15 
ETHERIDGE GOLD FIELD. 
The groatei’ part of tin's extensive fielil is a coarsc-grainocl granite with large 
crystals of orthoclase felspar and flakes of mica.* Of this granite Mr. Daintree 
remarksf that it is simply transmuted mica schist, as shown by the presence of 
occasional bands of unaltered schist throughout the mass. The principal drawbacks to 
the field hitherto have been its inaccessibility and the isolated position of the reefs. 
Mines, without an output sufficiently large to keep their own crushing machinery going, 
ave again and again been abandoned owing to the cost of carriage to the nearest mill, 
he principal centres of mining are the Cumberland, Durham, Georgetown, Finnegan’s, 
hud Goldsmith’s. 
has 
The Cumberland Mine, which has been one of the most productive on the field, 
hn elvan dyke between the walls, the reef sometimes occupying its upper and 
sometimes its lower side. The quartz reefs, except above the water level, are generally 
c arged with iron pyrites, copper pyrites, arsenical pyrites, zinc-blende, and galena, in 
varying quantities. The mines at Goldsmith’s form, geologically, part of the Gilbert 
old Held, being situated in mica-schist country, although geographically they belong 
0 the Etheridge Basin. The stone from these mines is less difficult to treat than that 
vom the reefs in the granite. 
The Etheridge and Gilbert having been, during the greater part of their history, 
111 charge of the same Warden, the returns from these fields have been generally 
•imped together. This is unfortunate for statistical purposes, as the twm fields are 
geologically distinct. In the folio wing table the greater part of the reef gold must 
ave come from the Etheridge, and the greater part of the alluvial gold from the 
VI ert. lu 1881 and 1882 the return also includes gold from the Woolgar. The 
amount from the Woolgar in 1881 must have been trifling, as the Warden at the end of 
16 year reported that the crushing machinery was only “ nearly ready.” In 1882 the 
••mount from the Woolgar was probably about 2,000 oz. 
Yield or Etheeidos Gold Field. 
Tear. 
Stone Crushed. 
Yield therefrom. 
Alluvial Gold. 
Total. 
To end of — 
1875 
1876 
1877 
1878 
1879 
1880 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
Tons. 
3,134 
3,550 
4,417 
4,455 
12,151 
7,428 
10,751 
7,010 
11,354 
10,983 
8,100 
§ 8,606 
11 11,083 
18,575 
Oz. 
4,837 
6,365 
5,927 
8,821 
20,926 
13,190 
16,127 
16,560 
22,708 
22,700 
24,603 
§ 22,662 
11 18,150 
11 24,310 
Oz. 
1,031 
9,571 ? 
1L547 
2,104 
5,241 
2,840 
1,000 
"500 
50 
'270 
Oz. 
J 129,798 
13,202 
4,837 
7,396 
15,498 
20,368 
23,030 
18,431 
18,967 
17,560 
22,708 
23,200 
24,653 
22,662 
18,150 
24,580 
— 
Total 
... 
405,040 
* Sec Mr. Clarke’s Notes. 
T General Report upon the Northern District. Brisbane : by Authority : 1870. 
I jieduced from figures in Report of the Department of Mines for 1884, p. 11. 
II Woolgar, but excluding Mount Hogan, which is added to Gilbert returns. 
no udmg Woolgar, Mount Hogan, and Gilbert. At these places little appears to have been done. 
