CROCODILE CREEK
It has already been stated that Gavial Creek of Gully really the left hand branch of Crocodile Creek, had been practically worked out by the beginning of 1866. Form the conformation of the ground there was every appearance, that Crocodile Creek-the main creek-would also contain gold. It had been prospected to some extent up between the steep hills, but nothing payable had ever been obtained. Gavial Creek had ceased to be payable where it debouched from the steep hills, but it was yet to be proved that the main creek possessed quite the opposite characteristics- it was not payable as a gold producer until it had opened out into a flat.
Early in the year (1866) some prospecting had been attempted in the creek some distance down, but heavy water prevented all who tried from “bottoming”. The writer and his brother tried it before he went to Peak Downs, but in two feet water poured in and they had to desist. Some months later, when the dry weather had reduced the water, William Brady, Tom Feeley, and a strong party, made a genuine attempt to bottom in the creek. The attempt was successful, and in about ten feet the granite ore was struck and the washdirt above it was rich in gold. There were others prospecting in the vicinity and they, too, got on to good gold. So far as I remembered no reward claim was given in the ordinary way, but the whole party did very well.
A big rush from all directions set in, and the whole creek and flat were pegged out, and the worst of it was through a mistaken idea of the Warden or Commissioner, as then named, the Chinese were allowed to take up and hold claims in new ground down the flat. Many of these claims were rich in gold, and while hundreds of white men were looking for payable ground the Chinese were in the very thick of the areas paying best. The feelings of the Britisher at the unfair partiality to evens can easily be imagined.
This sneaking in of the Chinese had been tried previously on Peak Downs and elsewhere, but they had always been hunted off. Later legislation decreed that the Chinese were prohibited these aliens from gold mining at all, as nearly every field in Queensland after its first burst of rich ground possessed areas that if not exactly payable gave fair returns to fossickers and men with families who had made such fields their homes.
The fame of Crocodile spread and the population steadily increased, and other discoveries were made in the same region, mostly on the eastern side of the Dee Range. It was estimated that before the end of 1866 at least a 1000 Chinese had gathered, and lived on the lower or eastern end of the town. They had stores, restaurants and other business places and they were by no means sauave in unassuming as many know them, but were bumptious and over bearing and on occasion some would stand up to a white man at fisticuffs. It was quite evident they know they had official protection behind them. A particularly had feature of their presence was that they enticed young girls of twelve and fourteen to their premises. These were the daughters of new residents, no school having yet been established.
Needless to say the success of the diggings was causing a big stir in Rockhampton. Coaches ran forward and back daily, and never since had there been anything like the traffic there was in that year. The late R.L.Dibdin was the principal gold buyer, and he established an office, visiting the field once a week. When asked he gave his estimate of the gold he purchased. He placed it at 50,000 oz. And it is certain he did not secure half of what was obtained, so it is quite safe to estimate the total yield of the field that year as in excess of 100,000 oz. The gold was of a coarse description, but not many big nuggets.
The largest population was towards the end of the year, when it was about 3000,though many estimated it at least 4000, including perhaps a 1000 Chinese. Included were a fair number of women and children. There the writer met for the first time Edwin Macaree, who had set up a temporary business as a tent maker. Hotels, music balls, and other places of entertainment were in existence, all helping to make Crocodile one of the liveliest spots in Queensland.
So far as the mining was concerned, the depth of sinking was from 16 ft. to 30 ft., sometimes a little deeper. The overburden was largely composed of granite boulders, some of great size, which won for the township the name of “Bouldercombe”. Water was always encountered, and in some instances the flow was heavy. As a rule the best gold was found where the water was no impediment, because the dirt could be washed and the gold extracted as it came to the surface.
The writer soon got mates and fell to with high hopes. The first claim produced huge boulders great depth of sinking, a lot of water, and very little gold. To make matter worse a return of fever and ague followed through working in the wet ground, and altogether. Rotten Row, at Copperfield, did not at all seem a bad place.
People get different ideas of what is amusement as life progresses but at that time one could always laugh at an incident that occurred at a huge canvas theatre. A well-known entertainer of those days comes out to Crocodile with his company. The exits from the stage were down steps at each end, and there was very little room for dressing and changing. One night the writer was among the listeners on the inside, and while a gentleman was singing “ The Bold Bloodhound,” a piercing shriek was heard from one of the stage exists. The singer disappeared, but quickly returned and abused the innocent audience. It seems his wife in stooping had bulged out the canvas, and some person outside, from curiosity, had given the bulge a sharp prick with a pin.
