The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-29 00:00:00

THE OVENS GOLD DIGGINGS.

We take the following highly-interesting report
from the Sydney Morning Herald of Jan. 27 :
Spring Creek, Ovens Diggings, Jan. 17, 1853.
UPPER SPRING CREEK.
The Upper Spring Creek, as it is now called, is the
locality where the first diggings were established, and it
is here that the head-quarters, or central gold depart-
ment, are established.
The Spring Creek in its aspect during the present
season is a running stream of considerable size, very full
of water, and running very rapidly. It takes its rise in
the ranges some miles from May-day Hill, and pours in
a rushing torrent over a sefies of falls in a very circuit-
ous course till it discharges itself into the Ovens or one
of its more immediate tributaries.
The bed and banks of this creek, as far as it has
hitherto been prospected upon, seem all to be rich with
gold in very minute scaly particles, evidently water,
worn, and to all appearance generally mingled with the
soil by the agency of very considerable water force.
The upper part of the creek, where the first diggings
are situated, runs nearly east and west, a little below the
summit of the May-day range, which also inclines in the
same direction. In this place the stream is so much
broken up by the diggings that it is difficult to surmise
what it might have been in its natural state, but I should
imagine it to have been a creek some nine feet wide, of
considerable depth in some places, and in a flush of
water having a very considerable current.
On this portion of the creek at its richest period there
were about from 2,000 to 3,000 people assembled, who
were encamped on the flat between the summit of the
May Day Range and the surrounding hills.
The whole of the banks of the creek are or have been
occupied by the diggers, and the bed of the creek has
been worked throughout, forming what are called the
Wet Diggings.
The bed claims are worked with considerable difficulty
and with much labour, arising from the flush of water
which renders the holes liable to fall in, and keeps two
or three of a party constantly baling out. They are
generally sunk to the depth of 8 or 10 feet, though some
of the claims have been worked to the depth of 12 or
15 feet. .

The bed of the creek is universally granite, the upper
soil being principally composed of red gravel. In many
of the richest claims, however, there is a stratum of
considerable thickness—say, from three to six feet—of
rich black alluvium. Quartz is sparingly intermixed
with the upper soils, and in small pieces, but in the
washing-stuff immediately above the granite quartoze
stones are prolificly blended, and some rather curious
specimens of crystalised quartz of various colours are
frequently found. Some of these specimens are of singu-
lar form and appearance, being apparently a collection
of pyramids of quartz blended together, semi•transparent
at the cone, but of a black flint colour at the base.
The surface of the granite bed of the rock is very
much decomposed—it is, in fact, in a crushed state ; and
there is a considerable quantity of mica in it, but very
little gold.
The gold, indeed, seems confined to a stratum of about
three to six inches above the granite ; this stratum of
course varying in thickness according to the richness of
the claim. No doubt, in many instances gold would
be found in the top stuff, but if so, it is so minute that
it would not pay for working ; but the impatience of the
diggers to get down to the vein prevents it having a fair

trial.
The bed claims on the Creek are worked principally
by parties varying from four to twenty in number, the
generality averaging six or eight persons. The neces-
sity of going down quick to the bed rock requires this
large force, as during the process of sinking baling is re-
quired. Few of the bed claims turned out blank—in
fact, I have heard of none ; but some which produced
small quantities were considered worthless, owing to the
division of the profits among so many leaving but small
gain to the individual diggers.
A very considerable quantity of gold was taken from
this portion of the creek, but it was all fine gold. I have
not been able to get any rumour of a single nugget
having been found on it. The washing has been alto-
gether in the ordinary cradle, except in a few instances
where claims have been re-worked and the long-tom is
used.
There are Tery few workers of the bed claims now, as
the creek is considered worked out.
The dry diggings extend a considerable space on the
flat to the south side of the creek. These consist of
round holes sunk in the soil or gravel, from 10 to 20
feet deep, according as the diggers find the granite rock.
When they come to this rock the diggers drive or tunnel
in the direction which the vein they arrive at seems to
indicate. These dry diggings are very extensive, and the
number of holes sunk, or begun to be sunk and aban-
doned, are very numerous. In fact, a traveller is obliged
to thread his way through them with very great care, and
it is no light day's work to wander through them. Many
thousands of these holes have been sunk, and much gold
has been taken from them. The process in the dry dig-
gings is much the same as in the bed claims, but of
course the diggers have less water to contend with, al-
though even here the water frequently comes in, to the
great impediment of the miner's progress.
The gold taken out of the dry diggings is somewhat
coarser than that taken from the bed claims, o" rather a
portion of the gold is coarse ; but the variation is so
small that the trouble of sifting it is pretty nearly the

