SOME INTERESTING PARTICULARS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7665, 26 March 1903, Page 2

SOME INTERESTING PARTICULARS.

The neighbourhood of Wiunecke's Depot, about twenty-three miles north-west of the White Range, has been the greatest factor in bringing the Arltunga goidfield, South Australia, into prominence. Winnecke's Depot is so named on accounted its being the site of l : he camp of the late Mr G. Winnecbe, who was sent to the district- in the early nineties to survey pastoral properties for Adelaide pastoral firms. The venture upon which the principal interest has been centred ib the Winnecke's Depot Reward Syndics te ; formed in Adelaide, in 1000 shares of £10 each. This. syndicate obtained an option" over the Paddy's Goose Reward claim, taken up by M'Nc-ill and parjty in 'November last, for £1200, and made- an arrangement to purchase the property for £1800 additional and an intei-est in die syndicate. - Dr Chewings,-an Adelaide geologist and explorer, was sent :j to Arltunga to report on tho property, and ihe gave a very glowin? account- of it. He said that t-he work in" progress disclosed several reefs, and, from what could fee stun then, a quarry, thirty yards or. mure broad, would have to b-:> worked back into the hill, as the block of land was full of reefs, showing gold freely. He added: — "Being now in possession of the assays from the different classes of ore, I am able to inform you that you have several thousands of tons of payable milling oie assured in the Reward Hill, and to be had lor the quarrying, much of -w&ich will b© very high grade. As for the permanency of the reefs, I see no reason why they should not live in depth. The ore occurs in makes, and associated with the quartz are -heavy lumps and seams of ironstone These ironstone seams and lumps indicate iron pyrites below, and axe particularly rich in'gold. Derived from these ar-s the lumps and pebbles of ironstone which bestrew the top and sides of tii-s Reward Hill over an area of several acres, and I assure you that, in seven out of every ten pieces you break, you will see free gold in them ; and by dollying I : have never yet got a blank — and the latter remark will apply to any go#sany or spongey quartz fragments that fcestre-R- the ground ( in plenty, which Trei>o derived from, the reefs. • I have never seen a surface show with gold so generally distributed over an equal area, and so rich as the R«vra.rd Hill. . • In my opinion the pro-periy is going to cevelop a mine cl unusiial riohnesa, and to supply large quantities of highly-payable ore. Wherever fas same class of ore occurs over the field generally, it carries good gold, and is of payable grade." The ore which hr.s been crushed on the field up to the present has been principally from the White Range, and has had to be carted to the Government battery, wirica consists of ten heads. This, according to, official reports, has bo?n working continuously sines March, 1398, except for a long delay in tho early part of last year, ovdng to the collapse of the boiler. Since July last, the date of re-starting- the plant, ove* 1000 tons has ! be<-n treated for a .result of over l^oz to the ton. The crushing stuff came fror.i a number of different finds. For pome i-hne the carriage of ore was dose ■by camels. Prior to November, 1901, the total amount of quartz treated by the battery was 1726 tons, and the gold obtained was 21200z 2dvt, of tic value of £8019 9s Id. As this represented the work of over twenty different parties, and as the battery manager in no instnee thad to call' upon the miners to make up any deficiency oetween the cost of crushing ar.d the value of the <*old .produced, it is evident tne goU deposits are well distributed. 'It must not ba forgotten, .however, that very httlo real niinino- has yet been done, either at the Whiter-Range or at Winnecke's Depot, and, though the. results of the crushings which have come to ihand; certainly indicate very gr~at possibilities, much motfe will have to be done before it^can be said that \rltuaga will 'be in a position to rank as one of fh* great goldfieMs of Australia. That the field is no place for individual prospectors, imperfectly equipped, -and without the means of sustaining themselves for a period of several months, is manifest from the character of the /gold occurrence, and the heavy outlay eataikd in getting any results from ore-winriiag. Professor Baldwin Spencer, who has been over the country, uttered a warning * recently to people who might desire to try tKeir luck on the field, remarking that, he had heard there were between 300 and 400 men on the field, and his advices said there- was nothing to warrant that. Mr J. Q. Jenkins, the South Australian Premier, ha« also warned the public that anyone procMding to the field should have sufficient means to tide over a period of six months. Mr A. Campbell, a Melbourne resident, who was engaged in pastoral pursuits in the district to the eastward of Arltunga for many years prior to ! 1893, adds a caution to intending prospec- ! tors. He says that a man will need plenty Dof bushcraft to**preservß himself if he gets i away from water.-, Ht mentions that in I 1892 four prospectors found alluvial gold in the ranges, but could get no water nearer than thirty-six miles. He himself prospected a quartz formation about one hundred iniks to the east of Arltunga, but failed to get gold. ! So for about 200 l«a«es "have been taken up. principally at the White Range .and ! Winnecke's Depot, and there are on. the, field several hundred men, whose numbers I are increasing weekly. . The speculation in I syndicate shares has been very keen, par- ! ticularly in Adelaide. -.. The M'Donnell Range No. 1 Syndicate; starting with 100 shares of £10 each, pegged out some of the ! most promising claims at Winnecke's Depot, ! including the Winnecke's Depot Junction, I Winnecke's Depot Proprietary, Golden Junction, and ofch*r leasas, and .floated two companies, with the result that the original £10 shares became worth in' a few weeks close upon £200. The original £10 shares in the Winnecke's Depot Reward have been sold in the neighbourhood 1 of £100.