KYEBURN.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 60, 25 March 1870, Page 2

KYEBURN.

(From oiir oivn Correspondent.) ' jtfo. Y, In describing mining operations on the Kyeburn and Little Kyeburn la*n about to describe" a gigantic operation, the tail race of which is now being robbed of its auriferous deposit* by its present pigmies of inhabitants. The Titan forces which have caused these tail races I can of coarse butallu.de to, but I must refer to them in. order to become intelligible. The Kyeburn proper and Little Kje-. burn, which include the whole of these diggings are but drains to the adjacent; mountains, and have cut their way through the alluvial deposits which once composed the delta of some mighty river. The two branches mentioned J above enclose what is called the Penin-, sula. This Peninsula is entirely com posed of alluvial matter, such as, clay, slate, soft sandstone, gravels and clay* of different colors, interstratined with occasional coal seams. Starting, then, from Brummys' Pciat, which i 3 said to. have been the richest spot on the creek,; and where the gold was of a roughs nuggetty nature, I will lead my readers. down the stream, and inspect in their company the different deposits and workings in their proper order and sue* cession. I must mention that Brmnmy's Point is the head of the Kyebura workings, or so near it that no payable: gold has been found a quarter of a-mita, above. No quartz reeis have been discovered in this locality, but a larger amount of breccia, well water-worn and. rounded, are interspersed with the alluvial deposits.' They are commonly called quartz boulders, but, in reality,* they are but cemented gravel, detached? from some bed of conglomerate, which, instill in existence, has not yet been discovered. Efom- superficial indications, however, I am inclined to think that this breccia has found its wayoierthe Kyeburn range by way of ItfbimtBurster, \vhere the wash is almost copposed of quartz pebbles. I have come: across no other quartz wash in-this; portion of the district, and have formed my opinion after several years consideration; A short distance below BrummyV Point, and nearly at the entrance to the] Gorge, there are still evidences of al fine grained micaceous slatey rock of a.i grey color, and not unlike-roofing slatov] and overlying tlie matamorphie rock. Wherever this slate overlies the- bed j rock gold has invariably'been found ot ] a rough coa? se nature, but, unfortunately, there is but little of it left in this locality, the bed rock being almost denuded of its superincumbent strata. Arrived at the Kyeburn Gorge, which is rock-bound, and which is the outlet to the up-creek workings, I find tbafc when the creek: is low gold is to be obtained inconsiderable quar tities in thebed of the creek. Some oortkms ®f| thi3 Gorge have been worked two andl three times with suceess —the gold be-' ing picked out of the crevices in the rock. Below this Gorge very little rough gold has been found, ana" what rough gold has been found is traceable to another source. The further we descend the stream the finer becomes &e gold, and, as the workings extend over three miles of ground, my statements are reconcileable with my first assertion —that I am describing but a gigantic sluicing operation. Every practical miner who reads this article will under stand that the heaviest of the gold will lodge at the head of a properly constructed tail race, and that the* finest will be found.in his box, at the lover

extremity i , where every precaution is taken to save the fine gold. - The results of a floe d in tbe Kyeburh mast be witnessed to thoroughly understand the above description, and the reader must further be a practical miner to understand how the gold has been removed from one spot to another. In. soime places the stream completely fills up its old channel, and scoops out a new one for itself, in other places itwill waste away all the superincumbent gravel and leave the rock bare; Should the bottom be of a rough nature, and capable of retaining gold, good wages will probably be made in such a spot" after a flood. This, although applicable to both extremities of the creek, is moreapplicable to the Grorge and upper portion where the bottom is a course mica schist. Below the Gorge on the contrary the different bottoms-consist of smooth sandstone, a sort of cemented gravel called Maori bottoai, and a species, of coarse sand called-granite. /W"ny this* latter is called granite I am unable to make out, as it is almost entirely 'iomposed of quartz. The Kyeburu ' workings resemble no other workings that I have seen, unless it is the MolyneuF. In most places a Ini | ler , when he. is prospecting yill sink • a hole to the bottom, and it he can get nothing on the bottom will leave the spot. Here, on the contrary, you must -begin: trying the ground immediately under the sod, and ty it all the way down. Probably nothing will be found on the bottom, but- a streak of gold may be found about half way, perhaps two overlying each other, -and running in different directions. I will say nothing as to the cause of this in my present , letter, as I find that space will not allow of it, but I merely mention what is to be found here. I have' seen a run of coarse gold on the bottom overlaid by a distinct run of fine gold- -the two * evidently come from different' directions; and this in ground not more than eight or ten feet deep. Most of the creek workings are carried on on no bottom at all,' and the miner' simply depends, upon the streaks mentioned above' for his returns. Perhaps he will work a claim out and never see the bottom. The cause of this must be .reserved for my; filial letter, as I find that I have already monopolised too > much of your space.