About f mile northward of Glen Wills, on the western bank of Sassa¬ 
fras Creek, 500 feet above the township, is a pegmatite dyke, known as the 
Soft Lode. It is in schist country, and about 2 ft. 6 in. thick. It is 
very flat (about 12 deg. from the horizontal), and it strikes about N. 
20 deg. W. This lode was opened up many years ago by means of an 
adit along the dyke, also by an adit at a lower level further northward. 
There is cassiterite scattered throughout this dyke, and in some places it 
is in coarse grains and small veins. An attempt is being made to take the 
soft portion of the lode down the hill in a sled to Glen Wills so as to wash 
out the tin ore ; but this is a very expensive wav of working, and it is 
doubtful if even with the present high price of tin it can be made a success. 
At the Blue Jacket mine, near Glen Wills, very considerable masses of 
tin ore were formerly obtained at the surface, but, although much work was 
done, further deposits could not be discovered. 
This class of country (mica-schists, with stanniferous pegmatite dykes) 
appears to run for a considerable distance in a northerly direction for, on 
the Dorchap Range, similar dykes with disseminated cassiterite occur, but 
they have not been worked. Dorchap is about 9 miles N.W. from Mitta 
Mitta township, and the samples of pegmatite from that locality were shown 
to me by Mr. J. Caldwell at the township. Some of these appeared to 
carry an appreciable amount of tin oxide. The matrix in some cases is 
greisen. The belt of country in w r hich the tin ore occurs is said to be 
about 2 miles wide. This tract should be thoroughly prospected now that 
tin is so high in price. 
[Re-port sent in 28th March, 1906.] 
GOLD AND TIN WORKINGS AT TIN CREEK, NEAR BUXTON. 
(NO. 13 ON LOCALITY MAP.) 
By E. J. Dunn , F.G.S., Director , Geological Survey . 
Buxton is between Healesville and Alexandra, and is about 1,050 feet 
above sea-level. Tin Creek camp lies about ib miles W. 20 deg. N. from 
Buxton, on the western side of the Acheron River. Alluvial working for 
both gold and tin ore has been carried on for over half-a-mile along the 
course of the creek. Tin Creek joins Bishop’s Creek, which flows into the 
Acheron River. The depth of alluvial ground ranges from about 5 feet 
at the lower end of the workings to bare rock a few hundred yards above 
rhe camp. The country-rocks forming the bottom along the creek course 
are Silurian sandstones and mudstones, which, near the huts, have a strike 
of N. 32, deg. W., and a dip of 40 deg. westward. Six chains above the 
huts the strike is N.W., and the dip is westerlv. The drift found in the 
alluvial workings consists largely of sandstone fragments, with much schorl 
derived from near the contact of the Silurian and granitic rocks, higher up 
the creek. Stream tin in the form of only partially-rounded grains was 
obtained along this creek, and this also has been washed down either from 
the granite area at the head of Bishoo’s Creek, or from the fringe of 
altered Silurian in contact with it. Tin Creek was originally worked 
many years ago, and recent operations have been for the purpose of 
recovering what the original workers left behind. Mr. Ryall. who accom¬ 
panied me over the ground, states that about 1 ton of tin ore has been 
obtained, and about 12 ozs. of gold. 
