DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 229, 31 March 1874, Page 5

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT.

[Our contributor's further remarks on this subject are so lengthy, that we have divided them under three heads,—Quartz Mining, Alluvial Mining, and the Agricultural Interest,—in which order they will appear.—Ed. C. A.]

QUARTZ MINING. We now propose, and as briefly as possible, to point out some of the mining resources of the district which, yet remain in an undeveloped state. We shall first take the sub-district of Bendigo. Two or three years ago, two or three distinct lines of quartz reefs were occupied by eager claimholders, and a large amount of mo.iey was uselessly expended in vain prospecting,—Logan's line, as it was then called, being occupied for over two miles. Now, only three claims are being worked, —the Cromwell Company's, the Lucknow, and the 'Reliance. Why have all the others been abandoned ? The answer which conies most readily, to this question, one would imagine, is that no reef could be found in any other claim. Snch an answer, however, would not be correct: a reef, whether the reef or not is not for us to say, was found in many other claims, —and a reef containing gold. Tn nearly every claim, from No. 1 to No. 13 east of the Cromwell Company's claim, a reef was found which contained more or less gold. The real reason, we are afraid, must be sought in the manner in which the claims were taken up, and the kind of men who were employed to work them. The most of the original shareholders took them up to sell, not to work, and the men employed were, with a few honourable exceptions, given more to shanty-frequenting than reef prospecting. The consequence was, therefore, that by the time the reef had been struck, as, we repeat, it really was in several instances, though only with poor prospects, many of the shareholders, original or by purchase, were so disgusted at the enormous expense incurred, that they were glad to abandon claims which apparently were so worthless. Others, again, persevered, as did the original owners of the Reliance ground, till they could not stand the expense any and were obliged to get the protection of the Warden for their claims. Everybody has heard how infectious a panic is, and in no other industry is it more so than in that of quartz reefing. The abandonment of one claim led, by an easily understood process, to the stoppage of others, and so on till the break-down of the Aurora Company became the signal for a general clear-OMt. Many did draw the deduction from the general failure, and many do so still, that there is only one claim which will pay to viz., that of the Cromwell Company. We refuse to take that view of it, however, and hold that the lesson which the first rush to the Bendigo quartz reefs taught us is, that a gold-bearing reef does exist for a distance of more than a mile and a quarter outside of the Cromwell Company's claim, but that it requires long and sustained efforts to develop it. We grant that in every case in which gold was found the prospect was poor; but the experience of the Cromwell Company proves to us beyond a doubt, that though the reef may be worth only from three to four dwts. to the ton in one place,

at a different level it may yield aB much as six and a half and seven ounces to the ton. We all know how rich the well-named " Golden Link" proved to be at one time : do we not also know that at the last level which was worked, it would barely give four or five dwts. per ton? When the Golden Link was in the height of its prosperity, was the Company's ground not practically abandoned in several places for the very same reason that the Golden Link is now practically abandoned 1 Will anyone venture to say that twenty feet below its present level, it will not prove as rich an ever? It may well be, therefore, (and we are reasonable in supposing that such ia the case,) that a claim a mile and a half froin that of the Cromwell Company, if worked to the same depth, would prove as inch as that has done. We have not the slightest doubt of it, and we believe the time is not far distant when a fair trial of it will be made. We hope the first party that is spirited enough to try it will not only be fortunate in striking payable gold quickly, but that they will have been foreseeing enough to have had a sixteen acres' lease of it secured. We cannot speak with the same certainty of the Lucknow line of reef, as it has not been tried to the same extent; but there is every reason to believe that it will yet prove successful to one company at any rate. Gold-bearing reefs exist at the Rise-and-Shine, and at Thomson's Gorge, though whether they are of a rich nature is not known, as they have never had a fair trial. The great fact remains, however, that they are goldbearing, and consequently may be reckoned amongst the undeveloped resources of the district named. Even if they should, when developed, prove not to be so rich in gold as is thought to be only payable at the present time, we believe they will ultimately pay. If we can read the signs of the times aright, we are on the eve of discovering hetter methods of extracting the gold from quartz than are at present in existence, and reefs will after a short time pay, which no one at present would think of touching. Too many minds are busily engaged studying the problem for the secret to remain hidden much longer. If our anticipations are correct, we shall yet see Bendigo producing a quantity of gold much greater than is now produced by the whole Cromwell district.

Respecting the Carrick Range quartz reefs, although there are more companies in operation upon them than at Bendigo, we must regard them as being in an equal degree undeveloped. One continuous line of reef has not yet been discovered on the Carrick ; but when we find claims yielding payable gold within an area of seven or eight square miles,—such as theCaledodonian, the Star of the East, the Heart of Oak, the Elizabeth, the John Bull, the Young Australian, and others too numei ous to particularise,—we are forced to that conclusion. None of these claims have as yet been prospected to any depth worth comparing to those of Victoria ; and when they are, it may be found, and it is reasonable to suppose, that distinct and continuous lines of reef of great thickness will be discovered to traverse the range in several directions. Many claims on the Carrick have been abandoned, not because they did not contain gold, but because they did not in quantities which would pay with our present appliances. The same remarks will hold good of them which we made of the Bendigo ones. They will yet be taken up and profitably worked at no distant date. From the cursory remarks we have made on the subject of quartz mining, it will be seen that our belief in its future extensive development is great. We think it is an industry which will yet in the Cromwell district support ten times the population which it at present does, and that those who are now content to cast in their lot with the district for better or for worse will yet reap the reward of their faith.