same.
Many of the earlier parties at the creek did what is
called a good stroke- that is, they made good selections
of claims, worked them quickly, and obtained heavy re-
turns from them. So great is the confidence in the
richness of some claims, that parties frequently having
turned their washing stuff out of one hole, would sink
again, arid work out several claims before they began to
cradle. But even after the stuff is washed in the cradle
the labour of getting the gold in a marketable state is
just commenced.
After cradling very carefully, the deposit has to be
worked by the hand in tin dishes, and even the most
experienced parties cannot wash it so cleanly that it will
not require careful blowing by the purchaser afterwards.
The detritus which lingers with the gold seems to be
fragmentary portions of very hard stones, brilliant in
their varied colours, and perhaps in a less dislocated
form of considerable value. I am not, however, mine-
ralogist enough to determine the point, but I shall bring
a sample with me to Sydney, when probably the point
may be decided. A considerable portion of these stones
are of a pink and red colour, resembling rubies or gar-
nets, and, less frequent, bright stones of emerald green
are found. They are utterly disregarded by the diggers,
who look upon them only as nuisances, as their gravity
being greater than that of the fine gold, renders their
separation from it of extreme difficulty.
The Upper Spring Creek is now nearly worked out.
I do not think there are at present 500 working on it,
although, owing to the difficulty and inconvenience of
removirg tents, nearly twice that number reside upon it.
Many of the miners have left for the lower creek, and
many have gone out higher up the creek, and into the
gullies and subsidiary creeks in the ranges to the south.
There has evidently been a great scramble for gold on
this portion of the creek, and there can be no doubt that
it has been hurriedly worked ; and although in many
instances twice gone over, a very great proportion of the
gold remains in the soil. At the present time it would
be impossible for me to average the gains of the diggers.
At first they were very great, and many of the most for-
tunate of the early adventurers in the field derived their
gains from this spot. At present isolated parties in the
creek occasionally turn up a rich claim—say from 61b.
to 121 b. out of one hole. They got this in a few days,
but they may have weeks of blank work to balance it.
The dry diggers, too, who are persevering, plod on, and
while the mass pay little more than their expenses, a
few may do what is called well—that is, to lay by from
1001. to 3001. in as many months.
There are plenty of stores and a post-office on this
place, and the Melbourne Argus newspaper office is also
established here. Great credit is due to the spirited
proprietor of this journal for the arrangement he has
made for the dispatch of the mails from Ovens township
to the diggings. Without his energetic interference
there would have been no postal arrangements whrtever.
It is very difficult to anticipate what may yet be
done on this creek. There must be, beyond all doubt,
very much gold yet left in the soil ; but it must now be
so dispersed and scattered that it will hardly pay pri-
vate parties to look for it. Perhaps, should the land
be some time hence put up for sale, or if .it should be
leased to a company, it might be worked successfully by
a large outlay of capital. The whole of the water might
be directed from the bed of the creek. which could then
be worked throughout, and no doubt, -as in the hurry of
digging under the present system, many portions have
escaped examination, a very considerable quantity of
gold would be found.
The main diggings on this portion of the creek extend
for about three-quarters of a mile ; but scattered par-
ties are at work on its banks for miles to the south-
west, and some of these parties are pretty successful in
finding gold.
Running to the westward along the summit of the
May Day Range, the Spring Creek turns somewhat
abruptly to the northward, and crosses the hills in a
series of precipitous falls over rocks of granite of the
same description as that which forms the bed of the
creek. These falls are exceedingly pictureique in their
aspects, the surrounding mountains being of considerable
altitude, and the scenery altogether wild and severe. To
descend the creek by the falls is a work of no inconsiderable
difficulty, and even of some danger—at least I found it
so—but even here the diggers have ventured. All along
the dizzy edges of the crags, the holes at which they
have been working are to be found ; and their white
tents perched on the mountain side in the shade of the
d one
e 8
lebf. fall,e of these turned out
tall gum-tree, add much to the beauty of the scene.
some well. The basin of the
first
an,lome parties worked the basins of the various falls,
lveconsiderableht of gho
gold, and
dtutrbnee d
consequence
was w was
informed, 118
was that there was agconsiderable rush to this portion
of the stream. The
because the
precious other
mbasinsetal wereprobably
nh
tohwee
fiv
re
sr t
they
instance, because ,
found so rich in the
were not so deep ; and, secondly,
alarger
altitude of the fall being greater, and cur-
rent stronger,
down the stream. he.
portion of the gold was washed
gold, however, must constantly
be accumulating in all t
May-day
sebasins, which will doubtless
be subjected to a periodicalh
maexamination. The course
of the stream down the range is about two
miles, when it arrives at a flat,
through which it runs,
and where it is distinguished by the name of the Lower
Spring Creek.