owl. There are no horses in for a change and the team we have been
driving is pretty well tired, but we fix the nosebags on them in case we
have to go further, and in the meantime scour the country in the
immediate vicinity to try and discover the missing mokes; but all
efforts are fruitless, and after a spell of a couple of hours we again
yoke up and proceed upon our way--leaving the drunken groom riding
around in a vain endeavour to discover the objects of his search. We
managed to nail one fresh nag, which did not belong to the firm and had
never been in harness before, so were treated to a bit of life at
starting, as he bucked and kicked, mixing himself up in the traces and
going nearly mad; but he eventually kicked himself clear and away we
went, Barney being quite equal to the occasion.
The dust still brings forth curses both loud and deep, but the country
gradually improves, although still of very poor character, and we meet
on the way many carriers, some of whom are accompanied by their wives.
Our team by this time, through having to run the double stage, is
getting nearly done, so shortly after leaving Creen Creek most of us get
out and walk the distance between there and the Carron River, a good
four miles stretch, that under the warm rays of a tropical sun increases
our temperature considerably; the tedium of the journey being now and
then varied by the remarks of such carriers we pass on the road, who
call each others attention to the style of locomotion adopted by the
passengers per Cobb and Co. The crossing of the Carron is very heavy,
being a bed of deep, wet sand, so that all hands have to alight, but the
change is only a few yards distant, and we are very pleased to see a
fresh team awaiting our arrival, as we are all pretty well baked, and in
no humor for another long stretch on foot. So while the fresh horses are
being put to, we stroll over to the tent occupied by the groom and his
wife, where we find a “drop of the craytur” and a very acceptable cup of
tea. The road, after leaving the river, is very heavy for about eight
miles, consequently our progress is but slow, and it is nearly sundown
before we get on to better travelling country; but Barney here lets them
slip, so that we get over the ground pretty rapidly, although it is
nearly dark when we cross the “12 mile,” where we discern a range of
hills on our left, being the first elevation we have seen since leaving
Normanton. Six miles from Croydon we pass the Golden Gate, a very
suggestive and appropriate name for the first claim met with on the main
road to the field, but as it is now very dark, and the track is full of
ruts, stumps and other obstacles, we have to proceed very slowly and
carefully for fear of accident, there being no lamps on the coach to
guide us on our way.
Two or three miles from Croydon we cross Station Creek, where there is a
very good waterhole, into which “Barney” drives for the purpose of
giving his horses a drink, water being rather a scarce article in the
town itself. We get a bit mixed with a couple of stumps between here and
the town, but extricate ourselves safely at length, and shortly
afterwards we come in sight of the lights of Croydon twinkling ahead,
pulling up in a few minutes to deliver the mails at the post-office,
from whence we proceed down the main street, and about 9 p.m. we finally
alight at our journey’s end on the verandah of Harries and M‘Cabe’s
Imperial Hotel, where a large crowd is assembled to witness our arrival.
Host M‘Cabe turns out to be a very old friend whom I had lost sight of
for some years, and consequently we were mutually pleased to renew our
former acquaintance, and for my own part I felt delighted to meet some
one in a new country like this whom I had formerly known so well, as it
made me feel quite at home from the start.
A good bath and a good supper soon put everything to rights, and the
fatigues of the journey are soon forgotten, so we stroll round to the
ballroom, where about 12 couples are enjoying themselves on the light
fantastic, the fair sex being especially conspicuous by their dresses
and good looks.
Strolling round next morning I was very much struck by the inconvenience
and delay caused by the inadequate provision made for the public when
seeking letters or telegrams at the hovel that at present does duty for
a post-office. Just imagine a crowd of people waiting outside a
pigeon-hole cut in a sheet of galvanised iron, at which one person only
can be attended to at a time, with an individual inside attending to
their wants who is just about as slow as they make them on earth, and
who certainly might materially improve his performance of letter-sorting
100 per cent. by practising shuffling and dealing with a pack of cards
in his leisure moments.
A friend of mine said to him one day--
“Did you ever attend a funeral?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I was wondering if you did, how on earth you managed to keep up
with the procession.”
And I wondered as well, after calling two or three times at the office
for letters.
