 5th, reached the Palmer River, named after the then Premier of
Queensland, Sir A. H. Palmer. They found traces of gold in the ravines,
and on both sides of the river, so that it was Hann's party who first
discovered the existence of gold on the Palmer. This expedition went
right through to where Cooktown now stands, and on to the Bloomfield
River. From the description of the country given in Hann's journal, one
of the well-known old northern prospectors named James V. Mulligan,
concluded that gold would be found in quantities, and with the
restlessness proverbial among his class, formed a party to go out and
prospect the Palmer country. His expedition consisted of himself, James
Dowdal, Alexander Watson (these two miners leaving Charters Towers with
him), David Robertson, Peter Brown, and Albert Brandt, who joined him at
Georgetown. Mulligan and his party left the Etheridge on June 5th 1873,
passed Mount Surprise and Fossilbrook, the farthest out station in those
days, and went on to the Tate River, through poor, rough country, only
obtaining colours. They proceeded northwards to the Walsh River, and saw
one of W. Hann's camps on their way. After travelling down the Walsh a
few days, they crossed Elizabeth Creek to the Mitchell River, where they
had some trouble in finding a ford, the river being quite six hundred
yards wide, with high and scrubby banks on either side, and a strong
flowing stream. After effecting a crossing with their packs, rations,
etc., they passed on to Mount Mulgrave, fifteen miles further north.
This well-known landmark is a precipitous bare rock dominating the
surrounding country, and visible for many miles. They soon reached the
Palmer River, where they continued prospecting, and obtained a good show
of gold in the river and tributary creeks. Blacks were very numerous
along the main river, necessitating guard being continually kept; they
caught abundance of fish while camped on the river, where they spent a
month, finding gold almost everywhere, some of it coarse, and some very
fine. The party started back for the Etheridge, following the same route
by which they had come. The scene of their operations was a little above
Palmerville, and they prospected thence to Maytown. They were absent
from Georgetown three months, and procured one hundred and two ounces of
gold, valued at L4 an ounce. It was a prosperous trip, and all the
party returned in good health.
In 1874, J. V. Mulligan went on another prospecting expedition from
Cooktown. He named the St. George, a tributary of the Mitchell River,
and the party did a lot of prospecting and exploring in the country on
the Upper Mitchell, where some fine pastoral country was discovered.
While on this trip they made the discovery of the hot boiling springs at
the head of the Walsh, mistaking the steam of it for the smoke of a
blackfellows' fire.
Before the end of 1873, there were over five hundred diggers on the
Palmer, and the escort left in December with 5,058 ounces of gold,
leaving a balance of 3,000 ounces in the banks. The first warden on the
Palmer was Howard St. George, and the field developed at a furious rate.
In the course of two years there were over fifteen thousand white men
and twenty thousand Chinese located in and about the Palmer. The
discovery of the field came as salvation to the north after the
stagnation following upon the low prices and depression ruling since
1867. The price of cattle went up enormously, and horses could be sold
anywhere at good prices. The workings were along the creeks and rivers
where water was plentiful, and the gold was obtained in quantities on
the bars or ledges crossing the river. Rations were dear in the early
days; carriage to Maytown was up to L120 a ton, beef was selling at 1s.
per lb. A great deal of the loading was carried by pack horses from
Cooktown, the diggings being situated among the highest tablelands in
North Queensland, and scattered over a large extent of mountainous
country. Byerstown, near the source of the Palmer is about fifty-five
miles south-west from Cooktown. The situation is elevated, being near
the culminating line of the Great Dividing Chain. Tin occurs in the low
ranges to the south that separate the Mitchell from the Palmer, and also
in the valley of the Bloomfield to the east. The blacks were dangerous,
the wet seasons severe on the Palmer, and the first diggers had many and
bitter trials. Early in 1874, the last of the flour was selling at 3s.
6d. per pannikinful, and even an old working bullock when killed was
eagerly bought up at 1s. per pound; the last pairs of Blucher boots were
sold at 38s. Horseshoe nails were exchanged for their weight in gold,
and old horseshoes were eagerly sought after. As early as April, 1874, a
riot occurred in Cooktown, when the dissatisfied diggers rushed the
"Florence Irving," steamer, for free passages. It was said there were
three thousand people waiting to get away, and the police and miners had
a fierce fight for the upper hand. Then other rushes took place on the
goldfield as new discoveries were made, and the "Palmer fever" became
bad again.
In 1871 the following party of prospectors had been in the vicinity of
the country that afterwards became so famous for its golden produce, but
they missed the rich deposits, and kept a lower course down in the
level country towards the Gulf of Carpentaria, namely, Messrs. T.
