HISTORY
of CARGO and Community
W Folster's Articles
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This was an advent of the greatest importance: for it was to cause the small settlement to grow into a busy mining camp.
Of the first find there is little evidence: it was probably in the early sixties. Towards the end of the year 1868 many diggers began to arrive but lack of water prevented the development of the field. About the beginning of February 1869, rain fell and the Cargo correspondent of the Western Post reported that the aspect of things had completely changed following the rain and digging was going on busily and everyone appeared to be making more or less gold. The Cargo gold field upon which the township of Cargo was built was proclaimed on the 11th February 1869. The area at the time being subject to a conditional purchase by a gentleman - Mr J Hartigan. From that time the gullies and later the reefs around Cargo yielded a rich harvest of the precious metal. In the wake of the diggings, came the business people and the settlement along the creek grew into the town of Cargo – a busy thriving mining community.
SITE OF THE CARGO GOLDFIELDS Top
The boundaries of the first area proclaimed on 11th February 1869, commenced at the north west corner of a property then being subject to a conditional purchase by Mr J Hartigan. The boundary then had a bearing west for 3 miles, on the west by a line bearing north 5 miles 36 chains, on the north by a line crossing Bowan creek, this boundary being identical with an old lease No 33 of the old pastoral district of Wellington. The boundary had a bearing last of 5 mile, a line leaving south five miles, 36 chains joined with a lease (No 36) boundary which in turn connected to a line bearing west and crossing Cargo creek and so linking up with a point of commencement.
On 20th May 1873 the considerable mining activities then in existence led to a westerly extension being proclaimed, this taking in a new belt of country which commenced at the south west corner of the old Cargo goldfields and extended 8 miles to a blind gully junctioning with the Mandagery creek at Longs corner, on a part of the western boundary by a line bearing north to that junction and thence to the remainder of the west and the north by Mandagery, Boree and Bowan Creek upwards to the north boundary of the old field. A further spread of activities led to the southerly extensions south two miles by west 5 miles, this being proclaimed 16th February 1875.
A FEW FACTS OF SOME OF THE EARLY GOLD MINES Top
The Ironclad mine apparently the best known mine on the field. In 1875 it was reported that the main shaft was 270 ft deep, In 1876, 30 to 40 men were employed and the main shaft was 338 feet deep. Unofficial statements record that gold worth $32000 was won from the mine prior to 1885. In 1885, 490 tons of ore were treated for a return of 154 ozs of gold. The depth of the mine was then given as 400 feet
The Dalcooth mine In 1875 this mine was reported as being one of the four important reefs on the field. In 1880, 28 tons of ore yielded over 45 ozs of gold.
The Golden Clad mine There is mention of this mine in 1875. 77 tons of ore then yielded 67 ozs gold valued at $1000. The mine was earlier known as the old “Rise and Shine”.
The Commonwealth mine The first mention of this mine is in 1899. It had then been prospected for almost 2 years.
The Essex mine This mine was first worked by a Tinnox and party, but the year is not mentioned. 85 tons of ore returned the sum of $7568 after all expenses were paid.
Despite the gradual closure of mines, Cargo continued through the years as a strong community for the rich farming community that surrounds it.
Details by courtesy of Boree Shire Council (now Cabonne Council)
Gold mining was the reason for an influx of people to both Belmore (now Moorbel ) and Cargo districts in 1868-69. In this period of NSW history, although the first flush of gold rushes of the 1850’s was over, news of a new gold field would attract a rush of nomadic miners from diggings where their luck had run out to the new field.
A correspondent from Grenfell reported to the “Bathurst Times” on April 11 1868 that, “The reefs at Canowindra, 50 miles distant are attracting much attention”
A report from Orange to the “Bathurst Times” in October 1868, said “within the last few days, there has been a rush to the Davys Plains alluvial diggings about 23 miles from Orange. The gold is traced for about eight miles, a reef has also been discovered, gold is plainly seen in the stone, about 500 people are on the ground”.
In order to cater for this influx, the Orange correspondent on October 31 1868, wrote “Messrs Cobb & Co indefatigable agent here- with careful regard to public interest ….. has placed a coach on for Cargo three times a week; viz Monday Wednesday and Friday at 10.00am and at the moderate fare of ten shillings – the return coach leaving Cargo Tuesday Thursday and Saturday”. In the same report the correspondent adds, “Little as I know of gold diggings, I still think before a person ventures there, especially with a hot, dry summer before us (as it promises at present) he should possess capital, patience and experience.”
The predicted hot, dry summer soon became a reality so that, despite promising yields of gold, lack of water brought a lull in prospecting. In November 1868, it was reported that, “At present the wash dirt has to be conveyed a distance of 5 miles and consequently no great amount of work is being done. However three loads of wash dirt a few days ago produced nearly 33 ozs of gold; the sinking is easy and varies from 12 to 30 feet”.
Other lucky finds also lured miners to the area. In January 1869, a slug of 21 dwts’ had been found in tin dish gully. In the same month it was reported that a small but exceedingly brilliant diamond had been found.
Long gully was the first place rushed on the Cargo field bit it was reported that by the drought 1868-69, Long Gully presented a very much worked-out appearance and the Alpine reef was attracting considerable attention.
About the beginning of February 1869, rain fell and the Cargo correspondent of the Western Post reported that “the aspect of things had been completely changed following the rain and digging was going on briskly and everyone appeared to be making more or less gold.”
Following this renewed activity the Cargo gold field upon which the township of cargo was built was proclaimed in the NSW Government Gazette on 11th February 1869. The proclamation was made by the Right Honourable Somerset Richard Lowry-Corry, Earl of Belmore, Governor of the Colony of NSW.
