Alexandra Times at KellyGang 30/10/1868
MAINDAMPLE
This township, like Jonah's gourd, appears to have grown up in a night and withered in a day. The inhabitants are all living on the Micawber principle, waiting till something turns up. They have invested considerable capital in building, and like rooks seem determined to stick to the place so long as there is iii stick of' it standing. Talk to them about how they are getting on they shake their heads and look at the ground somewhere about the tip end of their boots. Still they are not without hope of some brilliant future to the place. Seventy reefs were pegged out almost within as many hours, two crushing machines erected, several good crushings obtained, and many others did not pay expenses.
The Empress and Walter Montgomery are now about the only claims that give payable results. The two machines have an occasional crushing, but at present there is not constant employment for a single battery of stamps. The Mansfield Company's machine, as it is called, is by far the most complete plant that has been introduced into this district. The steam engine was originally intended for a paper manufactory, and imported by M'Dougall and Co, the stationers in Melbourne. It is in excellent condition; the stamps and stamper boxes are very neatly fitted. The copper plates are moveable, and are placed under lock and key over night. In addition to the neatly constructed, ripple boxes there is a box at the bottom of the tables with a considerable fall, which, besides the quicksilver, has a number of sharp cornered quartz stones to keep the tailings from hardening. The blanketings and tailings are placed in an amalgamating machine filled with a number of wooden balls, which machine is worked on the same principle as a clothes washing machine. From the amalgamator there is usually as much gold obtained as to pay for crushing expenses.
The boiler is 25-horse power, and drives 10 head of stamps. Rossiter's crushing machine is situated a few hundred yards lower down the creek. It is 10 to 15 horse power, and drives 10 head of stamps. There are five hotels in Maindample and three stores. The reefs are some distance from the township, which appears to have been built more with regard to the main line of road than the convenience of the miners. There is to be a Government land sale of town allotments shortly, when the present proprietors will have an opportunity of getting a better title to their property, which it is to be hoped may yet become valuable.
MERTON
This is another of those roadside town ships which possesses no peculiar interest, being a station for changing mail horses, with a large extent of thinly occupied country. The buildings consist of two respectable hotels, which establishments combine all the operations of the firm, with the usual comfortable accommodation for man and beast. The landlords of these hotels are both peculiar in their way, the one, in addition to being post master, is electoral registrar knows all the district well, and is good-natured and obliging and lately cut a track to Godfrey’s Creek for the benefit of the public. We would take the opportunity of stating that said track requires some improvement over the Dividing Spur, near a creek where the blazed trees are so few and far between that we got lot and landed at Bon's paddock instead of Godfrey's Creek, about three miles out of the way. Returning to the other landlord at Merton, we found in him an old colonist, and talked of sailing in the same boat with him on the Hunter River, New South Wales, thirty-two years ago. In reply to many questions about acquaintances of that early period of colonial history, the answer was almost invariably, "dead!" It was so from the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.
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