Newspaper Artical THE HAUNTED SHAFT.

THE HAUNTED SHAFT.

Until Baird's estate was proved the mine remained exempt, but eventually was thrown open. Several men tried their luck, and sunk shafts all round the old workings, but they got no gold to speak of, and gradually drifted away. But, strange to relate, each and all carried with them the tale that Baird's shaft was haunted. Every night they averred, plainly could be heard the tap tap of a pick, as if his spirit still kept on at the work at which he was engaged when he was struck down. As Is usual in the out- back, "nerves" won, and the ghost was left In possession for a considerable period. Even the blacks shunned the place, and otherwise brave warriors would make a circuit of miles rather than risk the debbil-debbil their minds had conjured out of the reports circulated by those who had heard the mysterious noises.
Some time after this commotion, It was Incumbent that I should visit the east coast In the neighbourhood of the Lockhart River, and, as my most direct route lay through Baird's diggings, I determined to Investigate the ghost story. Arriving at the place, I off-saddled, prepared my camp, had tea, and settled down to await developments. It was a glorious night. The moon had reached the full, and shone so brightly that every feature around stood out softly and clearly in the radiance. The weather was balmy, warm, with a gentle south-easterly lapping everything in its embrace, so that covering was unnecessary; therefore no tent obscured my view of the workings. I lay on my blankets wondering what would be the outcome of the venture, and, wondering, fell asleep.
It may have been two hours later that I awoke to find myself sitting up, listening intently. Evidently some sound had penetrated to the brain, and, sub-consciously the mind had reacted on the body. Shaking off the effects of slumber, it was not long before I located the cause of my unrest, for, clearly, across the intervening space, came the tap, tap, tap-then a pause-tap, tap, tap, as if a miner were dressing down a shaft. I distinctly noted that it was not the heavy thud of "sinking," but the lighter pick work used in "squaring" down the sides. It would be ridiculous to state that I v/as stoically indifferent to what was taking place. In reality, I was us near what is called "blue funk" as it was possible to be, and tremors would persist In running down my spine. Fortunately, sanity overcame fear, and curiosity completely established reason. In the afternoon, when I surveyed the ground, I had marked a tree standing beside the shaft. It had been riven by lightning many year s previously, denuded of all but three branches, and these, with the trunk, were hollow and devoid of bark. Now, in the cold moonlight, it looked weird and spectral.
To this tree I crept, thinking to view the proceedings from such a point of vantage; but directly I arrived at its base the tapping ceased, and after an interval I was forced to return to my bed, only to be disturbed again and again, and again and again to be defeated in my efforts to elucidate the mystery. At last I determined to remain In the shadow now cast by the tree and await developments. Ten long minutes passed in stillness, then came the familiar tap, tap, tap, but it was not from the shaft the sound came; it was from a hollow limb of the lightning-blasted tree, and, looking up, I saw the source of the rumours and the cause of my recent perturbation. A great grey owl was sitting on the limb of the tree, beating the life out of its victim-a bush rat, or some such small vermin.


The Sydney Morning Herald
1932
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/

bloody owls......one night i was detecting (as it was summer and near 40 during the day) and i was having a good time
getting a few bits, then i heard this screaching like a mad man was killing a sheila, thats what i pictured was going on in my mind

have since been told that owls do that to make there prey run out of the bush's
cheers and thanks for sharing

Grin I reckon that would have put the wind up me too.... bloody owls grin

Good story.