THE RINGAROOMA GOLD FIELD, TASMANIA.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 515, 6 May 1869, Page 3

THE RINGAROOMA GOLD FIELD, TASMANIA.

The following is an extract from a letter received in Melbourne, from a resident of Launceston who is now at Waterhouse diggings, dated Hop Hill Reef, April 7 : — " After we had got fifty miles on the journey we met at least sixty people who had left the diggings, all agreeing that it was a complete failure, and cursing Williams up hill and down dale. Some of them tried all they knew to persuade us to turn back — f a thing we could not think of.' We camped three nights in the bush after we left old Jimmy Oddley's abode ; and on Sunday morning te found ourselves on what was once armed fthe diggings.' We found four people there, besides the prospectors, who were Williams, Richardson, Fencker, and Strauss. Fancy Mr Fencker leaving his golden holes on the Den to come down here ! However, he has done so, and brought all lm tools, &c, with him, so that anyone who has an inclination to make a rapid fortune can now go halves with Old Jimmy at the Den. Like the Den, the only bit of gold that has been got is in a square patch of about sixty feet, and although holes have been sunk for two miles all round there has not been so much as the color got out of any of them. What there is of the quartz reef is very rich indeed, although the gold itself is very poor, and would not be worth so much by LI per oz as the Don gold. We have not done any work yet on account of the rain, which has been s) great that I have not had a dry stitch on me since Monday morning, when it commenced. I have sent you a few specimens up that we fossicked out of the prospectors 1 claim yesterday in spite of the rain. There will be a mutiny on the ground this morning, as we are determined to have some of the ground the prospectors have marked off, as soon as Lambert ha.s left ; so the sooner we get rid of him the better. If we do not succeed here we intend to work through to Fingal. . . . If there are any good accounts of this hole in town contradict them by all means, as it is the greatest sell yet perpetrated. This morning there are eight people on the ground, including ourselves and the prospectors, so that looks well for the diggings.