Mohave County miner., 1888-02-11
The New Gold Fields Of Sonth
Australia.

.s8 In his report to tho department oi state
United States Consular AGENT J. W. Smith
writes from Port Adelaide az follows:
The most important and noteworthy
circumstance which has occurred in South
~ Australia during the past year IL the die.
.of eovery Of a rich alluvisl deposit Of gold
u about 230 miles north OF Adelaide, and
within 20 miles Of the railway line, now
nearly completed, TO the rich silver dis.
trirt across the New South Wales border,
and known as silverton. The existence
OF gold in the neighborhood Of the recent
discovery has long been known, and reef
Of ironstonc and quartz, yielding gold In
payable quantities, from IL pennyweights
10 III ounces per ton Of stone, has for
many years been worked Is miles TO the
west Of the newly found alluval. The
place is called 'he Teetulpa gold fields,
t!ofn the name Of the sheep run On which
it is situated.
The account here given OF it has bsen
furnished by Mr. l. B. Austin, a rccog.
nized authority on mining matters in the
.l3 colony, and who has for ten or twelve
.Sl years been acquainted with this part Of
=, the country as an auriierous district.
Shortly after the alluvial discovery was
made public he visited the locality, 90
that much OF the information is given
49, from his personal observation. Notyith.
so 90 standing the fact that gold reefs had been
- weaksd for wears within few miles Of
AZ the place, and some prospecting done
with view to finding aliuvial gold, the
discovery was made quite accidentally.
Two men, who had been searching for
gold and were camping at q. dam" or
water reser, Dir with some others, went in
search OF their horse, which had straysd,
and while looking for it a thunder storm
came on. The rain washed away some Of
As the soil in a email creek, exposing to
'23 view t~o or three nuggets OF gold The
90 party fossicked them out with two or
three more, and after waiting, with the
dgker's usual caution, until the other
men had gone away, they proceeded TO
open up the ground, which they found %
rich that they at once applied to tho war
den OF the gold fields for a prospector's
claim and the reward OF 81 300 offered by
the Government Tor tho discovery Of
* new and payable gold field. A rush
5 speedily took place and number oil mug.
. gets were found in the little dry creek,
.65 some only two or three inches IRON the
surface and some in the creyices OF slate
rock.
In about fortnight from the announce.
o. ment OF tho discovery i. WAS estimated
~ mat 1000 men were on the field. No
- Washing was attempted lor the frs. fort.
"a iight, sll the gold being picked out OF the
Try and iriab!o loamy soil and gr4vslly
wash dirt. Two boys got ont 3 ounces in
two days; four men got l8 ounces Of
na rough, nuggety gold IN one week; one
45 nan got Is OUNCES In eight days; four
- nen 30. 81 ounces IN one week. The
81 pieces varied Ia Weis sht from half penny.
vel Sht up 70 several ounces 3, 8 and 6
ouncesl, and one OF ci.4t ounces IL
pennyyeights was alec found. Since then
several nuggets have been folnd weigh.
ing, stated roughly. wthout being exact
o. 10 peunyweishts and grains, 10 ounces,
d. JH ounces, lll9 0unces, Il, Is. Is. ls
- and 293t ounces, all fully authenticated.
81 and moro than one from ounces 70 IL
Ouncgs. Besides these there is 4 report Of
one weighing over u ounces, which, not
60 undoubtedly confirmed as the others,
ID nevertheless stated on excellent author.
tr r..