THE MOUNT LYELL GOLD DISCOVERY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1276, 13 August 1886, Page 3

THE MOUNT LYELL GOLD DISCOVERY.

The recent development of the Mount Lyell gold discovery bids fair to clipae any thing of the kind hitherto found n Tasmania, and even to rival the famed Mount Morgan, of Queensland, the value of which is counted in millions. Mount Lyell—on the south side of which the discovery which is now attracting so much attention among mining men haa been made—is one of a series of eminences on a range having a north and south bearing, situate on the east side of the Queen River and north of the King River, which latter falls into the Macquarie Harbor at the township of Strahan. There is a track leading from Strahan to the King River mine, and this is being continued to Mount Lyell; but the beat way at present to reach the mine is to go up the King River in a boat to a point which is about seven miles from the King River mine, and then to take the track. The scenery along the river is described as being very striking and picturesque. Bold cliffs rise to a considerable height at intervals, and the banks are clothed with magnificent timber, and an undergrowth of almost tropical luxuriance. The stream is a very fine one, but is much interrupted by rapids, which render navigation a work of come difficulty, oven in a flat-bottomed boat of the lightest draught, and at these points the boats have to be towed up by men wading ahead or clambering along the banks. From the landing place to the King River mine the road is passable, a considerable sum having been expended upon it to render it fit for dray traffic. From the King River to Mount Lyell is a further distance of some seven miles, which is traversed by a very rough track. The first two miles are tolerable, but after that come five miles of the worst track to be found even in Tasmania. It requires a good bushmen to get along it even with a small swag, and some idea of its difficulties may be formed from the fact that it costs an ounce of gold to get lewt packed along it. That is stated to be the regular tariff, T-80 per ton for five miles f The miners— Messrs Grotty, Dixon, and Henry—whoso loss and indefatigable labors have at last been crowned with such splendid and welldeserved success, have been prospecting in the locality for some years or more. At an early period of their operations they found some very coarse reef gold, giving eve y indication of the presence of an exceedingly rich reef or lode in the vicinity. One piece weighed over 7dwt, and it all looked as if freshly discharged from its matrix. A good deal of remarkably fine gold was also found. Reasoning from the indications, the prospectors (who had secured a prospecting area of fifty acres under a protection order) commenced a systematic search for the lode, carrying up a tail race and working away a large face before them,and obtaining gold in considerable quantity as they proceeded. The ground presented extraordinary difficulties, being encumbered with large masses of ) iron ore, rock, and cement, which required j to bo blasted with dynamite. The tail race was carried through a peculiar formation, and one day one of the miners employed by the prospectors threw down the hydraulic, hose which they were using, and the jet was left playing on the aide of the cutting. After a while the man’s attention was caught by the rich appearance of gold near the jet, where the stream was depositing it so as quite to gild the soil. He immediately threw down hia tools, startedoff and commenced to peg out a miners’ right alluvial claim Jmost vigorously. The prospectors however very properly soon stopped his little game, knocked down his pegs, and informed him that as he was employed by them he had no right to do anything of the kind. They, however, lost no fins in put ting in their applications for three reward lease claims at a peppercorn rent, to which they were entitled under tho regulations. Farther prospecting has revealed to some extent the extraordinary richness of the deposit. It would appear at first sight to be a dyke formation, but its exploration so far, indicates that it is of hydro thermal origin, like the celebrated Mount Morgan mine. There is, however, a large dyke of iicn ore mnning in a nearly north and south line by the side of the rich deposit- On one side of this deposit there is a nearly ■ vertical slate wall, and tho prospectors have cross-cut the deposit for more than 27ft without reaching an opposite wall. The first 10ft or so consists of an amphoroua very dark and purplish-tinted earth, looking as if it were largely impregnated with manganese, and very heavy. It is easily reduced to a very fine powder, with a feel almost like black lead. This is exceedingly rich. Several assays have been made giving magnificent results. We know of thre i which were respectively at the rate of. lljiloz, 187oz, and 3840z to the ton. A paddock of 10ft square, and cf the same depth has been sunk on this, and it appears to bd quite as rich below as on the top, and without any sign of giving out. Next comes b body of most peculiar character of about 2tt in width, which the prospectors think consists mainly of baryta, a light-coloured mineral earth, easily broken down to powder. The I prospectors found by ’ pulversing this end treating it carefully that it gave astonishing prospects, fay exceeding in richness 'lhdSd from the body of mineral matter pioviondly described. They intend to get half a ton of this packed out, and seat down to Strahan and thence to Melbourne to be carefully treated. After tho baryta body follow varying bands of ore, with quartz veins carrying coarse gold. One of these -veins is 2ft Cin in thickness, Tho whole deposit, so far as yet crossed, is gold-bear-ing. The upper part of it is capped by a heavy iron deposit of several inches in thickness covering it like a crust, and some of this when broken showed coarse gold, though other parts have only yielded on assay a mere trace. The same information appears to extend for several miles, and already some hundreds of acres of landjhava been marked off.