1883
30 June 1883
Mining at Cudgegong.
(FROM OUR MUDGEE CORRESPONDENT.)
Almost since the first discovery of gold in New South Wales the district of Mudgee has been famous for its mineral wealth. There is scarcely a hillock or mountain but what traces of some kind of ore are to be found; and in every creek, and almost in every flat gold in more or less quantities has been obtained. If there is one part of this district more than another celebrated in this respect it is in the vicinity of Cudgegong, where traces of almost every conceivable metal are to be met in some form or another. Hitherto every attempt to discover payable alluvial gold has ended in failure. Reefs have been discovered with gold-bearing veins in abundance, but the rich alluvial flabs, plentiful in other portions of the district, are absent in this. Whether this indicates the probability of gold bearing quartz existing in the neighbourhood is a matter of opinion, some experienced miners holding that quartz veins existing where no alluvial gold is to be found may generally be calculated upon to contain the precious metal in payable quantities. As almost everybody knows, Cudgegong is a small village situated on the river of the same name, about 22 miles from Mudgee, on the road from there to Sydney. In point of importance, it ranks with many others of a similar size, its characteristics being the possession of a church, a Public school, and the usual complement of hotels, blacksmiths' shops, &c. On every side appear the "everlasting hills," entombed in which the mineral riches lay, the future reward of industry and enterprise. No one entering Cudgegong for the first time would dream that a world of wealth lay buried round him, nor by any stretch of the imagination could he picture a prosperous and populous city in the room of the little village where he stood; and yet, if the evidences of wealth exhibited everywhere ever attain any degree of development, a busy population must some day settle on the spot. Some 12 years ago several gold-bearing quartz veins were discovered cropping out of a mountain some four miles from the village, prospecting operations were carried on for a while, one or two of the veins opened out, and a quantity of the quartz tested with favourable results; but just about this time the famous Gulgong goldfield was discovered, and the rush setting in from all parts of the colony attention was diverted from less promising places, and among them the reefs in question. As the result, they remained neglected for some years, until the diggings at Gulgong and surrounding places becoming worked out, rendered it necessary to search elsewhere; and, in common with others of similar character, the veins referred to were again taken up, with a view to their profitable working. The ones in question, and known locally as the Rhobardsh goldmine, are situated in a mountain a short distance from Cudgegong. Leaving that place, one follows the course of the river for a distance of about two or three miles; thence turning sharply to the left up a deep gully for a considerable distance, the property is reached. At the present moment it is held by Messrs. Cheshire, Francks, and others, and consists of four mineral leases, comprising altogether some 30 acres, with a machine site of two acres near the river. The first evidence of the golden treasure is the Blanche vein, which crops out of the side of the mountain and crosses the gully in a slightly oblique direction. In addition to this the property contains the Cheshire, Francks, and Abel veins, all of them bearing gold and varying in width from 9 inches to 2 feet. They run parallel to each other and have a general strike, north-west to south-east, with a slight dip about west-north-west. Almost through the centre of the property, and dividing two mountains, is a deep gully, up which it is proposed to bring a tramway from the river. From this the several veins could be economically worked on each side, and the stone taken down to the machine about half a mile away, the fall being gradual all the way. On the northern boundary there is a second gully, which crosses the north-west corner of the property, and from which operations could be carried on as previously described. The access to the mine from the road is easy, and, being in such close proximity to the river, a never failing supply of water is obtainable. Up to the present time, the money expended on its development amounts to nearly £1000, and the work for the most part consists of three shafts, sunk on the Francks' vein to a depth of 46, 79, end 89 feet respectively, and from the second shaft come 2 tons 7cwt. and 4lb. of stone crushed at the Sydney Mint, yielded at the rate of 19¼dwts. to the ton. The stone was not picked, but taken from the mine as it came