The Workings Messrs. Whitfield and Pilcher have an area of 35 acres adjoining blocks 5 and 14. They have put down a shaft 43ft and obtained opal at the bottom; then they drove 12ft on the same seam with the result of 40oz of opal, worth £40. They have since timbered the shaft, put a base up, driven 60ft westerly, obtained opal all the distance, crossent drive south 30ft, driven 22ft north, with payable opal all the way. They are now starting to drive again westerly. They obtained opal at 6ft worth £4 an ounce, are still driving in the same vein; are also - putting down an airshaft 80ft distant. The work is being partially done on Tribute. This party realised the three months' work, with two men, £42, and with the Tribute party for one month £30. E.F.Murphy is manager of the Wilcannia blocks Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8 containing 40 acres. Upon my visit he was in his office with Mr Mylcreest, the sub-manager, busy sorting and valuing opals for market. The parcel they roughly estimated to be worth £1,500. "You appear to have a variety in your parcels?" "Yes; these have been previously classed by us into three and sometimes four classes. The lowest class are of no commercial value, and are known as potch. The others vary according to colour, brilliancy, grain, or body, life, or fire, whilst the other is cloudy, although showing colour without life." "What percent is of value and saleable?" "About 9 percent of the opal raised is potch. There is about 90 percent of various saleable classes, and 1 percent of lovely gems full of fire, rich colours of various hues, and great brilliancy. This class brings top market price, and is eagerly sort after by the Continental buyers. Here is one piece weighing 18 oz, the largest piece that has been found on the field. Portions of this were beautiful, but others were without the much desired fire, worth about £150." Continuing, Mr Murphy said the opal is found in layers or seams , in cement, sandstone, calcareous clay, in ironstone, and, in fact, in everything on the field. He then showed me a large number of shells from Block 18, which were opalised. These are a great curiosity - cockle and periwinkle of various prismatic colours. "What amount have you realised from your opal sales?" The total amount sold from 31st December, 1893 was £7,336, out of which about £4,000 have been paid for labour to the tributers. There are 72 hands on at present, but we have had an average of 80 for the past six months. " "Is there much trucking in shares in this company?" "None; the holders will not sell or even entertain an offer, except at fabulous prices." I next visited Block 12, consisting of eight acres, the property of R.Martin. The shaft is down 33ft, opal being obtained at 20ft, from which they have passed through five seams from the surface. They have taken out some of the finest opals found on the field. Some very beautiful pieces were shown me by Mr Martin. Three men and self have won about [? £360], won in three months. Messrs. Farrell and McGrath own Block 28; 20 acres. During the past six months they have received £120 for opals, sinking from 8ft to 12ft through four seams, each varying in colour and thickness; rich pieces up to 1 oz have been found. They are now putting on 10 men as tributers. Sparway and Co. have an area of 30 acres, and employ eight men, including six tributers. The work has been started 10 months; seven shafts varying in depth from 27ft to 32ft have been put down and worked for six months without getting [...]y opal. They went down to 27ft, where they found first layers of potch, then good colours, and afterwards struck splendid first quality opal, and have found £608 worth. In this claim is found opalised sandstone and fossilised wood, each showing brilliant colourings. They have found as many as eight seams of opal in a foot of workings. The average price they have obtained is ... per ounce. M. Pickett owns Block 14, consisting of 21 acres. He took up his block on 1st July ..., has put down numerous pits, and has had men on opal from within a foot of the surface to depth of 35ft. More than 90 percent has, however been potch. He has sold £600 worth. He is now erecting a nice cottage, the best on the field. "You intend to stop?" "Yes, I have work in sight for the next 20 years." "How do you work your claim?" "With mixed labour - wages and tributers." "You have obtained some rich opal?" "Yes, I have got up to £20 per ounce for opal out of this claim." There is a large tank 30 x 26 x 15ft excavated, having a capacity of 65,000gals., thus giving a good permanent water supply. I next visited the claim of Messrs. Skipworth and Lingwell, which consisted of 20 acres. This claim is being worked with a face - and trial shafts are being put down at intervals to a depth of 25ft. Opal has been found at 20ft, but of no value, being only one remove from potch; this is to say that it has a little colour, but no fire. At other parts of the ground they have got opal at 10ft. The main lead on this block runs at from 10 to 15 feet deep. At times they find opals of every description the whole length of the drive in conglomerate cement, and sandstone, of all qualities, and in various forms; one piece may be found on its flat, another on its edge, another at an angle. There really appears to be no hard and fast rule as to how opals exist or what form they take in their bed. This party do all their own work, assisted only by one man. They sold £1,600 worth in 1893, and up to date about £600 in addition. "They say they take it easy in the summer weather, and work hard in the winter. The opals from the mine display the finest fire and choicest colours and variety I saw on the field. They have erected a comfortable cottage, and have also come to stay. Turner and Richardson own Blocks 1, 3, and 4, consisting of 140 acres, Block 1 being a prospecting claim of 80 acres. They work the mine on tribute, also by wages men, employing in all 35 hands. The tributers are allowed 50 percent, which is the general tribute on the field. These claims have been worked for four years with the result of sales amounting to about £15,000. Messrs. McKenzie Brothers and Worley are proprietors of Blocks 2, 15, 16. Their claim consists of 240 acres. They work all on tribute. On Block 2 opal is found from the surface to a depth of 20ft. £2,700 worth of opals have been sold off Block 2. On Block 3 Sprigs and party, the largest tributing party on the field, have been at work for 18 months on 50 percent tribute, but have only realised about £1060. They obtain opals from the surface to a depth of 14ft. They say it does not pay tributers to go down to a greater depth. The seams of opal in this claim go from one-eighth of an inch to 2ins. This party are the "toff" tributers at Opalton. The Gem Blast Opal-mining Company has a property of 80 acres. This party are opening up and prospecting their ground properly by putting down a shaft and driving as you would for gold. They have passed through three seams, two of potch and one of fair opal. They passed through band stone 3ft wide carrying opal. Mr Saul, an old miner, got £3,300 out of one patch of opal in Block 7. Being a tributer, he got half of that amount. Speaking to Mr Gregory, one of the partners of this claim, he said, "This is a lovely life. I was formerly managing a large station with 40,000 sheep, but this life, with its constant excitement, is simply glorious and free." Kildea and Harrison own 40 acres. They have one tributer to help them. They have put down two shafts to 26ft deep, and are sinking a third. They have driven from the No.1 into the No.2 for air. They got opal at 7ft from the surface, and took 6 oz of first-class opal out of the drive, worth £15 an oz. They have struck and passed through [? 11] veins of opal of various qualities and colours in the No.2 shaft. In seven weeks they obtained 7lb weight of opals, averaging in value £5 an ounce, equal to £420. I would advise others to follow the system of mining adopted by this company. Warley and Clancey have a claim of an area of 40 acres. They have 12 men tributing, who are found in everything. The shaft is down 25ft, but no opals have been found at this depth. The principal finds have been from 3 to 4 feet from the surface. They have been on payable opal for the last eight months, and have won £2,000 worth sold, and have on hand about £500 worth. The opals in this claim are found on their true level of floor. There have been only about 7 acres opened up and prospected with the above results.