The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-31 00:00:00

IBER.

TAB' COLONIAL GOLD COMPANY.

The Colonial Gold Company report as follows :—"The
Colonial Gold Company have advices from their super-
intendents in New South Wales and Victoria. The dates
are from Sydney to the 9th of May, and from Sand-
hurst to the 20th of May. Mr. Spence had visited Tarn-
boroola, and advises that a square half-mile of land on
the Fighting-ground Creek, applied for under the re:zu-
lations as a quartz vein, had been granted, and that,
considering it preferable the plant should be erected
on the company's freehold, he had made application
for the purchase of thirty acres, which has also been
acceded to. Mr. Spence writes The Fighting-
ground Creek is the most favourable place for water in
the neighbourhood of Tamboroora, and there appears to
be every reason to expect that our establishment
there will be most profitable. The Royal Vein is turning
out richer than ever, and the owner is solicitous for
some arrangement under which the lode will be fully de-
veloped. As the situation of our mill will be convenient,
he is disposed to enter into terms that will give us the
right to the whole of the quartz. I have not yet de-
cided what these terms are to be. We saw the gold
that had been extracted in the course of the week's
working of his small crushing concern, and the yield
was close upon 8 oz. to the ton. Whether or not such
rich stuff will continue through the hill remains to be
ascertained by a system of exploration not yet coin-
inenced. The Coronation Vein, lately belonging to the
British Australian Company, is now abandoned, and
will be further prospected by us. We purpose, when
permanently located, to organise a regular system of
exploration through a very promising tract of country
surrounding the site of the mill, and hope to find some
veins quite as good as those that by mere accident have
been discovered.' Mr. Spence, accompanied by Capt.
Paull, had visited the Ophir Copper Mine and the ad-
joining sections of land, which are open to the company
on ,terms. He writes Capt. Paull's opinion of the mine,
and also his report on the various promising places that
I intend him to examine, will be transmitted to you when
received. That he was impressed very favourably by the
appearance of the lodes is certain, and he thinks that even
at the present time they might be worked to advantage.
At Louisa Creek there had been a great flood, and the
dam was secured with difficulty. .A. very large
quantity of water was secured, and such work was in
progress as would considerably strengthen and preserve
the embankment. Mr. Spence says (writing from Syd-
ney), am obliged to defer to the present month the
intention of making a return that would give some defi-
nite idea of our prospects. They would commence
crushing and also washing the alluvial a few days after
I left. lam very glad to learn that four miners and
two steamers have been engaged, and trust that they
will soon arrive. For steady good work the men sent
out by the managers are almost without exception the
only labourers to be relied on unless constantly watched.
I note the shipment per Montgomery, from Liverpool,
of another engine and crushing-mill, with spare
rollers, &c. As there is hardly a shadow of doubt
now with regard to a permanent and profitable
operation in the reduction of quartz and other ores, and
as various arrangements for the extension of our works
are progressing, the above machinery will arrive in good
time, and need not remain idle long.'
"'_Vlr. Corner, in his despatches from Sandhurst, writes :
" ' It is my intention to try hereafter some claims—
new ones—as the ordinary digger, so as to endeavour to
find some rich washing stuff. The stuff generally as left
by the diggers is, I find, too poor for touching there-
after.

" 'Gold-washing since the rains has been continued
daily upon our heap of stuff with varied success ; we
are not able to pursue this upon any system thus far so
as to arrive at an actual or positive result, even by long
toms, which I consider bad, since we do not have the
finer particles of gold dust, nor can I do this without an
amalgamating process. There have been many little
things operating against a correct result upon this rude
way of washing the soil.

On the 10th and 14th of April we washed 23
loads, and obtained 4 oz. 10dwt. ; from the 18th
to the 22d of April we washed 59 loads, and ob-
tained lloz. 16dwt. ; from the 24th to the 29th of
April we washed 78 loads, and obtained 13oz.
16dwt. ; from the 2d to the 6th of May we washed
64 loads, and obtained 7oz. sdwt. ; from the Bth to the
13th of May we washed 82 loads, and obtained 12oz.
14dwt. 12grs. ; fram the 15th to the 20th of May we
washed 90 loads, and obtained looz. ldwt. 12grs. Part
of this time one of the pumps was out of order, and part
of the engine was used for the saw-mill. I shall put on
more toms, since the engine does the same work—say
pumping three pumps, and thus I get a full supply of
water for five toms instead of two, and there is no
greater consumption of fuel. We have abundance of
water now.

" Thatyour machinery will now be quite unnecesary to
carry on washing the alluvial upon a large scale I am more
than ever certain of, as the same labour and almost the
same heavy expenses continue in this cramped experi-
ment as would have to be borne after the erection of the
more extensive kind you were about sending me, which
will be very acceptable in the spring of this year.
" ' My difficulty with regard to labour increases ; a
commanding force of picked men, sent by Messrs. Tay-
lor, will be indispensable. Food and feed stuffs for
horses are enormously enhanced ; and I may mention.
that the lowest rate of carriage for dead weight, and a
good loading, such as flour and sugar, is 1001. per ton,
and will be higher. Hay is not to be had at any sta-
tion, and from Melbourne it costs about the same as
flour. Butchers' meat has risen from 6d. to ls. per lb.,
and will he higher."'

CINCINNATI STEAM FIRE-ENGINIL—This engine, which
cost rather more than 2,0001., and weighs between five
and six tons, throws 84,000 gallons in an hour. Five
horses are required, four to draw the engine, and one the
fuel and reel cart. Mr. Mike and Professor Wilson
went to see the engine. Mr. Mike cays—." On reaching
the station we satisfied ourselves that there was no fire
in the engine, and that the water in the boiler was cold.
On the order being given to proceed to a particular point
the light was applied td the grate, always kept ready
filled with very combustible materials, the horses were
harnessed, and the engine left the house in 3} minutes
after the supposed fire was announced. It reached the
spot indicated, 1,450 feet distant from the engine-house,
in 21 minutes, and in 6i minutes from the first announce-
!tient the horses were uncoupled and the engine placed
over the supply cistern. In 8} minutes the steam
gauge was at 35 deg., and the pumps self-feeding.
In 9 minutes a hose was affixed, and the reel de-
spatched in 9. minutes minutes to about 100 feet distant
from the engine, during which time a second hose
was being fixed and laid out. In 12 minutes water
was issuing from one hose, and in 12 minutes from
both. In 13 minutes the jet of water reached 100
feet from the nozzle first applied, one of an inch diame-
ter, and from that time a large body of water was pour-
ing forth. In 17 minutes the supply was strong enough
to rise about 60 feet in height. In 28 minutes it was
playing over a moderate-sized house. In 33 minutes all
six nozzles were in use. In 38 minutes the issue of water
was stopped, that the capability of supplying steamjtts
might be shown In 3'91 minutes a very powerful blast
of steam was issuing. We were informed that the engine
had on two or three occasions played six hours :
continu-
ously, and once 12 hours, and we were given to
statement
weer
stand that it had thrown water 230 feet—
a
could believe from the power exhibitecbanad
heavy
yh
cartwas
shown by directing the stream against
standing empty in the street,
elndßeport which ( was New
Yorkdriven
Ibny.
it nearly 100 feet.--Mr. Diks
dustrial Exhibition).