They do a great business at Croydon in telegrams, for since the office
was opened the receipts for 24 days’ work amounted to £276--not a bad
performance by any means, either on the part of the department or the
public.
Outside the hotel at night, after tea, whilst smoking the calumet of
peace, we congregate together, discussing the news of the day and
retailing anecdotes, in which performance the well-known agent for the
A.M.P. Society in Northern Queensland, Jack Warby, stands pre-eminent.
His yarns about “Greasy Bill” and the “Lamb of God” are very rich. The
former, an old northern prospector, is noted for his antipathy to water;
in fact, he has not been known to wash either himself or his clothes for
years, and on one occasion, when he felt very ill, the doctor was called
in to see what could be done for him, and prescribed, to Greasy’s horror
and astonishment, a hot bath. “Good heavens,” says Bill, “it would kill
me for certain. Wouldn’t a bucket of warm slush do as well?” Whilst “The
Lamb” could almost give a rabbit a fair start in sandy ground, his
peculiarity being, that when thoroughly overcome with liquor--a very
common occurrence--he selects the softest spot he can find outside the
“pub,” and lying down at full stretch, face downwards, gropes and
scratches the sand over himself until he is almost out of sight, when,
thoroughly comfortable, he sleeps off the fumes of the drink, and arises
from his burrow like a giant refreshed.
Social life on the goldfield, like on all new rushes, is of a very free
and easy style. Footracing in the streets is a common occurrence, whilst
many a time and oft a fight will occur to vary the monotony.
A word or two with regard to the situation of Croydon--its food and
water supply, &c.--may not be out of place and will help to give some
idea of the town and its surroundings to those who may feel inclined to
visit it in the future.
The site selected for the township is fairly picturesque, with its
background of hills in the immediate vicinity; but I am of opinion that
a far more healthy and convenient spot could have been chosen within a
few miles, either on the banks of Station or Cork Creeks, where a
permanent water supply could have been secured at comparatively small
cost for a large and thriving township such as I feel assured Croydon is
bound to become in the near future, but judging from present appearances
there will be some difficulty in obtaining a full and plentiful supply
of that necessary element for the wants and requirements of the
residents at present situated; whilst as for the sanitary arrangements,
I am afraid if immediate steps are not taken with regard to the
necessary precautions for the preservation of health, there will be such
an outbreak of typhoid fever by the time the next wet season comes round
that will carry terror to the hearts of every resident on the field.
Notwithstanding the cry raised by some that there is bound to be a
terrible famine when the wet season arrives, I to a certain extent beg
to differ from them, as there will always be an ample supply of beef of
first-rate quality available, which, together with the vegetables--sweet
potatoes, &c., supplied by the Chinese gardeners who have settled in
large numbers on the various creeks--will stave off starvation pure and
simple for an indefinite length of time; besides, there is yet plenty of
time before the wet season to lay in sufficient stocks of flour to carry
them through until the roads are again dry and hard enough for wheeled
traffic.
The Divisional Board have done good work by sinking a well 100 feet
deep, which now contains 60ft. of water of excellent quality, which
fairly supplies the wants of the inhabitants, so that there is no
immediate fear of a water famine; but increased provision will be
necessary as the population increases before another summer comes round.
The hotel charges are most reasonable, as I obtained very comfortable
quarters at M‘Cabe’s for two guineas per week, the table being
excellent, the waiting and general attendance first-class, whilst the
beds were clean and comfortable to a marked degree, spring mattrasses
being the rule, and one fully appreciates the luxury of a spring
mattrass in a climate like this; whilst during my stay a bath was always
available, so that altogether one might be in far worse places than
Harries and M‘Cabe’s Hotel. Horses can also be procured at reasonable
figures for riding about to inspect the various lines of reef--15s.
being the charge for a full day and 10s. for a half day from Messrs. T.