The area proclaimed was 7 miles by 56 miles and is defined thus:- County of Ashburnham at Cargo. The gold field on Crown Lands within the following boundaries, commencing at the north western corner of portion 66-63 at Cargo, a conditional purchase of 100 acres by J Hartigan; and bounded thence on part of the south by a line bearing west 3 miles; on the west by a line bearing north about 7 miles; on the north by a line crossing Bowen creek, forming partly the north boundary of reserve from lease No.33 pastoral district of Wellington, notified 7th September 1853, bearing east 5 miles, on the east 5 miles, on the east by a line bearing south 7 miles, crossing Bowen Creek and on the remainder of the south by a line forming partly the north boundary of reserve from lease No.36, notified at the aforesaid date, bearing west 2 miles, crossing Cargo Creek, to the point of commencement, to be called the “Cargo Gold Field”. On current maps, 1876, is given as the date of proclamation of the Cargo Gold Field, but this is because the boundaries were later altered.
In the NSW Government Gazette No 253, Friday 28th July 1876, two proclamations appear by his Excellency Sir Hercules George Robert Robinson, Governor of the Colony of NSW. One repeals the proclamation of Cargo Goldfield of 11th February 1869, as printed above, and proclaims Cargo Goldfield within slightly smaller boundaries.
CARGO BEFORE THE GOLDRUSH Top
Prior to the discovery of gold there, Cargo already had a history of some forty odd years of white men’s settlement although there was no township there. Cargo Creek identified the locality as late as 1866.
The name Cargo is derived from an Aboriginal name for the area sounding more like Ngargu.
Following the explorations of Evans and Oxley in 1815 and 1817, the whole of the countryside west of the Canobolas as far as the shepherds liked to go was, in the late 1820’s, a Government cattle station under the control of Captain Raine.
The centre of this vast run was near the present Boree Cabonne.
With the establishment of runs or squatting on crown lands, the site of Cargo was part of the old Davys Plains run of 64000 acres, first taken up by William Lawson Junior. Davys Plains is said to have once had the aboriginal name of Tharrey Tuckera, but from Davy, a Welshman, who was a shepherd there, derived the name Davys Plains.
The early settlers of cargo were thus station hands and shepherds employed on Davys Plains. They obtained their mail and supplies from Boree Cabonne, whence it was brought from Peisley’s Inn, Orange.
John Hood, a traveller to the area in 1841, said “Boree represented a little wooden town in 1841, being constituted of a great many huts”.
Few women weer in the area at first, but gradually their numbers increased, marriages and baptisms were performed by itinerant priests and ministers at Boree. As early as 1853, several Catholic baptisms at Boree were recorded by Father Bernard Murphy who travelled from the Kings Plains Mission. One of the earliest references to Cargo is contained in a description of the Orange-Nanima road which was laid down in 1858, as a result of action from Orange to establish Orange as a major centre. It is described as follows :- “In the route from Orange you proceed to Coffey hill sheep station (Mr Barton), then following the range to Cargo Station (Mr Lawson) leaving Davys Plains to the right, you have a level to Mogong station (Messrs Clements) from thence to the little Bald Hill gap meeting the Waugan road, three miles from Nanima, by which you have access to Canowindra. This road, known locally as the three chain road, has today been partly incorporated into main roads, but in other parts is little more than a rough bush track.
Free settlers moved into the Cargo area in the 1860’s. One of the first selectors was Mr Curry in 1860 and another Mr J Hartigan came to Gum Flat in 1862. It was on Hartigan’s 100 acre conditional purchase that the Cargo Goldfields was later proclaimed.
Following hard on the heels of the gold diggers from 1868 onwards came the business people and the settlement along the creek grew into the town of Cargo – a busy thriving mining community.
Gum Flat alluvial diggings were the scene of the greatest “rushes” at Cargo. Although the population of cargo has been seriously estimated at from 5000 and 7000 at the height of the rush, there is little evidence to show for how long such numbers, many of whom were chinese, remained.
The first school in the district was a bark hut at Gum Flat, and in 1872, the rush to Gum Flat left the earliest reefs, Long Gully, Township Gully, Graveyard Gully, Scrape Rock, Tin dish Gully and Copper Gully, abandoned for a time. By the year 1875, the following reefs had been located:- Ironclad, Adelaide, Pride of cargo, Victim, Dalcooth, Rise and Shine, New Chum Hill, Homeward Bound, Wreath of roses, Lucknow, Alpine, Galatea and Prince Alfred.
In the 1875 two crushing plants were working continuously to the tune of twenty one head of stampers in the batteries.
To overcome the problem of the water needs of the township and the mines, nine dams in all were built. In Copper Gully, three catchment dams were provided, one dam and a large reservoir supplying the Ironclad Company’s plant, four dams in Cargo Creek itself supplying the three puddling machines for the alluvial deposits on Gum Flat and in addition a dam was built in Township Gully for purely domestic purposes. The building of these dams provided work for a great number of men, since all work was done with pick and shovel and horse drawn drays.
Shops, hotels, schools, churches, banks, blacksmiths and a flour mill, to name but a few of the buildings in Cargo that went up to serve the growing centre and Cargo was proclaimed a town on 20th March 1885. The flour mill built in 1880 by Mr Worrall, moved to Manildra when the railway went there in 1893.
Mining fell roughly into two periods at cargo, the first being from the late 1860’s to 1879 when there was a falling off in activity largely due to the cessation of working at the Ironclad.
The second period began with the re-opening of the New Ironclad in 1885 with capital of £150,000 from London and the town saw renewed prosperity for a time, but by 1899, mining was again slack and was carried on only intermittently until about 1910. News clipping of Vic Fisher 20th October 1972 Top
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