THE CAMERON AND RABY CLAIMS. 373 



One or two were still kept working, even at this 

 late season, by lielp of fires and roofing over. The 

 Cameron, Raby, and Caledonian Claims, three of 

 the richest in William's Creek, were, by good luck, 

 still in full swing, and we frequently went down 

 with some of the happy proprietors, and crept about 

 the low dripping galleries, washed for gold, or picked 

 out the rich "pockets" formed under some arresting 

 boulder. In many places we could see the glistening 

 yellow, but generally it was imperceptible, even in 

 the richest dirt. Mr. Steele, of the Cameron Claim, 

 kindly showed us the Company's books, from which 

 it appeared that the yield varied from 40 to 112 oz. 

 a shaft in the day, and there were three shafts, 

 making £2,000 to £5,000 per week altogether. 

 But the expenses were very heavy, averaging 7,000 

 dollars a week, or about £1,500. Eighty men 

 were employed, at wages ranging from ten to six- 

 teen dollars a day, or £2 to £3, and this alone 

 would reach £1,208. 



At noon, each day, the dump-boxes are emptied, 

 and the gold separated from the black sand which 

 is always mixed with it. At the "washing-up" 

 of one shaft of the Raby Claim, which we saw, 

 the gold filled one of the tin cases used for preserved 

 meats, holding nearly a quart, the value of about 

 £1,000 for fifteen hours' work ! Amongst the gold 

 were several shillings and quarter dollars, which 

 had dropped out of the men's pockets, and turned 

 up again in the dump-box. 



After going through the mines on William's 