Banks and Co., through Mr. M‘Cabe, and I have to thank the latter
gentleman for many kindnesses shown to me during my visit, not the least
of which was his accompanying me in my various rides round the field,
acting as pilot and giving me much useful and valuable information, not
only with regard to the various well-developed mines, but also to many
new finds and good shows which have not yet been properly tested. Of
Croydon as a goldfield I cannot speak too highly, after a thoroughly
careful inspection of the field, but it is no poor man’s diggings. It
will require time, machinery and capital to develop its hidden wealth,
and I strongly advise one and all not to rush to Croydon without they
have the means to support themselves for fully six months, or great
misery and destitution must be the inevitable result. There is plenty of
time during the next two or three years for the investment of capital
and labor, the field being of such large extent, and I hold the opinion,
shared in by many others, that the workings are as yet only on the
outskirts of the gold-bearing country which extends for miles from south
to north-east of the present workings.
An account of my trip to Croydon would scarcely be complete without a
few facts with regard to the returns from some of the principal mines on
the field; and a short statement regarding the discovery of payable gold
may not be out of place. Mr. W. C. Browne, who was the manager of the
Croydon cattle station, had some idea that gold existed on the run, and
about two years ago had a couple of men named Walter and Dick Aldridge
working at the station under a contract for fencing. These men were old
diggers, and on the completion of their contract Mr. Browne supplied
them with rations, tools and horses, and paid them wages to go out and
prospect the surrounding country in the vicinity of the station, as the
locality abounded with quartz reefs cropping here and there above the
surface, the outcrop in some places extending for miles. They discovered
gold in a few days, and reported the find to Mr. Browne and also to
Warden Samuels, of Georgetown, at the same time making application for a
reward for the discovery. The warden came over to Croydon, and after
careful inspection was well satisfied of the payable nature of the
field. He laid off the Lady Mary Prospecting Claim, giving a reward
claim of 500ft. in addition to the four men’s ground applied for, making
the area 700ft. by 400ft., and at the same time laid off the Lady Mary
No. 1 north, on behalf of two men named Derisley and Flowers, who set to
work and raised 14 tons of stone, 6 tons of which were sent over to the
machine at Georgetown, about 150 miles distant, as a trial crushing, it
not being expected to yield more than 3oz. to the ton, but the return
was 7oz. 3dwt. per ton, the stone not being picked in any way, but
forwarded just as it was taken out of the ground. This handsome result,
on being made known, immediately caused a rush, and notwithstanding the
counter attractions of Kimberley in Western Australia, which for a time
delayed the development of the field by taking away many of the mining
population, the Croydon of to-day is a monument to the enterprise and
perseverance of the Australian miner, and bids fair before long to
rival, if not surpass, any goldfield in Australia. Taken right through,
and judging by what I have myself seen and inspected, there is a great
and prosperous future in store for Croydon, but very little will be done
to develop the undoubted richness of the field until after the next wet
season, the machinery at present erected being utterly inadequate for
the requirements of the place; but as this defect will soon be
remedied--there being several large crushing plants now on the way to
Croydon--the country will have a better chance of being prospected, and
those who have been waiting for months to obtain a chance of getting
their stone crushed will be able to realise some return for their labor
and perseverance. But the field requires time, machinery, and the
introduction of a little foreign capital to thoroughly develop its
resources, and I cannot too strongly impress upon the minds of your
readers the fact that it is no diggings for a poor man, and that no one
should venture there without having at least sufficient for their
support for fully six months, otherwise they are bound to suffer, as all
branches of skilled labor are well represented, and there being far more
cats now on the field than are able to catch mice.
The cost of passage is as follows:--From Brisbane to Normanton, by
A.U.S.N. Co.’s boats, every alternate Thursday, saloon, £14; steerage,
£9. By Cobb and Co.’s coach, Normanton to Croydon, leaving every Tuesday
and Saturday 6 a.m., £3 10s., two days’ journey, 120 miles; 2s. 6d. for
meals and bed on the road, whilst good accommodation can be obtained at
the principal hotels in Croydon for £2 2s. per week.