out, and sent away. Six tons taken from the 46-foot level, and treated at a Pyramul machine, yielded 1oz. 4dwts. to the ton. On the other veins, the work has been of a less important character. From a depth of 15 feet, 42cwt. 3qr, and 24lb. of stone yielded on being crushed, at the rate of 1oz. 4dwt. 18gr. per ton; and from the other two veins, various lots of stone were treated, yielding from 14dwt. to 1oz. per ton. In every case the stone crushed was taken without picking. The character of the stone is white quartz, impregnated with very fine gold not visible to the naked eye. In the opinion of experts the mine is a valuable one, and capable of being profitably worked; and for the purpose of obtaining the necessary capital the promoters intend to form it into a public company, of 25 fully paid-up shares of £50 each, and an equal number of contributing shares. Pending the successful floating of this company, operations have been temporarily suspended, and as it is expected this will shortly be accomplished, the work of development will most likely soon begin again. Independent of this mine, there are extensive indications of copper on the other side of the river, some four or five miles away in an easterly direction. These consist of a lode, first discovered on the top of a range, which it traverses in a southerly direction for some miles. The strike of the lode is from north to south, with a slight dip to west. From the Flatlands railway station on the Mudgee railway it is about four miles across level country, with abundance of water and firewood close by, and coal in close vicinity. On each tide of the copper lode, but some distance from it, are two separate belts of limestone, running almost parallel, on the eastern and western slopes of the range. The strata belongs to the Silurian age, but the rocks, unlike the metamorphic varieties found at the gold mine, are of igneous origin, and rather tough and flinty in character. Along the course of the lode, so far as it has been traced, the country is all taken up, by means of mineral leases and conditional purchases, with one block of purchased land. These are, respectively, the mineral lease of 60 acres, held by Cheshire and party; the Gullingillengah, a mineral selection of 50 acres, held by Wilkins and party; a mineral selection of 40 acres, held by Dawson and party; another of 40 acres, held by Wilkins and party; 60 acres, held by Norris and party; 40 acres, held by Wilkins and party; terminating at the extreme south with 73 acres of purchased land, owned by Mr. W. Wilkins. Excepting the work done by Cheshire and party, and Norris and party, no attempts have been made to test the value of the lode. On Norris and party's lease, the work has not been carried out on any systematic plan, and consists principally of sunken shafts, a tunnel, and a few drives; but the ore obtained proved wonderfully rich, when submitted to assay going as high as 40 per cent. of pure copper. In order to develop it properly the help of capital is being sought, for which purpose it is being placed on the Melbourne market. The real work done has been on Cheshire and party's lease, where a shaft has been sunk to a depth of 96 feet; for 56 feet of this distance the walls have been slabbed with sawn timber of a most substantial character, while beyond this depth the shaft branches out to a width of nearly 16 feet. At the present depth the lode shows 3 feet wide, with a well defined hanging wall and every indication of a foot-wall showing at a lower depth. Between the lode and the hanging wall there is a vein of felspar varying in thickness from half-an-inch to 2 inches. On the surface the ore was a red oxide; but as it descended it changed to the yellow sulphate. The number of men now employed is six, exclusive of the manager, Mr. C. Knoblanch, under whose direction the work is being carried out. Specimens of the ore assayed 12¾ per cent. of copper, about 5oz. of silver, and 19grs. of gold. There are now about 50 tons of ore at grass, 20 tons being of first quality, and the balance second. The expenditure to date on this lease has been about £400, chiefly spent sinking the shaft and erecting sheds, &c. Every confidence is expressed in the future of this lode, which is fully expected to improve lower down. Until the foot-wall is reached, however, this is mere matter of speculation, although the indications are of a most favourable nature, and fully relied on by those competent to judge. A greater distance away, some seven miles from Cudgegong, the antimony and cinnabar mines are situated, upon the development of which large sums of money are being expended. The former is now being worked with every prospect of success; but the latter is idle, notwithstanding that some £20,000 has been expended upon it1
.