Clarke's party

Clarke's party were mining in Redan, <1857-1858>.

History
June 1857: "The same may be said of Clarke's party. Miners in that company are sanguine of success. With a capital engine and experienced workmanship, they are now down more than ninety feet in the rock. It is ' dead ' in their claim that the junction of the Miner's Right and Redan Leads is confidently expected, — a circumstance which has had considerable effect in raising the price of shares."

In April 1858 it was reported that while several other companies had given up, Clarke's were still trying to find the lead: "Clarke's company are plodding steadily along in the region of the gutter, and with results barely reaching the mark desired. Ahead the progress of operations is on the whole satisfactory, and the development of the lead goes on with as much rapidity as under the circumstances may be expected."

In May 1858 the company was accused of encroaching on the neighbouring claim worked by the Great Redan United Company. They complained to the mining board about the government surveyor when he also agreed they had crossed the boundary: "From Mr O'Malley, district surveyor, Redan Lead, in reply to memorial of complaint by Clarke's, party, stating, that although he did not see how the matter could come within the jurisdiction of the Board, he was anxious to respond to the wish of the Board for a reply. The letter then went on to deny at an elaborate length all and sundry the charges alleged against him by the complainants, whom he declared to have encroached upon their neighbors, the United Miners, said encroachment having led to all the 'bootless surveys' and disagreeables which were alleged in complaint of memorialists, whom Mr O' Malley impeached of an attempt to saddle his shoulders with the consequences of their own blunders. The letter concluded as follows:-' I lost at least seven or eight days on their account, and by what system of arithmetic they can reckon the few pounds given me upwards of a year ago for survey and registration fees, is an equivalent for all the above-named services I am at a loss to know, unless indeed they may count the several dips into the well they have given me of late as so many plunge baths, and thus supplement their money payments with another of a less agreeable nature. Finally, I do most positively declare that I have generally acted in a decorous and becoming manner towards the party in question, as towards any other party on the lead. And if necessary, I can at any time verify on oath all that is is herein stated.' ' Received."

In June 1858 it was reported that the dispute with the Great Redan United Company had been resolved: "Things on ¡this lead are still moving on but slowly, and but little in the way of novelty. The long pending dispute between Clarke's Company and the United Miners has at last been decided in the Court of Mines, and it is to be hoped that peace and quietness will be the order of the day now between the recent litigants. The lead is, we believe, a paying one under ordinary mining circumstances, but if the law is to be invoked very often, we do not know of any lead at present on Ballarat that would be found remunerative."