Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 - 1916), Tuesday 12 January 1904, page 7


MINING NOTES. The striking of the Tetley lode at the No. to level of the Judd shaft, at the Associated, gives over 2ooft. of backs. . Oriental and Glanmire, Gympie, engaged stoping over the os8oft. level. There is a fair quantity of crushing stone in the first stope. Black Horse United, Egerton, have their main shaft sunk a total distance of 20ooft.; the sink completed. A plat will be started shortly at rg8oft. At the Nercbridge rush, Victoria, some good gold is still being obtained, and several nuggets going from 25 or. to 7 oz. have been found recently. The vein struck in the Victory United mine at the 64oft. level has been driven on for z3ft. The stone still assays frosn 8 oz. to P6 ozs. f gold per ton. Official statistics just issued set the total mineral product of California for the year 1goz at 35,069,sod dollars. This is about 7poooo dollars more th-n for the previous year. The relative val'e of the principal products is: .,'gold; 2, petroleum, 3, copper; 4, borax ; c, clay products ; 6, quicksilver; and 7, silver. The amount. ,£62 6s. rod., given in the Great Borlder Perseverance return for December as the value of the slags treated at Cockle treek represented the net proceeds. The expenses incidental to shipping and treatment were deducted. The 20ao tons of quartz sent to the Mt..' Lyell smelters by the Volunteer Con-. solidated Company, Tasmania, returned St oz. gold. This was a por-' tion of the Stone raised . from driving. wand rising on No. 2 lode at the 45oft. level. The total parcel of jr5 tons stone yield-d 202 oz. gold. The straight shaft at the Band of Hone mine, Charters Towers, is down 1458ft. from the surface; 6in. of nicelooking- stone was intersected at 1453ft. No. 6 western level has reached the Papuan boundary, and the stopes over this level west o No. s rise show from 6in. to sain. of average quality stone. It is not definitely known wheiher Mr. Richard Hamiton will returi by' the Suez route to West Auastralia. Ts is n tihe boards, however, that be will be asked to return by way of Ameriad in order that he can report upon some properties there. In that event his return to Kalgoorlie will be delayed for a month. The Government inmore especially the M.inister for 'Mines) will probably be asked .some far-reaching questions as to the reasons actuating them in ignoring the claims, of the A.W.A. t, be representedat the forthrcoming conference between various bodies and in-. Ssectors to discuss questions over the ventilation of deep mines. The managers of mines on the Kalgoorlie fields have been requested in afany instances to devote a greater degree of attention to the sork of mellocking up stopes so as to bring them into a safer condition for the men m~wrking therein. The inspectors hv so doing have earned a little commendation from miners. At the-North . Broken Hill mine preparations are proceeding in order to facilitate driving 'the western crosscut from the piat at the 8ooft. level.i Mullock ng in the northern section at the 7coft. level is still going on. The mullock is broken from the quarry on the western boundary. Refilling' is also proceeding in the far north- section at the 5ooft. level. The directors of ithe Berry Consols' Extended Company, Smeaton, report that extensive blocking, ·crosscutting, and panelling bave been carried out durng the past six months, with satisfactory results. In the latter part of September the electric haulage plant was started, and has been running fairly satisfactory. The manager estimates that dhe saving since its incepaion has (seen £26 per week. The output of gold for the term was 8of4/ oz., ant increase of 652z oz. over that of the previous balf-year. The gold tealised .,33,!39, out of hich lEz2,00oo was paid in dividends, being 6s. per share for the term. Mr. R. Hastie, M'.L.A., the leader of the Parliamentary Labor party, will shortly meet representatives of the Hannans and Boulder Mining Em.poyees' Unfion, .W!A., in conference for ,ihe discussion of topics affecting lhte interests of men working underground. After dealing with the subject of air -winclhes at different levels an endeavor will be made to arrive ati definite suggestions for regulations remarding the ventilatioh of deep mines. Ilr. Hasftle writes that the question appears to him to be the most important ian~l puzzling one of the future. His Iknowledge leads him to the concluston that "'no other State or country

