THE OLD DAYS OF BENDIGO.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1231, 2 October 1885, Page 3

THE OLD DAYS OF BENDIGO.

A corrcsnondent of the * Launceston Examiner’writes ;—*• As the sn : j ct of deep sinking in T snpinia is now attracting general at.t ution from those who de-ire to develop onr deep se oe I tin and gold deposits | the splendi l success of the Victoria Quartz ••■ining Eo., at Sandhurst,.which hue ot ] from quar z roken at their lSU7it. level a yiul i of over 37 z o f retort d gold per ton, deserves special n nice. That yield disposes ! of nil ihe croakings that gold will not continue to great depths, especially as t.he Victory and Pandora Companies, on aim!her di-tinct line of reef there, are working a ‘saddle’ reef with good prnti at about the same d -nths from ihe surface. The former company’s su c ss, however, presents two aspects, vz , the cunt unity of •sh mis’ of go d to in erminal depths, and the humor* ■ms si le of it, as will he remembered by all old Behdigonians in he fifties of ihit. . . . . . In he first p'ace, tbs ■shoot’ of gold was toun i bv a tie- man £ om Cal forms. who rep e-en's V.ctoiiauqun 'z mining as the loon ier His name is well k own. and Bdle-s'edt and -Son were household words mnongs the mine s of that perio i. After obtaining about 1,102 0 0 worth of gold, three fourths of which was profit, the party sold their claim—s I miners’ licenses of Bft square esoh to dr Ge-rge Lmscdl, f -r I*3 >,OOO each, who obtained a lease from th-* Government, now well kn iwu as the No. ISd Mr Lanse i has ever sinei woik d the lease, and ho main shaf- is now 2(141fi. deep. His pr--tils ate not k own, on yof late :hc Mining Depar ment tlireo'ed the yields to bo pnMi bed. and they average ah..nt 2' z. per ton of the reef stan ling be-iwi-en the 1550 ft. and 1870 ft. levels. The •i!j fining Victoria Qimz mining Gomp-inv snee e 'ed in driving front. Lansell’s 1857 it level in again picking up ihe rieh ‘mu’ of a one worked by Ales-rs Belli rst- di, and suhs quently by Mr Linscll. So fir as to iciuai facts; now for the hnniour of thimost interesting and valuab e discovery. In those days of prosperous Bendigo, who he Government escort took from three to four ton r of go d eve y fortni ht t-> Melbourne, te owner of the Shamrock Hotel (tV. Helferna") had a large c mcert room in which InllO to 1200 miners c -uld be seated, e ch i-ench being constmcted anas to hold glas-es and pewiersin Iront ot each. The music, was excellent. English. Lush, an i Sc .oh ballals finding most fa or. Tile names of the I nly p-rfonnu s include I Me-da-i.es Sara Flower, Ootavia Hamilton, Carandi t. K i herine H iye-, and olh-rs; the gen lemen including Messrs Rraliam. T.eemin, Billow, Schult, an 1 Thatcher. The latter, a w-Il known c-nnic singer, hid a wonderful aptitude for singing on loed t'-pics. and so it came ah -ut that he intro duced a song on Ballerste It, sen., who hud somehow offend-d him. (he refrain being, according i«a well known German student's drinkiog s'-ng— Forty ounces to the ton. Jo hi ho ! jo ■ i ho, po 1 &c. This creat' d qni'e a. furore, and you could h-ar the song all met- nnl Ben 'igo. Neatly 35 years hav pas-e l by -ince Thatcher wis in his glory. What stupendous ch-m es have Ink n pi ce in the m antime, and s' ill it is a most r. a-siiring circnmsta ce that tnat song could he snug on Ben li.o at- the ] present lime as in those old days when the ' stone was carefully picked, which it is not at present.