CHARLESTON
another on a stretcher—“welly sick.” They bought three passenger tickets.
Upon their arrival at their destination the sick man proved to be a corpse. The rate for a corpse is 1/- per mile, but for a passenger only twopence per mile; so the difference was demanded. The two blandly declared that their mate had been alive when they started, and had died when only a mile from the end of the journey—they proffered the difference for this mile, tenpence. “No pay, no have,” said the official. “No can do,” they replied, “better you keep him”; and left. Later the official had to entreat the wily ones to remove free the “perishable goods.”
BATTERIES AND WATER-RACES.
The mining venture that, because of its great dam and water-race, had the greatest and most lasting effect upon the Charleston field, was the “Argyle Goldmining and Water Supply Company,” registered in 1873, with a capital of £8,160 in 816 shares of £10 each. It paid over £1,000 in dividends during its first year. This dam, of about 300 acres area, was at Deep Creek, near the Four-mile, and was the highest in the district with the exception of the Progress dam, also near the Four-mile, which was thirty feet higher, and had a greater area but not such a plentiful supply of water. The Argyle dam was built by a party comprising Charles Haines, W. G. Jackson, Wm. Pearson, and W. McEwen, who sold to the company. The first manager of the company was Charles Haines, who was succeeded by Philip McCarthy, of Candlelight. Some of the early shareholders were W. G. Jackson, Joseph Henry, W. McEwen, James Egan, Joseph Dromgool, and John Woodcock.
Early, a water-race ran from the dam to Candlelight. This cost £800, and as a further £1,300 was required to extend it to Argyle Terrace, the Government was appealed to, and it granted monetary assistance. The race carried about 25 heads of water, sufficient to keep a large number of miners regularly employed.
About 1880 the Government acquired the company’s dam and water-race, the latter becoming known as “The Govern-
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