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Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 11, 8 July 1886, Page 4

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The writer >;i i;ie following racy contributi' v to a Queensland exchange displays a very " exalted" idea of the mountainous character of the Lakes

disrrict: .The winding.up of the Golden Lode Gfoid-uiiuiug Company, of Macetown, New Zuuland, would be a matter of very little interest to Queensland readers, but it is worthy of mention as the -close of one. of the most remarkable speculations kuovru in the Colonies., The Company . was formed several years ago to work the reefs on A3Yan.ce Peak, one "of the highest ipgantains in. the district, and might probably have met with a certain measure of success had it not been for oietfainlucky. drawback. The claim was ■•situated;. on the very summit of th,ei mountain, And as there was hardly sufficient foothold for a goat in any pafct'of the lease, it is unnecessary to sayj the ■ Company's surveyor found hihiseJLf i standing in slippery places. His^wjf>rk. is- generally believed to have been done by means : of a telescope, and the outline map' prepared without any yery .close examin&tson of the grouiiaV 'Accuracy, however, was not required, for no Government official or- harden - was ever adventurous enough to undertake the duty' of checking the survey. A month or two later a party of directors went up to Macetown to decide on the best place forisommencing operations and on that day^the troubles of the Company began in earnest. A glance at the location was quit©' sufficient for the majority. Tney'saw all round the base of the mountain claims pegged out;/' and above these rose the huge cliffs of Advance Peak, grand and TseautiEui .enough, but looking very difficult indeed to ascend. . Still it was gratifying, Jto know • that this magnifi- I cent piece of scenery was the property of • ihe Company, even th.ou.gh the | beauties qf nature, when divided into 24 J ,'066 shares' of £l ; each (2s 6d paid up)^"Were' 'quoted at a considerable discount on the Stock Exchange. OHy one ad venturous shareholder was bold: .enough to advocate an ascent of the and the Board immediately/ appointed him a sub-committee for exploring purposes. No salary was attached to the position, but an -unanimous. vote of thanks was passed,' .and the Directors took turn about at the telescope to watch his progress. With a brave front, but with a. sinking hearty he started on hjs-l way, with an improvised alpenstock to. help his progress over the perpendicular wilderness in front. Like the mountaineer in the poem, his iiio.tto |vas " Excelsior," and his path was "■•a beeline to the clouds: Dignity soon gave way to necessity, and the adventurer was presently reduced to journeying , en his hands and knees, clawing/like a cat at every hold-fast, no matter how slender; and wondering in. ithe brief intervals, when thought was possible, how dividends could; ever c^me down where a shareholder was unable to get up. Two or three ■ streams, or rather waterfalls, were successfully ; a young and promising avalanche was dodged by a 1 'hair's breadth; then a juvenile landslip appeared, and carried the speculator's best hat away into eternity,".:: but still he went on. The Golden- Lode lease was reached at lastj' and there he drove the sharp end of the 5 alpen-stoek into the stock and paused "far. breath. Then he felt the trusty- I staff beginning to yield; he uftered.the first prayer that had passed :his lips since he became a member of the stock Exchange, and started off irito space. Nearly a hundred yards were traversed before he again touched/ terra jirma, and then he rebounded heavily off . the Keep-it-dark Company's claim,*/ .grazed a machine s^tej reservation belowi and rolled over two, BQineral leases and a, prospecting/ arei^^ring.up at last in a chinaman's w,ate ; rr,racei He was picked up and cc^veyeicl with some difficulty to Macetown, presenting about as miserable an ; appearance as a sub-committee well' ■.could. Since those days the Gulden Lode Company have met with nothing "but' disaster, which culmi-. nates at l&st in liquidation; and to aay member of the Alpine Club who ■wishes 5 to .devote himself to gold-min-ing there is 'now a favorable opening .atXAdvance Peak.