A VISIT TO THE NORTHERN GOLD FIELDS.
FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.
No. 17.
The Southern mail-road from Armidale at once plunges into the open forest upon leaving the township.
To the south-west there has been no agricultural improvement or settlement, although the vast, rolling
plains which here form the summit of the main range extend to the heights over Uralla, and are everywhere
suitable for the growth of wheat and other cereals. On leaving the town red quartose gravel and fine ferruginous
conglomerates are associated with fragments of the transmuted schistose formations which as you ascend
are succeeded by a wide expanse of basaltic trap, the decomposition of this rock has supplied a fertile soil,
and much of the lime and iron that has entered into a variety of combinations lower on tue slopes, recementing
conglomerates, in which a small quantity of gold becomes entangled: these probably repose upon a mass of auriferous
drift, varying in depth with the inequalities of the granitic or porphyritic rocks upon which it rests.
The thickness of these modern conglomerates depends entirely upon the depth to which the surface
waters have penetrated the drifts, carrying the cementing agents with them in solution.
The deposit reposing upon the granites, greenstones and porphyries consists of a fine gold, bearing pure
quartz sand, in some instances mingled with small pebbles of quartz about the size of large peas, and fragments
of decomposed slate; this is overlaid by a stratum of striped pipeclay or felspathic mud, which has protected
the former from the action of the basaltic overflow. Unaltered shales are sometimes discovered, forming a portion
of the stratum of pipeclay; the colour of the latter varies from black to white, red, or green, probably from
the influence of the superimposed basalts.
The granites beneath the vast extent of trappean crust stretching to the westward from the margin of the eastern slopes
were, prior to their being pierced hy the basaltic overflow, covered by a stratum of auriferous ocean drift,
which appears to have been subjected to the action of powerful tidal currents from the north-east and south-west,
following the course of wide channels, in which the heavier particles were collected. At that point to the westward,
where the drainage has accumulated a sufficient force to carve out ridges, spurs, ravines, and vallies, in its descent
to those streams which form the head waters of the Uralla, a section of the formation of the district is exhibited
from the granites to the trappean rooks of the elevated plains, which form tho summit of the Main Range. Rich surfacing
has here been followed up the descents, until it was found to issue from the stratum of drift that interposed between
the granites and the basalts. At that level tunnels have been driven for 1000 feet under the latter, crossing in their
progress ancient watercourses of considerate width, which present traces of a fluviatile action of long continuance,
and are obstructed by enormous boulders of granite, much water worn, and differing in their constituents and crystalization
from the finer grained rock upon which they now repose, imbedded in a quartose sand and gravel, amongst which some beautiful
pebbles, formed of rolled crystals of quartz, tourmaline, and white topaz may he observed.
The wash dirt consists of that portion of the drift found resting upon the granite or bed rock, and although it seldom
exceeds three inches in sickness it has never formed any portion of the subjacent rock, but presents distinct evidence of
its having been water borne, and being a deposit of the heavier particles from the upper drift which extends
to the pipeclays, varying in depth according to local conditions. This wash dirt has been known to yield as much as 50 ounces of
gold to the bucket, and 10, 20, or 30 ounces to the load, was the ordinary produce in the richest localities, the heaviest
deposits of the precious metal were usually obtained from behind tho boulders; already, noticed,, or from channels and
pockets in the bed rock, another evidence of its accumutation by the agency of moving waters. The entire of the drift, or headings
as it is called by the miners, contains gold, the poorest to the value of 4s. 6d. per load, and the richest from 7s. 6d. to 10s.
These auriferous sands and pipeclays may have been derived from granite by breaker action, the felspathic matter being held
in suspension by the sea water, while the pure quartz and gold was precipitated; or it may be all that remains of an
ancient carboniferous formation; this latter is rendered more probable by the presence of silicified wood, fragments
of which have been frequently obtained below the pipeclay. If the former has been the case the gold dispersed over
this district has had its origin in the surface of the granitic formations; if the latter, then its presence is due
to certain sedimentary deposits which were destroyed prior to the trappean outburst; as a further evidencs of this,
large masses of quartz derived from veins and reefs, have been found mingled with the drift beneath the trappean
summit of Mount Welsh, which is simply a fragment of the main plateau overhanging the river and does not rise above
the level of the plains.
