THE BLACKSMITH'S CLAIM, BALLARAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 14

THE BLACKSMITH'S CLAIM, BALLARAT.

A CHAPTER FHOM THE ROMANCE OF GOLD

DIGGING.

The history of one of the Ballarat claims, called the " Blacksmith's Claim," because its first owner belonged to this craft, reads like a page of romance. The blacksmith, with a party of eight, all novices, sank the shaft in so irregular and unworkmanlike a manner that it was absolutely at the risk of his life that a man made the descent to the bottom. Without opening out a regular drive they washed all the stuff within reach, and after realising £12,800 offered it for sale ; but so wet and rotten was the ground, so badly sunk the shaft, that at first no purchaser could be found.

At last a party of 10 plucked up courage and bought all right and title to the claim and tools for £77. They entered into possession at noon on Saturday, and long before the sun had set had in their posaeasion £2000 worth of gold. By working day and night in spells till the following Monday they raised this to £10,000. Tben.Eafter the usual reckless manner of lucky diggers, they let this mine of wealth, and went on the spree for a week. Their tenants made good use of the' time at their disposal ; they opened up two drives, and before the week was out were the happy possessors of £14,400, all taken out of the claim. The other party then returned, and after a week's work, during whioh they realised £6000, they sold out to a storekeeper for £100, who put in a gang to work on shares, and these, labouring in a desultory fashion for a fortnight, took out £5000. At the end of that time one of the party, an old hand from Van Diemen's Land, undermined the props, and next morning on returning to work the men found the whole of the workingß had fallen in. The rest of the party appeared to have taken this misfortune very calmly, and to have completely abandoned the claim, for no mention is made of their further proceedings ; but it is related how the author of the mischief coolly marked out a claim 24ft square on the top of the ruin, and working with a hired party sunk a shaft as straight aB a die for the gutter.

The first tubful of washdirt they found turned out 401b weight of gold, and the next two averaged 101b each ; and as Ballarat gold was and is superior to any other at all times, fetohing at least £4 an ounoe, those three buoketfuls of earth were worth £2880 to their fortunate possessor. Altogether, out of that small area, hardly larger than a good- sized room, was taken in a few weeks gold worth nearly £30,000.