An incident of another kind was the stabbing of Paul Madden by a man named Sandy Gunn, Madden having previously hit his (Gunn’s) mate over the head with a screw-wrench for trying to get into his cart. An innocent man was nearly convicted on the evidence of a woman named Pritchard, but when she saw the real culprit she admitted her mistake. Gunn received a long term of imprisonment.
John Hamilton, who had come from the Crocodile to the Boyne Goldfields, had the misfortune to injure his left forearm. He had been hauled to the surface from working below, and sitting on the edge of the shaft to free his foot from the loop in the rope, slipped down the shaft falling on the well slab 20 ft. below. Apparently the arm was not broken, but it was badly injured. He went to Rockhampton for medical aid, and after a day or two, two doctors decided to amputate the limb. Hamilton said he would sooner die, and the medicos gave up the case, an Hamilton treated it himself. One night in a half delirious state he took a drink of his liniment in mistake, but though a close call, he got over it, and the arm gradually improved. Years afterwards a splinter of bone worked out, after which recovery was more rapid.
THE CHINESE RIOT
There is no need to make special reference to the gold obtained by individuals. There were a few who did excellently in a short time, but all of them had to work hard in consequence of the nature of the ground. A great many of course did very little good, for payable as the field was there were more poor claims than good ones. As already stated a large number of Chinese had much of the best ground, and this naturally was not pleasing to the whites so that a bad feeling was engendered. In addition the chinese were frequently aggressive and insulting. On the 7th of January, 1867 there was a row between a white man and some chinese over the pegs of claim and the white man was attacked with a tome hawk. He Screamed for help and a number of white men rushed to the rescue and pelted the chinese who gathered with sticks and stones till not a few were flying in terror. Some tents and huts were set on file and possibly a few Chinese were punched by the enraged whites. The wild scramble extended over a pretty large area of ground, and the tale of this battle is told a hundred ways. Some person rushed off to Rockhampton for assistance and the police and volunteers were held in readiness with firearms to slaughter apparently the desperate wretches who had risen against the chinese. The gold commissioner quite lost his head over the affair and the police came out and arrested ten of the so called ring leaders-evidently on the word of the frightened Chinese. No ball was accepted, and the poor fellows had to remain in goal till they were brought before the bench. Two of them were able to prove an alibi and there was no evidence against two others. Six were committed for trial for viotous behaviour and bail again refused. Registers felt that the names of these humane (?) justices are not obtainable. The evidence, which in no case was very strong, showed that the aggressors were two Chinese and that what followed was occasioned by the onslaught of the aliens. Two of the six prisoners were discharged and four received nine months imprisonment each. No doubt a few Chinese received a buffeting, which some of them richly needed, but as only a couple of hundred whites were in it, at all there was quite unnecessary fuss made of the affair. As a matter of fact there were many whites who sheltered the flying Chinaman. It should be stated that at the time of the so-called riot quite a thousand of the better class of the diggers had left Crocodile for Morinish, Rockhampton, and southern towns, most of those on gold having worked out their ground.
REEF MINING
So much alluvial gold had been found at Crocodile that quite naturally there were many who were hopeful of finding the sources of the supply in reefs that existed in the mountains. A fair amount of prospecting in various places resulted in quartz containing gold being found, and crushing machines were eventually erected and some payable crushing obtained, but other parcels were certainly not payable. The machine with good results will the refractory stoma was reached. At Bouldercombe and along the hills towards Moonmera, Patches of good gold were found in many reefs, but in the majority of cases the lodes got poorer as depth was attained. Anyway, the early months of 1867 found the bulk of the differs scattered over a wide area in little alluvial Fields that had been steadily opened up.
MORINISH FIELD
It was towards the end of 1866 (in November) that alluvial gold was found in shallow sinking on Morinish Station, owned by the well know pioneer squatter Colin C.Mackay, of “Big House,” whom there is reason to believe is still alive and going strongly in the last decade of a century. Smith Brothers opened the first gully, but several others soon followed, and many good claims of a narrow with of washdirt of a foot or less in depth were in the hands of eager workers. A friend sent for the writer, and on Christmas Day, 1866 accompanied by his youngest brother, he round up his swag and with pick, shovel and tin dish, set off for Morinish diggings, via Rockhampton. On Boxing Day they arrived and found a claim awaiting them, next to Alick Forbes, the Morinish poet, and brother of Archibald Forbes, the celebrated war correspondent of those days. There were three of them in the party, and they soon opened up a face about 16 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep, and prospects were very satisfactory, the gold being coarse and waterworn.
