Bendigo General History - Department of Planning and Community ...

1850s: The most easterly of the three main lines of reef on the Bendigo field, the very first
crushing from its surface outcrop on Hustler’s Hill in the fifties, had yielded 26 ounces to the
ton. 1
1860s: Robin Hood Company was founded in the mid-1860's and one report in The
Bendigo Advertiser 14 July 1865, stated that a new whim was in the course of erection to
enable further shaft sinking to proceed. Two years later, when the shaft had been sunk to 300
feet, the mine was not paying, but in June 1868, the company crushed 130 tons of quartz for
86 oz, their largest return to date. By 1871 the Robin Hood Company had been reformed into
a Registered Company with capital of £20,000 ... This company was not successful, and in
1878 their lease, on which the shaft had been deepened to 400 feet and a winding plant
erected, was purchased by an adjoining company, the New Moon Company who were later to
recoup a fortune from the Robin Hood claim. 2
1860s: The sixties ushered in Sandhurst’s first mining boom. In 1858 ... James Stewart
Butters who, a couple of years before, had entered into a highly successful partnership with
W.G.Baillie, as gold-buyers and share-brokers. Butters had heard of the ‘golden cakes’ being
won by Sandhurst’s quartz-reefers. He lent a close ear to tales of vast riches below, waiting to
be tapped. It was a situation, he felt, ripe for exploitation. Hitherto, mining had not been an
attractive field for capital investment; the risks were too great. But the 1855 Act for Better
Regulation of Mining Companies and the related Act of 1858 had removed the hazards of full
liability. No longer could partners be held liable to the extent of their assets for debts incurred
in partnership. Liabilities became limited to the extent of holdings. Butters was much
impressed, and soon, was making history as the originator of the local gold mining
companies. The same year he launched the Hercules on the rich New Chum Reef as a first
joint stock venture. He chose shrewdly. The Hercules had been worked as early as 1855 and
very profitably; the venture could hardly fail. 3
1860: There had been 1,592 machines on the field. 4
Jan 1860: No 1. or Kangaroo Flat Division [Edward T Harper].
The population is as follows:
European Chinese
Alluvial miners 2,586 1,150
Quartz miners 1,114
3700 1,150
Of the above 2,306 alluvial miners, and 350 quartz miners are idle
The machinery is as follows:
Alluvial mining:
Horse puddling machines, 148 at work, 173 idle
Quartz mining:
Steam engines pumping, and crushing, etc, 16 at work, 7 idle
Horse whims, 2 at work, 5 idle
There is a great diminution in the mining population in my district this month in consequence
of the absence of water for mining purposes. From actual observation, I find that three-fifths
of the alluvial miners have ceased working altogether, hundreds of whom are literally out of
employment; other are going, and have gone to other diggings; but the majority of them will
return, have left there interests here, and resume working at the first sign of a supply of water.
The table shows a decrease in working this month of one hundred puddling mills. The horses,
etc, have been necessarily disposed of at a sacrifice to supply funds for the maintenance of
the miners, which when they can return to work will put them to a great deal of
inconvenience to procure against such another equipment; evils which would be obviated
could we, during winter, on some of our elevated watersheds, store sufficient water to supply
us for two months, when necessary during summer.
1 Cusack, 1973, p150
2 Perry, 1975 pp214-227
3 Cusack, 1973, p129
4 Cusack, 1973, p119