PALMER RIVER GOLDFIELD.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 291, 26 September 1874, Page 3

PALMER RIVER GOLDFIELD.

(From the ' Cooktown Herald' August 12.)

• During the week many men "have arrived from the diggings, all bringing' more or'less gold, and since the Boomerang left the banks have bought considerable .quantities, in large and small parcels. Nearlyall that have come from it say that, with cheap rations and police protection-, the Palmer would be the best field ever opened in Queensland. We have received several letters from successful men, who speak in glowing terms of the Palmer as a goldfield ; but, inj order that no. highly-colored statements will go forth to the public as' to tremendous yields, we publish the following extracts from a letter received by a gentleman in town, the writer of which is well-known, and in whose veracity we place implicit confidence:— " Mitchell Palls, July 26. " There is no doubt but that the Palmer is a fine goldfield, and it will take years, in my opinion, to thoroughly develop it. Every creek and ravine contains gold in small quantities, and exceptional ones, such as M'Leod's and Jesso'p's, the enormous richness of which you have heard of lately. Independent of these, there is a large extent of country yielding an average of half an ounce per dgy to hundreds of men, to my own certain knowledge. The fact is, the country is only half prospected, and depend upon it the result will be right." Another arrival in town, Mr. Thomas Jones, who has been storekeeping on the Palmer for some time, and who is well known as a man to give a correct report, and, coming from him in a rough and ready form, we give it as he,-says v :—" I heard a month ago that some men were working near Mount Mulgrave about 14 miles from the lower camp, towards the Mitchell, aud that they had got from. sdwt to an ounce to the dish. How I heard .of it—-the men came into the flipper camp for rations, and went away at night time." Since that I hear they have been found* out, and a rush has set in. The diggings' are at present very scattered,'and there' is no settled township, and I believe that if there is a permanent settlement it will be on the Mitchell, which is appareritly in the centre of the gold. I do not : however know how'far the diggings extend, but 1 hear 15 miles from Cleveland Bay, side of the Mitchell, where the men are all getting a little. gold but not sufficient to pay, rations being so high, diggers not being satisfied at from sdwt. to Bdwt a day. I believe, every person on the diggings is getting a little gold, but it' is use to have a shallow idea that with bor only gold is got: without horses it useless; they mnst b'e got to carry.

mtions, otherwise .if men haveio\depend on humping food for such long 'distances they will be half their .time laid up/sick, swallowing physic At 'the' present.time Sandy Creek is nearly worlced.outj but I be-, lieve that after the wet season, that Oakey, Jessop's and M'Lepd's wijl be all'turned over, and good gold* got in them. __ -I* thoroughly believe in the Palmer as a'gold*field over all Queensland diggings,lif,ch&p rations could be got. Again, thereiis 'no police protection to afford security to diggers and storekeepers, there being*, but Sergeant Redman and Constable McCarthy and another at the upper camp, uTprotect 5,000 souls. Constable. O'Leary is postmaster, and Mr. Commissioner~'Dorjeyhas but one orderly ; consequently-..there are only three policemen to wiatch oversell the Mitchell and Upper Camps,.; The blacks on the -Palmer are getting" very dangerous, and not .later'than.;'lo■ days ago a digger was speared through the heart and instantly killed. • There was a party of 6 men 35 miles up the river >prospecting, and one morning between 10, and 11* they were attacked by between. 30. and : 40 blacks, who although the diggers were well armed kept them fighting -the whole day long, until the man in question was killed. The other men at once made fortheir horses and were off, tlie blacks pur • suing, them, and every-time they got into intricate ground or hollow, wduld. send\a volley of spears into the -party, ,buV happily without further damage.being done " The special reporter of "the above paper, writing from the Palmer ""under date August 2nd., says:—" The,rush to Sandy Creek is over, that is to-say men are still doing well, but nothing,-to, -warrant any excitement has recently. I hear Jessop is en route-with I6ooz as his share; others I have";heard of havino-. more, but of course I cannot vouch for the"' truth I reserve all comments upon'' the rush for a future letter, and in my next will endeavor to-give a faithful acpount of Sandy Creek doin fe s, past and piesent Men are repeatedly coming in to Palmer - ville with a few pounds weight of gold, so that is a sign of general well doing. Men who will work can get £\ -a-day,—rough bush carpenter here in' 'Palmerville. Some Chinamen working here -in the river bed are getting at the rate;o£ 200pz. per week ; there are, however,- a large number of them at work, and I mention this as heresay only, and cannot vouch ; 'for the truth of it."

(From the ' Courier,' August 15.)

A gentleman in whose 'veracity we have every confience. and who left the' at the latter end of > last week, reports : MOUNT MULGRAVE. t _ This the last rush on the tapis. It is situated about 3Q'miles south of Lower Township, and about an equal .""distance' west' from Sandy Creek. This new rush is supposed tip have be\n opened by Messrs. Mulligan and party ,-who were known to be out in that directiorisf the time our reporter left, it was was 30ft made ground—tha|istosay, 30ft sink-ing-riind that those indefatigable prospec tors;' Messrs. M ulligan arid.party, had taken a 4oz> piece and other goidtoff the bpttom of the first hole put down. This'news, as might l have been expected, caused great excitement amongst those - wandering mortals, the diggers/ on the Palmer, and a general- stampede was the consequence. All who had horses, and all who could buy them, left forthwith. Whether this rush has proved a " shicer,' or whether it has turned out right, our informant could not say, but certain it is that several diggers who have since arrived' state that it was well spoken of at the time they left the Palmer, and that large numbers were still leaving for it. ' ; [ . MITCHELL FALLS. /Here men are making, with the dish, fromvsdwt. to £oz. per" day ; with the cradle'A'from £oz. upwards, in some cases falling on heavy is a population on this rush; ; .£ : an'& are grumbling. They all say' ing tucker, -with a Here the diggings, k as on Sandy 'Creek and the creeks adjacent to it, are merely " gully rakings." The gold is easily got, and the creeks and ravines easily worked out —indeed it is nothing wonderful for aparty of men to workaut,a/claim in three or four days or/ a\we*el£fahd in.thia way the-countrjys quickly run over. . * i On Sandy Creek, Pine Creek, Stony Oreek, M'Leod's and Butcher's"Creek the rrien are making first-class .wages (Say from 2oz. per day) to barely tucker. On-M-'Lepd's Creek (the best' creek mentioned) the "dirt has to be carried from 300 yards mile ; the other ra'vines and gullies will be payable, our informant says when the rain falls.

The population .on all the rushes may be roughly calculated at 5,000 souls, including some 500 Chinamen, on the -Palmer proper. Great fears- are entertained of a famine during the rain, and rations at the time our informant writes were selling at most exorbitant-prices.—' Guardian."