NUGGETS AT THE POSEIDON RUSH AND AT IRONBARK 
GULLY, NEAR TARNAGULLA. 
By A. M. Howitt. 
The Poseidon Rush. 
The Poseidon rush was opened by J. Porter, who had been prospecting 
for several years in the Tarnagulla district and for some time around the 
Woolshed Reef Hill, about 5 miles from Tarnagulla. 
With a small hand bore he traced the dip of the surface of the bedrock, 
and on finding indications of a gutter to the south-west of the Woolshed 
Hill, he put down a shaft on Cup Day, the 6th November, 1906, on 
Crown lands, but close to Weymes’ allotment 14A, parish of Tarnagulla. 
From the bottom of this shaft (19 feet deep), he obtained 7 ozs. of 
gold, and immediately registered his prospecting claim as “ The 
Poseidon,” after the Cup winner, thus giving the field its name. Then 
followed the discovery of some of the large nuggets of gold, and with 
these discoveries, people of all classes and from all localities flocked to 
the rush, and the canvas town of Poseidon soon appeared, and a busy 
line of claims marked the trend of the lead, east in the Crown lands and 
to the west through Weyme’s allotment 14A. 
At the head of the lead the shallow sinking is in dark-brown surface 
soil and clay, and it was in this ground that the largest nuggets were 
found. 
“ The Poseidon,” weighing in the gross, 953 ozs., discovered by 
Woodall and party on 12th December, 1906, was perched 2 inches above 
a conical bump of the bedrock, and within 10 inches of the surface. 
The ’Xmas Box, 373 ozs., the Hazel, 502 ozs., the Georgenia, 86J ozs., 
the Leila, 675 ozs., the Federal, 387 ozs., and a smaller specimen of 
21 ozs., were all discovered in this surface clay, and all a few inches off 
the bottom (see list p. 16). 
The gross weight of these few nuggets, together with the little gold 
obtained in addition, would total just over 3,000 ozs. All this gold was 
taken from a strip of ground 84 feet in length—the distance between the 
two extreme nuggets. 
Of these nuggets, Messrs. Smith, Stephenson, and Rogers obtained 
1,672 ozs., which yielded 1,382 ozs. on smelting. This claim has yielded 
,£1,900 per man, and has been so far the richest claim on the rush. 
The next rich claim is that of Jackson and Hughes and the first shafts 
are seen here. The ground is 8 feet to 10 feet deep, and is composed of 
red sand, clay, and gravel, occurring in a gutter with a somewhat bumpy 
bottom. ■ This claim has yielded several large nuggets, amongst them being 
the “ Little Jack,” 252 ozs. gross weight, and the “ Little Ben,” 152 ozs. 
gross weight. The larger nuggets were all above the bedrock. (See list, 
pp. 17-18. Nos. 6, 8, 15, 17, 19, 26, 33,.37, 38, 57.) 
Wragge Bros.’ is the next claim of importance. Here the sinking is 
red sand and rubble of slate and sandstone, then about a foot of white and 
red stiff clay (“ pug ”) seams, then a foot of sand and clay, with floating 
pieces of slate and sandstone, and on the bottom white pug and angular 
quartz. They are taking the whole claim, 60 feet, but the gutter, con¬ 
taining the best gold, is only about 15 feet wide and shows more quartz. 
Amongst the large nuggets from this claim may be mentioned “ The 
Port Arthur,” 2b6J ozs. gross weight. Nearlv all the nuggets in this 
claim were on the bedrock. (See list, Nos. 7, n, 22, 23, 24, 40, 55). 
Cox and Newit’s claim has given consistent yields, and the sinking is 
similar to that in Wragge Bros, claim. The largest nugget so far found 
in this claim is “ The Shellback,” 127! ozs. gross weight, and containing 
much quartz. (See list Nos. 9, 16, 29, 41, 44, 48, 56, 59, 60). 