has got any satisfactory method ofdealing with the subject." Tenders are invited for sinking the Ivanhoe South Extended main shaft to a further depth. An evidence of the tendency of the introduction of the eastern goldfields water scheme in reducing crushing costs is afforded by the experience of the Adeline mill management,who can now treat parcels of too tons at the low figure of nos per ton. Application is being made for exemption on the Oroya East, and- if granted. it is probable the management will await develomnents at the Brown' Hill Extended befoie doing a great deal more work. The Oroya East shaft has been carried down to zocoft, and a crosscut driven west to the boundary. The Brown Hill Ex-: tended sulphide lode was met with at that deepL, but a payable shoot of ore qn~ not struck in it. The continuation of the Eclipse foriaation northerly into the Oratsva lease has been proved by the Hanmans Prorrietary Development Com-! rany., The lode ch5rnnel of the Ecl:pse line is of considerable width. being rooft. in places, and occasionally it is a somewhat difficult matter ' to locate the pay ore. The new shaft of the Oratava at a depth of rc3ft. is rndoubtedly in the lode channel, and the management are just now engaged in driving and crosscutting in two places at the x3oft., so that payable shoots can be placed. A teleueram in the Murchison "Times" states that ?work was suspendeod on Friday morning on the Peak Hid mine, on account of the manager impnos'ng strmng nt searching rules. The men signified their willingness to continue work. under old conditions, but emphatically declined to walk from one room to another absolutely nude. Half of the men were dis-"arged before the rule- came into for -c 'hir mm'n:'q, a:nd those working night shift found, wten reaching the surface that there was a small ar"ron provided to" cover their person when going through the search person when going throv.rh the searcla room. The men declin.ed to submit to such conditions, and consequently the mine is idle and the battery men must therefore be thrown out of enployment. The W.E.G. (N. Papst and party) crushed at their own battery, Niagara, during December. 8o tons for 102.15 oz. Continuing north on the Wycheproof line at Bardoc, and adjoining the Lone Hand, is the Bonzer, a new syndicate property. it is reported that Mes-senger, the prospector, has struck the reef at the northerly end of the Bonzer, and traced it to the southern boundary. The stone gives excellent dolly pro-spects of fine gold. The new main shaft, 10ft. x 4t., started on the Queen of the West hold-ing close to the battery house of the Golden Link Eclipse lease, is so far down 50ft. Work in it was recently re-sumed after a temporary Sspell. The object of the management of the Han-nans Proprietary Development Com-pany in putting down this shaft is to catch one or other of the Eclipse for-mations on the underlie. As to the suggestion that the A.W.A. had not attended to the material in-terests of the workers undereround the following letter will serve to show that that body has taken action in the past :— "Perth, November 17, 19o3. Dear Sir, — I beg to acknowledge re-ceipt of yuar letter of ¶4th inst. relative to provisions in the Mining Regulations for compulsory action regarding the estaolishnment of air recei~vers in such plats where air w~hnche's are working for sinklng purposes. I will be pleased to bring same under the anntice of t~he hon. Minister for MinTes, itho, with myself, has' for some time been drvoting attention to the question of better. wentilaiion 3n the mines. -Yours fakithfully, 3. XI. Hopkins. Minister for Lands. Mr. R. G.. McKenzie, Woiters' Hall, Booulder."' Relative to an 'enquiry whether the A.W.A. upon these fields were doing practical 'rork for the betterment of the conditions of labor undergroand, we quote from a letter of. Mr. . D. Johnson, 'M.L;A., !o Mr. R. George MclCeniie. secretary of. the Eastern Goidfields District Council of the A.W.A.. and of thle Hlannans and Boulder Mining Employees' .Union. An extreact from the letters dated O'cober !, I903, aeads:--"Your letter of. cth inst. was considered at the last cau&-s meeting of the Labor party~, and I am instructed to reply, stating (s) we realise the i mportance of your suggestion that winzes should be baled be-, fore being connected aith a'ise. Tlshmitter is not, hoiever, a question for t'she Mining Act, mbut we have broucht it before the Minister in order to have it indcluded in his pronosed Mines Regilations Amending Bill." • . ?"',?