The first claim visited by me after arriving on the field was the
Caledonian P.C., Mr. Tom Carvill being the Manager, and he kindly
constituted himself my guide, philosopher and friend during my
inspection of this grand property. The main shaft was down 56 feet, the
reef averaging about 2 feet, between well-defined foot and hanging
walls. Levels had been driven each way from the shaft for a distance of
30 feet, and there were from 250 to 300 tons of stone at grass giving
prospects of fully 3oz. per ton, and with the stone in sight in the
claim it struck me that it was a regular bonanza to the fortunate
shareholders. It was discovered in rather a singular manner, by a digger
who, in searching for his horse, happened to get “bushed”; wandering
about for hours and eventually stretching himself out for a rest on the
cap of the reef, and whilst lying down thinking, as Paddy says, of
“nothing at all,” his eye was attracted by the promising appearance of
the stone, which induced him to break off a portion, when to his
surprise and delight he saw specs of the precious metal imbedded
therein; and whether this discovery was the means of restoring his bump
of locality to its normal condition or not may be a matter for
conjecture, but the fact is that he shortly afterwards made his way to
the main camp of the diggers situated on Station Creek, arriving there
shortly after darkness had set in, when he acquainted a man named
Connolly with his discovery, showing him the specimen and describing the
locality to the best of his recollection.
Connolly saw him safely wrapped in slumber--and worn out as he was by
his ramblings, you may rest assured he slept very soundly--when
believing in the old proverb “The early bird catches the worm,” he
started away before daylight, succeeded in finding the place indicated
by Hallen, followed up the tracks, discovered where the piece of quartz
had been knocked off the reef, pegged out a claim of four men’s ground
and returned quietly to camp almost before his absence had been
remarked. But he acted in the meanest possible way to the man who gave
him the information, by refusing to give him a share in the ground he
had secured, preferring rather to give it to his own particular
friends.
I heard this claim had been sold to a syndicate for £12,000 cash, and in
my opinion and that of many others, they have got a long way the best of
the deal. We next had a look at the Highland Mary line, which some think
is a continuation of the Caledonian, in which opinion I hardly share as
I fancy they are two distinct and separate lines of reef, the Highland
Mary running north and south with a dip to the east, whilst the
Caledonian runs nearly east and west clipping to the south. I went down
the Highland Mary P.C. for 90 feet on the underlay, following a
well-defined reef about two feet thick all the way, which seems to
improve as it goes deeper--and the next claim visited was No. 2 South,
on the same line. This is a grand claim; is down on the underlay 135
feet, with a two foot reef shewing good gold; has between 120 and 130
tons of stone at grass prospecting for nearly 4ozs., their last crushing
of 211 tons realized 838ozs., and to shew the estimation in which this
line is held I may state that nearly the whole of it has been blocked
off and shafts are being sunk to catch the reef at a depth. The line
extends some considerable distance, and further south takes the name of
the Sir Garnet, which has crushed 326 tons for 873ozs., but there is no
doubt it is all one and the same line of reef.
Next day, Friday, we started for Table-top, and I may remark that
coaches run to this place daily, so that visitors to the locality will
have no difficulty in reaching their destination, passing on the way the
Mountain Maid line, near which is erected Bibby’s mill on Belmore Creek,
about 3 miles from town; then the Welcome Reef, seven miles out; and
about fourteen miles out pull up at the Rising Sun P.C. claim, better
known as the ten men’s ground, and as the miners are just having their
mid-day meal, we are invited with true bush hospitality to partake of a
pannikin of tea and a slice of bread and beef, which invitation we
heartily accept. There are three reefs in this ground, which belongs to
Thomas and party and the one they are at present working is three feet
in thickness; there is a large body of stone at grass estimated to crush
4ozs. to the ton, and I have no hesitation in saying this is really a
splendid property, which must become very valuable when properly
developed. The road to Table-top from Croydon runs through ridgy country
shewing every sign of being gold-bearing, but the dust fiend is with us
in all his intensity for the whole of the journey, and we are not sorry
to pull up at Busted’s Hotel for a wash and refreshment. In the
afternoon we wander about on foot looking at the various claims in the
vicinity; visiting “Mount Morgan” and “The Federation,” to the south of
the township--the former, a well developed mine with good prospects, and
the latter in an embryo stage, but with a very good show.
In the evening we wander northwards visiting the celebrated “Bobby
Dazzler” P.C., a grand mine with wide, well-defined reef, situate in the
face of an immense bluff, plainly visible from the main street of the
little town--The Republic--The Great Eastern--The Surprise--and a
prospecting area not yet named, all of which were discovered by an old
hand named Jack Murphy; but the travelling is very rough indeed and the
ranges are particularly hard on muscles and shoe-leather, so by the time
we return to the hotel we feel pretty well tired out.
