Past 3.] King: Progress of the Gold Induslrg in Wyndd. 
239 
other words, at what depth tho plane of constant saturation may be supposed 
to lie. It may, at all events, bo concluded from tho old excavations in the 
country-rock, debris of which is still frequently found at their mouths, and 
from the lately driven tunnels, which were mostly in tough clay (decomposed 
felspatliic gneiss), that varied decompositions penetrate throughout a great por¬ 
tion of the upland country to the level of lowest drainage, that is, occasionally for 
300 feet; and on this it is reasonably inferrible that weathering extends nearly as 
deep again in the neighbourhood of the main upland streams, and far inward 
horizontally on or near the edges of tho Ghiit slopes. Thus, arguing from tho 
depth to which these influences extend on the upland, I should be inclined to 
look for the plane of constant saturation at 200 feet below, and 600 feet inwards 
from, the level of the edges of the Ghats. Further inland, the vertical depth 
might bo taken at 100 feet. 
At tho same time it is, as has been shown by the late success of tho Prince of 
Wales’ Company, always possible that rich finds may be met with, the theory of 
fitful secondary distribution even meeting this view within the zone of variable 
decompositions; but these will bo at the best but of importance in small adven¬ 
tures, such as those which have up to tho present time been carried on in 
Wyuad. 
The Alpha Company opened up a large quartz ‘ boil,’ or massed assemblage 
of veins, called the Skull reef, not far from the site of their machinery, the stone 
having been collected partly from tho surface, and partly from fresh excavations 
in the old mines of the Korumbers. An adit was run, without any careful con¬ 
sideration as to direction, into the west side of tho hill, with tho hope that the 
reef might be cut .somewhere about the lowest level of the old Korumber 
workings; but this was abandoned after a time. This excavation showed, at any 
rate, that di’iving will not bo a very expensive item in the gold industry, as the 
rock is veiy largely weathered into a soft, more or loss felspathic, clay, with 
occasional masses of undecomposed rock; but timbering is absolutely necessary 
to guard against the very frequent slipping of this clay. Then, as there had 
always been a desire on the part of the Manager (Mr. Withers) to drive at the 
southern outcrop on the steep slope of the Ghat, a tunnel was run in for a short 
distance at ‘Wrights’ level,’ though still at a considerable height above the 
limit of permanent saturation, and well within the range of atmospheric influ¬ 
ences. It is, however, from the same Wrights’ level that the rich stone worked 
by the Prince of Wales’ Company was subsequently obtained. 
The want of success in the operations of the Alpha Company may be attri¬ 
buted, I think in great part, to the following causes. First, bad selection of 
stone. That there is very good stone in the reefs of the Alpha concession is 
proved by the later crushings of the Prince of Wales’ Company. Second, un¬ 
systematic working of the reef or reefs, as exemplified in the fitful manner of 
taking stone from open quarries at the surface and from the different diifts, accord¬ 
ing as fancy led the authorities. Certainly better returns than those obtained 
might have resulted from one steadily-pursued tunnel and side galleries; while 
they could not have been worse than those got on the desultory plan of working. 