The profits on the three months' run, from August to October, of the Hannans Star were £4117. The Mt. Morgan G.M. C.. to date 1as pad the Queensland Government about £27o,ooo in dividend duty and royalty. T;he yueensland gold yield for x903 was 909,887 oz., an increase of 49,434 oz. The dividends for the year amounted to £989,o050o. The Jubilee mine, Scarsdale, dpring the past year treated 26,7,c tons for S1,594 oz. It dwt. gold; and paid dividends aggregating £19,800. Major Ord, who recently returned from South Africa, intends forming a party to prospect the back country in the East Mlrch'son district. The sinking of the Golden Link main shaft on the Ecliose leases from 300ft. to 4ooft. has been temporarily suspended. The management are putting their energies into development work on the pay levels, and hopes are entertained of important resl!ts ;n the course of a week or two. The electrical machinery at Cock's Pioneer Electric, Eldbrado, is now working most -atisfactorily, and the barge has been lowered to the new site, which is only about soft. from . the bed-rotck. The management and shareholders are looking forward with great interest to the bottoinlng of this first paddock in their mine, for altho?gkh there is payable gold and tin i?. the three B?oors of wash dirt passed through, the gold is always, in larger quantity on the bed-rock or bottom. H-dranulic sluicing continues to be highly succesful in the Castlemaine district. There are a number of private concerns doing well, whose returns are not available. In reeling,. amatters in the district are inmproving, and during the com'ng year good returns are assumed. The Forest Creek (Victoria) Gold Reefs Co., ~ho during the past 12 years have spent j30,o30, besides the value of the gold taken out while sinking to 8ooft. and drivn.ag, are now likely to be rewarded for their enterprise. The credit balance of the Bamanrtos Consolidated for the past financial -ear was £25,'16,- the property ac'~unat stood at jc2 6,7;o, representung 1422 claims, and- the company's shareh.oldings at cost stood at £r,3 54,3. The payment of a dividend was n" t rtor -sidereda advisable, as the liabilities, anainly working capital in subsidiary companies not yet called nr, had to be met. The comn anv possesses over a million deep level ihares, the value of' which is estimated to be nearer three millions than two millions rsediaj, and they will become more v'aluable. An exchange says that Messrs. Southall and Attrell, owners of the Picton. have struck a new reef a little south from their present workings. The reef was struck at a depth of raft. and averages a ouft Sft. in width. S'nce the reef was discovered about 21 tons hare been paddocked. T-he stone hoews gold freeh, and should give a gnod return through the mill. As work proeresses the reef shows imuroveanent. and developments are exceedingIv satisfactory. The shaft will be continued to a depth to prove the value of the stone, when a large parcel will be taken out. The reef and lode in the old workings still continue to develop well. A crushing of too tons will be put througd the Government mill, Wthich is expected to yield an average return of ro dwt. per tonThe superintendent of public batteries has been advised of the following crushings:---.y the Mount Leonora faftery-Clarence Extended .