Alexandra Times at KellyGang 3/9/1869 (2)
The Sons of Freedom Company following is owned by a Ballarat and Melbourne proprietary, and, from the appearance of the ground with reference to the contiguous claims, bids fair to be a most valuable mine. No time appears to be lost in carrying on the progressive works here. The. poppet-heads and winding-gear are all in place; the boilers are delivered on the claim; and holders, I should think, may reasonably look forward to good dividends at an early date. I are informed. that prospects washed here are of a most cheering description.
Below this comes the Cosmopolitan, Auld Reekie, Star of the South, Barker's Lease, &c., &c., scarcely any of which have more than emerged from and embryo stage up to the present. This is to be chiefly attributed to the applications for leases being opposed by the miners, resulting in the refusal of said leases in most instances. The natural concomitant of this result is a plethora of business for the gentlemen of the long robe, whose smiling and smirking visages bespeak the consciousness, animating their minds of certain briefs and fees innumerable in prospect, which, by legitimate mining, ought to line the pockets of shareholders with dividends, instead of involving them in endless litigation, which has ruined some of the best claims, in the country; and this would, undoubtedly be the case, for I have seldom seen an alluvial goldfield which could be wrought with so little expense as this.
The sinking, on the average, is only 100 feet; there is no rock to go through, just enough water to be most desirable to any company working with proper and efficient machinery, and an unlimited supply of excellent timber all round the claims. The washdirt, in all, averages 3 feet thick (as at present taken), and consists of two runs, white and red, overlying each other, at the head of the lead, and running parallel on reaching the lower claims, The gold in the red run is rather ragged; but in the white run it appears to be considerably more water-worn and nuggets up to 5 oz each are frequently picked out of the dirt. The quality of the gold is nearly, as high as that of Ballarat. The red run reminds one much of the wash formerly obtained at the old Eureka Lead, Ballart, and is very thickly interspersed with, fine-looking quartz boulders.
Overlying the load is a mass of charcoal sand, dead wood - in one instance. a large tape some 3 feet in diameter, above this there is a layer of black clay, and from thence to the surface alternate layers of gravel, clay, soil, &e. I here unhesitatingly assert my conviction that the whole of the Goulburn flats will be found to be similarly auriferous; and I anticipate before very long to see as much mining activity and enterprise in this quarter as ever there was at Sebastopol in its most palmy days, and with a greater amount of certainty of success, inasmuch as all these flats are bounded by lofty schistose and primitive ranges; thereby defining almost to a demonstration the course of the leads. In fact, this seems so patent to any ordinary perception, that it appears almost impossible to go wrong. Those leads generally take their rise, between schist ridges in shallow workings, which gradually deepen and spread out into splendid-looking flats as they descend, until terminated by the Goulburn River.
It is only a very few months since Pennington (the enterprising prospector of this portion of Victoria, and the discovers of the celebrated Ghin Ghin diggings) first discovered gold at Godfrey’s Creek; and, with such splendid prospects as are here to be seen, I expect that the woods and forests will soon resound with the snort of the steam-engine, scream of the whistle, and rattle of puddling machines, and that many tons of gold will yet be extracted from this latest discovered and most promising of all alluvial goldfields.
Before concluding, I may just mention that the Great Northern claim, adjoining the You Never Can Tell on the north, struck payable gold as I was leaving Godfrey's. This looks well for the Ajax and other claims lying towards Merton. In fact, it is almost impossible to say of how great, extent this field will yet prove to be. At some future time I may forward, you another communication.
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