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 is plenty of gold still in the remainder of this red cement, but a cheaper method of working it must be put into operation.

In 1896, Addison’s was again in bloom. IIt [sic] was in that year that the great German Exploration Company started their claim at Addisons, near the Bald Hill and named the place “The Bendigo.” When the great foreign company was buying out claims at Charleston, Addison’s, and Fairdown, and giving the prices asked for by the sellers a fair amount of speculating was going on. A man named Purcu bought Mick Sullivan’s claim out for £800 and in a few weeks sold it again to Dencker and Peelsticker, the German agents for the handsome sum of £14,000. The German syndicate opened out his claim, employed hundreds of miners and after a year or so they abandoned the whole show after spending thousands and not getting a copper in return. The above two named gentleman are said to have swindled the German syndicate right and left and finished up in a great court case in Blenheim. I think, Dencker parted up with a few thousands of pounds he had in hand, but what became of Peelsticker, I don’t know. I am told that J. Millikin and party, in their claim alone at ground sluicing and cement crushing, from the time they started work in the early days of the Flat until a few years ago, got 2½ tons of gold out of the ground at the rate of £3 19s per oz., troy weight.

Micky Burke was also a mining inspector about 28 years ago. He started a big claim over at Virgia Flat. It seemed that Micky finally got into trouble with the company he represented and was the defendant in a big court case in Westport.

A good story is told of the time when the mining speculators were at work buying out the shares in claims. It was a Sunday evening, when several of the young men of Addison’s were sitting talking at the top of Dick Harley’s Hill and a wag, by the name of Jack Warne, disguised himself and as the old men of the party of O’Toole’s claim were returning home from McEnroe’s and Kennedy’s hotels, they were met by Warne who introduced himself as a speculator. The rest of his mates were hiding in the manuka bushes close by to hear the fun. Warne met Dan McNamara, Bill Killen, Paddy McEnroe and Peter Halligan and told them his business. We are the party of O’Toole’s claim said Pat McEnroe and are prepared to do business with you. “I have heard of this wonderful claim” said Warne, “and I intend making you on offer of £16,000 for your claim, but I must have a good look at the property first.” “We’ll meet you at the claim at 10 o’clock in the morning,” said Dan McNamara, “but the value of the claim is worth double the amount you are offering, in fact, I have the gold receipts up in my house for the gold sold for the last 30 years to prove my statement.” “Man dear,” said Pat McEnroe, “if you go down to the sluicing face of our claim on a dark night, you can see the gold shining in the black sand.” Bill Killen and Peter Halligan were too dumbfounded to speak. Warne bid the old chaps “good night” and arranged to meet them at the claim in the morning. At daybreak next morning, O’Toole’s party were down at the claim straightening things up far the welcome visitor at 10 a.m. They waited at the blacksmith’s shop until dinner hour.