A "High" Quartz Claim.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 15, 19 January 1886, Page 3

A "High" Quartz Claim.

lue winding-up of the Golden Lode Gold mining Gompany, of Macetown, New Zea Hand, would be a matter of very littlo in itereat to Queensland readers, but {t v worthy of mention aa the close of one of the most remarkable speculations known in these coioniea. The Company was formed .several years ago to work the reefa on Advance Peak, one of the highest mountains in the district, and might probably have met with & certain measure of success had ' it not been for one unlucky drawback. t 'The claim was situated on tho very I summit of the mountain, and ac there was .hardly sufficient foothold for a goat in any : ,-part of the lease, it is unnecessary to say the Company's surveyor found himself I standing in slippery places. His work is ceDeraUy beliovtd to have been done by means of a telescope, and the outline map prepared without auy very close examination of the ground. Accuracy, however, was not required, for no Government official or gold Warden waa ever adventurous enough to undertake the duty of checking the survey. A month or two later a party of directors went up to Macetown to decide on the best place for commencing opera' tions, and on that day tho troubles of tbe Company began in earnest. A glance at th« location was quite sufficient for the majority. They saw all round the base of the mountain claims pegged out, and above these rose the huge cliffs of Advance Peak, grand and beautiful enough, but looking very difficult indeed to ascend. Still it waa gratifying to know that this magnificent piece of scenery was the property of the Company, even though the beauties of nature, when divided into 24,000 shares of £1 each <2s Cd paid up), were quoted at a considerable discount on the Stock Exchange. Only one adventurous shareholder waa bold enough to advocate ten accent of the property, and the Board immediately appointed him asasubcommittee for exploring purposes. Nooalary was attached to the position, but ft unanimous vote of thanks was pasoed, and tbe directors took turn •bout »C the telescope to watch his progreaa. With a brave front, btit with a sinking heart, he started on his way, with an improvised alpenstock to help his progress over the perpendicular wilderness in fronts Lifee themountaiacorin thepoom, his motto •tfas "' .Excelsior," and his path was a beeline for tho clouds. Dignity soon gave way to necessity, and the adventurer was presently reduced to journeying on his hands and knees, clawing like a cat at every holdfast, no matter how slender; and wondering, in the brief intervals when thought was possible, how dividends could over come down where a shareholder was unable to gfX up. Two or three streams, or rather waterfalls, were crossed Bucceesfully ; a young and promising avalanche waa dodged by a hair's breadth; then a juvenile- land cUp appeared, and carried the speculator's best bat away into eternity, but still he went on. The Golden Lodo lease was, reached at iast, and there he drove the .sharp end of the alpenstock into the ground and paused for breath. Then he dolt the trusty staff beginning to yield ; ho uttered the first prayer that had paesod bis lipa since he became a ojotnber of the Stock Exchange, and started off into space. Nearly a hundred yards were traversed before he again touched terra firma, then he rebounded heavily off the Keep-it-Dark Company's claim, grazed a machine eit-o reservation below, and rolled over two mineral leases and a prospecting area, bringing up at last in a Chinaman's water race. He was picked out and conveyed with some difficulty to Mtcotown, presenting about as miserable an appearance as a sub-committee well could. Since these days, tho Golden Lode Company have met with nothing but disaster, which culminates at last in liquidation ; end for any member of the Alpine Glob who wishes to devote himself to goldmining there is now a favourable oponing at Advance Peak.—Rockhampton "Morning Bulletin." December 21st.