The writer always had an objection to idling for New Year’s day, most people having the very opposite feelings. I remember the day well. It was intensely hot, and his mates declared they were not going to work to the writer went off from the camp to the claim alone. On examining the face he found a little streak of burnt-looking washdirt, about a foot wide and few inched deep. On talking out a prospect specks of gold were seen in it from about 2 gr. To 4 gr. In weight. The prospects was splendid and he spent the rest of the morning in picking out speaks of gold, securing more than an ounce. By Midday a thunderstorm was gathering. And he hastened to the camp to make everything secure. The sky grew intensely black and the thunder began to rumble. Water was very scarce and a good downpour was hoped for. It became almost dark, without a breath of wind and then after a few vivid flashes of lightning and loud bursts of thunder, the heavy clouds broke up and blew away, leaving not a drop of water. This was the writer’s first experience of a dry thunderstorm and he thought it quite a phenomenon.
Two or three weeks later, having shifted the camp, to what eventually become the main township, they were returning from the claim, and half-a mile from the township they heard a peculiar roaring noise, and all sorts of gueses were made what it could be. As they drew nearer to the camp they heard high-pitched voices shouting, and they ran forward. Getting out of the heavy timber near the camp the roar was very loud, and they arrived just in time to see the creek-which had previously been dry except for a few pot-holes-come down with a wall of water that seemed 10 ft. in height. It dashed past at a great pace, carrying creadles, timber, and all kinds of derbies with it, and leaving the dry creek bank-high with flood water. There was no rain at the camp, nor had there been at the claim. The fact was there had been heavy storm rain in the hills opposite, a mile or two away, and the water had come down as stated. Such occurrences are common enough to dwellers in the bush, but they were all new to the inexperienced. By the morning the huge flat of water was reduced to a moderate sized rivulet.
About this time, Davy Hunter, later of Cawarral, discovered fairly rich ground which was named Hunter’s Gully. It gave employment to a lot of men, some of whom did well, and led to more prospecting and discoveries in the neighborhood.
Several excellent reefs were opened, including the Kennedy, Nonpariel, Alliance, and Welcome. Among those identified with these discoveries were W. Ellis, E. H. T. Plant, Arthur Jones, and Kennedy, the latter of whom was a splendid tracker. Great speculators in those days were Captain R. M. Hunter and Joe and Willam Pattison, all of whom did a lot to advance any legitimate mining venture in those early days. There is no data to hand showing what amount of gold was won from the reefs named and others, but certainly there were considerable quantities, and some good stone in later days was obtained at a depth. The Alliance, on the underlie, is sunk to about 400 ft., and the Welcome is also deep. There is certainly some of those sturdy miners still living , including Arthur Jones, of Bondoola, but most of them “went west” long ago.
RIDGELANDS FIELD
The true story of the discovery of Ridgelands has never been published, chiefly, because the two who were , the only ones who knew, through bad management, lost the chance of a small fortune and also not much inclined to talk of their find.
Bird and party had finished their claim in Williamson’s Gully, out of which they did very well. One evening an acquaintance of the writer named Arthur Hosking came to him and said he had been told privately that two men had come in from the sheep-station ten miles on the road to Rockhampton with a quantity of gold, and were going back again at midnight so that no one should follow them. Hosking had been the butcher at the township, and by the way he was an adapt at cutting the whole of a sheep into chops, except the fleece, head and trotters. He wanted the writer to go with him and find out if there was any truth in the story. Not caring much for the enterprise, Bird tried his two mates, but neither would undertake the expedition, so Bird and Hosking, with tools, blankets, and a little food, left about ten o’clock in the dark. After going about four or five miles the two decided to camp in a little scrub beside the road, but the first they took bushes and smothered the dust on the road, so that if they fell asleep they would be able to follow the men’s tracks if they passed. After a miserably uncomfortable night, day broke and no tracks were found on the road. Having come so far, it was decided to go on to the sheep-station and make inquiries. This was done, and the shepherd caught just as he was letting out his sheep. He declared several had been prospecting about there but, no one lately, and none of them had got gold. A personal examination showed this to be true, so they had breakfast and talked of what had best to done.
It was resolved to return to Morinish by a straighter way if possible, and as there was plenty of time to prospect on the way back. This was done, and the two went up the Creek and then got into the ridges and washed some prospects from likely looking ravines. A little black sand was found, but no gold except very fine colours. What was deemed a straight road back was followed till the face of a dense scrub was reached, and then they had to turn at right angles, somewhat in the direction of the road they went out.