It is therefore within the bounds of probability that but a small portion of the golden wealth of the district extending
from Armidale to the Uralla has yet been touched upon; and that the present gold-field, to which the miners were
conducted by the surfacing on the slopes where the trap had been denuded, is situated on the margin of a district which,
under wide fields of trap, conceals channels equally as rich as any that have been worked in the locality. The direction
of the lead already opened up to the edge of the tableland is to the north-east; but how many more there may be remains
for the miner to discover.
Regaining the road five miles from Armidale, we arrive at a small station on the bank of Samonny Creek, being the only human
habitation for a distance of fourteen miles after leaving the town. Advancing over a rich undulating country diversified
by low ironstone ridges, treeless plains, and on open forest, for nine miles, we reach the Barley-field -- a circular lagoon
now silted up, which owes its name to a variety of bladed grass resembling barley which covers its surface -- then the first
traces of the digger may be observed on the western side in a race conducted to the top of Mount Jones. This shallow basin
on or near the summit of the range is dry, except during a rainy season, when it is occasionally flooded; at such,
times the water flows from one side into the Macleay, and from the other into the Uralla and thence into the Murray.
The denudation of the western slopes commences at the margin of this ancient lake, which may be considered as the head of
the Uralla gold-field.
Passing the Barley-field, we descend from the trap (which is here some eighty feet in depth), when fine grained granite
boulders make their appearance on either side of the road, and announce your descent to the gold bearing levels.
As you wind down th gentle slopes, dome-like masses of this rock may be observed reposing in nests upon the rich green
sward, and becoming larger and more numerous as you descend; the vegetation changes, and the dark liver-coloured earth,
or red soil, of the plains is succeeded by a fine white granitic drift; on the right a dry ravine forming the head
of the Uralla, which, as it descends, becomes a chain of small waterholes. A turn in the road brings you in sight
of the pretty little village of Uralla, neatly laid out, and consisting of two respectable roadside inns, a store,
post office, mill, and five or six handsome cottages, with a few well-cultivated gardens. In this quiet retreat there
is no stir, no business pushing forward, no indication of the vicinity of a large gold-field. In fact the inhabitants
appear to concern themselves but little about gold or gold-fields, and I was somewhat suprised to learn that some of
them knew no more of the diggings within two miles of them than if they lived on the wolds of Yorkshire.
Although Uralla is surrounded by rich land, notwithstanding its vicinity to a gold-field, I could not hear of any
cultivation in the immediate neighbourhood except the gardens formerly mentioned. Townships will fail to attract
or support a population unless the sale of farm portions keeps pace with the of town allotments, which in rural districts
can he of no possible use except for the erection of grog-shops. No sooner is public attention directed to any particular
locality, and cry raised for land, than a town is laid out, and few half-acre allotments offered for sale, as if a man
dependent upon his labour could find either occupation or subsistence upon half-an-acre of ground, or a town prosper in
the centre of an uninhabited wilderness.
By some fatality, the mining population attracted to a gold-field on its first discovery, have never been offered
facilities for permanent settlement and investment in its neighbourhood, until either its partial exhaustion has caused
their dispersion, or they have squandered the proceeds of their industry. We have thus frequently lost the fairest
opportunity of permanently establishing agricultural centres, around which families would gather long after the gold-field
had been forgotten.
To the right of the road is a ridge stretching to the westward from the table-land, in the vicinity of the Barley-field,
until it is cut through by the Uralla Creek, which, after leaving the village, sweeps round to the north-west, through
a channel obstructed by enormous masses of granite. This creek, having its source in the
ancient lake or lagoon on the summit of the plateau, has been the active agent in the denudation of the
various formations and the degradation of this part of the district, frequently altering its course from the
time that it flowed over the ridge, until it finally excavated its present channel deep in the granites.
