Army of 1
Hero Member
- Jun 22, 2013
- 663
- 347
- Detector(s) used
- Whites MXT Pro , Tesora Bandito 2 , Minelab GPX 4000
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Hi Crow , Don Jose and Oroblanco . I do know of this " Dead Horse Treasure " and have done some cursory study , more speculation and dreaming than serious investigation . As you know even today this area of the territory is remote , vast and wild , as you suggested one of 2 scenario's the horse ran until exhaustion and thirst took its toll and the animal collapsed or the horse was found or wandered into some extremely lucky prospectors camp .Hello to The Orish man with the big gun.
So what was the revenge you got back on ya acquaintance the shifty beach comber sounds like some one I know.
Mick..
I am knackered.. it has been very hot today and missed my afternoon grandpa nap....But I still have enough steam for that yarn so crack a cold one for me.. You perhaps already heard this yarn up in your part of the world?
They say dame Fortune is a hard mistress to please?
I first heard it when drilling many years ago near Brocks Creek. There is few mines there and mining leases. I was working for a mining contractor that did exploration drilling. prices of gold was falling at the time but companies that owned mining leases to keep them they needed to do some form of mining activity. it was cheaper to get a drilling contractor to drill some holes and a young geologist fresh out uni to oversee the project. Everything was done on the cheap. As there was a lot of drilling contractors competing for any work at the time. it was in the days we lived along side our rigs in make shift camp in scrub in Swags. Did the Aussie salute swapping flies off.
No portable Dongas back then just camping under the stars. one of hands a bushie from why back. You know the type that talks out the side of his mouth with out the lips moving so not to let the flies in, rolling a rollie with drum tobacco in one hand with the ease of a Indian tobacco roller. This old bushie told us story one might as we sat around the campfire as he licked his cigarette paper. These yarns was always good and on this occasion we heard one that allegedly happened near where we many years ago that happened many years previously.
The old Bushie mentioned every time he thinks about the revival of gold-mining in the Brock's Creek district (Northern Territory), He calls an unusual story of a lost fortune in gold that his father told him.
The first men to find gold at Brock's creek, were four of the Territory's pioneer miners, Henry Roberts, Fred Starke, Harry Houschildt, and John Noltenius, who struck a rich reef in June, 1880. Within a week the reef yielded them nearly 800oz. of gold, worth in those days a fortune. The men, who had spent a long period in the bush, then decided to return to Darwin for a spell. The gold was careful placed in the saddle-pack of their most trusty horse, and, tethered the animal to a tree a few yards from the camp, the men began to prepare for the long journey to Darwin. When all was ready they decided to celebrate their fantastic success by finishing off their liquor supply.
As they drank they sang and cheered, and the unusual noise apparently frightened the horse with the gold, for during the celebrations it reared up, snapped its bridle, and galloped madly away! Neither the horse nor the gold was ever seen again. For several weeks the men combed a vast area of country, without getting even a glimpse of the missing animal. Some of the Territory's "old timers" say that the gold has never been found, but others declare that not long after the horse had disappeared a man, suspected of having found the gal loping fortune, turned up in Darwin, and. after selling some sold, left on the first ship for the South. But the fact remains their is only speculation what happened to the gold.
We speculated how far would horse travel before it perished as the area had limited amount of water holes. Perhaps some where out in the scrub is a skeleton of a horse with Rotten pack saddle full of gold?
As for the four prospectors their fate went from bad to worse they got claim jumped while they were searching for the horse and they were some of the miners who were massacred near Arthur River a year or two later.
And that my friends why Dame Fortune can some times be a cruel *****.
Crow
I believe the first because this area was at that time rough and isolated country , probably not too many miners there at that time and 1880 was an extremely dry year .
I have done some detecting on a friends Exploration lease "The Margaret Diggings " in 1880 an extremely rich alluvial field ,This is several miles Sth of Brocks Creek , i always check the creeks and valleys on the look-out for bones you never know this Gold could be anywhere But its Big country .
Anyways guys good luck with your Ventures/Adventures , hope the big one is in your sights .. cheers Mick
.. cheers Mick
??
Blushing violently.