Leslie, J. Edwards, Charles Ross, T. Hackett, and J. Duff. Some of these
men became wealthy afterwards through buying cattle and retailing them
and by buying gold. Leslie, Duff, Edwards, and Callaghan joined in a
company and fairly coined money on the Palmer goldfield; all were
extremely popular men. Maytown was called Edwardstown for some time
after it was opened, and the name was so printed on the bank's cheque
forms. Another of these early prospectors was W. T. Baird, known as Bill
Baird, who had led a most adventurous life and had amassed several small
fortunes; the last one he made was at Mount Romeo tin mines; he led a
rough knockabout life, doing bush work or cattle droving when hard up,
etc.; he was killed by the natives of Batavia River while prospecting
there; he was a general favourite for his good humour and
kindheartedness.
* * * * *
Croydon, a reefing field on the waters of the Norman River was
discovered about 1886 by W. C. Brown and Aldridge, who obtained the
reward of L1,000. The field comprises several mining centres scattered
about in the hill country, which commences here and extends away to the
east. No alluvial gold has been discovered on this field; reefing has
been the only way of working the gold, which is more or less connected
with refractory ores. The future of this field is well assured, as the
reefs maintain their character at all depths reached, and the place is
decidedly businesslike and stirring. The absence of good timber adds to
the cost of working the reefs, but the extension of the railway to
Georgetown, which is contemplated, will add to the facilities for
obtaining supplies, and will also increase the traffic in other ways.
* * * * *
Georgetown is on the left bank of the Etheridge River, so called after
D. O. Etheridge, one of Mr. J. G. Macdonald's drovers who came out to
the Gulf with the first lot of cattle through this country. It is about
one hundred and sixty miles west, in a straight line from Cardwell. The
surrounding country is gold-bearing, and known as the Etheridge
goldfield; silver, copper, tin, and lead are also among its mineral
products. This was one of the first reefing districts opened in the
North of Queensland, but owing to the expense of carrying on the mines
on account of the cost of carriage, labour, and mining appliances, none
but the best mines have been worked. The formation is granite, and
pyrites with the stone has helped to increase the cost of working. The
field is very extensive, and embraces a large number of small mining
centres covering an enormous area of gold-bearing country. In the first
days, alluvial gold was sought for over large portions of the field. A
specimen nugget found in June, 1896, at Mount Macdonald, weighing 151
ounces was dollied and smelted, yielding 85 ounces of gold, valued at
L3 5s. per ounce. Other large specimens were found recently in the same
locality.
* * * * *
Cloncurry is the commercial centre of a district rich in various
minerals. It is situated on the right bank of the Cloncurry River, a
tributary of the Flinders, and is about 430 miles west-south-west, in a
straight line from Townsville, and about 240 miles south from Normanton.
The copper deposits are very extensive, the whole surrounding
mountainous district being more or less copper-bearing. Lodes of gray
ore and blue carbonates are numerous, and virgin copper and malleable
ore have also been found. The difficulty and expense of carriage has
prevented the field from taking that position as a mining centre to
which it is entitled; other metals found are gold, silver, lead, iron,
and bismuth. The Cloncurry goldfield includes a large tract of country,
extending eastwards to the Williams River, and southwards to an equal
extent. Reefing has been carried on of late, but not to any great
extent. In the early days of gold discovery, alluvial sinking attracted
a large population, and some splendid nuggets were found (mostly on
Sharkey's Flat), weighing from five to forty ounces, the gold being of
the highest Mint value, L4 3s. 6d. per ounce. Gold is still produced at
some of the outlying diggings, extending over to the Leichhardt River in
the west, where the whole country is mineral-bearing. The Cloncurry
Copper Company expended large sums of money in machinery and sinking
shafts and prospecting in opening up some of the lodes of copper so
abundant there, but owing to the depreciation in the value of the
mineral and the great expense of mining and carriage to port, the
operations had to be entirely suspended. The first to discover copper
and make use of it was Mr. Ernest Henry, in 1865. Henry discovered lodes
of copper on the Leichhardt and in several other places, and has
distinguished himself not alone as an enterprising pioneer squatter and
settler, but also as an early and most indefatigable prospector for
minerals. In conjunction with Mr. R. K. Sheaffe, at one time member for
the district, and subsequently Mayor of Sandgate, he helped to open much
of the Gulf country, and has spent a fortune and a lifetime in
pioneering in outside districts.
The Black Mountain is on the opposite side from the town across the
river, and is, as its name denotes, a real black mountain. It is a most
extensive outcrop of nearly pure metallic iron ore, and it is calculated
the amount in sight is over thirteen millions of tons: great masses of
the ore are lying all round the base of this enormous outcrop.
* * * * *
Clermont is situated on a tributary of the Nogoa River, about two
hundred and twenty-seven miles distant by railway from Rockhampton, and
well known for its mineral resources. Since 1862 large quantities of
copper have been obtained, and the surrounding country is also
auriferous, alluvial mining having been carried on with more or less
success. Four miles from Clermont are the ruins of old Copperfield, a
township prosperous from 1864 to 1870, in the palmy days of the Peak
Downs Copper Company, which paid dividends of eighty per cent., and in
1867 sold copper to the amount of L120,000. Owing to a great fall in the
value of copper, the property was sold for L3,000, and this mining
enterprise collapsed.