THE PREMIER ON TOUR.
FROM BRUTHEN TO OMEO. ACCIDENT TO THE PARTY
(BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER )
OMEO, SUNDAY.
Bruthen is a pleasant place, and Mr. Patterson would fain have lingered there, like another Hannibal dallying in Copua, but he tore himself away, and to show that he was really heroic actually rose at 6 o'clock in the morning. One must be terribly in earnest to break into the night in this manner, and Mr. Patterson is often in earnest. Mr. R. O'Reilly, the agent of Messrs. Robertson, Wagner, and Co., provided amply and well for the convenience of the party in the long journey up the hills. He had a large coach for the. bulk of the party, and a smart three-horse wagonOriginal text waggon, which he drove himself, for the Premier and three others. The road lay up the Tambo Valley; to Omeo was 60 miles, and the way was rugged and the pace slow. There are residents in the country who think that some day there will be a railway between the two places.
There were 14 travellers on Thursday who wished that one existed. If badness of road and difficulty of obtaining access through the district were justification for a railway one would be made at once. The hope is that some day the work will be undertaken, and one effect will be that a new country of great, beauty will be opened to the people of Victoria. The Tambo River would be a great highway and render the railway unnecessary but for the fact that its bed is continually moving, and in food time widening, The water is very shallow in summer, and it is perpetually carrying down sand in such quantities as to lead it to be feared that the lower river, now navigable, will be ultimately silted up. As it is small steamers cannot get within six miles of Bruthen, and then they have to scrape through numerous sand bars. If anything could be devised to counteract the operations of nature, and open up the river for traffic, the large area which it drains would become productive on a great scale.
As it is the whole country was aptly described by Mr. Patterson at Omeo last night as a vast trust estate, not by any means in liquidation, but held in reserve for future generations. Passing up the lovely valley the first important halt was made at Ensay, in the neighbourhood of Mr. J. Hamilton's station. Here some of the residents had gathered in anticipation of Mr. Patterson's coming, and Mr. Hamilton on their behalf furnished entertainment which was much enjoyed. Mr. Hamilton is not the man to seek fame as an orator, and he simply welcomed us in words whose fewness was atoned for by their heartiness. Mr. Patterson replied, and then Mr. K. M'Angus supported his neighbour, Mr. Hamilton, and warming to his task found himself switched on to the line that leads to poetry, and could not say good-bye without emphasising it with a couplet from Burns.
We left, and in the closing hours of the afternoon travelled under the shadow of the great hills to the cosiest corner in East Gippsland, named Doctor's Flat. Councillor Quinn, of the Omeo Shire, gave us a most hospitable reception, and at his hotel we remained for the evening. It would be difficult to imagine a more charming spot, in a valley, with the side hills quite close, and the clear Tambo running past the front door. The resting-place could not be excelled. Given better means of penetrating the country, and this hostelry would become widely known. A number of gentlemen from the gold mines in the hills bad come down eight miles to meet us, including Mr A.E. Ball, Mr. Eckberg, who is deeply interested in mining ventures at Cassilis and Mr Phillips, whose interests are at Bald Hill Creek, in the neighbourhood of that township. All three gentlemen had much to say upon the promising character of the comparatively new fields which were assisting to develop, and which we were promised a sight of next day.
At 9 o'clock we left Doctor's Flat for a further climb. Councillor Rylah had driven all the way from Omeo, 20 miles off, to meet us, and we had not been travelling more than half an hour when we came upon an enthusiastic party of horsemen, who had come down from Cassilis to escort the Premier to that settlement. They included Messrs M'Laren, Heritage, Ryan, Khagin, and T. Crisp. On the outskirts of the township are two crushing batteries. The first is that of the Mount Hepburn mine, of which Mr. Ball has control. The mine is on the summit of a lull, 600ft. high, and Mr. Bull is arranging so that the ore may be tipped out of the mime and run down a shoot into the battery below. It will not be handled from the time it is put out of the skips until it is crushed. He employs an Austral Otis ore-crusher, and speaks very highly of it. Higher up Long Gully, and before coming to Cassilis, is another plant formerly owned by the late Mr. George Smart, and now being worked by a company. It crushes for the public.
The most interesting place comes next. It is Messrs Eckberg and M'Culloch's crushing and concentration works. The great drawback to the district so far has been the refractory character of the ore, and Mr. Eckberg has set himself to work to solve the problem of how to separate the gold from its previously impenetrable envelope. He has five vanners at work, and is operating upon 2,000 tons of tailings, the remains of crushings which yielded on an average 1oz. to the ton. He expects to realise 2oz. to the ton of tailings, and if he succeeds, as he confidently believes that he will, the investment will be a very good one, and will prove how much the early miners lost through imperfect appliances. His process is calculated to extract 85 per cent, of all the gold in the quartz. No one not fully acquainted with the peculiarities of the district can have any idea of the character of this part of the country in regard to mining. It is unlike anything else in the colony. The reefs are reasonably rich and numerous. A stretch of country about fifteen miles long by fifteen miles wile is said by Mr Howitt to be auriferous, and reefs are found all over the area.
