GOLD AT TWO THOUSAND FEET.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1420, 3 September 1878, Page 3

GOLD AT TWO THOUSAND FEET.

A correspondent who has visited the Magdala mine, Stawell, Victoria, furnishes the “Town and Country Journal ” with the following : The man who would have predicted ten years ago that gold would bo found at 2000 feet below the surface of the earth would have been looked upon by many with a sceptical eye; and yet it is a fact made patent to all who will have the courage to go below a quarter of a mile in the Magdala shaft at Stawell. Having heard that gold was struck at this great depth, I was determined to see for myself the nature and extent of the find, and accordingly on Thursday morning I presented myself at the claim, and having been thoroughly rigged in mining costume, I gave myself to the care of Mr Peter M'Lintock, the mining manager, and wo at once descended 1660 ft. in a patent safety cage. At this level wo got out of the cage, and a bucket being now used in place of the cage, I descended to the lowest level—viz., 1994 ft., taking in all about ten minutes to reach the bottom. Hero I found a slab or reef of about Sin. of quartz going down to 3iu. and then spreading to about Ift., with every appearance of widening out. One could not but bo struck with the change in the country where the reef was struck. From hard sandstone you come into a part where there are layers and veins of quartz, evidently indicating that a largo body of stone is near. The mining manager is of opinion it is the Oriental Flat Reef, as it comes from the Oriental side, and should it open out into a reef sft. thick, the mine will be a rich one for the shareholders, who have so persistently paid calls and held on to their stock under great discouragement. The question may be asked, is it payable ? I reply, the stone is payable if a largo body of quartz is met with. The present slab, if crushed, would yield from loz. to 2oz. to the ton ; for I saw gold freely in the stone, and looking over some quartz at the bottom of the shaft which had just been knocked down, I saw good gold indeed. If I had been allowed I could have brought twenty pieces of quartz with me, each having gold well distributed through the stone. It is the intention of the management to open out in a week on the slab of stone, and drive on it towards the Oriental Reef, and they have this fact to encourage them in the Oriental claim —a small vein of quartz was found, and on driving on it, they came into a body of quartz sft. in thickness, richly studded with gold. The mining mjn of Stawell have now what they did not have formerly, great confidence in the future of this mine, and have shown this by making heavy purchases of the stock, and they are most favorably impressed with the present indications for more stone. The company, financially, is sound, witli about £2OO to their credit, and the grant of £IOOO to come in, I am inclined to think the State should at once recognise the importance of this strike of gold at 2000, feet by a substantial grant to this the pioneer company of deep sinking, by whoso perseverance millions of wealth m,ay bo brought to the at the came time finding work for thousands of people.