A Very "High" Quartz Claim.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1516, 22 January 1886, Page 5

A Very "High" Quartz Claim.

The writer of the following racy contribution to a Queensland exchange displays a very "exalted" idea of the mountainous character of the Lakes district, whilst his sarcastic history of one of our alleg«il defunct quartz-mining companies will, no •loiiot, l>« relished l>y home readers equally as much as l»y colonists in Northern Australia :

The winding-up of the Golden Lode Gold-mining Company, of Macetown, New Zealand, would be a matter of very little interest to readers, hut it is worthy of mention as the i lose of one of the most remarkable speculation* known in the Colonic. The Coiii|any was formed several yean ago to Mork the reefs on Advance Teak, one of the highest mountains in the district, and might probably have met with a certain measure of success had it not been for one unlucky drawback. The claim was situate on the very summit of the mountain, and as there was hardly sufficient foothold for a .•oat in an) part of the lea-e, it is unnecessary to say the Coin] auy » suneyor found himself «tanding in slippery places. His »ork is generally believed to have been done by means of a teltsc >pe, and the outline map prepared without an) very close examination of the ground. Accuracy, however, was not lequiied, for no Government official or warden was ever advtnturo » enough to undertake the duty of checking the suney. A month or two later a party of Directors went up to Macetown to decide on the be-t place for commencing operations and on that day the troubles of the Company began in earnest. A glance at the location was quite sufficient for the majority. They saw all round the base of the mountain claims pegged out, and above these ro-c the huge cliffs of Advance Peak, grand and beautiful enough, but looking very difficult indeed to ascend. Still it was gratifying to know that this magnificent piece of scenery was the property of the Couijauy, even though the beauties of nature, when divided into 24,000 shares of £1 each (2s. (id. paid-up), were quoted at a considerable discount on the Stock Exchange. Only one adventurous shareholder was bold enough to advocate an ascent of the pro|>erty, and the Board immediately ap|>oitited him a subcommittee for exploring p .rposes. No salary was attached to the position, but an unanimous vote of thanks was passed, and the Directors took turn about at the tele, cope to watch his progress. With a brave front, but with a sinking heart, be started on his way, with an improvised al|«en stock to help his progress over the perpendicular wilderness in front. Like the mountaineer in the |>oeui, his motto wa» "Excelsior," and his path was a beeline to the clouds. Dignity soon gave way to nece.ii.ity, and the adventurer was presently reduced to journeying on his hand" and knees, clawing like a cat at every holdfast, no matter how slender; and wondering in the brief intervals, when thought was |>os-ible, how dividends could ever come down where a shareholder was unable to get up. Two or three streams, or rather waterfalls, were crossed successfully ; a young and promising avalanche was dodged by a hair's breadth; then juvenile landslip appeared, and carried the speculator's bc»t hat away into eternity, but still he went on. The liolden Ixxle lease was reached at la-t, and there he drove the -harp end of ihe alpenstock into the ground and paused for breath. Then he felt the trusty staff beginning to yield; he uttered the first prayer that had passed his lips since he became a member of the Stock Exchange, and started off into space. Nearly a hundred yards were traversed before he again touched Hrrajirma, and then he rebounded heavily off the Keep it-dark C'om|sjuiy's claim, grazed a machine site reservation below, and rolled over two mineral leases and a prospecting area, bringing up at last in a Chinaman's waterrace. He was picked up and conveyed with some difficulty to Macetown, presenting altout as miserable an appearance as a sub-committee well could. Since those days the Golden Lode Company have met with nothing but disaster, which culminates at last in liquidation; and to any member of the Alpine CI ib who wishes to devote himself to gold-mining there is now a favorable opening at Advance Peak.