Alice River Goldfield
The following information concerning the Alice River goldfield, which seems to be a coming place, has been obtained from a letter from Mr. D. C. Thomson, to a Croydon friend, who has kindly allowed us to extract a few particulars (says the Croydon "Mining News" of June 10). Mr. Thomson writes:—At present there are about 50 men on the field, four married women and half-a-dozen children. The crushings are going fairly well, and several of the shows seem to be permanent and payable reefs. So far about 700ozs have been obtained from 400 tons. A five-head battery does the crushing, and if the water holds out it should be kept going steadily. The Big Blow crushed well. They have shaft down about 22 feet, from which all the stuff (about 60 tons) was taken. The last 30 tons went 2oz. which is very satisfactory. A parcel
of six tons from the St. Aignan reef is expected to go 3oz. to the ton. I got a good dividend out of the Alice Queen, in which I purchased a quarter share. It cost £300 and the crushing returned me £240. We had no safe, and stowed the amalgam in an old wooden box.
Fever is prevalent and things are very much like the old days in Croydon.
The system of backing is much the same: Every claim is supposed to be payable, and is consequently full manned. I have taken up another claim, the Nos. 1 and 2 North. We are down 22ft, and have driven 17ft on poor stone but it is worth while doing a good deal to try and catch the rich stone in the next claim, which is not far from our boundary, and which probably comes into our ground. J. F. Coghlan is here, and is doing well. He has a store and butcher's shop, and is in with a partner at Laura. He has also a quarter share in the Big Blow, which cost £35, of which the first small crushing returned an £18 dividend. Taking one thing with another. I think, this field is solid and will go ahead."
North Queensland Register, 26 June 1905 (Trove)
The goldfield was originally named the Alice River Goldfield, but the genuine and original ALICE RIVER was that tributary of the Mitchell on which the BROTHERS JARDINE pitched their 44th Camp on 18th December, 1864, and fought the so-called "Battle of the Mitchell," and which has been traced by "run-surveys" up to longitude 142° 53' E. and latitude 15° 55' S., or 70 miles above the Jardines' Camp. There can be little doubt that the so-called Alice of the goldfield falls into the real Alice at the meridian of 142° 14' E., through the medium of the unnamed water-course which runs westward along the parallel of 15° 30' S., and this river should be named the PHILP.
Robert Logan Jack, Northmost Australia, Vol. II, p. 456
