A Trip to the New South Wales Ruby Field.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 256, 18 April 1888, Page 5

A Trip to the New South Wales Ruby Field.

In company with Messrs Clarke, Mm ton, Fullarton, May and Berliner, I left Broken Hill on Tuesday morning for J'oolamacca, the scene of the ruby Held-. We left town at six o'clock a.m., and after two hours and a half of plea&ant drive behind Hills bcs^ team of four chestnuts, we arrive at Albion Town, wheic we breakfast. At halt- past nine we are again on the road, and at lnlf-pn.st ton we pass the Waukaroo Hotel. On again tluough gently undulating rises and vales, and at just before one we leave the Paps behind, and cross the boundary ol the Siam Ruby and Tin claim. The property, which consists of tw o 80' acic bloekb and one of 40 acres, i.s bisected by Tiough Creek. The claim is about 35 miles north of Broken Kill, about 2\ miles noi th ot the I'aps, and three miles southwest of (Jainor's Hotel, Poolamacca. The creek, which has two channels here, is suiface diy, and is showing alluvial deposit consisting of a coaise metallic tand show ing ) oek and garnet crystals and other constituent parts ta\omable to the existence of other piccious stone* than mbies such as diamonds, emeralds, &c. This deposit runs the whole length of the property, and is about 300 feet wide. From the bed of this creek 1 personally washed a handful of the alluvial deposit, and even with the rough appliances used, my hand ys a basin and a wineglassful of whisky for washing material, as'we had no water to spare, I procured about a dozen good sized stones of fair colour. Other gentlemen with me picked a quantity of rubies from the dry surface sand. I also found stream and ruby tin in the bed in good quantities, and believe that this latter mineral alone is sufficiently staple to keep the property going. I believe that at a greater depth larger and finer stones will be found, and formation in sight goes a long way towards proving the existence of diamonds. As the creek, the very home of the stones forms an important factor in all the mines, a terse description will not be amis-. Trough Creek lises four miles southwest of the Taps, and after running in the cited direction to those hills it describes a smart cune to the east, in which direction it continues Ijmile, then for 3miles runs in a noi'thci ly direction. At this point it enters the Siam Company's claim, and after leaving it the course is in the same direction through the Burmese Ruby and Tin claim, which ay ill be described in next order. It then runs 3 miles to the south-v, e-t, and enters on Clarks, Poolmacca mby and tin claim. After leaxing the propeity the comae presents no especial featiue useful (o this repoit. It urns 6 miles west and empties into Campbell'- Creek. On the follow ing day 1 visited a Poolamacca head station in about Imlf-an-hour Fiom heic the country, lor a lew mile-, is stoop and tugged; our hoises can haiub, keep their feet, and the drag sways and bump-, and lemaius on the \erge of a capfci/e. But we pull thiough sately, and a f.>u vavda fiuthcr on we see the first peg of Clarks J'oolamacca Ruby and Tin Claim, ■which consists ot eight 40-acie block.-,, Xo-. 3166 to 5173, and is situated two mile- south-west of Poolamacca head station, and 35 miles north ot Broken Hill. I tr.icc the uomso of the neck through two block?, and at a sharp cune v heie the deposit is, tluow nup against an enormous peipendicular langc of clifls, 1 am certain the best stones will be found, but at a depth. On the eastei n slope, which ri.-es gently to 30 feet high, and is on a giadc ot lin to 10, the deposit of fcheallu\ial Ptuil as in the last mentioned claims, but slightly richer, is about 5 chains wide. The action of the water on the rocks is a cry apparent, several large rocks being worn as smooth and as straight in the face as if an aimy of masons had worked on them. The bed of this creek is of great antiquity, as pio\ed by the deposit and the enormous clifls. The creek doubblc&s existed millions ot yeais ago, when Adam was in du-t and the world in chaos. Millions of yeats ago rubies and other 1 stone 6 - and tin neie washed down from the ranges. That the cieek Hooded at least once in two yeais is very probable, new deposits were' made evcty year, and the large rubies and other precious stones, by \ irtuo ot their weight, sank to the bottom of the bed. I may be pardoned for dilating -o much on this theory when I explain that it is necessary to prene my statements with regard to the surface stones. T picked h-om oft" the suriacc some fair &i/.cd inbies, and L strongly contend that, taking into consideration the surface stones, large stones will be found on the bed rock. Kock crystals and othei indications of stones arc concuirent with the formation, and tin is present in large quantities. Water i- plentiful. I found water within six inches sinking. — Bioken Hill 'Argus, March 22nd,