Table top at night is not the most lively place in the world, there
being little or nothing in the way of amusement as yet provided, if we
except a shooting gallery and a sort of free and easy held in the
dining-room of Bell’s Hotel to the strains of a cracked concertina,
where between twenty and thirty men have congregated together to pass a
_musical (?)_ evening, and pay their attentions to a lively looking
servant girl, who seems to have a kind word and a smile for one and all.
The buildings, as well as the inhabitants, are of the rough and ready
type, the former being constructed entirely of saplings and galvanised
iron, put together in a hurry just to answer present requirements, the
native earth still doing duty for a floor, boards being far too
expensive a luxury to indulge in at present; whilst the dust, which is
thicker and more penetrating even than that of Croydon, envelopes the
place like a cloud.
The butcher’s shop, if the term can be applied to an open shed roofed
with boughs, contains some splendid beef, in fact, I never remember
seeing meat of better quality exposed for sale even in Sydney, and the
diggers are to be congratulated on the fact that an inexhaustible supply
of that indispensible necessary of life is always procurable at
reasonable rates; whilst it is evident that rest and refreshments will
not be difficult to obtain in future, there being already three hotels
in full swing--Busted’s, Bell’s, and Mulvey’s--with two more in course
of erection; but I am sadly afraid the water supply is none of the best,
its permanency being a matter of very grave doubt. Coaches run daily
between Table-top and Croydon, the service performed by Messrs.
Carrington Bros, being thoroughly reliable, whilst others are also
available, but for scouring the country in the vicinity horses are
almost a necessity--except one prefers to explore on foot--the country
being very rough and broken. We obtain a shake-down at Messrs. Black and
Co.’s store, who have a monopoly of the business here in that line at
present and appear to be doing very well indeed, and as a good supply of
blankets is available, manage to make ourselves very comfortable,
passing a quiet and peaceful night, and awaking thoroughly refreshed
from the fatigues of the previous day.
On Saturday we take a run out towards Laycock’s and inspect a
prospecting area known as the “Harry Lee,” or “Bellbird,” which contains
three reefs in the ground and prospects very fairly, but as the claim
has not yet been developed to any great extent, it is rather hard to
predict what its future may be, although to my mind, it appears very
promising indeed, whilst the Grace Lee, The Golden Valley Co., Coles’
the Vasco de Gama, Black Diamond, and other lines speak well for the
prosperity of this portion of the field. We start back for Croydon in
the evening by way of the Twelve-mile and Homeward Bound, and travelling
as we are in a light buggy, find the bridle-track we are following
fearfully rough and very trying to our pair of ponies, who get stuck
amongst some boulders on a rather steep pinch, and trying to extricate
themselves with a bit of a rush manage to snap the main bar where it
crosses the pole, putting us in rather a fix as we had no tomahawk, but
I manage to break down a sapling and inserting it between a couple of
trees snap it off about the required length, and by the aid of a few
straps doctor it up sufficiently to answer the purpose, but
unfortunately a few miles further on one of our nags starts kicking in
going down a steep gully, and demolishes the lot. Nothing daunted, we
again set to work and succeed in effecting repairs, taking the
precaution to drag the buggy across the gully before harnessing up, and
from that out get on all right.
We have to climb a nasty spur covered with boulders leading on to the
ridge on which the Homeward Bound line of reef is situated, so all
alight, and two of us lead the horses whilst the remaining one of our
party pushes hard behind; but the ponies are staunch and true, and
although during the process everything falls out at the back, including
cushions, whip, screw-wrench, specimens, &c., we eventually gain the
summit without further mishap.
We pulled up at the Homeward Bound No. 1 and 2, amalgamated, and I was
very much struck with the permanent character of the reef running down
between remarkably well defined foot and hanging walls, and evidently
making and improving as the depth increases, whilst the heap of stone,
about 300 tons, at grass augurs well for the prosperity of the
shareholders and speaks volumes for the systematic working of the mine,
as the stone is of excellent quality, well impregnated with the precious
metal, a trial crushing of 40 tons having returned a total of 188oz.
10dwt., whilst in many of the lumps of quartz now in the paddock gold is
distinctly visible.