I found no evidence anywhere during my rambles of " heads" or "floors " in sandstone being
directly associated with rich deposits of golden stone, but the gold
and quartz occur in the slates, in the main lines of drainage therein,
in the minor tributary lines of drainage, and on small or large bumps
on the floors or foot-walls of lodes. The thicker the seam (or
so-called " make") of quartz, the greater the quantity of gold and of
sulphides of lead, zinc, and iron.
The
greater the quautity of gold, however, the greater is the area drained.
Some layers of slate appear to be saturated with metallic ingredients
in certain situations, which are rendered favorable to rich depositions
by cross catchments that have long lines of slate abutting on them ;
the lode at such points contains patch after patch of quartz strung
together by gold.
I
noticed, however, that the richest stone is always just off the line of
drainage, there being a thin layer or sheet of ferruginous material
deposited along the said line of direct circulation. This feature bears
out the assumption that obstruction to the downward descent of
solutions is the main factor in allowing them the necessary time to
deposit their loads, the actual precipitating agents being present
everywhere.
Several
very rich situations in the so-called north and south' lodes in this
district have been met with, outcropping, or nearly so ; one is known
as the Slaughter-house lode, and from it, it is said, gold equalling
100 ounces to the ton of quartz has been mined.
I
noticed miners at work on this lode, which is in" the same belt of
slates as is the Moonambel formation ; the miners were trying to locate
another such deposit by surface scratching, but work below in the old
workings would be more likely to trace the line of the lode.
The
Moonambel mine has received attention from miners at intervals for many
years, but the real nature of its gold-bearing deposits appears to have
been hardly understood, until Mr. J. N. Dunn, wdio has much experience
of the mines of Ballarat East, inspected the mine ; he grasped tlie
nature of the mine, and the result is that the Moonambel Company is
about to undertake extensive works below. In the meantime, stoping is
proceeding from -an old shaft 100 feet deep, and a first-class 5-head
mill is crushing stone, the first crushing from wdiich has just been
put through for a return of 170 ozs. of gold from 113 tons. Fifty per
cent, of all yields goes, however, to pay off the purchase-money,
viz., £3,000, to the prospectors, .Messrs. Doherty, Green, and party ;
and, judging by the appearance of the present faces, the payment of
this debt will be only a matter of a couple of months or so. I noticed
that areas to the north-west and south-east of the Moonambel mine are
under applications for lease, and that preparations for work on the
same system of lodes are in progress. Moonambel is already beginning to
show more activity, which should be enduring, owing to tlie rich golden
ores in the mountains around it.
On
the other side of the mountain range on which the Moonambel mine is
situated, and on the same belt of slate, Mr. Joe Wright, an expert
loamer, is tunnelling into the spur, on a " floor *' which cuts the
underlay of the slate at right angles (see Plate V.). He and his two
boys have followed a little seam of quartz, which lies on the floor,
along the line of intersection of .same with theslate; they have gone
for about 100 feet, for returns in gold which give the party about £25
per week. Here all the features which obstruct the circulation are
shown in a channel in the slate about an inch wide ; it occurs at the
point where it abuts on to tlie floor. Parts of the line of
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