GOLD ROMANCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22464, 7 July 1936, Page 6

GOLD ROMANCES

AUSTRALIAN FIELD

TENNANT CREEK WEALTH PENNILESS BROTHERS' LUCK [FROM OTTR OWN CORRESPONDENT] SYDNEY, July 2 A chain of bonfires on the mines encircling Tennant Creek, the gold mining township in Central Australia, will be lit during the first week in August to mark the attainment of the first £IOO,OOO of production—representing about half a ton of gold. A dinner, a corroboree by blacks, and a dance, starting at midnight, are all part of the programme. The miners are also trying to arrange a national broadcast. They are prepared to give the Government a guarantee that they will increase the yield by several tens of gold within the next 12 months, if Government batteries are installed. As from all gold fields, romances of fortunes won creep out from this barren El Dorado so far from the Australian cities. A week or two ago there was a story of a blind cattleman, who stumbled by chance on one of the richest reefs in the district and now has a mine worth £50,000. This week news has come of the good fortune which has

rewarded the perseverance of two youthful brothers, Walter and Tom Leeson. The brothers went to Tennant Creek with a team of 11 horses from the Gulf of Carpentaria country for the Easter Cup race meeting last year—penniless, but with, high hopes of capturing a stake or two. The mare on which they pinned their greatest hopes died on the way do\ni, and on arrival at the gold township the others "went bush" or were stolen, leaving the boys with nothing but saddles. Turning their attention to prospecting, they joined up with Steve Butler, a picturesque old figure on the field, but they were soon thrown on their own resources again, when on a hot afternoon Butler lay down under a tree and died. With inadequate tools they began® to sink a shaft on the claim they had pegged out, but were able to make little progress. They next started a tunnel, and soon got on good values, but this was unprofitable with crushing and cyaniding charges at £3 a ton on top of carting. At 39ft. their luck turned. A body of quartz which they penetrated was found to be carrying very high values, with some jagged lumps of gold more than half an inch across standing out from the stone. It is profitable to dolly, and to-day they are numbered among the lucky pros poctors on the field.