Presently they came to where there was pieces of quartz strewed on the ground, and the surface looked more auriferous. Both began to check pieces and look for gold, and going further along, gold was seen in a few places and eventually in nearly every piece that was examined. A careful look around showed a nice slope and a gully that looked highly auriferous, and a site for a shaft being selected, it was promptly sunk to a depth of about four feet, when nice-looking washdirt was reached. A dish was soon got out and washed in a little stream that flowed at the bottom of the gully. The result was splendid, about 1 dwt. of very fine gold, but withal of a heavy nature, showing good quality. Other prospects were washed, with even better results, and also some from the surface higher up. It was quite clear that a possible valuable discovery had been made.
They finished their food and discussed matters. Unfortunately, things were a bit complicated; for the writer had two mates he had been working with recently, and two who were mates with him on the Calliope. Hosking declined to let any of the four come in to the discovery, and the writer was just as firm against the friends of Hosking, because he did not know them. Naturally, both were very excited over their good fortune, but the partnership business was exceedingly awkward. Bird and Hosking, of course, had to be full mates, and it was decided that Bird was to apply for a reefing area and Hosking allu-vial claims. The ground was pegged out as well as could be done without axe or tomahawk, and as it was getting late it was decided to say nothing of the discovery, but come out again the next day and make further investigations. Claims were also pegged out for Bird’s mates and former mates, and Hosking’s friends.
The position was further discussed on the way home, and the last words on parting were to say nothing about the find. The writer faithfully adhered to that agreement, but about nine o’clock Jack Harvey, a former, mate, came back from a stroll in an excited state and said to the writer;” What’s this I hear, that you two b-fellows have found a goldfields?” The writer replied, “Who told you that yarn?” He replied “Hosking has told everybody in the township.” Here was a pretty kettle of ash, the worst thing that could possibly have been done.
The only thing to do was to make the best of it, and it was decided to go out first thing in the morning and then report to the Commissioner at Rockhampton. In the morning a couple of horses were obtained by Bird and Hosking, but Bird’s mates were unable to get horses, and promised to walk to the locality, and the writer would meet them on the road. Ridgelands, then without a name, was reached, the claims pegged out more securely. Those who came out got the claims pegged out for them, but Bird’s mates could not be found and thus lost their claims, and it was afterwards found they never left, because they had to walk, though many strangers followed the horsemen on the foot.
It was a dull, showery day certainly, Saturday, the 27the February, 1867, and the discoverers got we before Rockhampton was reached, and then they learned that the Commissioner’s office was closed till Monday. As was found out subsequently, a man named Kirker has repegged a portion of the ground. Bird was applying for and rode to the Commissioner’s private house to apply for it on the Sunday.
On the Monday morning the Commissioner recognised Hosking as an old opponent on another field and warned him not to dictate to him (the Commissioner). He promised to be out on Wednesday and stated there had been another applicant for ground there.
Through getting wet, the writer got another attack of fever and ague, and when the Commissioner came out; was in no condition to enter into a legal agreement. The upshot was, Hosking got the claim for alluvial, and Bird and Kirker each got an area for a quartz claim, but Kicker’s ground was really a portion of what Bird had pagged out, prior to this Kirker and his two mates had offered to amalgamate with Bird and his mates, but the latter was averse to any such plan. Thus the reef “Blow” where the best stone was, was given to Kirker, and much against his will. Bird was led to seek redress from the law, to dispossess the man in possession who had been officially placed there. Bird’s mates were assured by a prominent Rockhampton solicitor that he must win on the fact of being the first to find the ground. The law suit failed.
The Alluvial gold on Ridgelands was very fine and of high value. The reef was almost flat, a foot or more in thickness, and of a decomposed, glossary nature, most of the claims being worked on the block system, and many of them from peg to peg. Kirker and party took some thousands of pounds out of their claim, whilst Hosking and Birds alluvial claim also turned out well, in fact, nearly all of the alluvial claims. At the lowest estimate, Ridgelands must have yielded 20000 oz. of gold. As showing that more consideration should have been given to the discoverers, Bird and Hosking, received a Government reared of £250 for the discovery, being the first reward for finding, gold paid in the state.
Ridgelands was a comparatively small field, that is, the payable ground was confide to a smaller area and more compact than was usually the case. Many acres of the surface soil was treated in pudding machines and gave good results. The flat reef as it extended became very patchy, though “shoots” of rich stone were found for considerable lengths, but practically *** in the intervening Kerker*** and party’s claim continued the blow of the reef and the cream of the gold. The larger portion of the gold was taken out in the first seven or eight months after which the population of about a thousand began to diminish, till only a few hundreds were left, who remained for a couple of years or more.
Many of the permanent residents of the Rockhampton and the surrounding districts had their share in the fortunes of that field, but the sullivans were among the few who were faithful to it from start to finish. Old Calliope, Boyne, and Crocodile diggers were there in numbers, but the opening of Gympie in October of that year drew many southwards.