Without attempting a detailed description one or two points, such as I have mentioned, indicate the richness of the place. One other may be given. Messrs. Crisp Brothers sell the ore from their mine to Mr. Deeble, of Bendigo, who gives them £12 10s. per ton for quartz at the mine, and pays all the expenses of the carriage to the works at Bendigo. The Mount Markey mine is situated, as the name indicates, on a hill 1,200ft. above Cassilis. It is the claim which proved the subject of litigation between the late Mr. Bowman, M.L.A., and Mr. Gore, ex M.L C. It has been producing well lately. Mr. Eckberg crushed 400 tons for the company, which yielded £800 worth of free gold. Mr. Eckberg then gave the company £530 for the tailings, and he expects to realise a profit of £250 on the transaction.
Cassilis is undoubtedly a very busy place, with apparently a great promise, and the whole area is well worth inspection by mining speculators. Capital is said to be much wanted to develop its resources, and Mr Patterson, who is an old mining man, was much impressed with what he saw. The residents and miners, too, were evidently much impressed with what they heard from him. He spoke twice, once at a dinner in the Mount Markey Hotel and again to the miners outside. At the dinner, in addition to the gentlemen already mentioned, there were among others Councillor Bramley, president of the shire council of Omeo, Mr. Easton, shire secretary, Mr Lynch, manager of the Mount Markey Company ; and Messrs. Winter, J. R. Hayes, Lowe, and Wilson. In the first speech Mr. Patterson dwelt upon the surprise it was to him to find mining conducted in such a way that the gold blaring stone tumbled down on the heads of the people, instead of having to be dug from 2,000ft. or more, as at Bendigo. He had marvelled at the energy of the people, and was impressed by their sturdy independence. Mr. J.Eckberg in a previous speech had remarked upon the resemblance between Victoria to-day and New Zealand 12 years ago, and gave credit to the late Sir Harry Atkinson for having initiated the policy of retrenchment combined with the encouragement of production which had made New Zealand prosperous. Mr. Patterson caught up the remark, and emphasised it by praise of Sir Harry. The men who had come to the front since were living upon what he did, and it was to be hoped that their wild-cat schemes would not cause a reaction in New Zealand. To the men out on the road Mr. Patterson was complimentary in the extreme He contrasted their sturdy self-reliance and energy with the condition of the men who came to the public departments in Melbourne clamouring for assistance, and, as if the compliment had not exalted them sufficiently, he told them that living as they did on high hills they were half way to heaven, and so had the best of the men down in the cities below.
Mr. Foster and Mr. George Davis also spoke, and then the party left for Omeo, which was reached at 6 o'clock. After dinner an impromptu meeting was held at the Shire-hall, and the wants of the district were laid before the Premier. They were few. In the first place telephone communication was required with Glen Wills (25 miles off) and Cassilis. Next assistance was asked towards the maintenance of the Glen Wills road, and finally a special grant was asked to make, a section of the Tambo Valley road at a point where a new track was required to render it unnecessary to cross the river in flood time. To the lost request Mr Patterson replied that the shire funds should suffice for the work, and he promised that the others would receive due consideration. Speaking on general questions, he alluded with pleasure to his visit to Cassilis, and remarked that if a great gold field could be discovered the gloom now hanging over the colony would pass away as if by magic. The proceedings, which were informal, soon terminated.
After the meeting at the shire-hall the president and councillors entertained the Premier at the Golden Age Hotel, and speeches appropriate to the occasion were made. Mr. Patterson spoke without text and on several topics, and, among other things, gave strong support to the axiom that men capable of leading public opinion should lead and not follow it. The gentlemen of Omeo recognised, or thought they recognised, in this an intimation that they must not be surprised at any new policy the Ministry may promulgate.