(Sims and Adams), 31 tois for 3x oz. 6 dwt..; Lady Mu'iel Lease (Mayers and party), 77 tons for i8 oz. s6 dwt.; Doyle and party's quartz claim, 1g tons for Gi oz.; Blake and party's quartz claim, 2234 tons for 2a oz. i8 dnt.; Captain Kettle (Mayers, ro tons for 4 oz. 2 dwt.; The Gift (O'Flaherty and party), i5 tons for 27 oz. 5 dwt.; Little Dorothy (Stephens and party), 25 tons for 26 oz. 9 dwt. Mulline battcry-Cooladdie Lease Q. D. Edwards), xxq tons, 84 oz.; George Frederick (F. Anderson), ;o% tons for zo oz. 18 dwt.; Riverina South Tribute (P. M. Robinson), 32 tons for is oz. 5 dwt. £2 gr.; Dead Finish (J. Wilson), 67% tons for 257 oz. 3 dwt. Mount Ida Battery-Ida Gem (Tresixze and Neilson}, 7 tons for 9 oz. 9 dwt.; Waterfall (Hawkins and Connolly), 9 tons for 7 oz. 12 dwt.; B3oudie's Nest (Schader and party), 13 tons for 7 oz z6 dwt.; Forest Belle (Buchanan and party), 8 tons for 7 oz. r dwt.; Copperfield (C. Kippin and party), 13 tons for 23 oz. 16 dwt. 12 gr. Mount Leonora Battery-Derby (Arms~trong and party), 35 tons for 19 oz. I dwit.; Myrtle (Anderson and party), 56 tons for 83 oz. 4 drt.; Victory No. a (Wilhams and party), zo tons for 28 oz. 7 dwt.; Mount

Clifford (Hanna and party), 4 tons for . so oz.. 12 dwt. 12 gr.; Overtime Lease' (Galvin and party), .5 tons for ra oz. 8-; dwt.; United Australia (Manuel 'nd party), r2% tons for 8 oz. I dwt. ' -them Cross Battery--Lord Car . n S(Watson and party), 70 tons for o0 oz. 1o dwt.; Sport Royal '(Breally and.party), 6o tons for 13 oz. 13 dwt. Niagara Battery-The Challenge Lease (IM. Grace), 19 tons for 14 oz. zx dwt. The Gem (C. Russell), 38 tons for-27 oz. 9 dwt.; Mulga Plum Lease t(i. Dickensen), 55 tons for 22 oz. 5 dt-it. W. Martin's quartz claim, 9% tons Iot6 oz. I dwt.; Kathleen Lease (Wilson) 15 tons tor 16 oz. 3 dwt. Meekatharr Battery--Tnglistone 'Extended (Robertq Bros.), r18i? tons for 154 oz. 1x dwt.t Inglistone Consols Extended (Rtebertt Bros.), 3g9- tons for 157 oz..19 dwt. " Sirdar (E. Dickson), I8,j tons for 2o oz. iS diwt.; Havelock South (MacGee . and party), 72 tons for .37 oz. I dwt. Attention has been directed in the eastern States to records for rapid shaft sinking. Under that head it is . well for us to point out that during 'the month of August the main shaft at the Associated Northern mine, Kalb goorlie (rift. by 4ft. in the clear), was carr'ed down from gBIft. to ro64ft., a distance of 83ft. This almost constitutes a record for shaft sinking on this field at the depth nagmed. Thy work, which included the fixing of . number of squaie sets, was done off contract with a bonus attached for. 4oft. progress per pai (half-month). Two machine drills were used, and the rock pastsed thro?gh cons.is.ed of hard blue diorite with a few calcite stringers. The average cost of sinking and timbering-inclusive of proportion of hauling and all general n_:ne expenses---was fi t 7s. a od. per foot. A splendid piece of shaft-sinking has tbeen done at the Queen Central mine, Charters Towers, the workmen, under. Mr William Hinarris, h~vivng sirnl goft. in four weeks. This is a record for t he field, -and probably for Australia, the previous record having teen 137ft. for four weeks, at the Day Dawnu'Freehold Consolidated mine, also at' Charters Towers. The Queen Central shaft is of four commpartments, earb of IrlticQh is 3%ft. by 4ft. Three shifts were worked, ,and 2o men were -enewred in ira1ing the reconl. The sinking is in solid grey granite, anP the shaft is perfectly dry. At sl ' Long Tr.nnel mine, w?here MIr. L. W. Grarison is confounding his c.itics wiLt' the rapidity with ,which hte is sendint , down the incline shaft. the best sink for a week in'the two sections is ,4.4f>t. Water on both sections, however, igi very troublesoame. Mr. Graysoa months ago fixed February 19 as thit.. date when the first section would ftole througr to the second. and it seems as . if his calculations iwill be realised.