NEW. RUSH AT ARARAT.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 710, 6 August 1870, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEW. RUSH AT ARARAT.

A new rush has taken place about a mile from Ararat, the appearance of which partially reminds us (4. and P. C. Advertiser) of the good eld times when remunerative employment was found for the numerous miners who thronged our neighborhood. The situation of the rush is beyond the north end of the old Cantou Lead, near Pic-nic Gully, and lies at the west of the Upper Wet Lead. The ground to the south has been worked out, or rather supposed to have been worked out, but as the present alluvial deposit is found to be on a false bottom, it is not improbable that the adjoining holes have been sunk through gold-bearing dirt, and

that they may yet be found to be auriferous. A few daj r s ago a party of Chinamen obtained a prospecting claim on the rush ; the depth of their shaft was 40ft, and in six days they obtained 270z of gold. The result led to a considerable rush taking place, and when we visited the ground on Thursday, there could not have been fewer than 200 miners on the ground, probably the half of whom were Chinese. The sinking ranges from 37ft to 47ft, and the auriferous ground is about 6ft or Bft thick. All the miners with whom we spoke gave favorable reports of the ground, and readily gave information as to the yields of the several claims, displaying none of the reticence that characterised tho miners of bygone days. We saw one tub washed. out by Gardener and Roads which gave about sdwt, this was the third tub they had washed out during the morning with a similar result ; the depth of their shaft was 41ft. A large proportion of the miners on the ground were at work, shepherding not being so general as it used to be. The claims that had bottomed seemed to be nearly all payable. The ground available is not of any great magnitude, averaging probably not more than 15ft in width, so that there is little room for many additional miners, although it is impossible at present to say how far the lead may extend. NEW RUSH AT ALEXANDRA. The following copy of a report received from Mr R. A. F. Murray, miuing sur veyor, <fee, Alexandra, has been forwarded to us for insertion by the Mining department: — The workings were discovered, and the discovery reported to me, by Dennis Ryan and party. The locality is one mile southwesterly from Merton, which is the nearest township. The nearest goldworkings are those of .Growler's Gully, and the Puzzle Creek lead is distant about three miles and a half easterly. The workings are situated on a flat, traversed by the Hut Creek, a tributary of the Merton Creek. The width of the alluvial deposit near the prospectors' shaft is about a quarter of a mile, increasing towards the Merton Creek, where the alluvial deposits are of great extent. Two shafts have been bottomed by the prospectors through the following strata, viz :—Surface soil, 7ft; hard greyish- white sandy cla}', 34ft 6in ; hard ferruginous cement, 6in ; gravel containing water-worn boulders of quartz, sandstone, and of which lft 6in is taken as washdirt, 3ft. The total depth to bed rock, 45ft. The yields reported by the prospectors are equal to loz to the load, and the gold is coarse, though large pieces have not yet been met with.. A large amount of water was met with in the lower stratum, and ia driving through the bed-rock, and the quantity raised is greatly in excess of what is required by the Beechworth by-laws to constitute a wet frontage lead. About seventy claims have been taken up under the wet frontage system, and active preparations are being made to test the flat. A quartz reef, known as the Challenger Reef has been proved auriferous at a point on the southern fall of the Puzzle Range towards the Home Creek, but it seems probable that, its extension is intersected by the Hut Creek, and its tributary gullies. Other veins exist as testified by tbe scattered quartz on the spurs and ranges, but they have not yet been opened. The surrounding country presents most favorable indications. Numerous other gullies and flats in the surrounding ranges are totally untried, and the general appearance of the district favors the probability that steady prospecting will develope an extensive and permanent gold field. The present number of miners on the ground, actually engaged in preparations for work; is about fifty. A number more are waiting'for the results of a few more shafts, and should these prove encouragiug, a considerable influx of miners from the surrounding gold fields may be expected. Timber suitable for mining purposes is abundant, and of good quality. There are sufficient miners to prospect the locality, and uutil further results are obtained, it would be umvise for those living at a considerable distance to proceed too hastily to the rusli.