This morning the whole party drove to the famed Omeo Plains, at one side of which stands Lake Omeo. Buggies were provided liberally, each being drawn by smart horses. One cannot be in this district an hour without realising that horses are indispensable to mankind, and women also. The country is hilly from end to end, and the grades are long and steep. No one seems to think of moving half a mile without a horse, and it can easily be understood that with such the case only good horses are used, and the horses have to be good because the roads are mainly bad. There is not an inch of railway in Eastern Gippsland, and so far as the Omeo people are concerned they seem to realise that until the great country they occupy is more fully developed it would be too much to ask for a. line to Bruthen. By-and-by they hope the line will be built, but for the present they think the Government should assist them more liberally than it does in the making and maintenance of roads. The plea for the reduction of the municipal subsidy from time to time has been that the extension of railways has rendered state expenditure in that direction less and less necessary. To this all the shires in Eastern Gippsland reply that the contention cannot apply to them because they have no railways. In travelling up and down the hills one cannot but admire the pluck of the people who have made the roads even such as they are. In the immediate vicinity of Omeo this admiration comes freely, and the discomfort of travelling would be intolerable but for the magnificent scenery which everywhere meets the eye. Hills and valleys fill the landscape for miles, and at several high points it is possible to get views for fifty and sixty miles. But the most beautiful view of all is from the crown of the hill overlooking: the plains and lake, and it repays days of toil. The area of these plains is about 40,000 acres, and the panorama is a close reproduction of Salt Lake, in Utah. The land is good, and the appearance of the farms recalls the best agricultural country near Ballarat. Altogether it is a lovely spot, and Mr. Patterson confessed that he had had his eyes opened to beauties of landscape that he had not thought were to be seen in any part of Victoria. The visitors were all pleased. After dwelling upon the beautiful scene by the lake side, the visitors were driven to Hinnomungie, the station property of the president, Councillor Brumley, on the banks of the Mitta Mitta. They were entertained with charming hospitality, and would fain have stayed, but they had to get back to Omeo, and a start homewards was made at about 5 o'clock.
On the way to Omeo a nasty accident occurred to two buggies, which almost miraculously did not result in loss of life. A double-seated buggy, driven by Councillor W. J. M'Coy, contained on the front seat Mr. George Davis, M L C, Mr. Harrie Smith, and Mr. A. C M'Dermott, solicitor. They were driving down a steep declivity when a single seated buggy carrying Mr. O. W. Sawyer, solicitor, who was driving Mr. W. M. Clark, M. L. A , and Inspector James, of the metropolitan police, came down behind them. Mr. M'Coy, wishing to make way tor Mr, Sawyer, drew his horses to the side of the road, but got over too far. The wheels slipped on the sideland, and one of them struck a stump The effect was instantaneous. Mr M Coy was thrown clean out of the buggy, with the reins in his hand, and the pole broke off short at the butt. Mr. Davis, Mr. Smith, and Mr M'Dermott jumped out instantly, the former falling on his back, Mr, Smith on his shoulder, and Mr. M'Dermott on his side. Mr. M'Coy and Mr. Smith rolled down the bank some distance, but Mr M'Dermott was soon on his feet. In the meantime Mr. Sawyer's buggy had passed, and noticing what had happened, and desiring to get clear of the horses, which had bolted, he quickened his pace. He could not get away quickly enough, however. Mr M'Coy's horses ran into his buggy at the back. Inspector James leant over the seat and grasped them by the heads, but the concussion threw Mr. Sawyer out on to the road. Mr. Clark, who was sitting next and leaning against him. fell out over the wheel, but Mr. James stuck in the buggy until the off-side horse of Mr. M'Coy's pair put its foot through the wheel and broke it to pieces.
Mr Sawyer, who retained possession of the reins, pulled up his horses, and the wheel being off the buggy fell backwards and Mr. James slid out. Mr. Clark and Mr. M'Coy seemed to be most hurt, while Mr Smith and Mr. Davis were shaken. Mr. Clark says that he fell on his back and rolled himself almost clear of the horses, when one trod on his foot and tore the toe cap off his boot. He had a slight abrasion of one leg, and suffered from stiffness in the shoulder; Mr. M'Coy had a nasty scalp wound, but Mr. James and Mr. M'Dermott were unhurt. By the time they picked themselves up other buggies had arrived, and the gentlemen who had been upset were accommodated. Mr. Patterson and Mr. Brumley assisted to repair the damage to Mr M'Coy's buggy, which was brought into Omeo, but Mr. Sawyer's had to be left on the scene to be sent for. Everyone was naturally delighted that no very serious consequences had followed the mishap, and it is hoped that in a day or two the stiffness of joints, which appears to be the only unpleasant symptom, will pass away. Mr. Paterson, of Messrs. Paterson, Laing, and Bruce, had a fortunate escape. He drove out to Mr. Brumley's with Mr. M'Coy, but changed into another buggy for the return journey.
The orders from our cicerone, Mr. Howitt, are that we are to be ready for the road at half past 6 to-morrow, when we resume the ascent over the Alps To-morrow night we are to be at Bowstead's, on Mount St. Bernard, and on Tuesday will reach Bright. On Wednesday we will return to Melbourne by the morning train.
The Argus Monday 11 December 1893
Article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8717850
Page identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page314795
The above mentions Mr Howitt, "our cicerone" [guide] whom we assume is the Mr Howitt mentioned in these pages to whose memory we have planted an Oak at the Cassilis recreation reserve.
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