The writer remembers a rather amusing incident at Ridgelands many years afterwards. A mining dispute had arisen and the Police Magistrate, Mr. Lukin, decided it to hear the case on the ground. Several Buggies went out with the Warden, Police and other officials forming quite a cavalcade from town. The writer went along as reporter. When the Court assembled it was found that the simple little Bible was absent, and the only book of a religious nature among the residents, was a book of hymns. Mr. Lukin declined to use that and the court had to be adjourned to Rockhampton. He had not the temerity of, Jack Hamilton, who on the Hodgekinson, in a murder case, *** the witness on “ A Ready Reckon.”
ROSEWOOD FIELD
As already stated it was so obvious that deposits of gold were scattered all about the Central District that quite a number of men were prospecting in different parts of the country. Some of these were reward by valuable discoveries, but most of them did not prove of either extent or permanence. Another thing was that there was nearly always a great difference between the gold of different fields both in appearance and value. An observant person could usually tell when a parcel of gold was obtained by merely looking at it.
Ridgelands was only just well in the swing of gold production when Rosewood was discovered by Jack Williams. This was the man who found the gully the writer and party worked to such good purpose at Morinish. Williams found “Payable” gold, which attracted others to the field, and one of these, William Brady and party, the leader of one of the chief gold winners at Crocodile, was lucky enough to find a rich patch of nuggets further down the cheek than where Williams made his discovery. Brady’s gold was rich and attractive in appearance. Weatherworn roundish nuggets without a spack of dust or foreign matter simply lumps of gold like small potatoes, and usually weighing from 5 oz. to 50 oz. though, of course, there were smaller and larger pieces, up to about 100 oz.
There was wonderful excitement over the discovery, and quite a large population assembled and reports of rich discoveries were made almost daily. The alluvial gold at Ridgelands and at Rosewood represented the very antithesis of the precious metal, one being usually fine and the other remarkable course, both however begin very pure and valuable. The only field in this district where gold similar to that at Rosewood was found, was that discovered at the Upper Dee, which is not so long ago that Rockhampton people has forgotten.
There was this difference, that at Rosewood several big nuggets were often found near each other, but at the Dee the lumps were more often discovered alone.
Rosewood was and is about sixty miles from Rockhampton, and not so many of those who stuck to it failed to get gold at times. In many instances men made a fair “rise” and made it quickly. The field was of fairly big extent, and though its one-time population of a thousand dwindled very considerable, many remained faithful for years. In saying this the genial face of Edward Longstaff arises in my mind’s eye, for he spent several decades among its allusive treasures.
Many of the Rosewood reefs were prospected and worked, but with the exception of the patchy Golden Bar, non proved of much value. Both John Williams and Willam Brady applied for the reward for the discovery of Rosewood, the former because he first found gold and caused a rush, and the latter because his sensational find of nuggets brought the crowd and led to other discoveries. It was a knotty point, but the government gave £250 to Brady. A fairer way, perhaps would have been to have equally divided the amount.
OTHER GOLD FIELDS
The year, 1867 was a particularly lucky one from a gold mining point of view for quite a number of good fields were opened that year in addition to those named. Some these were Blackfellow’s Gully, a compact and rich little diggings. Raglan and Langmorn, both of which turned out a lot of gold, including Longstaff’s 60 oz. nugget; Herbert’s Creek, where the gold was as light and scaly that an Irish friend declared it took a pound weight to weigh an ounce. These and a few other of lesser importance afforded gold-seekers plenty of exercise in going from one to the other, hoping for better luck than the last.
A RESOUTE LADY
The writer, his brother, William Poole, and John Harvey, all Calliope men, spent some time about the middle of 1867 prospecting various localities. Harvey and the writer’s brother just arrived at Mackenzie’s Station-on the morth side of the Fitzroy River-one day as Lieutanant William Fraser and his avenging troopers disappeared. It seems the troopers were after a small party of blacks, the women and children of which took shelter in the station building. Hearing that Fraser was close behind them Mrs. Mackenzie put the poor frightened creatures in her bedroom. Presently up came Fraser and demanded to search the house and do so. Mrs. Mackenzie kept near her bedroom door. When no blacks were found, Fraser wanted to search the bedroom, and Mrs. Mackenzie standing before the door dared him to enter, Fraser smilingly desisted and ordered his troopers away, but not before Mrs. Mackenzie gave them all the “contents of her tongue.” Needless to say William Fraser was the avenger of the Hornet Bank massacre of ten years previously - 1857-he being absent at the time.