The ridge terminates in a flat top of basaltic crest, known as Mount Mutton, and at its eastern extremity is a similar
elevation known as Mount Beef -- the intervening space, of about a mile, having been denuded of its trappean crust,
and the subjacent auriferous marine drifts and sedimentary deposits exhibit boulders and domite masses of fine
grained granite rising through a surface of trappean debris commingled with modern granitic drifts. The descents from
the central portion of this ridge are gradual, falling on the one hand towards the village, and on the other towards
the broad gulley that follows the base of Mount Jones. The crests at either termination of the ridge do not rise higher
than the plains of which they once formed a portion, and of which they represent the varied formation in regular sequence.
On Mount Mutton a large number of deep shafts have been sunk, but no gold in remunerating quantities was obtained from
any part of the ridge. When the granite was reached at depths ranging from 50 to 100 feet on the summit, no sea drift
was discovered, although there was an abundance of decomposed granite, which might be mistaken for the former by the
uninitiated. It is probable that Mount Mutton was a naked granitic Tor, rising through the marine deposits before
the trappean overflow, or there is some evidence that it was an ancient volcanic vent, either of which would account
for the absence of auriferous drift in any quantity. On the western side, a shaft has been sunk to the depth of 100
feet through a nest of basaltic columns, with no profitable result; and on the precipitous slopes at the extremity of
the hill overhanging the creek, the miner has been equally unsuccessful, simply because the present surface is below
the level formerly occupied by the auriferous drift.
Many shafts have also been sunk in the intermediate space between the crests, but there the sea drift had been
removed by denudation, and replaced by a modern trappean and granitic debris resting upon decomposed or soft granite.
As might be anticipated, a little gold was obtained, but nowhere in payable quantities. Where the denudation
descends below the ancient deposits and attacks the granites, the original auriferous character of the locality
is destroyed, the gold-bearing drift being removed to lower levels; notwithstanding this the rocks may be covered
by a deep stratum of sands, clays, and gravel, containing a little gold, all derived from the surrounding heights.
Gold, under such a formation as that in the vicinity of the Uralla gold-field, will be discovered in the place of
its original deposit by the ocean, and in the various streams and watercourses in which it has been
redistributed by the process of denudation; the former have always provedto be the richest. Thus a portion of
the gold once resting, upon the slopes and summit of the ridge has been obtained from the channel of a small
creek which descends to the main stream, and now occupied by a crowd of Chinese, who still make a subsistence,
although the place has been frequently worked over by Europeans. The deep alluvium on the lower slopes is
impregnated with gold from the surface to the rock, and while it may not be in a sufficient quantity to repay
the labour of immediate collection, it will renew the riches of the neighbouring streams for ages yet to come.
The heads of Chinaman's Creek ramify in various directions, becoming less productive as they ascend until they run
out on the slopes. Somewhat lower down, forming part of Mutton Ridge, is Mactaggart's Rush, on the summit of a
broad swell, gently declining towards the main stream; here, parallel to the range, a channel, about fifty-five
feet wide, can be traced between two ridges of granite that rise to the surface. The sinking appears to be through
a stiff granite and trappean compound or fresh water drift, rendering it probable that the gold in this run was a
secondary distribution. At a depth of from seven to twelve feet, it is found in narrow parallel leads, and has
yielded from three to five ounces per load. Towards its lower end, it narrows as it approaches a bar of rock;
beyond which it has not proved remunerative. There are a few parties still at work on this lead who continue
to pay their way, although for about half a-mile the holes are so numerous as to resemble a honeycomb.
My attention was directed to the difference between the wash dirt from the deep shafts on Mount Jones and
that obtained at Mactaggart's rush; as already stated the former appears to be ocean sand, the latter a
fresh water detritus derived from the neighbouring formations; this is an important consideration in
endeavouring to trace the lead to its source, perhaps in Mount Beef. Mactaggart's rush may also have
formed a portion of the original channel of the main stream before the country had been lowered to its
present level. If miners would make due allowance for the rapid changes effected by running water in the
physical features of a country, many a lost lead would be recovered, and much unprofitable labour avoided.
Our next will carry us over Mount Jones, Mount Welsh, Sydney Flat, and the river.